2006

News continued to churn out of the various municipal Wi-Fi projects gaining steam across the country, as one city’s Wi-Fi contract made its way to a politically charged city council …

WASHINGTON-Apple Computer Inc. is attracting attention with two new patent applications that outline plans for a wireless iPod. The application, filed 18 months ago but only recently published by the …

Electronic Arts Inc. has bought its way to the top of the mobile game-making industry. Thanks to its recent acquisition of Jamdat Mobile Inc., EA’s Mobile division owns the two …

Helio L.L.C. made its long-awaited debut in the wireless marketplace last week with two high-end handsets linked to social networking site MySpace.com and plans to have its services available through …

SAN ANTONIO—AT&T Inc. has agreed to settle several class-action lawsuits for a sum of $150 million, according to the company’s quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The suits …

GREAT FALLS, Mont.—Nokia Corp. announced it won a contract with MTPCS L.L.C., otherwise known as Chinook Wireless, to build a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network throughout Montana. Though financial terms of the agreement …

HOUSTON—Crown Castle International Corp. is picking up 468 towers with the purchase of Alexandria, Va.-based Mountain Union Telecom L.L.C. for $309 million. CCI said it expects to close the deal …

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.—The handset market in the United States continues to run hot, with new figures from The NPD Group reflecting an 11-percent growth in sales for the first quarter …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Motorola Inc. hopes to simplify application developers’ access to the company’s resources with a new network dubbed Motodev, the company announced. The program will combine Motorola’s current developer efforts—including …

SAN MATEO, Calif.—Digital Chocolate Inc. scored dual MVNO agreements, announcing deals to offer its games from the decks of mobile virtual network operators Amp’d Mobile Inc. and Helio L.L.C. Each …

HOUSTON—Dexa Wireless, a Mexican-owned mobile virtual network operator, threw its hat into the MVNO ring, announcing it launched commercial operations last week in Los Angeles. The company said it is …

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—SunCom Wireless Holdings Inc. tapped Wirestone to manage marketing strategies in the carrier’s retail and e-commerce divisions. Wirestone, an interactive advertising firm, will be responsible for shaping SunCom’s in-store …

LONDON—Vodafone Group plc and T-Mobile International’s UK subsidiary announced plans to substantially reduce their European roaming rates, which have been under pressure from European Union regulators who want to reduce …

WASHINGTON—Motient Corp. and SkyTerra Communications Inc. said they signed agreements to consolidate ownership and control of mobile satellite service assets, whose value is tied to plans to build and operate …

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.-Carriers may not be earning the additional revenue they expected from the popularity of camera phones, according to new research from The NPD Group Inc. In less than …

WASHINGTON-Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, went to the Senate Floor May 1 to announce he was introducing “the Communications Act of 2006.” The 135-page bill …

The reason a wireless handset becomes successful in the marketplace remains something of a mystery. Everyone knows it must depend, in part, on a winning combination of many factors-brand, price, …

OKLAHOMA CITY-Dobson Communications Corp. said last week it launched service in Deadhorse, Alaska. The launch extends the carrier’s GSM/GPRS/EDGE network into the North Slope region along the coast of the …

Voce, the luxury mobile virtual network operator, has begun offering its services on a small scale in the L.A. area. Steve Stanford, Voce’s chief executive officer, described the quiet start …

WASHINGTON-A federal appeals court appears willing to agree with the Federal Communications Commission that Voice over Internet Protocol technology substantially replaces standard telecommunications services-but at least one judge believes the …

RESTON, Va.-Sprint Nextel Corp. said it expects to complete the spinoff of its local telecom business, dubbed Embarq Corp., on May 17. That day, Sprint Nextel expects to distribute to …

SAN DIEGO-Residents of San Antonio will be able to add Cricket to their list of wireless service choices. Leap Wireless International Inc. and Alaska Native Broadband 1 License L.L.C. said …

Verizon Wireless continued its run of strong quarterly results, boosting its service revenues by double-digits and squeezing its churn rate below 1.2 percent. The company’s results “just [keep] getting better,” …

Nortel Networks Ltd. late last month restated its much delayed financial results for 2003, 2004 and the first nine months of 2005, though analysts seemed indifferent to the impact. Daniel …

TUCSON, Ariz.—Cell Wireless Corp. and Bond Wireless said they signed a letter of intent calling for the two companies to merge. Bond Wireless provides mobile messaging solutions, including international text …