RCR Wireless News back issues from October 2007:
11 years later, FCC still toiling through PCS auction litigation; Agency wins ruling against Magnacom, but case may be headed to Supreme Court.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the trustee of bankrupt Magnacom Wireless L.L.C. is not entitled to proceeds from the re-auction of the company's cancelled wireless licenses, a legal victory for the Federal Communications Commission on the ...
Textbook example.(Opinion)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: Jeffrey Silva It's possible Verizon Wireless has done as much for the open access/net neutrality campaign as the liberal MoveOn.org Petraeus ad did for struggling Republicans. Verizon Wireless' decision first to block text messages from pro-abortion group ...
River cruise shows Chicago's WiMAX.(Spotlight)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a historic trip, that started on the Chicago River aboard this WiMAX-ready ship. The skipper was skinny and Gilligan was nowhere in sight, but WiMAX chipsets were sending signals all over a ...
Xohm readies for the revolution.(Spotlight)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO "The horse is out of the stable, it's running around the track and there isn't another one in sight,'' Barry West, president of Xohm and CTO of Sprint Nextel Corp., said in his keynote address at WiMAX World USA here. "There is really only one other horse ....
Tracfone targets unlockers.(Upfront)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Tracfone Wireless Inc. has turned up the heat on the cellphone black market, securing a slew of court judgments to halt the resale of prepaid phones altered to work on cellular networks other than those of the prepaid mobile-phone company. ...
Scott Richardson.(Interview)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Clearwire Corp. may not have the father of WiMAX under its wing in Chief Strategy Officer Scott Richardson, but he could very well be considered the father-in-law of WiMAX, Richardson said in a keynote last week at WiMAX World USA in Chicago. Clearwire's ...
Clarification.(Correction)(Correction notice)
Oct 01, 2007 ... RCR Wireless News would like to clarify an error made in the "Mobile TV space set for technology war'' story, which ran in the Sept. 17 issue. MediaFLO was incorrectly identified as Qualcomm Inc.'s proprietary technology ...
Martin eyes changes to open access; VZW's lobbying may indicate desire for C-Block spectrum.
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Democrats warned FCC Chairman Kevin Martin not to cripple the open-access stipulation on the 700 MHz spectrum up for auction early next year, following the agency chief's failed attempts to revise the rule through a procedural maneuver shortly after Verizon ...
Fraud: A total drag (on revenues).(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Telecom operators around the world are losing more and more cash to various types of fraud-and in some cases the shortfalls amount to as much as 5% of revenues, according to a new survey of operators. The study, conducted by Analysys and ...
Decision delayed on DE bidding rules.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected on procedural grounds a challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's small business bidding rules, delaying for another day a ruling on the merits of a case with the potential to overturn the results of ...
Clouds gather over LNP; Critics argue that current contract is burning consumers.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The nation's top consumer group urged the Federal Communications Commission to consider eliminating provisions in the local number portability administration contract that critics view as anti-competitive and costly to consumers, wireless carriers and other ...
Looking ahead...(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: Phil Carson Despite the hype over mobile TV and touchscreens, consumers are plunking down their money for music and messaging, according to Avi Greengart, analyst at Current Analysis. Look for devices selling in the fourth quarter-with a few October launches ...
11 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... In an attempt to blur the distinction between cellular and newly licensed PCS carriers, AT&T ...
Proxim splits its bets on Wi-Fi, WiMAX.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Proxim Wireless Corp. sees opportunity in both Wi-Fi and WiMAX technologies, WiMAX due to its increasing momentum around the world and Wi-Fi due to its wide and expanding market presence. The company, headquartered in San Jose, Calif., said it has ...
Attention, shoppers! Big-league marketers crowd into wireless.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Here's one of those pop quizzes you dread: Quickly, what do PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Nike Inc., Heinz, Procter & Gamble, Nintendo, Pizza Hut, Mars Inc. and Sara Lee Corp. have to do with wireless? Answer: marketing executives with long ...
T-Mobile offers Wi-Fi BlackBerry.(Upfront)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: Phil Carson T-Mobile USA Inc. is offering a BlackBerry Curve equipped with Wi-Fi for prosumers-yes, Virginia, that's a real word-who sign up to take advantage of the carrier's HotSpot@Home service, launched in June. The device, known as the Curve 8320, is ...
Fizzled Out; Disney Mobile to follow Mobile ESPN into MVNO graveyard.
