RCR Wireless News back issues from November 2007:
Stockwatch: October 25-November 1.(Metrics)
Nov 05, 2007 ... 3 tables: Stockwatch: October 25-November 1 * Top Gainers * Top ...
Navigating the LBS space; Garmin ups TomTom's bid for Tele Atlas.
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Like former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, Tele Atlas N.V. plans to cash in on the free-agent market. The Netherlands-based digital mapping company in July accepted a bid of $2.8 billion from TomTom NV, agreeing to recommend the offer to shareholders. But ...
Trawling for eyes; Mobile ad models relying more on eyes than action.(News)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Online advertising is quickly moving toward cost-per-action models, but in the mobile world it's all about the eyeballs. For now, at least. A recent study by NetElixir and the e-tailing group inc. found than a majority of U.S. online retailers ...
Writers strike could steer wireless into uncharted waters; Mobile distribution part of concerns, but could be answer for consumers.(News)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Just days after the smoke cleared from last week's devastating fires, Los Angeles began bracing for another firestorm-this time from the entertainment industry. The union representing the 12,000 film and TV writers who make the world laugh, cry and ...
3 Years ago this week.(News)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Verizon Wireless picked up the remains of NextWave Telecom Inc. for $3 billion, ...
Hedgehogging.(Briefs)
Nov 05, 2007 ... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. Who says quarterly financial calls are no fun? During last week's call by Qwest Communications, financial analysts grilled newly hired CEO Edward Mueller, which we ...
Top 20 from Deloitte's Wireless Fast 50.(Metrics)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Deloitte's Wireless Fast 50 winners are selected based on percentage revenue growth over five years To qualify companies must have had operating revenues of at least $50,000 in 2002 and $5 million in 2006, and be a company that owns proprietary wireless technology or proprietary ...
Mort Rosenthal.(Interview)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON When Microsoft Corp.'s CEO Steve Ballmer publicly mentions someone's name as a respected veteran who will run a new company in partnership with his juggernaut, people listen. At CTIA I.T. & Entertainment 2007 in late October, Ballmer told a standing-room-only ...
VZW expands prepaid, launches Pearl.(Upfront)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Verizon Wireless tweaked its prepaid calling plans to add access to its music, navigation and other data services. The carrier will offer three varieties of its INpulse plans. The INpulse Core plan looks much like a continuation of its' basic ...
Tower results show continued struggles.(Upfront)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Crown Castle International Corp. reported growth in site rental revenues, although its losses widened year-over-year. The company's results included those of Global Signal Inc., which Crown Castle acquired earlier this year. On a pro ...
FCC: Carriers should port numbers within 48 hours.(News)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission called for an end to delays in porting telephone numbers from one carrier to another, an action responding to complaints from some wireless operators about the lengthy, bureaucratic process of transferring wireline ...
Bringing combatants together; Industry associations provide united front.(Spotlight)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA With the wireless sector the most competitive in the telecom industry, it is hard to imagine that company executives can simultaneously beat each other's brains out in the marketplace and work in harmony on issues of common interest. But they do for the ...
Between a Rockefeller and a hard place.(Opinion)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Just how do you position yourself before Congress, seeing that the influential Democratic senator who is co-sponsoring a wireless consumer protection bill is the same fellow trying to get you out from under privacy lawsuits in connection with the Bush ...
AT&T Mobility/Dobson, Alltel deals get gov't blessing; But reservations underscore problems complying with E-911, universal service.(News)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Two wireless deals cleared major hurdles last week, but not before strings were attached by government antitrust and regulatory officials. The Justice Department said AT&T Inc. agreed to sell assets in seven rural markets and forgo rights to the ...
Courts, Congress scrutinize carrier control.
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The mobile-phone industry's business model continues to come under attack, with challenges to carrier control increasingly playing out in the courts, Congress and at the Federal Communications Commission. National wireless carriers find ...
More jobs cut as Alcatel-Lucent suffers through Q3; Company names new CFO.(News)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Alcatel-Lucent lost more than $373 million during the past quarter the company reported as it announced it would be replacing its CFO. Wall Street appeared relatively pleased with the results, which mostly fell in line with the company's revised outlook ....
Contracts.(News)
Nov 05, 2007 ... The following infrastructure contracts were announced in October: Alcatel-Lucent Brazil: With Brasil Telecom to deliver a commercial WiMAX network based on 802.16e-2005 technology in Sao Paulo, Curitiba and Porto Alegre. Value: Undisclosed ...
