July 2005

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week in two key high-tech cases that now may move across the street to the U.S. Capitol. In March, the Supreme Court heard oral …

While the wireless industry haggles over the price of anti-piracy software supported by the Open Mobile Alliance, Microsoft Corp. is quietly gaining traction in the mobile world with its proprietary …

WASHINGTON-Federal Communications Commission member Michael Copps last week continued his campaign to get gaps in homeland security communications addressed, urging new FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to appoint a commissioner to …

CTIA and the Rural Cellular Association said their members that have chosen handset solutions to meet the wireless enhanced 911 rules will not be able to meet the Dec. 31 …

Just as a new Bush administration official was hailing a World Trade Organization decision in an anti-dumping case against Korean chipmaker Hynix Semiconductor Inc., a former White House aide was …

SANTA MONICA, Calif.-Boingo Wireless and SBC Communications Inc. signed a Wi-Fi roaming agreement that gives Boingo customers access to 3,400 Wi-Fi hot spots in SBC’s FreedomLink network. Boingo said its …

Sprint PCS continued to court pint-sized wireless users this week, unveiling a new mobile video channel featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety and other animated Warner Bros. characters. “Looney Tunes …

TOKYO-Eight wireless carriers that offer i-mode wireless Internet services based on NTT DoCoMo Inc. technology announced joint procurement for i-mode handsets. The carriers initially have procured Korean vendor LG Electronics …

News on the over-the-air front continues to gain steam, as Motorola Inc., LG Electronics Co. Ltd., Huawei Technologies and others announce plans to use or sell the technology. First up, …

Dutch telecom carrier KPN has reached an agreement to acquire rival Dutch mobile operator Telfort for $1.2 billion on a debt and cash-free basis, eliminating a player in the highly …

MOSCOW, Russia-Mobile TeleSystems, the largest mobile-phone operator in Russia, acquired a 51-percent stake in Barash Communications Technologies Inc., a U.S. company that is the leading wireless carrier in the central …

WASHINGTON-The California Supreme Court last week ruled arbitration agreements between companies and customers do not necessarily preclude people from filing class-action suits, a decision with unclear implications for the state’s …

An effort to provide a pan-European mobile payment service was aborted just weeks before it was slated to launch. Simpay, a joint venture established two years ago by Orange plc, …

WASHINGTON-CTIA asked the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider some of its guidelines for designating wireless carriers eligible for universal-service subsidies last week as rural lawmakers voiced support for universal service …

Leap Wireless International Inc. has expanded the availability of its Travel Time roaming service to all of its Cricket markets. The roaming service allows Cricket customers to use their phones …

WASHINGTON-The mobile-phone industry proposed a national framework for wireless billing based on its voluntary code of conduct for service, while consumer groups and states are urging the Federal Communications Commission …

Telecommunications clearinghouse company NeuStar Inc. earned a solid debut on Wall Street June 29 as its share price rose from its initial pricing of $22 per share to as high …

TORONTO-Nortel Networks Corp. announced a share dividend and a new chairman of the board, but it offered little in the way of strategic guidance during its annual shareholders meeting. Nortel …

KINGS PARK, N.Y.-Wireless backhaul will become increasingly important as carriers seek to reduce operating expenses and subscribers use more voice and data minutes, according to a study from Visant Strategies. …

Nextel Communications Inc., which is in the process of being acquired by Sprint Corp., reported in a government filing that the appraisal process associated with affiliate Nextel Partners Inc.’s put …

Verizon Wireless continued to turn the screws on its competitors with further expansion of its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO network, which the carrier claims now covers 119 million potential customers in …

Sprint Corp.’s pending acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. will endow the new operation with a substantial war chest of network and spectrum assets, including a significant swatch of spectrum in …

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’ Flash-OFDM technology. Flarion’s FLASH-OFDM technology will provide …

Regional wireless operator Dobson Communications Corp. reported that its subsidiaries Dobson Cellular Systems Inc. and American Cellular Corp. completed the sale of 507 cellular towers to Global Tower Partners for …

SAN DIEGO-The Egyptian Telephone Co. will develop, manufacture and distribute cdmaOne and CDMA2000 1x/1x EV-DO technology under an agreement with Qualcomm Inc. The pact grants ETC a license to deploy …