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL If 2006 was the Year of the Launch for mobile virtual network operators, then 2007 has so far been the Year of the Crash. The last few months have brought a screeching halt to the MVNO hype that dominated 2005 and most of 2006, when new players were ...
Former TV exec to take charge at MobiTV.(Upfront)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO MobiTV Inc. has named Charlie Nooney its next CEO. Nooney will succeed Phillip Alvelda, who helped found the company in Northern California and develop it into one of the early pioneers in mobile television. Nooney will take the reins Oct. 15. ...
VZW expands MediaFLO handset lineup.(Upfront)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Motorola Inc. introduced its first handset to support Verizon Wireless' Vcast Mobile TV offering. The manufacturer showcased the Motorizr Z6tv, a GPS-enabled slider phone with a 2.0-megapixel camera supporting video capture and playback. The ...
ROK toys with Xero Mobile buy.(Upfront)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Xero Mobile Inc., the mobile virtual network operator in terminal pre-launch mode, is being eyed by ROK Entertainment Group. ROK CEO Laurence Alexander said he is negotiating to acquire Xero, which has long planned-and, thus far, failed-to deploy ...
Hedgehogging.(Briefs)
Oct 01, 2007 ... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. Looks like Apple is warning (read: threatening) its iPhone users with a statement about the horrors of unlocking the device. Key, terror-inducing phrases like ...
...ETC...(Etc.)
Oct 01, 2007 ... "And that's the way it is" The Radio Club of America plans to honor Walter Cronkite and John S. Belrose with its achievement award, the Armstrong Medal, at its November banquet at the New York Athletic Club in New York City. The group is celebrating its 98th anniversary. Andy ...
Survey: Wireless entices all ages.(Metrics)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Although younger users are at the forefront of mobile adoption, new research from InsightExpress found that Baby Boomers are actively embracing wireless too. In a new survey, the firm found that about 80% of all Americans said they own a mobile phone, and that wireless ...
Voice-only users stand as opportunity for carriers.(Metrics)
Oct 01, 2007 ... A little more than one-third of North American cellphone subscribers only use voice services, according to a new report from research firm In-Stat. The firm said wireless carriers should view the findings as an opportunity, reflecting a new, untapped segment for mobile data and ...
WiMAX vs. LTE: Let the battle begin.(Spotlight)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO For many in the industry, the debate is over: They've already committed to WiMAX or HSPA leading to LTE. But that hasn't stopped the larger, ongoing discussion. Wireless carriers and their suppliers are ramping up plans to upgrade existing networks ...
Brave new world.(Opinion)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: Tracy Ford Welcome to WiMAX World! It's impossible to digest and concisely describe an entirely new industry-complete with new entrants, new business models and, oh yeah, new technologies-in a matter of two days, but I'm going to take a stab at it anyway. ...
Apple, unlockers grapple in cyberspace.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON The good news is that Apple Inc. has a lot of fans. The news that's too fresh to characterize as "good'' or "bad'' is that Apple fans include inspired hackers and mere meddlers who seek to break the tenuous bond between Apple and its exclusive ...
Get set: GO; Cellphone vendors gear up for critical Q4 shopping season.
Oct 01, 2007 ... Byline: Phil Carson Today begins the fourth quarter-the crazy, blow-out-the-pipes holiday season for most retailers, including those in the wireless industry. Financial numbers for the past three months are due soon. The numbers, of course, may answer some questions ...
Stockwatch: September 20 - September 27.(Metrics)
Oct 01, 2007 ... 3 tables: Stockwatch: September 20 - September 27 * Top Gainers * Top ...
RCRnews.com ? of the week.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... EXECUTIVE DECISION? Should the federal government ban cellphone use while driving? ...
Handset price changes.(Upfront)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Handset pricing changes are from carrier Web sites and include changes between Sept. 16 and Sept. 23. Prices include all applicable rebates. All prices are ...
CONTRACTS.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... The following infrastructure contracts were announced in September: Alcatel-Lucent Pakistan: With Pakistan Mobile Communications Ltd. to deploy a network based on 802.16e-2005 WiMAX technology in the 3.5 GHz band. Value: Undisclosed Alvarion ...
RCRnews.com ? of the week.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Surfin' usa Do you regularly surf the wireless Web? 66%: ...
Stockwatch: September 27 - October 4.(Metrics)
Oct 08, 2007 ... 3 tables: Stockwatch: September 27 - October 4 * Top Gainers * Top ...