Two paths to travel in mobile gaming space; Lesser-known publishers try ad-supported games.(News)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS No wonder people can't agree on a cure for the mobile gaming industry. Some insiders don't even think it's sick. There's no question that the space-which just a couple of years ago was envisioned as the pace-setting genre of mobile content-has ...
Q3 magic for VZW, tragic for Sprint Nextel; No. 2 carrier posts strong growth, No. 3 falls further behind.(Upfront)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL Quarterly results from Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. came as no surprise: Verizon Wireless did well and Sprint Nextel didn't. Although Verizon Wireless was outpaced in net customer additions by AT&T Mobility, the carrier added 1.8 ...
Gobi chip offers high speeds, GPS.(Upfront)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Qualcomm Inc.'s new Gobi chip marks the arrival of a technology long-discussed by the San Diego company, according to one analyst. The chip will offer high-speed access to the Internet via both CDMA2000 1x EV-DO and UMTS-based HSPA networks ...
'Passionate subset' seeks unlocked phones; Numbers not moving despite iPhone furor, Nokia efforts.
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON AT&T Mobility will tell you that writers expounding on the issue of unlocked phones far outnumber consumers actually interested in buying them. Preliminary data shows that, while not literally true, that statement does reflect that a relatively ...
Brightpoint signs HTC deal.(Upfront)(Conference notes)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Taiwanese smartphone vendor HTC Corp. and Brightpoint, Inc., the distribution powerhouse, signed a global distribution agreement that may help the smartphone maker realize its ambitions of establishing a globally recognized brand. Terms of the deal were not ...
BlackBerry users satisfied; J.D. Power confirms business users like their smartphones.(News)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON A new survey finds that U.S.-based users of Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices are the most satisfied with their handsets among smartphone users. That may not sound like a surprise to anyone who knows that RIM is by far the largest market share ...
...ETC...(Etc.)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Ticket to ride Siemens IT Solutions and Services said it will soon offer technology that allows bus and train tickets to be purchased via mobile phones. The company conducted a countrywide pilot of the technology in 12 German cities and regions for six months. Siemens said about ...
SinglePoint nabs NBC deal.(Upfront)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO NBC Universal consolidated all of its interactive TV and participation media campaigns under one roof: SinglePoint. The mobile marketing company has been ramping up to take over all NBC property campaigns for more than four months now and waited until it was ...
Sprint Nextel drags on RadioShack.(News)
Nov 05, 2007 ... RadioShack Corp. shares appeared relatively stable, jumping nearly 3% after the company reported a net income of $46.3 million for the third quarter. In the year-ago period the company reported a loss of $16.3 million. The company reported a substantial total sales decline of ...
Brain lock.(Opinion)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: Dan Meyer As always, something has me a little confused. What is it this time? Well, it's the phone locking issue that has everyone from tech geeks to politicians in a tizzy. (Actually, it seems that only tech geeks and politicians are in an uproar over this ...
Metro ditches bid for Leap.(Upfront)
Nov 05, 2007 ... MetroPCS Communications Inc. dropped its proposal to merge with Leap Wireless International Inc., following Leap's disinterest in the deal. "MetroPCS has not been able to engage Leap in meaningful negotiations regarding MetroPCS' merger proposal,'' Metro said. "As a result, ...
MAKING MUSIC; Digital execs think cellphones will draw listeners into 'immersive' experience.(Upfront)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO The music industry is redefining itself amid significant changes, particularly with regards to the record labels' role in a world where recording artists are able to connect with fans with little technological or marketing know-how. "The labels are ...
Google OS to change game.(Upfront)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: ABBEY KLAASSEN, ALICE Z. CUNEO Shifting business models make for strange bedfellows-and nowhere is that so clear as Google's potential linkup with Verizon Wireless, which is said to be negotiating with the search giant to carry phones equipped with Google's mobile ...
Fires burn up wireless lines; First responder networks prove their worth, commercial traffic jumps.
Nov 05, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL As wildfires raged throughout southern California in recent weeks and hundreds of thousands were evacuated from their homes, wireless networks in the area saw dramatic increases in usage as well as some damage from the blazes. The increased usage included ...
RCRnews.com ? of the week.(Opinion)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Press one for ... What is the most important part of customer service call centers? 71% short hold times ...
Handset Price Changes.(Upfront)
Nov 05, 2007 ... Handset pricing changes are from carrier Web sites and include changes between Oct. 21 and Oct. 28. Prices include all applicable ...
