2006

WASHINGTON—Small and regional wireless carriers petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a special inquiry designed to collect and inspect a representative sample of wireless roaming agreements on a confidential …

READING, United Kingdom—The worldwide smart mobile device market is in flux, according to a new study from market research firm Canalys. The firm defines smart mobile devices as handhelds, wireless …

PORTLAND, Ore.—Hewlett-Packard Co., Intel Corp., Motorola Inc., Nortel Networks Ltd. and Siemens A.G. are just a few of the heavy-hitters aiming to certify interoperability requirements through a new trade group, …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Sprint Nextel Corp. affiliate iPCS Inc. said it topped half-a-million subscribers during the first quarter, adding 13,000 net customers to its network. The company, which is one of the …

RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. reported a mixed first quarter, with gross additions up compared to the same period last year and wireless revenues up; however, merger-and-integration costs pulled down the …

CHICAGO—U.S. Cellular Corp. can breathe a sign of relief, having finally released its operating results from the third quarter of 2005 and the financial restatements dating back to 2000, which …

BANGALORE, India—Subex Systems Ltd., a telecom software products developer, announced it’s buying British revenue-assurance developer Azure Solutions Ltd. for $140 million. The companies said they will operate as Subex Azure …

WASHINGTON—Customers of at least one rural telecommunications cooperative are cutting the cord at the rate of five to 10 per month, J. Frederick Johnson, executive vice president and general manager …

WASHINGTON—Verizon Wireless said it expects this month to provide wireless priority service to authorized local, state and federal officials during times of emergency. Verizon Wireless WPS is set to be …

MURAY HILL, N.J.—Lucent Technologies Inc. says weakened North American wireless sales coupled with the delay in China’s third-generation network buildout caused the company’s second-quarter earnings to fall 32 percent. Lucent …

DURHAM, N.C.—Motricity is looking to expand its content business after raking in $40 million in venture capital. Advanced Equities Inc. led Motricity’s most recent round; fellow existing investors New Enterprise …

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Wireless chipmaker Atheros Communications Inc. announced plans to pay about $23 million to buy ZyDAS Technology Corp., a privately held wireless local area network developer based in Taiwan. …

WASHINGTON—Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) is expected to introduce telecom reform legislation, dubbed the Broadband for America Act of 2006, meant to jumpstart discussion in the Senate by combining five already-introduced …

OKLAHOMA CITY—Dobson Communications Corp.’s wireless subsidiary, American Cellular Corp., expanded its spectrum position in Texas with the $25 million purchase of a Rural Service Area and additional spectrum in markets …

WASHINGTON—The mobile phone industry today launched an ad campaign through its consumer advocacy arm to draw policy-makers’ attention to state imposition of new taxes and regulations. The ad was produced …

BERLIN, Germany—Handset maker Nokia Corp. launched three new models in its N-series and announced that it has sold about 5 million of the N-series multimedia handsets since last year. The …

WASHINGTON—The Federal Highway Administration late Monday released the “presoliciation notice” for the next-generation 911 system, which would overhaul the current nationwide emergency-response system that relies on 6,000 public-safety answering points …

LOS ANGELES—Mobile episodes of the hit television show “Lost” are once again in the works following an agreement between Walt Disney Co. and three Hollywood unions.    Disney’s Touchstone Television …

TORONTO—Canadian telecommunications provider Rogers Communications Inc. boosted its operating revenue by 28 percent from the first quarter of 2005, results driven primarily by a nearly 36-percent growth in its wireless …

HELSINKI, Finland—Slice Wireless and U-Turn Media Group have partnered to acquire Finnish mobile software developer Oplayo. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Oplayo’s platform enables the delivery of streaming …

WASHINGTON-Former Motorola Inc. executive Susan Schwab is in line to become the nation’s top trade negotiator. President Bush last week said he intends to nominate Schwab, currently deputy U.S. trade …

Ntelos Holdings Corp. was incorrectly labeled a Sprint Nextel Corp. CDMA affiliate on page 23 of the March 27 issue of RCR Wireless News. Ntelos has a roaming agreement with …

MetroPCS Communications Inc. launched wireless service last week in Detroit, offering flat rate plans with unlimited local and domestic long distance without a contract. MetroPCS is offering four calling plans, …

Big just got bigger. The strategic trade-off between profits and market share stood out in stark relief. And the global market for mobile handsets remains insatiable, creating market opportunities for …

NEW YORK-Slow mobile-phone sales continue to plague RadioShack Corp. as the company reported an 85-percent plunge in first-quarter profits. The consumer electronics retailer said first-quarter income fell to $8.4 million, …