700 MHz proceedings get messy.
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The mobile-phone industry finds itself adrift in a sea of uncertainty as the 2008 election year approaches, with litigation, legislation and other factors casting a collective cloud over spectrum auctions critical to rollout of next-generation wireless ...
GAO blasts FCC for leaks.(Upfront)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Congress' watchdog agency said the Federal Communications Commission informs stakeholders ahead of the public about which proposed rules are scheduled for votes, advance information that helps certain lobbyists to better time their advocacy efforts. ...
Markey wants telecom carriers to speak up on wiretapping details; House panel probes country's rights vs. citizen's privacy.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The House Commerce Committee is investigating the parent companies of the two largest cellphone operators and Qwest Communications International Inc. to determine what extent they may have participated in the National Security Agency's anti-terrorist ...
Sprint Nextel's Forsee presses special-access issue; FCC's Martin under pressure to re-regulate.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is facing increased congressional pressure to re-regulate the special-access market dominated by AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., with Sprint Nextel Corp. Chairman Gary Forsee warning ...
Hedgehogging; hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube.(Briefs)
Oct 08, 2007 ... One tip for those attending the CTIA Wireless I.T. event this year: if you are lucky enough to get invited to a concert, please refrain from thrusting your cellphone into the air in an attempt to record video or take a picture of the band on stage. We all know none of these ever turn out ...
Qualcomm names Apple attorney as gen. counsel.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Qualcomm Inc. hired Apple Inc.'s top attorney as its general counsel, while Apple replaced that attorney with Oracle Corp.'s general counsel. Donald Rosenberg leaves Apple after less than a year of service to take the reins of Qualcomm's worldwide plate of legal challenges. ...
VZW unveils holiday lineup; Models include LG's iPhone competitor.(Upfront)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Verizon Wireless is covering its bases. The nation's second-largest carrier unveiled four new phones, including a touchscreen-with-QWERTY keypad model from LG Electronics Co. Ltd., without mentioning prices. You'll have to wait for prices until ...
Red storm rising.(Opinion)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Another week, another Chinese controversy in official Washington. Congressional furor seemingly had begun to subside over imports of pet food, toys, toothpaste and seafood-all subjects of safety concerns-when 3Com Corp. announced it will be ...
Forsee to get the boot?(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Sprint Nextel Corp. is seeking a replacement for CEO Gary Forsee, according to a Wall Street Journal report last week. The carrier, which declined to comment on the subject, has struggled with a declining stock price and rising churn, and is ...
FAA: Tower lighting alternatives could reduce bird fatalities.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Aviation Administration could prove pivotal in bridging a compromise between conservationists and the wireless industry over how to reduce the number of migratory birds killed from nighttime collisions with communications towers. ...
3 years ago this week.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell signed off on Cingular Wireless L.L.C.'s proposed ...
Happy campers; Carriers increase focus on satisfying customer base.
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Wireless carriers and their customers generally seem to operate with a disconnect on customer friendliness: carriers insist they are, but subscribers often scoff. However, customer satisfaction with carriers has generally been on an upswing lately, and ...
SIP-enabled devices in 19% of phones by 2012, study says.(Metrics)
Oct 08, 2007 ... A new study from Informa Telecoms & Media predicts there will be 435 million Session Initiation Protocol-enabled mobile phone users by 2012. The research firm said SIP-enabled mobile phones will number about 275 million this year. It expects the market to show strong growth ...
Mouse trap.(Opinion)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: Dan Meyer So the big mouse has left the wireless house. Just over a year after unveiling its mobile virtual network operator plans in a fireworks-studded event at the CTIA show in the spring of 2006, the Walt Disney Co. decided to pull the plug on its ...
RIM soars on strong growth; BlackBerry maker surpasses 10-million customer mark.(Upfront)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Shares of Research In Motion Ltd. rocketed after the company broke the 10-million subscriber mark and issued a positive outlook for the rest of the year. The BlackBerry maker reported second-quarter revenue of $1.37 billion, more than doubling ...
Nokia digs deep to grow LBS efforts; Navteq buy underscores Nokia's D2C play.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Nokia Corp. stepped up its spending spree last week, agreeing to acquire digital mapping company Navteq in a blockbuster, $8.1 billion deal. The Finnish firm-which in the last year or so has out-shopped Paris Hilton-plans to spend $78 per share ...
