2006

WASHINGTON-Government spectrum managers are being challenged like no time before in efforts to clear the way for next-generation mobile phone and wireless broadband services-as well as rectify serious interference problems-through …

PARIS-Alcatel Inc. cut a deal with Nortel Networks Ltd. to buy the Canadian supplier’s UMTS radio access business for $320 million. Alcatel says the purchase will strengthen its UMTS market …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Mobile technology startup SiBEAM said it snared $21 million in Series B venture funding. Foundation Capital led the round, which included follow-on investments from New Enterprise Associates and U.S. …

WASHINGTON-The California legislature last week passed wireless-related bills that prohibit driver use of handheld cell phones in the nation’s most populous state, enhance Wi-Fi security and allow consumers to contest …

Creating the homeland security regime in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks also prompted a long, overdue re-examination of the nation’s emergency alert system. The warning system …

TOKYO-KDDI Corp. said it plans to invest $1.73 billion over the next three years to upgrade its network to CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A technology. Japan’s second-largest carrier said the …

292 is the magic number for Finland’s Lassi Etelatalo, who threw a Nokia cell phone 292 feet to win the World Mobile Phone Throwing Championships. The event’s organizers said about …

Since ditching merger negotiations and a takeover bid a few weeks ago, Andrew Corp. has been busy buying back 2.4 million shares of its common stock at an average price …

Space Data Corp. landed a $49 million contract to supply the U.S. Air Force with a communication system that sends radio-equipped industrial balloons filled with hydrogen or helium to between …

The third week of the advanced wireless spectrum auction showed significant slowing in bidding action. Nevertheless, it appears the Sprint Nextel Corp.-cable joint venture is aiming to build a broad …

TOKYO-Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it launched HSDPA service in Tokyo, and plans to cover all major Japanese cities with the technology by the end of October. The carrier …

Here’s what got us talking in the RCR Wireless News editorial department last week: Throwing caution, and perhaps good sense to the wind, the Wi-Fi Alliance has decided that it …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-Sprint Nextel Corp. and Novatel Wireless Inc. announced the first CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A card for use on the carrier’s soon-to-launch network. Sprint Nextel noted the card …

Sprint Nextel Corp. last week launched a new program for enterprise customers, hoping to be a “one-stop shop” for a range of needs from fleet dispatch management to mobile device …

LOS ANGELES-Rhino Entertainment is targeting Generation X wireless users with content from classic children’s television shows from the 1970s and `80s. The division of Warner Music Group unveiled Krofft Mobile, …

DENVER-Qwest Communications International Inc. said it plans to launch Sanyo Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Katana handset to its customers nationwide. The Katana, or model 6600, is a thin, clamshell phone that …

ATLANTA-PC maker Lenovo is selling a laptop computer that has built-in support for Cingular Wireless L.L.C.’s EDGE- and UMTS/HSDPA-based networks. The laptop is selling online for around $1,900. “ThinkPad users …

MIAMI-Mobile-phone distributor Brightstar Corp. said it has completed expansion of a $250 million credit facility. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. led syndication of the credit facility; other investors included HSBC, …

Valista Ltd. is vying for more space on the mobile payments playground with a hosted, WAP-based offering for carriers in the United States and Europe. The Dublin, Ireland-based developer this …

Two briefings. Two telecom execs. One conclusion: The market of one is the future-and companies that successfully navigate that space will profit from this small audience. Today, carriers have segmented …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is moving closer to deciding whether to seek a rehearing or possibly a Supreme Court review of a federal appeals court’s rejection of rules that pre-empt …

BRISTOL, Conn.-Mobile ESPN L.L.C. reported plans to offer college football fans the chance to watch up to 25 live games each month during the season from their Mobile ESPN wireless …

PLAINFIELD, Ind.-Brightpoint Inc. handled roughly 42 million mobile phones last year and may handle 60 million or more this year. But whatever you do, don’t call the company a distributor. …

Qualcomm Inc. declared victory after a U.S. district court dismissed an antitrust lawsuit filed by fellow chipmaker Broadcom Corp. Broadcom’s complaint, which was filed in July 2005, accused Qualcomm of …

In the Aug. 21 article “Philadelphia loses chief of Wi-Fi push to consulting firm linked to muni network,” Dianah Neff was not fully named as Philadelphia’s departing Chief Information Officer.