Wireless Week articles from March 2005

Wireless Week back issues from March 2005:

Confessions of a mobile TV skeptic.(Editorial)

Mar 01, 2005; ... LAST YEAR, technology companies began calling Wireless Week about innovations that would make mobile TV the next big thing in wireless phone technology. I confess I was a skeptic. Fun, out-of-the-box thinking? You bet. Commercial reality? I thought, give me a break! I wasn't ...

Barbed wireless.(Illustration)

Mar 01, 2005 ... BETTER HOLD UP ON THAT ONE, BERT ....

Battle of spectrum: what's next? Just a few years ago, U.S. carriers were screaming for more spectrum. Now that some of the dust has settled, more complicated issues loom.(telecommuniactions policy of Federal Communications Commission)(Cover Story)

Mar 01, 2005; ... With some of the biggest and most intimidating wireless industry spectrum hurdles fading in the rearview mirror, the demand for spectrum isn't as urgent as it was a few years ago. But there's still plenty of anxiety over the future of this precious resource and its administration. ...

Nextel eyes new spectrum possibilities.(management of Nextel Communications Inc.)

Mar 01, 2005 ... While Nextel Communications works out its planned "merger of equals" with Sprint, the company is juggling several spectrum balls in the air. Fresh off of its acceptance of the FCC's offer to swap 800 MHz spectrum with emergency service providers, Nextel is looking with a ...

MVNEs maneuver behind the scenes: mobile virtual network enablers say they will use their wireless expertise to make prospective MVNOs profitable, but not everyone believes in this strategy.(Service Providers)(mobile virtual network operators)

Mar 01, 2005; ... Behind every great wireless provider, there is a plethora of "behind-the-scenes" services that interoperate to make a successful business. Billing systems, customer care platforms, activation processes and distribution channels are all critical to the success of a wireless provider. But ...

Rural carriers collaborate on handsets: handset makers have no problem catering to the large operators with customized devices, but smaller rural carriers often experience delays and technical glitches.(Service Providers)(aims and objectives of Associated Carrier Group)

Mar 01, 2005; ... Verizon Wireless' advertisements for its new V CAST service promotes not only the latest in mobile TV content, 3D games and music downloads, it also prominently features state-of-the-art 1XEV-DO handsets. Cingular Wireless' latest promotions highlight the company's coverage and signal ...

Integration firms expect outsourcing rise: carrier consolidation and 3G network upgrades are spurring demand for integration services, but independent firms are facing competition from vendors.(Business)(market share of telecommunications equipment industry)

Mar 01, 2005; ... The consolidation of U.S. wireless operators is causing other companies to retool their business strategies. For many vendors, fewer carriers mean fewer customers, and that, in turn, means a severe dip in business and revenue. But for RF engineering and integration companies, these carrier ...

VeriSign poised to take content growth advantage: once just a supplier of service ingredients, the company is evolving into an end-to-end solutions provider.(Business)

Mar 01, 2005; ... Wireless content and distribution is maturing, which is evident in the gradual consolidation of infrastructure service companies. The evolution hasn't been so much a dramatic as a gradual one, as the big fish gobble up the small fry. One of those companies is VeriSign, which ...

Content firms reap paybacks: driven by a boost in gaming, companies in the content delivery business look forward to bright days ahead.(Business)(information technology services industry forecasts)

Mar 01, 2005; ... This year started off on a good note for wireless content, especially for wireless gaming. And players in this burgeoning space have good reason for optimism. From their own financial reports to carrier reports that show a rising tide of data average revenue per unit (ARPU), indications ...

Door to digital home hinges on 802.11n: an IEEE study group will meet this month to decide which standards route to take for home entertainment.(Technology)(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

Mar 01, 2005; ... A task group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) may decide this month what the future of Wi-Fi will be, although for some companies the future is already here. As often happens with technology standards, some manufacturers hit the road with products ...

Ready or not: VoIP is on its way: wireless carriers can't ignore the future that VoIP will bring.(Technology)(voice over Internet protocol)(survey of business enterprises about the usage of Internet telephony)

Mar 01, 2005; ... There's no denying that VoIP is a reality and it will impact wireless as well as landline carriers. Still unresolved is how big an effect VoIP will have and whether it will have a negative or positive impact. A recent survey of 131 large enterprises by the consultancy Deloitte ...