RCRnews.com ? of the week.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Work with me What is the most important function of an enterprise cellphone? 43%: email 43%: ...
Stockwatch: November 1-November 8.(Metrics)
Nov 12, 2007 ... 3 tables: Stockwatch: November 1-November 8 * Top Gainers * Top Losers ...
Towerstream slides in Q3.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Towerstream Corp. reported a net loss of $1.75 million for the third quarter. Revenues for the quarter just barely surpassed the overall loss the company suffered. The fixed WiMAX service provider brought in $1.76 million, marking an almost 8% jump from the ...
Nokia scores big win for Ovi; Handset makers gaining ground in direct-to-consumer space.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS It appears Nokia Corp. has learned a few lessons from its doomed Club Nokia mobile content business. But that doesn't mean the direct-to-consumer waters are getting any easier to navigate. The world's No. 1 handset manufacturer last week scored a ...
Freedom of choice; Google's plans open door for innovation, confusion.
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Like Daryl Hannah in "Blade Runner,'' Google Inc. last week showcased an attention-grabbing Android. But while the Internet giant garnered headlines and wowed fanboys with its latest move in wireless, some developers reacted with a big yawn. ...
AMT posts strong quarter, raises guidance.(News)(Financial report)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO American Tower Corp. brought in $59.6 million in profits during the third quarter thanks to a 10% increase in total revenue from the year-ago period, the company announced. The company also raised its guidance for 2007 based on increased revenues ....
Nortel stock surges on positive Q3 results; Beleaguered vendor names new execs.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Nortel Networks Corp.'s stock jumped 18% last week after the infrastructure vendor reported earnings of $27 million during the third quarter, up from the $63 million it lost in the year-ago period. Nortel brought in $2.7 billion in revenue for the ...
CinemaElectric adds ads to videos; Mobile-video firm signs deal with YouTube, Google for AdSense program.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO CinemaElectric Inc. is quickly finding its groove in the mobile video space. With more than half of its content produced in-house, the company has inked deals with 90 carriers in more than 50 countries to bring its programming to the third screen. ...
Navigation and handsets to drive GPS chipsets.(Metrics)
Nov 12, 2007 ... The GPS chipset market during the next few years will be driven by integration into mobile devices like personal navigation devices and cellular phones, according to a new report from high-tech market research firm In-Stat. The most promising categories includes ultra mobile ...
Video phone sales to take off by 2010.(Metrics)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Mobile video phone sales will nearly double by 2010, from $58 billion in 2006 to $125 billion in 2010, according to market research firm Infonetics Research. Mobile video subscribers will also grow from just a few million in 2006 to 58.6 million in 2010, said the company ....
COMPLICATED NETWORKS REQUIRE SIMPLIFIED ANTENNAS.(Spotlight)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: Phil Carson The increasing number of frequency bands in use around the world and the proliferation of air interface technologies are among the macrotrends affecting antenna makers, according to Francis Sideco, analyst with iSuppli. "They're designing antennas ...
What's so great about open access?(Opinion)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: Mike Dano So let me start out with a caveat: I only understand open access from the "regular person'' point of view. I'm not an engineer or a Washington insider, I'm just some guy who has a cellphone and is relatively knowledgeable about the industry. That ...
FCC set to rule on MSS' terrestrial plans; Decision could bolster sagging sector.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Federal regulators appear poised to take actions that could enable Globalstar Inc. to integrate terrestrial wireless facilities in most of its mobile satellite service frequencies and allow Iridium Satellite L.L.C. to share more of Globalstar's MSS ...
Roaming rules continue to rile industry; FCC decision applauded by rural carriers, derided by large players.(Upfront)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission's revised roaming rules may have exacerbated an already divisive industry issue, with warring carriers challenging new guidelines and feuding over the possibility of their extension to wireless broadband service ...
Pakistan's supreme cellphone jammer.(Opinion)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Embattled Pakistani President-General-Censor-in-Chief Pervez Musharraf has his hands full these days with all those loud, disagreeable lawyers and that headstrong, trouble-making female politician. Kind of reminds you of the domestic pre-2008 presidential ...
USF reform nears showdown; FCC Democrats, carriers, states set to oppose plans.(Upfront)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is said to be pushing universal service fund changes that would reduce government subsidies for mobile phone carriers serving rural areas, likely setting up a showdown with the agency's Democratic ...
Auction battles heat up; Short forms due next week, Google remains wildcard.
