Wireless Week back issues from July 2005:
Clarification.(Correction Notice)
Jul 01, 2005 ... In reference to the May 15 story, "PCIA Seeks to SWAP Siting Ideas," PCIA ...
Another RIM shot: the BlackBerry is getting squeezed from all sides. Legal woes, patent disputes and competitive forces continue to eat away at its market dominance. Does RIM have the juice to fight back?(UpFront)
Jul 01, 2005; ... Back in 2003, Research In Motion (RIM) suffered its first legal setback when a U.S. district court ruled in favor of NTP in its patent infringement suit. At the time, the court stayed an injunction until after appeal that would have prevented RIM from making, using or offering its ...
Barbed wireless.(Cartoon)
Jul 01, 2005 ... (1) 1942: NEWSPRINT ERROLL FLYNN: OFF THE HOOK! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (2) 1995: TELEVISION OJ SIMPSON: FREE TO HIT ...
Carriers expand online tools: wireless carriers are trying to funnel more subscribers to their Web customer care portals, but security and complex service questions can't be solved with a mouse click.(Cover Story)
Jul 01, 2005; ... Given the lure of lower operating costs and increasing subscriber access to information, many wireless carriers are now trying to shift basic customer care services from the phone line to online. While so far centered on account management features that allow subscribers to ...
Canada's 3G pursuit: competition is fierce as operators stake their claim in the high-speed data race.(Service Providers)(third generation wireless technology)(local number portability on rise)
Jul 01, 2005; ... Canada, our neighbor to the North, has many similarities to the United States when it comes to wireless telecommunications--the country has both CDMA and GSM air-interface technologies and a penetration rate of about 54 percent, slightly lower than that of the United States. And like U.S ....
Wireless landmark looms: wireless subscriptions could pass wireline soon, but some carriers are wary of marking the event.(Service Providers)
Jul 01, 2005; ... WASHINGTON--Carriers are carefully considering whether to mark an important milestone with great fanfare or a quiet nod. For the first time, the telecom industry is anticipating official word that the number of wireless subscribers has surpassed the number of wireline phone ...
No news = good news at FCC: FCC preoccupation with other issues could be a good thing for wireless.(TRACKING THE FCC)
Jul 01, 2005; ... WASHINGTON--The wireless industry may get an inadvertent period of regulatory calm for the next few months, as the FCC trudges along to year's end without a full complement of commissioners, some analysts say. The commission still has two open slots and no clear candidates to ...
In-house or outsourced? Carriers are using customer care as a differentiator, but does in-house equate to better service?
Jul 01, 2005; ... Reducing customer care costs without jeopardizing service requires carriers to walk a thin line. Lean too far into the cost savings realm and you risk alienating your customer base and making your churn spike. Go too far the other way and your customer care costs eat into the bottom line ....
bcgi's trouble: signal for others? The company is fighting for its survival. Could other U.S. prepaid suppliers be at risk?(Business)(Freedom Wireless intellectual property case)
Jul 01, 2005; ... The future of prepaid platform vendor Boston Communications Group Inc. (bcgi) is precarious, at best. But it may not stop there. Some warn that if a judgment against bcgi prevails, it could send chills through the test of the real-time, network-based prepaid solutions community. ...
Nokia pushes the technological envelope: Finnish company expands beyond cell phones to devices that communicate via the Internet--no PC required.(Technology)
Jul 01, 2005; ... Convergence has been one of the telecommunications industry's buzzwords in 2005, especially with talk about triple plays that bring various communications networks together. Convergence implies a coming together, but it also is an expansion. An example from the manufacturing ...
Managing the customer experience: technology spies on the network to find out where problems arise and how to quickly fix them.(Technology)(Arantech, Dublin Ireland)
Jul 01, 2005; ... In the wireless industry, you might build it and customers might come, but the bigger question is whether they will return. In this era of number portability, carriers have to sign up subscribers to their networks and they also have to keep them satisfied. There are numerous ...
DTV transition inches closer: FCC, congress work to speed movement of broadcasters.(Technology)(digital television)
Jul 01, 2005; ... WASHINGTON--Regulators and lawmakers have been working to move the digital television transition forward in the last few weeks, but ultimately the effort to clear broadcasters from potential new advanced wireless services frequencies is still academic for most in the wireless industry. ...
