July 2006

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission fined LocateCell.com $97,500 for repeatedly failing to respond to subpoenas to provide information in connection with the agency’s investigation of data brokers that deceptively gain access …

WASHINGTON—U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty today approved a final settlement requiring Mario Gabelli and 38 affiliated companies to pay $130 million to end a lawsuit alleging the Wall Street money …

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.—Motient Corp. announced a solid win against Highland Capital Management L.P. and its president, James Dondero, with news that Motient stockholders voted to elect all of the company’s six …

   WASHINGTON—Federal Communications Commission member Jonathan Adelstein said the government should prohibit Wall Street money manager Mario Gabelli from participating in the Aug. 9 advanced wireless services auction as part …

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos—Caribbean mobile operator Digicel Group plc said it plans to launch new mobile services in its Turks & Caicos market. New services include per-second billing, international roaming …

NEW YORK—The confirmation of Robert McDowell to the Federal Communications Commission in May, which creates the first Republican majority in the commission since early 2005, could impact several key policies …

FREMONT, Calif.—Mobile resource management solutions provider @Road Inc. said it plans to acquire the assets of MobileAria Inc. under an asset sale and purchase agreement between the companies that followed …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—VeriSign Inc. announced an agreement with the WiMAX Forum to become the official security provider for the 802.16 standard. In a joint statement, VeriSign and the WiMAX Forum …

   BELLEVUE, Wash.—MinuteWatcher L.L.C. is accusing T-Mobile USA Inc. of blocking access to its MinuteWatcher service, which is designed to help carrier customers track their wireless usage. According to MinuteWatcher, …

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—Obopay inked its first carrier agreement, announcing a deal to provide mobile payment services for mobile virtual network operator Amp’d Mobile Inc. Obopay allows users to set up …

LONDON—Symbian Ltd. announced the release of its operating system version 9.3, touting it as providing shorter start-up times for smart phones and applications. Symbian OS licensees are currently developing handsets …

ALBRIGHTON, United Kingdom—Mobile software developer ROK Media Ltd. said it has acquired U.K.-based content developer Fonedream. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ROK’s offerings include a “place-shifting” device that …

BRUSSELS—The European Union has announced plans to cap the international roaming rates that carriers charge one another, which could end up cutting those prices by as much as 70 percent. …

WASHINGTON—The House passed legislation to ban Internet gambling domestically and abroad. The legislation, based on a 1961 law that prohibits gambling over telephone lines, expands the ban to the Internet, …

SEATTLE—The Automobile Association of America selected Volantis Systems Ltd. to develop and deploy a mobile portal that will allow AAA members to access association information from any mobile device. The …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint Nextel Corp. has modified how its customers reach an automated service line and how their identities are verified following concerns raised by customers about their privacy on …

EMERYVILLE, Calif.—MobiTV Inc. said it snared a whopping $70 million in a Series C financing round led by Oak Investment Partners. The three-year-old wireless video provider said it will use …

DALLAS—Airband Communications Inc., which provides fixed-wireless services to businesses, said it expanded its pre-WiMAX network into San Antonio, Texas. In addition to San Antonio, the company also provides service in …

SAN DIEGO—Leap Wireless International Inc. has officially rolled out wireless service in Louisville and Lexington, Ky. The markets were launched as part of a joint venture with Alaska Native Broadband …

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Namco Networks America Inc. is teaming with Japanese content provider G-Mode in an effort to bulk up its portfolio for North American consumers. Namco, which specializes in creating …

COPPELL, Texas—Shares of CellStar Corp. jumped after the company reported a profitable quarter and unveiled a distribution agreement with LG Electronics Co. Ltd. The wireless distributor reported a net income …

SAN RAMON, Calif.—Canadian telecom company MTS Allstream Inc. plans to offer push-to-talk services using technology from Kodiak Networks. MTS Allstream’s service uses Kodiak’s Real-Time Exchange System, with features including availability …

SAN FRANCISCO—Wireless game-maker Hands-On Mobile Inc. has created a new division in an effort to tap the booming mobile marketing space. The publisher, formerly known as Mforma, is joining a …

ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. has become a member of the Open Mobile Terminal Platform, which makes recommendations to the handset industry on security, hardware, operating systems and browsers. Existing network operator …

WASHINGTON—The mobile phone industry has teamed up with other telecom players to lobby for universal service reform. The new USF by the Numbers Coalition backs a numbers-based plan that the …