RCR Wireless News back issues from March 2008:
MetroPCS tops 4M subscribers.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO MetroPCS Communications Inc. reported a net loss of $47 million while adding almost 299,000 customers during the fourth quarter of 2007. The company's stock dropped following release of its financial results, which fell short of analysts estimates, but quickly ...
Nortel plunges on Q4 loss, plans cuts.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Nortel Networks Corp. reported a loss of $844 million during the fourth quarter of 2007 and said it would fire 2,100 employees and move another 1,000 positions to lower-cost locations. The losses compounded an already tumultuous year for the infrastructure ...
FEMA wants FCC to defer on mobile alert systems.(Upfront)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Federal Emergency Management Agency urged federal regulators to defer key decisions in efforts to establish a voluntary mobile-phone emergency alert system. FEMA, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, told the Federal Communications ...
Gmystery.(Opinion)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Tracy Ford What is Google's game plan for wireless? The easy answer: I have no clue. But as we await the outcome of the FCC's 700 MHz auction, and the winner of the C-Block licenses, I'm ready to speculate on the search-engine giant. Google is ...
Pryor consent.(Opinion)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Jeffrey Silva Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) may have opted himself out the wireless industry's good graces. I don't know whether Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin, a Republican, ever had a warm and fuzzy feeling for Pryor, but - if so - Martin's likely ...
Fight continues over white-spaces sharing; Broadcasters, hi-tech spar over test results.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The war of words continues over government testing of wireless devices that could be allowed to operate in vacant broadcast spectrum, with claims about the viability of Wi-Fi operations in white spaces as divergently polarized as congressional testimony ...
BLUE IN THE FACE; Bluetooth evolving as mobile marketing channel.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Like it or not, Bluetooth marketing is gaining traction in the United States as an effective - if sometimes intrusive - way for advertisers to get their messages in front of mobile users. So depending on your view, Verizon Wireless subscribers are ...
ROK passes on Xero acquisition.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS ROK Entertainment Group Inc. said it has broken off negotiations to acquire fledgling mobile virtual network operator Xero Mobile Inc. ROK, a U.K.-based mobile media firm, provides live and on-demand video to wireless users around the world. The ...
Hedgehogging.(Briefs)
Mar 03, 2008 ... hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. So, Sprint Nextel posted a $29.5 billion loss for the fourth quarter of 2007. That would be a billion with a "b.'' (And you were shocked when you received your ...
It's good to be in the tower biz; In-building coverage, new uses of wireless and new spectrum point to healthy market.(Spotlight)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO The wireless industry relies on towers like a lifeline. All those wireless calls, messaging exchanges and data downloads and uploads rely on a steadily budding array of transmission towers. Without them, nothing happens. Bearing that in mind, it's ...
VZW/RCC deal bogs down in political morass; Lawmakers urge FCC to act fast on transaction.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Verizon Wireless' $2.67 billion play for Rural Cellular Corp. has turned intensely political, with Republican and Democratic lawmakers urging the Federal Communications Commission to rule soon on a deal whose review has been lengthy and controversial due to ...
HESSE'S HEADACHE; Sprint Nextel posts record Q4 loss, more tough times ahead.(Financial report)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Sprint Nextel Corp.'s performance is likely to get worse before it gets better, the company told agitated investors last week. The company's stock plummeted to new lows after it reported a $29.5 billion loss for the fourth quarter due to a write ...
Carriers go all in with unlimited pricing plans; Big 4 target $100 price point with new plans.(Upfront)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO After years of only minor price plan tweaks and occasional promotional offers, the nation's four largest carriers have ignited a new pricing war centered around unlimited voice calling minutes for $100 per month. And in a move that begs for a response, Sprint ...
State's role in consumer protection bill pondered.
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA House lawmakers offered a preview of the debate apt to escalate in coming months over efforts to write a wireless consumer protection bill, with the role of states expected to be highly controversial and critical to determining whether major stakeholders ...
700 MHz auction slows as bids near $20B Bidding could cease this week.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The 700 MHz auction is all but over, with the Federal Communications Commission increasing the number of bidding rounds to eight per day last Friday in an attempt to speed to a close bidding whose spectacular revenue and open access achievements will likely ...
21 years ago this week.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... BellSouth launched a plan for callers who used more than 425 ...
T-Mobile USA launches Internet calling; $10-per-month plan part of No. 4 carrier's wireline push.(Upfront)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS T-Mobile USA Inc. announced a $10-per-month unlimited calling plan for its growing fixed-line effort. The operator launched Talk Forever Home Phone, an Internet service with unlimited local and domestic long-distance calls. The offering is ...