"American Idol" still a hit for Cingular: after four seasons, the reality show remains a text-generating giant for Cingular. But can the interactive SMS voting campaign be replicated?(Content & Aps)
Jul 01, 2005; ... The reality show phenomenon "American Idol" did more than just make Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Stoddard, Fantasia Barrino and Carrie Underwood household names. It elevated text messaging to a whole new level, making it a compelling way for TV viewers to affect the outcome of an extremely ...
BREW takes European trip: Qualcomm's uiOne interface allows for user customization, something O2 sees as necessary to please customers.(Content & Aps)
Jul 01, 2005; ... Ever since Qualcomm's BREW platform for handset applications was launched in 2001, the CDMA technology company has tried to persuade European operators to use it. Those years of work have finally paid off. The British carrier O2 is the first European carrier to run with BREW, ...
Content providers keep eye on the prize: mobile content players are again eying enterprise for information-oriented services, but they still need to build their case for news on the move.(Enterprise)
Jul 01, 2005; ... Some mobile content providers continue to cast an eye toward enterprise as the next target market for their news-oriented offerings, ranging from stock market information to what is happening in the outside environment. But getting the news out to these potential customers is a ...
VPNs tunnel into cellular: VPN, wireless solutions converge.(virtual private networks)
Jul 01, 2005; ... Virtual private network (VPN) technology has been used at least as long as the Internet, which made it possible to create a global network but also opened up those networks to intruders. VPNs were created to make those global connections secure, initially with a landline connection but ...
Europe tests mobile TV technologies: operators are experimenting with DVB-H, but so far no clear-cut business model has emerged despite numerous mobile TV trials and some commercial services.(International)
Jul 01, 2005; ... DUBLIN, Ireland--While a slew of mobile TV trials and commercial services have been launched in Europe, some serious questions around the business model plague the emerging service. Two types of technology platforms are being considered. The first, which can be commercially ...
Go figure.(By the Numbers)
Jul 01, 2005 ... 41% Rate of growth for Chinese vendor Huawei's contract sales in 2004, according to ABI Research. Bear, Stearns & Company calls Huawei a "meaningful competitive threat" to equipment vendors. $5.7M What U.S. businesses each spend on average on wireless ...
Content protection rings up revenue.(By the Numbers)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... Digital Tech Consulting (DTC) is estimating more than 300 million mobile devices that can process protected content will be shipped by 2009, and more than $500 million in annual ...
The WiMax factor.(By the Numbers)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... It's a question often asked: Will WiMAX replace 3G and fixed broadband? Research & Markets delved into this question with a recent report, appropriately titled "Will WiMAX Replace 3G and Fixed Broadband?," noting that wireless broadband technologies will make a dramatic comeback compared ...
Report: update on sales channels.(By the Numbers)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... About 60 percent of wireless carrier sales come through direct channels, with 40 percent through indirect channels, reports In-Stat, a sister company to Wireless Week. While carriers prefer sales through their direct channels because average revenue per user (ARPU) is higher and subscriber ...
Top 10 Wi-Fi Countries.(By the Numbers)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... 1. United States 2. United Kingdom 3. Germany 4. France 5. Japan 6. Switzerland 7. Italy 8. Australia 9. Spain 10. Netherlands The United ...
Infrared on the way up.(By the Numbers)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... Infrared continues to be a popular form of communication for personal area networks (PANs), says the Infrared Data Association. Shipments of IrDA transceivers in 2004 increased by 28 percent compared to 2003 and by 100 percent compared to 2002. The majority of the growth came in the mobile ...
MVNOs spawn more competition: who says competition in wireless is dwindling? Even with only four nationwide networks in the offing, there will be plenty of choices for wireless services. Scores of MVNOs are targeting different markets--and there's still room for more.(Seybold's Take)(Mobile Virtual Network Operator)
Jul 01, 2005; ... As the mergers and acquisitions continue, first Cingular and A&T and now it looks as though the Sprint/Nextel merger will be finalized, the number of nationwide wireless networks is shrinking. I suspect there are more mergers in the offing. Now we have four nationwide wireless ...
