July 2005

U.S. Cellular Corp. joined the push-to-talk fray with the launch of SpeedTalk, which operates on the carrier’s CDMA2000 1x data network available across its 25-state coverage area. The service will …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission appears close to approving the proposed $35 billion merger between Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc., though it remains unclear whether the agency will impose any …

WASHINGTON-The Justice Department said Alltel Corp. must divest wireless assets in Arkansas, Kansas and Nebraska in order to win government approval of its proposed $6 billion purchase of Western Wireless …

The big mouse is finally loose in the wireless house as the Walt Disney Co. announced plans to launch a family-oriented mobile virtual network operator wireless service using Sprint Corp.’s …

WASHINGTON-Broadcom Corp. filed an antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm Inc., a move closely following Broadcom’s patent-infringement complaint against the San Diego-based firm in what appears to signify a strategic move by …

CHICAGO-Pctel Inc. said it has acquired all the shares of Dublin-based Sigma Wireless Technologies Ltd. from Sigma Communications Group Ltd. SWT develops antennas for public-safety applications as well as for …

Sprint Corp.’s pending acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. was thrown another curve last week as Nextel affiliate Nextel Partners Inc. sent a notice to Nextel claiming the deal and recently …

WASHINGTON-Telecom and high-tech lobbyists will have little time to savor Senate passage of the Central America Free Trade Agreement, with the upcoming House vote too close to call. The Senate’s …

MIAMI-Prepaid wireless provider TracFone Wireless Inc. launched its NET10 service offering providing a flat-rate 10-cent-per-minute calling rate for all calls. The service is available with select Nokia Corp. and Motorola …

Universal multimedia messaging service interoperability among U.S. Tier 1 carriers moved closer to becoming reality with two agreements unveiled last week. T-Mobile USA Inc. users can exchange pictures and video …

As the mobile-phone market continues to surpass all forecasts, there are multiple ways those phones end up in the hands of consumers. At the beginning of last year, industry observers …

What value should the government place on the spectrum at 2.5 GHz owned by Sprint Corp. and the company its plans to acquire soon, Nextel Communications Inc.? How should the …

NOTTINGHAM, United Kingdom-Esendex, which provides business text-messaging solutions, said it launched subsidiaries in Spain and Australia. The company said the launches mark the beginning of its overseas’ expansion strategy. The …

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.-InterDigital Communications Corp. said an arbitral tribunal in its case with Nokia Corp. has established royalty rates applicable to covered Nokia products dating back to Jan. 1, …

PALO ALTO, Calif.-A strong push by mobile virtual network operators during the next several years backed by an emphasis on wireless data services and customized service offerings could boost the …

NEW YORK-Wireless and broadband Internet will account for a large portion of total spending growth in the global entertainment and media industry, according to PricewaterhouseCooper’s “Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: …

SAN DIEGO-Verizon Wireless is offering a mobile blogging application to its subscribers. The carrier launched Rabble, a mobile blogging application from Intercasting Corp. designed to allow users to create and …

WASHINGTON-Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) signed into law legislation banning driver use of handheld cell phones, while a similar prohibition went into effect last week in Chicago. Connecticut joins …

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia-Retel d.o.o. and Arbital Communications Sdn. Bhd. said they will deploy a mobile broadband service in Zagreb, Croatia, using Flarion Technologies Inc.’s Flash-OFDM technology. Flarion’s Flash-OFDM technology will …

Skyhook Wireless, a 2-year-old company based in Boston, announced commercial availability of a wide-area positioning system that makes use of the growing number of Wi-Fi access points being deployed around …

GAITHERSBURG, Md.-WeatherBug said Sprint PCS will offer its neighborhood-level weather information service to Java-enabled handsets. WeatherBug’s service offers custom weather reports including weather conditions, local radar, live camera views and …

SEATTLE-France Telecom plans to offer its customers an integrated interface for voice, data and video communications over multiple networks and applications through its recently announced partnership with Microsoft Corp. The …

With 1.5 billion mobile-phone users worldwide, even a niche wireless market can be massive. At least, that’s what C. Neil Farnsworth is hoping. The managing partner of content rights broker …

Sprint Corp.’s months-long high-speed wireless data tease came to an end last week as the company finally announced the launch of its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO network. The company said the …

WARWICK, R.I.-Wireless broadband and managed Wi-Fi services provider ICOA Inc. reported that its iDockUSA division has launched a Wi-Fi Hot Zone at Brickyard Cove Marina of Point Richmond, Calif. The …