RadioShack revenue down on lower postpaid wireless sales.(Upfront)(Financial report)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Once-beleaguered RadioShack Corp. - which sells wireless devices and services for AT&T Mobility and Sprint Nextel Corp., as well as a handful of prepaid providers - saw its stock soar more than 22% after reporting a rise in net income for the fourth quarter ...
Google wins back Opera.(Upfront)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Just one year after tapping Yahoo Inc. to provide search for its mobile browsers, Opera Software is going back to Google Inc. The Norwegian developer said the Internet's dominant player will be the default search engine for Opera Mobile and Opera ...
Report: Motricity plans major job cuts.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Motricity is slashing roughly one-third of its workforce and considering moving its headquarters, according to a report last week from WRAL.com citing multiple sources. The Durham, N.C.-based mobile content company will eliminate roughly 200 jobs ...
NYT Co. unveils mobile application; Service to further link desktop and mobile space.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... The New York Times Co. announced the beta launch of an application designed to help move content between computers and mobile phones. ShifD updates information to users' accounts using any Web browser, via text message or with an Adobe AIR-based application. The application ...
WiMAX industry waits for the other shoe to drop; Vendors keep mobile dream alive with fixed/ nomadic deployments.(Spotlight)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Here are several things you need to know this week about mobile WiMAX: First, mobile WiMAX is seen by analysts as a larger but riskier global opportunity for vendors, compared to fixed/nomadic WiMAX, which offers a smaller, less-risky and ...
Mobile Internet devices to top 90M in sales by 2012.(Metrics)
Mar 03, 2008 ... A new category of consumer electronics device - the Mobile Internet Device - is expected to appeal to a wide variety of consumers, according to a new study from ABI Research. The report predicts the always-connected devices will grow from less than 3.5 million units shipped ...
FCC must assess environmental impact of towers.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA A divided appeals court struck down a Federal Communications Commission's decision in which the agency rejected the contention it illegally licensed 6,000 towers in the Gulf Coast by failing to first assess the potential impact on migratory birds. ...
REVIEW: Mobile gaming controller serviceable, but to what end?(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Editor's Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless News' weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week we review a new wireless application or service from the user's point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works and ...
Report: Wireless taxes, fees more than double goods, services.(Upfront)(Report)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA A new report says that news taxes and fees are hitting wireless consumers especially hard. The study, conducted by economist Scott Mackey and commissioned by the cellular industry, found wireless consumers pay a combined 15.2% in federal, state ...
Wireless smut to generate mega-bucks, study finds.(Metrics)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Video chat services will help fuel mobile adult content revenues as the worldwide market for the steamy stuff reaches $1.5 billion by 2012, according to new figures from Juniper Research. Interactive video accounts for just 8% of all adult mobile services today but will generate ...
Nokia, Qualcomm 'stand down' for upcoming case; Rivals seek court's expertise in contract law over expired agreement.
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Nokia Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. have ended their arbitration process over the renewal of an expired cross-licensing contract and agreed to consolidate the major issues with a FRAND case in Delaware Chancery Court, to avail themselves of that court's reputation ...
T-Mobile USA, Leap add customers; But Leap losses up 211% from last year.(News)(Financial report)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO T-Mobile USA Inc. ended 2007 with 28.7 million customers after adding 951,000 customers and posting a net income of $383 million during the fourth quarter. The carrier netted more than 3.6 million new customers during 2007, with 83% of its total ...
LinkedIn goes mobile.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... LinkedIn unveiled a Web-based mobile application that allows mobile members to search user profiles, research mutual contacts and receive updates about connections. LinkedIn is an online networking site designed for businesspeople. The beta site, m.linkedin.com, is available to ...
Qwest wireless biz boon to VZW, loss to Sprint.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Qwest Communications International Inc. could take its 824,000 wireless subscribers from Sprint Nextel Corp.'s network to CDMA rival Verizon Wireless next year when its current mobile virtual network operator agreement expires, according to media reports. ...
Helio's revenues increase while net loss widens.(Upfront)(Financial report)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Mobile virtual network operator Helio scored $171 million in revenue during 2007, way up from the $46 million in revenue the company reported in 2006. However, the company's net loss also continues to widen: In 2006, Helio's net loss was $192 million, and in 2007 that number ...
