2006

KANSAS CITY—Sprint Nextel Corp. has reportedly filed a $6.4 million lawsuit against IBM Corp., accusing IBM of missing the performance requirements of a large information technology outsourcing contract. The lawsuit, …

NEW YORK—Verizon Communications Inc. will be looking to make “significant” workforce reductions in the next year and a half, the company’s chief financial officer told analysts during a conference earlier …

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.—Mobile phone users in the United States are incrementally more satisfied with the operation of their handsets than in the past, suggesting that vendors in general are improving …

WASHINGTON—Highland Capital Management L.P. is contacting stockholders of Motient Corp. to criticize the wireless company’s recent deal with SkyTerra Communications Inc. and its proposal to revamp the board of directors. …

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Various telecommunications firms including Covad Communications Group Inc., Korea Telecom Corp., TeleKom Malaysia Berhad, Japan’s NTT Inc. and China’s PCCW announced they formed the WiBro and mobile WiMAX …

RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. says it is currently testing so-called “4G” technologies for use on its expansive 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings and that it plans to choose one that has …

NEW YORK—Sprint Nextel Corp. is reportedly in talks with Sling Media Inc. and other media companies to expand its mobile entertainment offerings and make them simpler for users to access. …

REDMOND, Wash.—Microsoft Corp.’s MSN is hoping to move onto the mobile marketing playground with the acquisition of Third Screen Media. MSN is negotiating to buy out the Boston-based company, according …

SAN DIEGO—U.S. Cellular Corp. signed on to use Qualcomm Inc.’s BREW-based handset customization interface, uiOne. Qualcomm’s uiOne is already in use at Sprint Nextel Corp, the nation’s third-largest carrier with …

Hello! And welcome to the first edition of our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column …

CHICAGO—U.S. Cellular Corp.’s parent company, Telephone and Data Systems Inc., is reportedly delaying plans to buy the 18 percent stake in the wireless carrier that TDS does not currently own. …

OTTAWA, Canada—Mobile Voice over Internet Protocol software developer SIPquest said it picked up $7 million during its third round of funding, money that comes as the company works to rename …

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission said it will not investigate whether telephone companies violated consumer-privacy laws by reportedly releasing millions of phone records to a U.S. spy agency. In a letter …

SAN DIEGO—Qualcomm Inc. sent yet another shot across Nokia Corp.’s bow, filing a lawsuit in the United Kingdom against the Finnish handset maker for alleged violations of two of Qualcomm’s …

SAN FRANCISCO—The average U.S. mobile TV subscriber spends $40 a month more on wireless services than non-mobile TV users, according to new figures from Telephia. The research firm, which announced …

BEIJING—Rumors are swirling that China Mobile Communications Corp., the world’s largest wireless carrier, may be on the brink of acquiring Luxembourg-based Millicom International Cellular SA—or possibly, already has bought the …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.—Yahoo Inc. has extended its photo-sharing application to mobile phones, allowing users to access images from picture albums wirelessly. The Internet giant also upgraded its mobile e-mail service with …

   OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint Nextel Corp. and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. announced the launch of the Fusic music phone, another example of taking a feature phone and branding it a …

WASHINGTON—Bidding on a 3-megahertz license to offer air-to-ground services in the 800 MHz band appears to be over as AC BidCo L.L.C., an affiliate of AirCell Inc., looks to be …

SINGAPORE—Cellular subscribers in seven Asia-Pacific markets soon will be able to receive an international version of Mobile ESPN sports content. The Bridge Mobile Alliance plans to distribute ESPN Star Sports …

NEW YORK—Investment bank UBS joined the latest wireless parlor game: Will Nokia Corp. or Qualcomm Inc. get the upper hand in the two companies’ intellectual property rights licensing negotiations? UBS …

ATLANTA—Boost Mobile L.L.C. users can exchange cash electronically for prepaid calling minutes at various locations, due to a recent arrangement with CheckFreePay. Boost is a subsidiary of Sprint Nextel Corp. …

LOMABARD, Ill.—Startup tower company Central States Tower Holdings L.L.C. said it picked up $30 million during its first round of equity financing through Sweetwater Capital and Merchants Capital Partners L.P. …

BOSTON—American Tower Corp. said it received a subpoena in the rapidly widening probe of stock-option grants that is ensnaring several major wireless players. The company, which owns and operates more …

WASHINGTON—XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and WCS Wireless L.L.C. said they terminated an agreement that called for XM to buy WCS after the companies failed to secure government approval for …