V CAST lure? Verizon's new EV-DO services include its first-ever foray into 3D gaming. But can it convince customers to play?(Content and Applications)(service launch by Verizon Wireless Inc.)(evolution-data only)

Mar 01, 2005; ... When Verizon Wireless unveiled its EV-DO powered V CAST content service last month, it introduced a raft of glitzy video and music content. But the carrier also added a new dimension to its gaming strategy: titles that for the first time sport true 3D graphics. Many see ...

Taking a peek at adult content: U.S. operators and their vendor partners are struggling to determine the appropriate role to play when it comes to delivering adult-oriented entertainment.(Content and Applications)

Mar 01, 2005; ... It's no longer a question of "if." It's a question of "when." Adult entertainment surely will make its way to U.S. wireless subscribers in some form or another, whether it's via text messaging, images or streaming video. In tact, some content already is in users' hands via WAP sites or ...

All-wireless all of the time: a small but growing number of companies are looking seriously at all-wireless systems.(Enterprise)(usage of wireless telephones)

Mar 01, 2005; ... Fueled by better networks and expanded voice and data options, enterprises are giving wireless technology a bigger role in their business systems--and now a small but growing number are taking it a step farther, giving wireless center stage by cutting the landline cord altogether. ...

Go figure.(By the Numbers)(development of wireless telephones by Motorola Inc.)(statistics of Verizon Wireless Inc.)(market size of NTT DoCoMo Inc.)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... $40 Price point below which Motorola plans to produce handsets for emerging markets such as India and the Philippines; the goal is to reach $30 per handset over time. 4M The number of calls Verizon Wireless' "Can you hear me know" technicians made in ...

TDMA subs reverse direction.(By the Numbers)(time division multiple access, subscribers)(market share of wireless communications technologies)(Brief Article)(Illustration)

Mar 01, 2005 ... Going, going ... but not quite gone. The number of U.S. mobile phone subscribers using TDMA technologies declined 23 percent in 2004, the first year of negative subscriber growth since the technology was introduced in 1991, according to The Diffusion Group (TDG). That still leaves some 33 ...

PTT recommendation: bundle services.(By the Numbers)(push-to-talk)(industry forecasts and revenue)(Brief Article)(Illustration)

Mar 01, 2005 ... Push-to-talk (PTT) proved to be a killer app for Nextel Communications, and the Yankee Group estimates newer PTT entrants Verizon Wireless, Sprint and Alltel attracted a total of about 1 million PTT subscribers by the end of 2004. The researchers expect T-Mobile USA and Cingular Wireless ...

Older crowd catching RAZR fever.(By the Numbers)(market size of Motorola RAZR V3)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... <Pre> Motorola RAZR V3 phone, percent of unique visitors on Cingular.com by age segment 11/10/04-1/31/05 <18 13% 18-24 20% 25-34 21% 35-55 21% 45-54 18% 55+ ...

Report: Telecom to hit $1.5 trillion in 2010.(By the Numbers)(industry forecasts)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... Goodbye, telecom slump. Hello, growth. Well, at least in areas mostly outside North America and Europe. A study by Insight Research says worldwide telecom industry services revenue will grow from $1.1 trillion in 2005 to $1.5 trillion in 2010. The Asia-Pacific and Latin America Caribbean ...

Gear sales up 29% in '04.(By the Numbers)(Wireless communications equipment)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... Sales of mobility infrastructure equipment increased 29 percent during 2004, due in large part to strong sales of GSM-based equipment in Asia Pacific and CDMA equipment in North America, reports the Dell'Oro Group. According to the ...

Another TLA and all its hype.(Seybold's Take)(three-letter acronym)(IP multimedia subsystem)

Mar 01, 2005; ... TLA stands for a "Three-Letter Acronym." There is a plethora of TLAs along with acronyms of four, five or more letters. TLAs and the others are usually thought up by the folks working on a new technology, concept or device, and their use tends to spread like wildfire, especially at ...

Engineer fishes for business.(Profile: Doug Bonestroo: RemotePipes CEO Chases IP Dreams)(Biography)

Mar 01, 2005; ... Doug Bonestroo knows where to fish, both figuratively and literally. That's not to say he's looking to take over the entire pond with his business--just pioneer some new corporate fishing holes. Bonestroo is CEO at 5-year-old RemotePipes, a company that provides high-speed wireless remote ...

Going to the dogs.(Offbeat: woof woof)(marketing of PetsCell by PetsMobility)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... Two entrepreneurs could bring a whole new meaning to family calling plans. Cameron Robb and Gordon Jessop are partners in PetsMobility, a Scottsdale. Ariz., start-up that is trying to market PetsCell, a cell phone for pets. The prototype bone-shaped device is designed to snap onto a collar ...