Baker to leave NTIA.(Upfront)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Bush administration official responsible for implementing key spectrum, public-safety and digital TV transition initiatives is leaving her post, prompting concern from lawmakers. Meredith Baker, acting head of the National Telecommunications ...
...ETC...(Etc.)
Mar 03, 2008 ... And if he hadn't won? Alltel gave 500 free bonus minutes to new customers and existing customers who added a line of service to celebrate race car driver Ryan Newman's victory in the No. 12 Alltel Dodge at the Daytona 500. The offer was valid for new lines with rate plans of $40 ...
Pullen named CEO at Tellabs.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Mobile and fixed-line network company Tellabs Inc. has tapped Robert Pullen to step in as CEO. Pullen will replace Krish Prabhu, who announced his resignation in November following a plunge in quarterly revenue. That report was followed by news that Tellabs would cut 225 ...
ALL EYES ON MOTO'S CEO; Brown set to give 'fireside chat' today.(Upfront)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON Greg Brown, CEO of Motorola Inc. since Jan. 1, was set to participate today in a "fireside chat Q&A session'' at Morgan Stanley Technology Conference in Dana Point, Calif. The session will be Web cast live beginning about 11 a.m. Pacific time. ...
Shenandoah stock up on Q4 results.(Upfront)(Financial report)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Shenandoah Telecommunications reported $3.7 million in net income for the fourth quarter, representing a 14.5% increase from the year-ago period. The wireless arm of the company, which operates as an affiliate of Sprint Nextel Corp., brought in $3.7 million in net income, the same amount ...
RCR Wireless News names David Kaye interactive media manager.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... David Kaye has joined RCR Wireless News as an interactive media manager. In this role, Kaye will be involved in all daily operations as well as enhance RCRWirelessNews.com with new multimedia offerings. Previously, Kaye was as an operations manager and Web specialist at Colorado ...
We want your CTIA Wireless 2008 News.(Upfront)
Mar 03, 2008 ... RCR Wireless News is the exclusive publisher of the official CTIA print Show Daily. To get your show announcements included in the only print Official CTIA Show Daily, send your information ...
Content aggregators navigate through market turbulence.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS The field of mobile content aggregators has seen more casualties than a "Terminator'' movie. For the few remaining players, though, there's still plenty of money to be made in going directly to consumers with goodies like games, wallpapers and - believe it ...
Content kings urged to share the wealth; Report encourages Hollywood to give content away in order to goose market.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Hollywood content producers looking to cash in on mobile should take a cue from The Red Hot Chili Peppers and give it away - now. That's the message of a white paper released last week from Parks Associates and the think tank Entertainment ...
Stockwatch: February 21 - February 28.(Metrics)
Mar 03, 2008 ... 3 tables: Stockwatch: February 21 - February 28 * Top Gainers * Top ...
Online ? of the week.(Opinion)
Mar 03, 2008 ... MOBILE TV Will AT&T's MediaFlo service be successful? 60% No ...
Handset price changes.(Upfront)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Handset pricing changes are from carrier Web sites and include changes between Feb. 10 and Feb. 24. Prices ...
2 years ago this week.(News)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Fresh off its buy of competitor BellSouth, SBC Communications announced the two wireline ...
online ? of the week.(News)
Mar 17, 2008 ... What is the most important smartphone feature? 66%: E-Mail 28%: OPEN OS ...
Stockwatch: March 6 - March 13.(Metrics)
Mar 17, 2008 ... 3 tables: Stockwatch: March 6 - March 13 * Top Gainers * Top Losers ...
ROK picks up 51% of Geniem.(News)
Mar 17, 2008 ... ROK Entertainment Group said it acquired a 51% stake in the Finnish mobile software developer Geniem for an undisclosed sum. Geniem develops on-device portals, white-label social networking applications and Bluetooth marketing services for partners including Nokia Corp., Volvo, ...
FunMobility buys social startup.(News)
Mar 17, 2008 ... FunMobility Inc. said it acquired fellow mobile social startup Moblastic Corp. for an undisclosed amount in an effort to expand its off-deck business. Moblastic's site encourages users to "Flirt and trade cell phone pics with hotties, free.'' The Seattle-based company also ...
NextWave inks deal with Alcatel-Lucent; Contract to provide NextWave with WiMAX TV solution.(Upfront)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO NextWave Wireless Inc. tapped Alcatel-Lucent to develop WiMAX broadcast solutions that the company plans to integrate with its recently announced MXtv technology. NextWave plans to use the technology to give WiMAX operators the ability to deliver ...