Living the good (wireless) life.(PROFILE)(Amp'd Mobile startup)
Jul 01, 2005; ... Peter Adderton had a helicopter standing by in San Diego in early June, when he was scheduled to speak at the 2005 BREW conference. As founder of several youth-oriented businesses, including the new MVNO Amp'd Mobile, Adderton is about as close as you can get to being a rock star in the ...
New brands target girls.(OFFBEAT: GIRL POWER)(Smartphones Technologies, Jacksonville, FL)(G Studios LLC, Newport Beach, CA)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... In an effort to get to that often under-served market of girls, Smartphones Technologies is teaming with G Studios to license Earth 2 Jane and Chosen Girls for mobile phone content. Under the partnership, Smartphones will create the Earth 2 Jane and Chosen Girls mobile content ...
Leap Wireless International's Cricket.(On The Move)(appointed LINDA WOKOUN as senior vice president of marketing and customer care.)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... LINDA WOKOUN was named senior vice president of marketing and customer care for Leap Wireless International's Cricket ...
ipsh!(On The Move)(ipsh! appointed LISA FIELDS as vice president of sales.)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... LISA FIELDS was named vice president of sales at ipsh!. She ...
Wireless Services Corporation.(On The Move)(appointed MARK THOMAS as Chief financial officers.)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... MARK THOMAS joined Wireless Services Corporation as CFO. He previously worked at AT&T ...
Idetic.(On The Move)(appointed JARL MOHN as board of directors.)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... JARL MOHN, known by his radio name as Lee Masters, joined the board of directors of Idetic, creator of MobiTV. He was founding president of Liberty ...
iPass.(On The Move)(appointed FRANK VEIRDECANNA as Chief financial officers.)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... DON MCCAULEY, CFO at iPass, is leaving the company to pursue an opportunity with a private ...
Qpass.(On The Move)(appointed JON MATSUO as senior vice president of worldwide sales.)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... JON MATSUO was appointed senior vice president of worldwide sales at Qpass. He replaces ...
ACE* Comm.(On The Move)(appointed JOHN BENNETT as president.)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... Former Sentori president and CEO JOHN ...
Corbis Mobile.(On The Move)(appointed MARK LEVY as vice president. )(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2005 ... MARK LEVY, former vice president of content and publishing at InfoSpace ...
.mobi maybe, maybe not: the .mobi concept had good intentions when it originated in 2000, but today the newly minted domain threatens to split the Internet unnecessarily into mobile and not mobile.(UpFront)(Column)
Jul 15, 2005; ... The dot-com story adds a new chapter with .mobi. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) recently approved the .mobi top level domain for the use as a designator of content specifically for mobile devices. We all know that viewing some Websites using ...
Barbed wireless.(Illustration)
Jul 15, 2005 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: QUEENS MIDTOWN TUNNEL NO CELL ZONE ...
Wireless bans get second look: from schools to airplanes, local and federal officials are re-examining cell phone bans.(Cover Story)
Jul 15, 2005; ... Wireless phones are everywhere--plastered to more and more people's ears. They are loved by many, despised by some and indispensable for tens of millions of people. The widespread use of the technology has spawned bans where its use has become a distraction or deemed an annoyance. ...
First-mover advantage: with 50 EV-DO markets launched, Verizon Wireless' broadband deployments are significant. Can other U.S. operators catch up?(Service Providers)(evolution data only)
Jul 15, 2005; ... When it comes to providing high-speed wireless data, Verizon Wireless clearly sports the first-mover advantage. The carrier has made its wireless broadband EV-DO network available in more than 50 major metropolitan markets and is on track to hit its goal of coveting one-half of the U.S ....
Jammers still posing problems: FCC hands out citations while new set of blocking threats pops up.(telecommunications policy of Federal Communications Commission)
Jul 15, 2005; ... WASHINGTON -- The FCC is sounding yet another warning to sellers of wireless phone jammers, but some public agencies are employing jamming tactics of their own in the name of homeland security. The FCC sounded the warning bell to the public for the fourth time in June, issuing a ...
Telecom rewrite, FCC face delays: Supreme Court nomination and confirmation process threatens to derail progress on Telecom Act rewrite, FCC appointments.(Federal Communications Commission, Telecommunications Act of 1996)
Jul 15, 2005; ... WASHINGTON -- Efforts here to rewrite the Telecommunications Act of 1996 got some steam from recent court rulings and political maneuvering, moving it from the long odds column to a better position in the legislative horse race this congressional session. But just when it seemed ...