Verizon Wireless.(On The Move)(appointment of Linda Broderick)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... LINDA BRODERICK was named director of Verizon Wireless' Wallingford, Conn., customer service center, where she oversees a staff of more than 600. Prior to Verizon, she was with GTE Wireless for seven years ....

Impinj.(On The Move)(appointment of Andrew Viterbi)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... ANDREW VITERBI, co-founder and retired chief technical officer of Qualcomm, joined fabless semiconductor firm Impinj's investment ...

TruePosition.(On The Move)(appointment of Rob Anderson)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... Telecom industry veteran ROB ANDERSON was ...

Navicom GPS.(On The Move)(appointment of Keith Tench)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... KEITH TENCH is the new president at Navicom GPS. He has more than 10 years of experience at Bell Atlantic ...

RadiSys.(On The Move)(appointment of Todd Etchieson)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... TODD ETCHIESON was named senior director of RadiSys' service provider division. Etchieson comes to RadiSys after a nearly 14-year ...

Comcast.(On The Move)(appointment of Marvin Davis)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... MARVIN DAVIS, former Verizon Wireless vice president of advertising and ...

Motorola.(On The Move)(appointment of James Stengel)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... JAMES STENGEL, global marketing officer for ...

Lightbridge.(On The Move)(appointment of Dorothy Terrell)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... DOROTHY TERRELL, citing an inability to devote the ...

UbiquiTel.(On The Move)(appointment of Eric Weinstein)(Brief Article)

Mar 01, 2005 ... ERIC WEINSTEIN was elected to the board of Sprint affiliate UbiquiTel. He previously was a director of Credit Suisse First ...

The cooks in the kitchen.(case of fraud on Bernard J. Ebbers at WorldCom)

Mar 07, 2005; ... AH, BERNIE EBBERS, we remember you when. The former WorldCom exec took the stand in his own defense this month and flatly denied that he had any knowledge that his accountants were cooking the books. Ebbers is charged with fraud, conspiracy and making seven false filings with the SEC. ...

Barbed wireless.

Mar 07, 2005 ... American Idol ... to vote for Travis, call toll-free 1-866-IDOLs 02 OR 1-866 436-5702. Now, if you're a Cingular customer, text the word vote from ...

The transformation of wireless networks: how an emerging technology called IP Multimedia Subsystem will change the wireless world as you know it.(Cover Story)

Mar 07, 2005; ... Imagine sending an instant message with a cell phone that later appears on a TV screen. Imagine watching a movie on that TV screen in your living room, pausing it in mid-show and then watching it on a wireless PDA in your car--in the backseat, of course. Imagine having a cell phone ...

The many faces of IMS.(IP multimedia subsystem)

Mar 07, 2005 ... IMS may be a single standard, but there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle. IMS is a standardized platform, approved by both the 3GPP and 3GPP2 standards bodies. The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) defines the applications and services that run on top of IMS, while the Internet Engineering Task ...

Consumer groups hung up on mergers: consumer groups contend regulators' review of the AT&T Wireless/Cingular merger set the stage for bad merger decisions ahead.(Service Providers)(lobbying of Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union)

Mar 07, 2005; ... WASHINGTON -- Consumer groups are using last year's behemoth AT&T Wireless/Cingular Wireless merger as evidence that regulators and lawmakers need to take a harder look at some of the pending big wireline mergers. The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Consumers Union ...

Share & share alike: spectrum coordinator says the shared licensed and unlicensed world envisioned by FCC already exists.(Service Providers)(Federal Communications Commission)(Chris Hardy)

Mar 07, 2005; ... WASHINGTON -- The world resulting from the FCC's ambitious and ongoing plans to open up a variety of spectrum for shared use already is here--inside convention centers. Hoping to begin the process of maximizing the finite amount of radio spectrum that's available to an exploding ...

Brand X could mark shift for wireless: upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision on cable issue could mark a regulatory sea change for wireless data services.(Service Providers)(cases between Federal Communications Commission and Brand X)

Mar 07, 2005; ... WASHINGTON -- It sounds like bad TV commercial, but it ay help decide the fate of how wireless, wireline and cable networks ultimately meld together in the future. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments at the end of March on FCC v. Brand X Internet Services. ...

