November 2004

Verizon Wireless became the first major U.S. carrier to offer ringback tones, launching a service analysts say-and carriers hope-may be even more profitable than ringtones. Ringbacks are clips of music …

You couldn’t really say the big mobile-phone and paging mergers of 2004 had folks on the edge of their seats or challenged crackerjack government antitrust lawyers. The former at least …

As the new No. 1 carrier in the United States, Cingular Wireless L.L.C. is in the position to greatly tighten its control over its handset suppliers. And with a subscriber …

Network equipment divisions performed better for major wireless vendors in the third quarter than their handset businesses did. At Nokia Corp., handset sales figures still topped equipment sales, but infrastructure …

Fallout from the Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and AT&T Wireless Services Inc. merger continued last week as separate developments sent tumbling shares of one mobile content provider and another e-commerce company. …

The United States may have stolen the text-messaging world record from the text-loving British thanks to a lightning-fast performance by Ben Cook, a 17-year-old high school student in Salt Lake …

WASHINGTON-Congress failed to pass relocation trust fund and wireless enhanced 911 legislation over the weekend, but House and Senate members will try again in early December when lawmakers return for …

LONDON-MobVision launched its Arabian Nights Mobile Casino game, which includes age and identification verification systems to deter underage play and fraud. The first four games to be launched are slots, …

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.-The GSM technology community must include location-based services in its strategic plans by next year or it will be in a disadvantaged position, according to Alan Varghese, principal …

Japanese wireless giant NTT DoCoMo Inc. released its latest line-up of advanced handsets for its FOMA third-generation network. The carrier’s new 901i series of mobile phones feature advanced video calling, …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless said it was eliminating local number portability-related monthly regulatory charges for its customers beginning with upcoming customer billing cycles. The carrier said it has been charging 40 …

WASHINGTON-The long-awaited publication in the Federal Register of the Federal Communications Commission’s plan to solve public-safety interference in the 800 MHz band occurred. Publication starts the 75-day clock for Nextel …

WASHINGTON-Sprint PCS was granted eligible telecommunications carrier status for parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, making it able to collect universal-service subsidies for customers …

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus Inc. recommended that Verizon Wireless modify or discontinue its “anytime, anywhere” claim for the carrier’s “IN-Network” calling plans to …

VANCOUVER, British Columbia-Wireless enterprise company Infowave Software Inc. announced a complicated business deal that will net the company $4.6 million in new money from an investor in the real-estate business. …

The Federal Communications Commission approved the nation’s first software-defined radio, marking the launch of a new era of smart wireless devices designed to make improved use of the crowded airwaves …

When it comes to mobile music, few people have the perspective of Thomas Dolby Robertson. The singer/songwriter-turned-software developer used last week’s MobileMusiCon to launch his latest offering, a Web-based software …

SAN DIEGO-Providence Equity Partners and Warburg Pincus have signed a deal to acquire Telcordia Technologies Inc. for $1.35 billion in cash, according to Science Applications International Corp., which owns Telcordia. …

Wireless technology and service company InPhonic Inc. enjoyed a major initial public offering last week, raising a total of $108.9 million in net proceeds. The company initially expected to raise …

SAN ANTONIO-SBC Communications Inc. and Yahoo! Inc. signed a multi-year extension of their current agreement to provide co-branded DSL and Dial services and announced plans to extend the alliance to …

Wi-Fi is quickly taking the place of integrated cameras and push-to-talk functions as the new hot technology for the handset market. As a result, chipmakers, carriers and handset suppliers are …

WASHINGTON-Democratic Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein won strong bipartisan support for a new term at a Senate confirmation hearing, with Senate Commerce Committee members venting anger at the Bush …

READING, United Kingdom-Mobile messaging and content provider Airwide solutions raised $16.25 in Series C funding, the company announced Thursday. Artiman Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, joined existing investors …

WASHINGTON-The Food and Drug Administration launched a new initiative to study the use of radio frequency identification technology to improve the safety and security of drugs, an effort with major …

LONDON-A new study shows that the market for smart phones will continue to increase during the next several years, with global shipments growing from 14.6 million units last year to …