2006

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

MENLO PARK, Calif.—Zannel Inc., which sells a mobile media platform, said it raised $6 million in its first round of financing. US Venture Partners and Palomar Ventures led the round. …

PURCHASE, N.Y.—MasterCard Worldwide customers can find nearby ATMs with their mobile phones thanks to a new application from Mobile 365. Under the new service, Mobile users can dial an 800 …

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission tapped cell-phone association CTIA and wireless infrastructure trade group PCIA as clearinghouses for moving existing 2.1 GHz licensees to new frequencies to make room for new …

BOSTON—Boston University said it is adding an experimental course in its College of Communications that teaches students esthetics and production methods for making films designed specifically for mobile phones and …

BOSTON—Wireless enterprise data services in North America will generate more than $10 billion each year by 2010, according to a new study from research firm Strategy Analytics Inc. The company …

WASHINGTON—In the ongoing battle over whether national carriers should have to provide automatic roaming access to smaller operators, SouthernLINC Wireless is pleading its case as an iDEN operator with only …

SAN DIEGO—A squabble over documents in the heated legal battle between chipmakers Qualcomm Inc. and Broadcom Corp. serves to highlight the contentious nature of the companies’ fight, as both players …

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.—Customer spending on wireless services continues to increase, according to the latest survey by J.D. Power and Associates—and consumers’ expectations of their wireless carriers will continue to rise …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.—Following Google Inc.’s lead, Yahoo Inc. said it expanded its sponsored-search offering to wireless phones in the United States and United Kingdom. The Internet giant announced the beta launch …

NAPLES, Fla.—Neighborhood America is looking to take its success building online communities to wireless. The company announced the acquisition of Movo Mobile, a fellow Florida-based developer that provides mobile marketing …

SAN DIEGO—Just a few days after the Mobile ESPN flameout, an executive from the mobile virtual network operator was named chief executive of Soapbox Mobile, a mobile marketing solutions company. …

WASHINGTON—ADT Security Services Inc. is expected to ask the Federal Communications Commission later today to extend the end of cellular analog service requirements until 2010. The company said that equipment …

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Mobile search startup JumpTap Inc. snared $22 million in a financing round as it welcomed new investor Valhalla Partners. Valhalla led the round, and existing investors General Catalyst Partners, …

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Canadian operator Telus Mobility launched two handset-based Global Positioning System services developed by Networks In Motion. Telus said its new Navigator and Kid Find services are now available …

SANTA MONICA, Calif.—Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. is moving beyond the phone to offer a CDMA2000 1x EV-DO laptop card that will allow users to “switch between a nationwide …

WASHINGTON—Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) vetoed legislation to allow California wireless and wireline telecom subscribers to contest unauthorized billing charges, including those arising from the theft or loss of mobile phones. …

MARINA DEL RAY, Calif.—Wi-Fi hardware manufacturer 5G Wireless Communications Inc. is now in the travel and hospitality wireless service provider business, thanks to its acquisition of Ivado’s timeshare deployment contracts. …

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—Openwave Systems Inc. announced the acquisition of SoloMio Corp., a Texas-based provider of integrated subscriber call management services. Terms of the all-cash deal were not disclosed. Key to …

SAN DIEGO—A U.S. District Court judge ruled yesterday that Broadcom Corp. can develop and sell third-generation chipsets. Rival Qualcomm Inc. had pushed for a preliminary injunction to stop Broadcom from …

CHICAGO—About two years after its acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services Inc., Cingular Wireless L.L.C. announced it has finished the work of integrating AWS’ GSM network. Cingular has invested heavily in …

WASHINGTON—Motient Corp. named a new management team, continuing moves to separate two affiliated mobile satellite service companies into two independent publicly traded entities and possibly to better position the Lincolnshire, …

WASHINGTON—As Congress broke for midterm elections, the wireless industry won a few battles, but for the most part failed to get legislation it supported passed. It’s not clear how industry …

PORTLAND, Ore.—Digital commerce software developer Vesta Corp. acquired Beijing-based mobile top-up company Unimobile in an effort to tap the Chinese prepaid wireless market. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. …

SAN DIEGO—Leap Wireless International Inc. launched its Cricket wireless service in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The company said customers in the Kansas City region will have a calling area …