2006

LONDON—Test and measurement technology developer Spirent Communications plc announced plans to restructure its Performance Analysis and Service Assurance units in the face of “significant product transition” this year. The company …

LONDON—Yahoo Inc. scored a major wireless win with an agreement to provide mobile Internet services for Hutchison’s 3 Group carriers in Europe and Asia. The 3 Group tapped Yahoo to …

WASHINGTON—The Senate Commerce Committee passed its sweeping telecommunications-reform bill Wednesday. The bill includes two critical bits of legislation for the wireless industry: wireless pre-emption and a moratorium on cell-phone taxes. …

GREENSBORO, N.C.—Those pesky, detail-oriented analysts and emotional stock traders sent ripples through the market yesterday and today as news circulated that RF Micro Devices Inc.’s two largest customers—Nokia Corp. and …

WASHINGTON—The 800 MHz Transition Administrator said late Wednesday it was extending the deadline to Aug. 14 for licensees in the border regions to file requests for planning funding. The original …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint Nextel Corp. has added a Sanyo Electronics Co. Ltd. handset to its lineup that includes a free parental control feature that allows parents to limit incoming and …

PLAINFIELD, Ind.—Brightpoint Inc. added yet another wireless operator to its stable, inking a distribution deal with Boost Mobile L.L.C. The Sprint Nextel Corp.-owned service provider authorized Brightpoint to distribute Boost …

OKLAHOMA CITY—Dobson Communications Corp. wrapped up its $25 million purchase of wireless assets and spectrum in Texas, which will expand the rural carrier’s footprint in the central area of the …

NEW YORK—Verizon Wireless President and Chief Executive Officer Denny Strigl said that, starting this fall, the carrier will begin pro-rating early termination fees for customers who terminate their service contracts. …

BATON ROUGE, La.—Wireless Internet company JoVoGo Communications L.L.C. said it purchased the public Wi-Fi system operating in the central business district of downtown Baton Rouge from US Wireless Online. Terms …

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 …

OAKLAND, Calif.—Four companies have been selected to take part in a trial that will bring mobile broadband to commuters on a 171-mile train corridor served by the Bay Area Rapid …

NEW YORK—Mobile ESPN L.L.C. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced Samsung’s Ace handset is now available to Mobile ESPN subscribers. The Ace, based on Samsung’s A900 handset currently available through …

MIAMI—Wireless distributor Brightstar Corp. said it will expand in the Southeast Asian market with new offices in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. The Singapore facility will serve as the regional …

NEW YORK—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. is not completely opposed to its customers running Voice over Internet Protocol services over its high-speed UMTS/HSDPA wireless data network. However, the carrier would like to …

CYPRESS, Calif.—Bandai America Inc. announced plans to release a mobile-phone version of its popular Tamagotchi virtual-pet game. Tamagotchi, first introduced 10 years ago as a handheld game, requires users to …

NEW YORK—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. has begun offering service on its high-speed UMTS/HSDPA wireless network in the greater New York City area. According to coverage maps on Cingular’s Web site, the …

SEATTLE—Two prominent mobile messaging firms announced leadership changes. First up, Mobliss tapped a longtime console-gaming executive in an effort to create space on the wireless gaming playground. The company said …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—VeriSign Inc. confirmed it received a grand jury subpoena requesting documents related to the company’s stock-option grants and practices. The company is the latest in a growing list …

IRVINE, Calif.—Mobile search company AskMeNow said it partnered with Ingenio Inc. and Third Screen Media to bolster its AdSwers advertising program, which provides targeted messages within answers to queries made …

ATLANTA—BellSouth Corp. says it hopes to attract rural, high-speed-Internet-access-deprived customers as it expands its wireless broadband service into Melbourne, Fla., Chattanooga, Tenn., Greenville, Miss., Charleston, S.C. and Albany, Ga. Set …

BELLEVUE, Wash.—InfoSpace Inc. quietly launched its long-awaited direct-to-consumer effort with an Internet storefront hawking mobile ringtones, graphics and games. The site, www.moviso.com, offers content at tiered subscription levels as well …

SAN DIEGO—Qualcomm Inc. announced that its future chipsets would support the AWS band (1700/2100 MHz). The Federal Communications Commission is planning to auction licenses in the AWS band in August. …

   ESPOO, Finland—Nokia Corp. announced it sued two Chinese handset manufacturers over alleged infringements of the designs used in its handset model 7260. Nokia’s civil action requests that the two …

MINNEAPOLIS—Seeking to strengthen its position in U.S. markets, Bosch GmbH, a German auto parts company, plunked down $420 million to buy Minneapolis-based audio, security, communications and wireless systems supplier Telex …