Mobitex pursues new markets: in an increasingly broadband wireless world, narrowband networks like that of Velocita Wireless continue to seek success.(Business)(Company Profile)
Jul 15, 2005; ... In the wireless world, old technologies never die. They just morph into new business opportunities. Take the case of Mobitex, one of the first wireless data technologies, developed largely by Ericsson nearly 20 years ago. It has been identified in the United States with a number of ...
InterDigital: from patents to products: InterDigital is known as a patent-packing powerhouse that staunchly defends its intellectual property. The firm's new CEO hopes to evolve that strategy to include more technology development.(beliefs of Bill Merritt of InterDigital Communications Corp.)
Jul 15, 2005; ... For the past 30 years, InterDigital Communications Corporation has built a solid business by carefully culling its patent portfolio and then licensing that technology to various manufacturing and technology firms. This strategy has been InterDigital's mainstay, but now the company is ...
Aspiring for big savings in small packages: RadioFrame uses expertise from former McCaw execs to sell picocell base station equipment to carriers.(marketing of RadioFrame Networks)(McCaw Cellular Communications Inc.)(Company Profile)
Jul 15, 2005; ... Remember Project Angel? Back in the 1990s, it was such an "emerging technology" that even some of the engineers hired to work on the project didn't know what they were signing up for. Sometimes things come full circle. Some of the leaders of AT&T Wireless Services' Project ...
UMA's stepping stone to IMS: is unlicensed mobile access (UMA) the first step toward IP multimedia subsystems (IMS)?(technology use by British Telecommunications PLC)
Jul 15, 2005; ... Landline telephone companies have been watching their customers cut the cord and make cell phones their primary means of communicating. So some of them are fighting back with the old "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" philosophy. These telephone companies are becoming wireless carriers ...
Stronger signals: as carriers deploy high-speed data networks, they are looking at antenna technologies that have been waiting in the wings for some time.(technology use by U.S. Cellular)
Jul 15, 2005; ... After years of waiting on hold for a good economic argument, smart antenna technology may finally be a smart investment for carriers. With high-speed data services putting capacity pressure on mobile networks, operators appear to be taking a closer look at a range of antenna ...
Handset distribution: the technology "gatekeeper": for better or worse, the handset distribution process in the United States is doing a good job acting as a technology gatekeeper.(Tech Insight)
Jul 15, 2005; ... In my role as a consultant dealing with wireless technology, I have been introduced to a number of wireless data product and service ideas pushed by eager entrepreneurs, each confident that they had created that elusive killer app. Many of these were obvious non-starters for one reason or ...
Chipping away at multimedia content: chip suppliers advance technology for better audio, video quality.(production management of semiconductor industry)
Jul 15, 2005; ... Without the increasing sophistication of microprocessing power now becoming available in handsets, many of the new and coming gee-whiz multimedia applications--including TV and music--would have little "gee" in them. A number of recent advances, and several on the way, cover the full range ...
Hopes rise for off-portal content: as some U.S. operators warm to off-portal content, large brands and content companies are exploring their options for tapping this new marketing channel.(Content & Apps)
Jul 15, 2005; ... European operators are witnessing an explosion of off-portal content as consumers purchase ringtones, wallpaper, games and other entertainment from sites the carriers haven't sanctioned. U,S. operators have traditionally avoided this type of business strategy because they feared losing ...
Content firms seek overseas expansion: mobile entertainment firms pursue global business strategies through acquisitions.
Jul 15, 2005; ... Mobile entertainment is a fast-growing industry segment that is finally starting to reap financial rewards as U.S. subscribers warm to ringtones, games and downloads. At the same time, the mobile content arena is maturing just as wireless carriers solidify their relationships with content ...
Hybrid schemes tap into office PBX: Avaya is looking to a trio of integration deals to find the best fit for enterprise hybrid handsets.(contracts with Motorola Inc., Nokia Corp. and Research in Motion Ltd.)(private branch exchange)
Jul 15, 2005; ... In the classic children's story, Goldilocks tested the three bears' beds until she found the one that felt just right. It appears Avaya is using that same strategy as it develops hybrid voice systems that meld cellular and office PBX functions. The communication systems provider has struck ...
