2006

BOSTON—In a head-to-head comparison, more customers preferred Sprint Nextel Corp.’s Music Store to Verizon Wireless’ Vcast service—but both were deemed too expensive, according to a new study by research firm …

NEW YORK—The trend toward managed network operations and maintenance will have much greater impact on the wireless industry than consolidation, concludes Mercer Management Consulting after researching telecom sector developments. After …

BOSTON—American Tower Corp., the nation’s largest tower company, announced that it received a formal letter of inquiry about its stock option grants from the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company …

The following list details this week’s infrastructure awards for the cellular, Wi-Fi and WiMAX industries. The contracts are broken down by transmission technology, country and vendor. The value of the …

BEIJING—China’s Ministry of Railways and Nortel Networks Ltd. announced an agreement for Nortel to provide GSM-Railway switching centers for digital mobile signaling and operational communications spanning 20 of China’s 31 …

SAN FRANCISCO—Java operating system vendor SavaJe Technologies introduced its Jasper S20 handset at the 2006 JavaOne Conference in San Francisco this week. The Jasper S20 is being manufactured by Group …

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission said wireless complaints dropped in the first quarter of the year. The agency said wireless complaints decreased from 4,956 in the fourth quarter of 2005 to …

WASHINGTON—CTIA President Steve Largent was rebuffed in his effort to implore the Senate Commerce Committee to include a “national framework for regulation” in the telecommunications-reform bill. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), …

WASHINGTON—JetBlue’s LiveTV L.L.C. was the top bidder at $506,000 at the end of round 29 for a one-megahertz license to offer air-to-ground services in the 800 MHz band. LiveTV’s bid …

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission abruptly delayed the advanced wireless services auction until Aug. 9, saying applicants needed more time to prepare for the government’s sale of 1,122 wireless licenses. The …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms. Click here for wireless ratings from past weeks from RCR …

TOKYO—KDDI Corp. announced a deal allowing subscribers of its “au” service to access Google Inc.’s Internet search engine on their mobile phones. Japan’s second-largest carrier said the service, which is …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.—Verizon Wireless said the number of customers who subscribe to its FuelFinder service has doubled in the past six weeks as fuel costs rise across the country. FuelFinder, from …

DUBLIN—Mobile Top Level Domain Ltd., the driving force behind the mobile Internet domain extension .mobi, said the .mobi suffix will be available through 16 domain name registrars. The company said …

WAKEFIELD, N.H.—Prepaid reseller Freedom Phone Services introduced a new prepaid phone plan that starts at $10 per month. Customers must pay ahead of time and essentially have a month-to-month arrangement; …

LAS VEGAS—Wi-Fi gambling technology manufacturer Diamond I Inc. said it will acquire Touchdev Limited, a U.K.-based developer of mobile applications. Financial details were not disclosed. Diamond I is working to …

NEW YORK—Broadcom Corp.’s share price popped up 3 percent while Qualcomm Inc.’s fell 2 percent yesterday after a UBS analyst reported that a staff attorney for the International Trade Commission …

ALBANY, N.Y.—Micro fuel cell developer MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc. announced that its technology has been chosen to fuel a series of mobile phone and accessory prototypes by Samsung Electronics Co. …

Now, what to do with that extra million dollars you have lying around the house? Hmm, why not spend it on a cell phone made of 18-carat gold, encrusted with …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Verizon Wireless plans to be the exclusive provider of Motorola Inc.’s Q smart phone. Although the carrier has not said when it plans to begin selling the phone, Motorola …

WASHINGTON—AC BidCo L.L.C., an affiliate of AirCell Inc., is currently the top bidder at more than $13 million for a three-megahertz license to offer air-to-ground services in the 800 MHz …

OTTAWA—Two-thirds of Canadian households either own a wireless phone or have access to one, according to a new study from Decima Research commissioned by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association. The …

BELLEVUE, Wash.—Mobile gaming continued the move toward consolidation this week with news that Hands-On Mobile snapped up wireless applications developer Thumbspeed Inc. Financial details were not disclosed. Thumbspeed’s 30 employees …

WASHINGTON—A House panel approved legislation giving first-responder communications, telecommunications and cybersecurity higher organizational stature in the Department of Homeland Security, changes that are part of a broader bill designed to …

WASHINGTON—Verizon Communications Inc. became the second large telephone company to explicitly deny turning over to the National Security Agency phone call records of millions of Americans. “Contrary to the media …