Europeans race to HSDPA: most European operators plan to make progress on HSDPA efforts this year. The question is: how will they market the capability?(Service Providers)(high-speed downlink packet access)

Mar 07, 2005; ... DUBLIN, Ireland -- The race is on among operators deploying high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), and once again it looks like NTT DoCoMo in Japan is likely to be the first to market with a commercial service. Also as usual, the Isle of Man is set to be the first market in Europe to ...

Mobile payments getting broader: a new European m-payments systems may be heading to the United States.(Business)(service launch of Simpay)

Mar 07, 2005; ... The capability to use a mobile phone to buy things has been around for several years, and now the number of ways to make purchases is expanding as quickly as the things you can buy with your handheld. Most of the systems are tied to individual carriers and many use SMS or ...

RF firms amplify their gains: upgrading networks to 3G technologies requires more than new base stations. Remote antennas, base station cables and other ancillary products are experiencing a boom.(Business)(radio frequency)(services of telecommunications equipment industry)

Mar 07, 2005; ... When the large U.S. operators announced their plans to upgrade their networks to UMTS or IXEV-DO technology, much of the focus turned to the big infrastructure vendors that would be benefiting from these billion-dollar network advances. But beyond the big news-making deals, those network ...

Keeping pace with wireless growth.(services of WFI)(Advertisement)

Mar 07, 2005 ... Today's leading wireless carriers are faced with an immediate need: to optimize their wireless network infrastructures to provide value, efficiency and to deliver a host of new features and services. This need is being fueled by several highly influential factors impacting the mobile ...

The battle for the SIM: suppliers say SIM cards aren't just for GSM anymore.(Business)(subscriber identity module, global system for mobile communications)

Mar 07, 2005; ... There's a subtle battle going on, and the next turf is the CDMA market. The strategists are the makers of subscriber identity modules, or SIM, cards. SIM cards for CDMA? Sure, operators in Asia use them. But vendors in the United States are betting that CDMA carriers here will ...

WiMAX seeks its voice: the IEEE is expected to approve a new WiMAX standard this year that will enable VoIP. Will it be a 3G killer?(Technology)(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, voice over Internet protocol, third generation)

Mar 07, 2005; ... In the wireless hotbed that is South Korea, wireless carriers this year plan to launch a mobile broadband technology that will allow users to surf the Internet at high speeds--and we're not necessarily talking data rates. The goal for the technology, called WiBro, is broadband ...

Say the word: voice recognition technology for mobile phones is expanding beyond digit dialing to include a range of commanding functions.(Technology)

Mar 07, 2005; ... The old adage declares that actions speak louder than words. But in the case of new advancements in voice recognition technology for cellular phones, words may become actions. With new processors and more sophisticated software now in the development pipeline, voice recognition ...

E911 on track, but some bumps coming: FCC keeps close eye on handset implementation deadline.(Technology)(telecommunications policy of Federal Communications Commission)

Mar 07, 2005; ... WASHINGTON -- Even though it's eight months away, the FCC's final deadline for carriers to have handset-based location capabilities in place in 95 percent of subscriber handsets is weighing heavily on some minds. The deadline for wireless carriers to have a solution that allows ...

Mobile music's progression: newly forming alliances will provide operators with a full-service system that manages music downloads and digital rights, and coordinates music portfolios between cell phone and PC.(Content and Applications)

Mar 07, 2005; ... The hippest gift for the 2004 holiday season was the Apple iPOD. The sleek devices were flying off store shelves, making it difficult for last-minute shoppers to find any in stock. The popularity of these music players and the requisite "cool" factor that these devices generate didn't go ...

Wireless e-mail for the masses: some companies are setting their sights on making wireless e-mail more accessible and affordable for consumers.(Content and Applications)

Mar 07, 2005; ... Research In Motion (RIM) has become a dominant force in the enterprise world with its seamless ability to deliver e-mail to its BlackBerry users. Likewise, companies such as Seven Networks and Visto Communications have experienced success with their server-based e-mail solutions for ...

Monitoring mobile content services: as mobile content moves into the mass market, capturing subscriber data about consumer usage is critical for providing insight.(Content and Applications)(management of M:Metrics)

Mar 07, 2005; ... Without Nielsen Media Research's unbiased measuring of TV show viewership, advertisers and TV executives would have little insight into the popularity and performance of their TV programming. Using various methodologies and metering technology, Nielsen provides TV audience estimates to ...