RFID takes new turns: the radio tags are gaining a wider foothold in supply chain uses.(radio frequency identification equipment)
Jul 15, 2005; ... The forward movement of radio frequency identification, or RFID, may have slowed from expectations of a year ago, but it still seems to be advancing steadily in certain businesses. The hype surrounding RFID hit a wall of sorts earlier this year when Wal-Mart backed off its ...
Go figure.(By the Numbers)(statistics of telecommunications industry)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2005 ... 6 Years that Nextel Partners enjoyed a positive relationship with Nextel Communications. That ended last month, when Nextel Partners accused its namesake of violating their joint-venture agreement via the merger with Sprint. 60% Increase in global WLAN ...
Companies ramp up wireless apps.(surveys)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2005 ... Businesses are adopting mobile applications faster than they had planned, according to a Forrester Research survey. Nearly half of respondents in a Forrester survey said they have deployed mobile applications such as e-mail, calendaring and employee content--18 percent faster than ...
Room for improvement in online self-care.(consumer surveys)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2005 ... In its first-quarter 2005 Online Channel Effectiveness study, Compete found that many of the reasons customers cited for not using online self-care are surmountable. Among consumers surveyed who rarely manage their wireless accounts online, almost 60 percent simply forget about their ...
Global IMS deployments.(Internet protocol multimedia subsystems)(telecommunications equipment industry's contract with cellular telephone services)
Jul 15, 2005 ... <Pre> Global IMS Deployments Wireless Infrastructure Operator Vendor Service Planned BTUndisclosed BT Fusion (U.K.) (Formerly ProjectBluephone)...
What's next? Mindset change: it's time to get away from the traditional idea of "either/or"--as in 3G or WiMAX--and evolve to a mindset that involves the bundling of wide area, metro area and local area networks. That will give users the most optimal network experience.(Mobile Mindset)
Jul 15, 2005; ... The roadmap for wireless networks over the next two to three years is quite clear. By mid-2007, we should have three widely available 3G networks in the United States (Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless and Sprint-Nextel). T-Mobile USA, the wildcard among the national operators, either ...
MVNO proponent turns wireless adviser: Bluestein.(PROFILE)(mobile virtual network operator)(Whitey Bluestein of Bluestein & Associates)(Biography)
Jul 15, 2005; ... The mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, has quickly progressed from concept to reality and is now considered one of the hottest business strategies in the wireless industry. The popularity of the MVNO strategy is certainly no surprise to Whitey Bluestein. This 23-year ...
Mforma.(Gina Centoni appointed)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2005 ... GINA CENTONI, formerly with Macromedia, joined Mforma as ...
Red Bend Software.(Morten Grauballe appointed)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2005 ... MORTEN GRAUBALLE joined Red Bend Software as executive vice president of marketing. He previously was vice president of product management ...
SouthernLINC Wireless.(Monica Cooper and Kyla Tilton appointed)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2005 ... MONICA COOPER joined the marketing department of SouthernLINC Wireless as communications manager, while KYLA TILTON was named communications specialist. Cooper is ...
DBS Communications.(Laren Whiddon appointed)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2005 ... LAREN WHIDDON joined DBS Communications as COO. He most recently served as vice ...
Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG).(George Grobar, Rod Egdorf and Sunir Kochhar appointed)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2005 ... The Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) made several executive appointments related to the launch of its Sprint-fueled MVNO. GEORGE GROBAR, a 10-year Disney veteran, will lead the venture as senior vice president and general manager of Disney Mobile. ROD EGDORF and SUNIR KOCHHAR joined the ...
Nvidia.(Neil Trevett appointed)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2005 ... NEIL TREVETT, a 20-year veteran of the 3D graphics industry, ...
Flycell ropes Naked Cowboy.(contracts)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2005; ... Love 'em or leave 'em, ringtones featuring lyrics by the Naked Cowboy may be ringing on cell phones near you. That's right--the New York street artist who gathers dollar bills in his hat in Times Square sporting only boots, a cowboy hat, guitar and underwear is adding his voice ...