Nextel Partners Inc. said it plans to open at least 30 new retail stores this year to keep up with demand for its services and to build on the 40 retail outlets the carrier has opened during the past two years. “As demand continues to increase for the attractive line of Nextel products, the stores will play a greater role in bringing our service to the market place,” said John Chapple, chairman and chief executive officer of Nextel Partners. As part of its retail expansion, Nextel Partners also hired Douglas Harty as director of retail. He will be responsible for the development and expansion of the carrier’s retail channel.
Mobilaris AB, which provides middleware for location-based services, acquired BlueFactory’s third-party content and service management operations. “The third-party instrumentation is exactly what we need at Mobilaris at present,” said Bjorn Westerholm, chief executive officer of Mobilaris. “It is an important step to assure that we can meet customer expectations regarding our offerings as well as on delivery and support capabilities.”
Qualcomm Inc. said its board of directors has approved a 43-percent increase in quarterly cash dividend from 7 cents to 10 cents per share of common stock.
Lucent Technologies Inc. announced two new executive changes as part of its efforts to expand its global business development. The moves involve the appointment of Jim Brewington as president of the company’s new developing markets group and Cindy Christy as president of the mobility business. Brewington was the president of Lucent’s mobility solutions business while Christy was chief operating officer of the mobility solutions group. “We have a keen focus on expanding our revenue base to include new revenue sources,” said Patricia Russo, chairman and chief executive officer of the company.
