2006

WASHINGTON-When the government broke up Ma Bell more than 20 years ago, it did so because it did not want one company controlling computer-to-computer communication-at the time the stuff of …

Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and T-Mobile USA Inc. halted retail sales of Motorola Inc.’s best-selling Razr handset, after the vendor informed the carriers that a component glitch was cutting off calls …

IRVINE, Calif.—Mobile information service provider AskMeNow is betting on mobile gambling, announcing an effort to acquire Australian betting firm Karrell Pty Ltd. AskMeNow, a subsidiary of Ocean West Holding Corp., …

WASHINGTON—A federal court in Colorado told state regulators there that they cannot require Alltel Corp. to file rate statements and agree to certain service-quality standards in order to receive eligible …

WASHINGTON—Evoking visions of the Battle of Yorktown, Robert McDowell appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee Thursday afternoon hoping to be confirmed as a member of the Federal Communications Commission. “This …

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

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.—Next month’s LinuxWorld Conference & Expo will include a mobile Linux focus, according to conference organizer IDG World Expo. In addition, the show floor will feature a Mobile Linux …

TORONTO—Nortel Networks Ltd. plans to restate its financial results—again—and also will push back the filing of its 2005 annual report to the end of April. The bookkeeping-challenged Canadian equipment vendor …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and T-Mobile USA Inc. halted retail sales of the Razr, Motorola Inc.’s best-selling handset, this week after the vendor informed the carriers that a component glitch …

COLUMBUS, Ohio.—An Ohio WiMAX start-up that says it plans to launch a wireless nationwide triple play of data, voice and video services this fall announced a partnership with MODF.tv, a …

COPPELL, Texas—SmartVideo Technologies said it signed a distribution agreement with CellStar Corp. covering the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. SmartVideo offers video services for cellular phones, including live …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.   Carriers Morgan Stanley downgraded its opinion on Alltel Corp. …

WATERLOO, Ontario—Research In Motion Ltd. announced today it purchased Ascendent Systems, which sells products that extend desk phone connectivity to wireless handsets in a campus environment. RIM said the purchase …

PEARL RIVER, N.Y.—Interactive media company Traffix Inc. launched a strategic mobile marketing business unit called mxFocus. The company said the new business unit focuses on off-deck marketing, which allows clients …

SAN DIEGO—Wireless handset distributor InfoSonics Corp. said its geographic mix of revenues experienced a significant shift last year toward sales in Latin America. The company said sales in Latin America …

LOS ANGELES—Bunim-Murray Productions, which is often credited with starting the reality TV phenomenon with the MTV hit “The Real World” more than a decade ago, launched a spinoff focused on …

HANNOVER, Germany—Microsoft Corp. unveiled its much-hinted-at Origami product today—an ultra-mobile personal computer with Wi-Fi connectivity—at the CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany. The computing giant called the device a “first …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint Nextel Corp. unveiled Voice over Internet Protocol services for business customers, and said it plans to integrate wireless capabilities with services that are expected to be deployed …

AACHEN, Germany—A consortium of European businesses and colleges unveiled an Application Programming Interface (API) designed to allow users to access content across mobile devices. The $2.1 million project, which was …

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.—InterDigital Communications Corp. announced its fourth quarter and full-year results, showing a jump in revenues over the same quarter a year ago. For the fourth quarter, the …

SAN DIEGO—Now that the Chinese government has sanctioned its homegrown TD-SCDMA technology as the third-generation technology of the land, and with precious 3G licenses about to be granted to Chinese …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.—Verizon Wireless inked a major retail distribution deal for its wireless service, agreeing to sell its INpulse offering through 2,300 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. locations nationwide. The news marks a …

WASHINGTON-The Justice Department asked U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty to join the spectrum auction fraud lawsuit against Wall Street telecom magnate Mario Gabelli, upping the stakes of the litigation at …

ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. had a brief service outage earlier this week, due to problems with a database that stopped recognizing customers. Cingular spokesman Mark Siegel declined to give specific numbers …

WASHINGTON—As part of the Federal Communications Commission’s plan to solve the public-safety interference problem in the 800 MHz band, Sprint Nextel Corp. was given 10 megahertz of spectrum in the …