January 2006

SAN JOSE, Calif.-A 1,500 square-mile high-speed wireless data network covering Silicon Valley is being planned by the area’s civic and business leaders. A coalition called Smart Valley agreed to begin …

Three Christmases ago, Sue Nokes received a call from a T-Mobile USA Inc. customer who had been bumped up through the customer care system until he reached her. The man, …

LONDON-Vodafone Group plc reported solid numbers for the quarter ended Dec. 31, and the company said its guidance for the full year of 2005 and outlook for 2006 remain unchanged. …

NEW YORK-Shuffle Master Inc. made a $3 million private equity investment in Sona Mobile Holdings Corp. via the purchase of 2.3 million shares of common stock, the companies announced. Sona …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Motorola Inc. said it has developed software that eases the transition to new spectrum for public-safety communications systems. The software, which Motorola has been developing for more than a …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-Google Inc. launched a personalized tool bar that allows PC users to share Web pages via text messages. The tool bar-installed in a desktop computer-includes a “send to” …

The legal options for Research In Motion Ltd. continued to dwindle last week as the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear its case against patent holder NTP Inc. The high …

RESTON, Va.-Wireless Matrix Corp., which provides enterprise wireless data services, extended its contract with satellite provider Mobile Satellite Ventures through January 2008. Wireless Matrix uses satellite services as part of …

Telecom equipment vendors posted fiscal first-quarter results and watched their stocks react accordingly. Thanks in part to a $278 million bankruptcy lawsuit ruling, Lucent Technologies Inc. posted a first-quarter net …

SEATTLE-Yahoo has the early lead in the race to become the wireless Web portal of choice for U.S. consumers, according to new figures from M:Metrics. An average of nearly 13 …

SAN MATEO, Calif.-Wireless trailblazer Craig McCaw and other high-tech heavyweights are backing a new company looking to let business users reach colleagues through mobile phones, e-mail or instant messaging. The …

WASHINGTON-A technology expert warned last week that if Congress authorizes the Federal Communications Commission to require a broadcast flag in digital TV transmissions, the FCC could wind up as a …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission authorized Globalstar L.L.C. to operate land-based cell phone networks to augment its existing mobile satellite services, a significant enhancement that should allow the company to reduce …

DULUTH, Ga.-Systems integration company DataPath Inc. announced it acquired wireless broadband company Third Rail Americas Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. DataPath said the acquisition would allow it …

Floating towers soon may give some rural North Dakotans better wireless voice and data coverage. Next month, Chandler, Ariz.-based Space Data Corp. is set to trial its latex communications balloons …

Steve Jobs may have just taken one step closer to wireless. The head of Apple Computer Inc. landed a spot on the board of The Walt Disney Co. last week …

BOSTON-German wireless users are unimpressed with mobile TV, according to a report from Strategy Analytics. Poor network performance, a lack of compelling content and inadequate devices are resulting in disappointing …

CALABASAS, Calif.- NeoReach Wireless announced it plans to use equipment from Strix Systems, a wireless mesh-network provider, to build a 72-sqare mile municipal Wi-Fi network in Chandler, Ariz. Strix said …

Opera Software unveiled what it called a “WAP killer” last week, going global with its Web browser for Java-enabled mobile phones. Opera Mini uses a proxy server to format traditional …

PORTLAND, Ore.-Directory assistance provider Metro One Telecommunications Inc. said it received notice that its stock is in danger of being de-listed from the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. The company said it …

The evolution of the wireless industry has had a profound effect on the players involved. Within all levels of the market, companies have had to scramble to adapt to changing …

WASHINGTON-Morgan O’Brien, the industry pioneer who built Nextel Communications Inc. into a multibillion-dollar national wireless force, is joining a start-up firm seeking to leverage a patented geographic location-based technology for …

Wireless carriers ultimately are responsible for keeping information about their customers private and should address the matter with internal controls instead of waiting for a government mandate. In light of …

WASHINGTON-Both the House and Senate said they plan to hold hearings on the ever-burgeoning privacy scandal regarding the disclosure and sale of customers’ telecommunications records. The House Commerce Committee is …

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-Alltel Corp. launched a new iteration of its prepaid phone service, dubbed “U.” Users of the U prepaid service can pay by the minute, day or month. Pay-per-minute …