QWERTY designs get new life: keying in to the increasing popularity of enterprise e-mail, handset makers are adding more smartphones with innovative QWERTY keyboard designs.(Enterprise)

Mar 07, 2005; ... Using a mobile phone to tap into the company e-mail has become a popular application in enterprises today, but until now it has been primarily a 1-sided conversation. While the newer handsets can receive and display messages, users rarely bother to compose or reply to messages because it ...

Company lights on keyboard alternative.(about virtual keyboard)

Mar 07, 2005; ... In the future, pressing the right buttons for full keyboard text messaging may involve pressing no buttons at all. VKB, a Menlo Park, Calif., maker of optical interfaces and projection displays, pulled the wrapper off its new Bluetooth Virtual Keyboard technology last month ....

Go figure.(brief)(Brief Article)

Mar 07, 2005 ... 10 Number of years NextWave has existed with the purpose of offering wireless services while never actually offering wide-area commercial service. Put another way, that's 120 months, or 3,650 days, but who's counting? 20 Percentage of the U.S. workforce that will be over age 55 ...

Non-Users reluctant to spend $$.(survey)(Brief Article)

Mar 07, 2005 ... Although the U.S. wireless subscriber base has room to grow, untapped market segments may not prove as lucrative as early adopter segments, according to a study released by Compete and Bear, Stearns & Company. Non-users report an average maximum willingness to spend $23 per month; if you ...

Inching toward 4G.(use of wireless technology)(Brief Article)

Mar 07, 2005 ... 3G might not be fully realized across the United States today, but it's not too soon to think about 4G. According to Rysavy Research and Datacomm Research Company, the global wireless industry is migrating to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) radio technology in the WLAN, ...

Users want the power.(survey)(Brief Article)

Mar 07, 2005 ... Bring on the battery advancements. A survey shows a third of all respondents (33 percent) and practically half the respondents in the under 24 age group (49 percent) limit their use of cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players and other devices because of power concerns, according to a study out of ...

Wi-Fi revs up in 2004.(market share)(Brief Article)

Mar 07, 2005 ... Worldwide Wl-Fl equipment revenue hit $2.8 billion in 2004, up 15 percent from 2003, and units reached in 36.1 million, up 51 percent from 2003, according to Infonetics Research. Infonetics' fourth-quarter 2004 report also found: * Cisco continues as the worldwide WLAN revenue ...

Execs more hip to technology.(survey)(Brief Article)

Mar 07, 2005 ... Fifty-eight percent of executives cite advances in technology as the most critical driver of change in the global marketplace, up from 37 percent only two years ago, according to this year's Economist Intelligence Unit CEO Briefing, co-sponsored by Dimension Data. The annual report ...

Three steps to successful service bundling.(Guest Opinion)

Mar 07, 2005; ... In an effort to bring bundled services to market, operators have begun to offer groups of otherwise distinct services to their customers. However, without considering the underlying processes and business support systems (BSS) required to deliver these services cohesively, the result is a ...

Powell to successor--don't be timid.(Michael Powell views)

Mar 07, 2005; ... BOULDER, Colo. -- FCC Chairman Michael Powell, who this month ends four years as the nation's top regulator for the media and telecommunications industries, has some advice for his successor: Don't be timid. "It would be the easy thing to be timid and to avoid controversy," ...

Barbie on the move.(Offbeat: play time)(development of wirless telephones by Mattel Inc.)(Brief Article)

Mar 07, 2005 ... Toy stores have featured toy cell phones for years. But now, Mattel is working toward the launch of a real working prepaid phone with a Barbie theme. With the help of San Diego, Calif.-based Single Touch Interactive (STI), Mattel is developing the phone as part of the Barbie My ...

Qpass.(On The Move)(appointment of Sterling Wilson)(Brief Article)

Mar 07, 2005 ... STERLING WILSON, formerly COO, was named president of Qpass ....

Leap Wireless International.(On The Move)(appointment of Doug Hutcheson and Dean Luvisa)(Brief Article)

Mar 07, 2005 ... DOUG HUTCHESON was named CEO, president and director of Leap Wireless International. He most recently served as the company's president and CFO. Before joining Leap, he led the ...

ReliOn.(On The Move)(appointment of Gary Flood)(Brief Article)

Mar 07, 2005 ... GARY FLOOD was named president and CEO of ReliOn. He previously was vice president of ...

Sonim Technologies.(On The Move)(appointment of Bob Plaschke)(Brief Article)

Mar 07, 2005 ... BOB PLASCHKE was promoted CEO of Sonim Technologies. Plaschke's previous ...