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The filing window for short-form 700 MHz applications opens in just a week, but uncertainty continues to swirl around unsettled legal and regulatory issues as well as the prospective lineup of major bidders for wireless licenses up for auction beginning ...
...ETC...(Upfront)
Nov 12, 2007 ... "Danny Bonaduce: Life Coach," jokes CBS Mobile CBS Mobile has tapped Danny Bonaduce for a new mobile video series that will air on major wireless carriers beginning next week. The first original animated program developed under the CBS Mobile brand will air new three- ...
9 years ago this week.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Qualcomm Inc. and Microsoft Corp. formed a joint venture WirelessKnowledge L.L.C ....
Andrew offloads satellite business to private equity; Deal could generate up to $39 million in cash.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Andrew Corp. agreed to sell its satellite communications business to Resilience Capital Partners in a deal that will allow Andrew to maintain an ownership stake in a new company that Resilience Capital Partners plans to establish. Andrew will ...
Hedgehogging.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. The best part of Google's "Android'' announcement last week? Why, the name of course. How awesome is it that a giant company like Google used the term android for ...
Mobile ads attract new guidelines; dotMobi group adds its rules to effort.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Yet another set of mobile advertising guidelines will be released this week as the dotMobi Advisory Group (MAG) unveils a 44-page document for companies looking to target wireless users. The group, a nonprofit offshoot of mTLD Top Level Domain ...
WiMAX marriage on the rocks; Sprint Nextel, Clearwire re-evaluating network plans.
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL With the launch of WiMAX trial markets just weeks away, Sprint Nextel Corp. says it is re-examining its WiMAX business plans and has abandoned a partnership with Clearwire Corp. intended to promote a faster, cheaper deployment of the mobile broadband ...
Android floats in space; gPhone a no-show, handsets not due til late '08.
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Google Inc. drew considerable media attention last week with an idea and 33 influential friends. Missing was its long-rumored gPhone, whose actual fate remains a closely guarded secret. Instead, Google announced a consortium of 34 ...
Mobile music, data services hot sellers at RadioShack.(Upfront)
Nov 12, 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. RadioShack Corp. sells wireless devices and service around the country. The retailer offers ...
QuickPlay adds videos to Celltop.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Alltel Corp. announced that it will be using QuickPlay Media Inc.'s OpenVideo platform to provide new streaming video channels on the No. 5 carrier's Celltop information-on-demand service. Through the partnership, Alltel will offer new video "cells'' including the latest ...
Prepaid pines for affection; Carriers increasing incentives.(Upfront)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL With substantial growth expected to come from the prepaid wireless market, national carriers are beginning to pay more attention to the one-time red-headed stepchild of the coveted postpaid customer. Analyst Fedor Smith of Atlantic-ACM said that as ...
Antennas: Where the rubber meets the road; Handset market demands low-cost volumes, sophisticated innovation.(Spotlight)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON You've undoubtedly noticed, with pleasure, that the telescoping, whip antenna of yore has long ago disappeared inside the increasingly sleek device you slip into your pocket. Technology is supposed to be invisible. Out-of-sight, out-of-mind is ...
Prepaid boosts T-Mobile USA in Q3; Regional players post mixed results.(Upfront)(Financial report)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL T-Mobile USA Inc. added 857,000 net subscribers to its network during the third quarter, numbers boosted by the carrier's prepaid offering. The carrier had added 802,000 net subscribers during the third quarter of last year, but a higher percentage of them ...
Writers' strike impact creeps onto third screen; Late night content hardest hit, mainstream shows expected to follow.(News)
Nov 12, 2007 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO One week into a walkout, and plenty in the entertainment business are already feeling the pinch. Late night TV writers are being warned they'll be laid off next week, a slew of sitcoms-new and old-are quickly going dark and those who work outside the union's ...
FCC relaxes requirements for public-safety spectrum.
Nov 19, 2007 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Communications Commission relaxed the small-business bidding rule for the 700 MHz national commercial/public-safety block, but the agency cannot seem to shake lingering legal challenges that have the potential to disrupt the upcoming auction-as ...
Qwest, Pocket expand calling plans; Regional carriers prepare for holiday season.(Upfront)
Nov 19, 2007 ... Byline: KELLY HILL While they may lack the name recognition of their larger competitors, regional carriers are tweaking their rate plans ahead of the holiday shopping season. Qwest Communications International Inc. introduced a set of wireless plans emphasizing ...