Family plans bind happy customers to operators.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Family plans are the glue that keeps customers sticky, according to the most recent survey of customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates-and in households where family members share minutes, they are substantially happier with their wireless service ...
Car Toys customers want mix of Internet, SMS and simplicity.(Upfront)(Interview)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Editor's Note: In this monthly feature, RCR Wireless News talks to retail managers across the country to get a first-hand view of what's hot in wireless. Seattle-based Car Toys operates stores in four states, selling mobile devices and service from ...
Adobe refreshes Flash Lite.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Adobe Systems Inc. released a new version of its Flash software for mobile phones. The company released Flash Lite 3, which is designed to allow wireless users to view Flash-enabled Web sites and video content on their phones. Both Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc. and Finland's Nokia ...
...ETC...(Briefs)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Now that's bitchin! Airborne Entertainment introduced a new mobile video series to its Videotic channel called Bitchin' Kitchen. Each clip runs between 60 and 90 seconds and features host Nadia G taking viewers on a tour of her unconventional kitchen and odd edible treats. The ...
GSM group notes HSPA's growth.(Spotlight)
Oct 08, 2007 ... The number of mobile-phone users who have access to broadband services is increasing rapidly as carriers upgrade their networks with HSPA technology, according to a new study from the GSM Association. GSMA said KTF in Korea reports it has 1.7 million HSPA customers after just ...
AT&T's iPhone reprise; If iPhone is fun, HTC Tilt means business.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON The term "win-win'' rightly makes sober people sick, but it might be applied to AT&T Mobility's news that it launched HTC Americas' Tilt device last week at $300 with a two-year contract. AT&T Mobility gets an enterprise-grade smartphone ...
CAT-AND-MOUSE, PART III; Nokia, Motorola tout their unlocked wares.
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON The uproar over Apple Inc.'s and AT&T Mobility's travails with hackers could help Nokia Corp. and Motorola Inc. gain visibility, tout the virtues of their own unlocked devices and, naturally, steal a march on their crafty competitor. Nokia denies ...
European Commission looks into Qualcomm case.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON The European Commission said it will expedite an investigation of charges against Qualcomm Inc. by six leading wireless companies that the chip and licensing company has violated antitrust rules. The EC may dismiss the complaint if it finds no ...
Palm takes loss, looks ahead; Firm counts on smaller Centro to take on RIM, Nokia.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Palm Inc. is down, but not out. The smartphone maker has struggled to develop a new operating system, bring relevant devices to market and seen its market share plunge-and just posted a loss of $841,000 for its first fiscal quarter, which ended ...
Mobile marketing space shrinks; Air2Web, MindMatics merge, Single Touch buys smaller player.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS The field of mobile marketing startups continued to winnow as Atlanta's Air2Web and Germany's MindMatics agreed to merge. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Air2Web launched years ago as a wireless messaging and technology firm, but ...
Rules for wireless Web: Keep it simple.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Companies looking to draw traffic to their mobile Web sites should follow two simple rules: Be careful, and be patient. That was the advice from speakers at last week's Search Marketing Expo in Denver, where executives from longtime mobile players ...
Connectivity Conundrum; Companies learning to do more with less.(Spotlight)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS A recent study from Forrester Research predicts that the mobile enterprise market won't really arrive for another six years or so. But some application developers are hoping to bridge that gap by helping on-the-go employees to be less connected. ...
Fiber-to-the-home market up 112% yearly.(Metrics)
Oct 08, 2007 ... More than 2 million U.S. households have direct connections into high-speed fiber networks, according to a new study by the Fiber-to-the-Home Council and the Telecommunications Industry Association. The study said nearly 2% of U.S. households are connected via end-to-end fiber, ...
ABI: New class of converged devices ahead.(Metrics)
Oct 08, 2007 ... A new class of devices is ahead as everyday consumer electronics and mobile broadband converge, according to ABI Research. "The market for cellular-enabled consumer electronics devices will gather momentum in 2008 and 2009 with Qualcomm Inc.'s Snapdragon platform. As mobile ...
Is the honeymoon over? Infrastructure mergers under scrutiny as boards unhappy with progress.(News)
Oct 08, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO As Nokia Siemens Networks continues to refine its business operations following its April merger, the company has to fend off speculation that Siemens' CEO is considering a sale of his company's 50% stake in NSN. Meanwhile, over at newly merged Alcatel ...