December 2004

KINGSWOOD, United Kingdom-ROK Entertainment Group launched its ROK Player technology in the United Kingdom through a deal with Sony/BMG Music Publishing. The technology allows users to view video content including …

Qualcomm Inc. made a strategic investment in wireless application company Digital Orchid. The companies did not disclose the amount of the investment. Digital Orchid sells applications working on Qualcomm’s BREW …

LONDON-Vodafone Group plc expanded its partner network program to include SmarTone as its exclusive partner in Hong Kong. Under the agreement, SmarTone will re-brand its business to SmarTone-Vodafone, enabling the …

SEOUL, South Korea-Indian wireless carrier Airtel has reached 1 million subscribers for its ringback tone service just five months after its July service launch, said WiderThan, which provides the service. …

TORONTO-After a cycle of postponements, Nortel Networks Ltd. finally released its third-quarter results statement, although it is still unaudited. For the third quarter, Nortel said it suffered an estimated loss …

Fundamental changes in wireless sometimes take place with a bang (the disappearance of AT&T Wireless, the combination of Sprint and Nextel) and sometimes creep in (location-based services, telemetry, etc.). While …

WASHINGTON-A key lawmaker Thursday called universal service “the 800-pound gorilla” and said that last week’s action by the Federal Communications Commission to raise the universal-service contribution factor above 10 percent …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Aviation Administration has banned shipments of non-rechargeable lithium batteries on commercial flights because they pose a fire hazard when transported in the cargo hold of passenger aircraft, the …

RALEIGH, North Carolina-A local news TV station in North Carolina will offer news stories, pictures, traffic information and weather forecasts through a downloadable Java application. The application will be available …

Sprint PCS launched two new content services Monday, continuing its lead in the advanced content arena. The carrier announced a radio-like service that will deliver short video clips and six …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Swedish company Atenit said it will deploy a UMTS TDD network using technology developed by U.S.-based IP Wireless. Atenit, a wireless broadband carrier, will deploy the network over a …

BRUSSELS, Belgium-Following several similar reviews, the European Regulators Group-a body comprised of national telecom regulators in Europe-plan to survey mobile operators in Europe about their mobile roaming rates. The questionnaire …

Verizon Wireless said it has extended coverage of its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Broad- bandAccess network to nearly all of Los Angeles county, as well as into portions of Riverside and …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Motorola Inc. said it has successfully completed trials for broadband public-safety solutions in the 4.9 GHz band. “The success of the trial, thanks in large measure to the involvement …

Many in the industry peg iDEN handset vendor Motorola Inc. as a major winner following the merger between Sprint and Nextel Communications Inc. Motorola’s position is enviable as the company …

LONDON-Shazam Entertainment announced a partnership with The Link that calls for Shazam’s mobile music recognition service to be made available at 300 of The Link’s High Street stores in the …

SAN DIEGO-Leap Wireless International Inc. added 9 Squared Inc.’s RealTone JukeBox music downloads to its BREW-based Cricket Clicks offering. The carrier said the application allows customers to download real music …

MOSCOW-I-mode mobile Internet service is coming to Russia and Eastern Europe under an agreement between Japanese i-mode creator NTT DoCoMo Inc. and Russia’s largest wireless carrier Mobile TeleSystems. The carriers …

The four-square mile, fortressed area in Baghdad that’s supposed to provide safe haven for important people trying to reinvent this war-torn nation in the biblical part of the world known …

DUBLIN, Calif.-New research has picked iAnywhere Solutions Inc. as the top player in the middleware market, besting 13 competitors. This is the company’s third straight year on top of that …

Editor’s Note: Each year, the RCR Wireless News editorial staff chooses the person who has impacted the wireless industry the most during the past 12 months. By successfully closing the …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Industry witnessed the release of three unique, advanced handsets from the likes of Verizon Wireless, NTT DoCoMo Inc. and startup Mobiado, a division of Bonac Innovation Corp., which released …

TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced partners for its third-generation video service called World Call. DoCoMo’s FOMA video customers will be able to exchange video-phone calls with users of compatible W-CDMA services …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission left the few remaining independent wireless carriers twisting in the wind last week when it said that mobile-phone and long-distance carriers could not get access to …

Global Signal Inc. said its board of directors has increased its cash dividend for the fourth quarter to 40 cents per share of common stock from 37 cents in the …