T-Mobile USA, Leap ready to roll out AWS markets.(Upfront)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Almost 18 months after the advanced wireless services spectrum auction wrapped, carriers are on the verge of commercially launching networks and devices that make use of the recently cleared 1.7/2.1 GHz spectrum bands. Although the carrier hasn't ...
TRUST US; MMA, MEF guides aim to gain viewer's trust.
Mar 17, 2008 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO The explosive success networks are having with text voting on TV shows comes with a level of responsibility that they and others in the value chain are trying to bear. "Now the viewer or participant has to be able to trust the show,'' said Suhail ...
Alltel: We're also unlimited voice for $100.(News)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Alltel Wireless, the nation's No. 5 operator, is the latest to join the unlimited-calling bandwagon, quietly launching an all-you-can-talk plan for $100 per month. The Little Rock, Ark.-based network operator followed its bigger rivals, all of whom have launched variations on ...
RSS: Made simple for mobile; Once the choice of smartphone users, mobile RSS feeds now target mainstream users.
Mar 17, 2008 ... Byline: COLIN GIBBS Once the domain of early adopters on high-tech smartphones, mobile RSS is quietly moving into the mainstream. RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, first came to the Internet in 1999, and the format has become a must-have for savvy Web users looking ...
What's next for Sprint Nextel? With plenty of issues on its plate, No. 3 carrier has work cut out.
Mar 17, 2008 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Sprint Nextel Corp. just can't get itself out of the spotlight. And if any of the tier-one carriers needs a time out right now, Sprint Nextel is certainly the most likely candidate. The company's stock continued falling to record lows after it ...
Apple cracks open the iPhone; Move expected to entice enterprise and app developers.(Upfront)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Byline: MATT KAPKO Four days after Apple Inc. released its iPhone software development kit (SDK), the company announced that more than 100,000 developers had already downloaded the set of application programming interfaces (APIs) and tools used to create applications for the ...
Qualcomm pays $32M to buy behavior recognition tech firm.(Upfront)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Qualcomm Inc. has acquired Xiam Technologies Ltd. for around $32 million. Xiam said its technology recognizes a mobile device user's behavior and usage patterns. Qualcomm said there is a recognized need in the industry to help consumers find content, and it believes solutions ...
O2 tunes in to Napster Mobile.(News)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Napster bagged yet another carrier customer for its mobile offering, inking a deal to bring its catalog to the U.K. carrier O2. The deal gives O2 subscribers access to more ...
4G numbers could jump to 90M by 2013, ABI says.(Metrics)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Fourth-generation subscribers, including LTE and WiMAX users, could exceed 90 million in 2013 if a number of milestones are met, according to a report by ABI Research. The study said there were 3.4 billion mobile subscribers worldwide at the end of last year, including 2.7 ...
Carriers push E-911 lawsuit in court despite winning deadline extension.(Upfront)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Wireless carriers have turned up the heat on the Federal Communications Commission, arguing in a lawsuit that new enhanced 911 location accuracy guidelines grossly miss the mark and that the agency's extension of a 2008 deadline is inadequate. ...
As auction wanes, public safety weighs its options; Former NTIA Chief says it's OK that D-Block bidding languishes, other disagree.(News)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA As the 700 MHz auction winds to a close - apparently without a winning bidder for the commercial/public-safety license or a clear roadmap for meeting first responders' communications needs - progress is nonetheless being made on other fronts. ...
Reed out at listing Motorola.(Upfront)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Byline: PHIL CARSON In the bruising business of turning Motorola Inc. around, Stu Reed - former president of mobile devices and, previously, the company's global supply chain - has hit the mat. Reed's departure, "effective immediately,'' was announced late on Friday, ...
TracFone racks up another win against cellphone hackers.(News)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA A federal judge in Dallas issued a $1 million judgment for TracFone Wireless Inc. in connection with the hacking and resale of bulk amounts of prepaid phones, an illegal practice whose scope appears larger and more geographically widespread than originally ...
AT&T Mobility sees class action on overtime pay.(News)
Mar 17, 2008 ... A class-action lawsuit filed against AT&T Mobility in Pennsylvania federal court alleges the carrier violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by refusing overtime pay to a former corporate recruiter and possibly others with similar job responsibilities. The lead plaintiff is Wayne ...
Wireless broadband requirements scrutinized.(News)
Mar 17, 2008 ... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The mobile-phone industry urged the Federal Communications Commission not to impose burdensome wireless broadband reporting requirements on cellular carriers. Congress is considering legislation to improve data collection on the availability of high-speed ...