2006

VIENNA, Va.—MobileAccess Networks said it secured $11 million in a financing round led by private-equity firm Ziegler Meditech Equity Partners. Existing investors also participated, including HarbourVest Partners, Pitango Venture Capital …

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 …

TAIPEI, Taiwan—High Tech Computer Corp. wants its day in the sun and plans to begin selling phones under its own “HTC” brand, a departure from the anonymous, original design manufacturer …

WASHINGTON—Wireless industry trade association CTIA continued to press the Federal Communications Commission to allow its members to use studies to determine long distance vs. local traffic and thus how much …

CONSHOSHOCKEN, Pa.—An independent U.S. proxy advisory firm has recommended that shareholders of Sprint Nextel Corp. CDMA affiliate UbiquiTel Inc. vote in favor of the company’s proposed acquisition by Sprint Nextel. …

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.—Motorola Inc. and a handful of handset vendors, along with two major network operators, have agreed to establish a global Linux-based software platform for mobile devices, the companies involved …

SEATTLE—NetMotion Wireless Inc. said it plans to merge with Padcom Inc. and continue providing mobile virtual private networks, becoming what the companies call “the largest dedicated provider of mobile VPN …

CHICAGO—Motorola Inc. appears to have succeeded in beating rival Nokia Corp. in a race to open a company-branded store in Motorola’s own backyard. Motorola opened a pop-up retail location it …

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—A former Verizon Wireless employee has reportedly been sentenced to almost six years in prison for stealing access numbers for about $21 million in prepaid minutes and selling them …

LOS ANGELES—Mobile virtual network operator Amp’d Mobile Inc. announced that its first major distribution deal will be through Best Buy stores. Best Buy is expected to start selling Amp’d Mobile …

WASHINGTON—The wireless industry continued to push for pre-emption, Sprint Nextel Corp. urged inclusion of special-access reform and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, floated a network-neutrality …

ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. launched UMTS/HSDPA services for businesses and consumers in its home town of Atlanta. The high-speed wireless data and voice service is available on two handsets, the LG …

PARIS—French mobile operator SFR launched an HSDPA network in Paris and southern France, using network technology from Nokia Corp. SFR has about 17.3 million customers in France, about 1.5 million …

LONDON—Shares of Monstermob Group plc plunged more than 21 percent after the ringtone provider ousted founder and Chief Executive Officer Martin Higginson. Monstermob, which has been on a worldwide spending …

SEATTLE—Companies looking to create a “mobile MySpace” may want to target U.K. wireless subscribers, according to the latest figures from M:Metrics. British users are more inclined to use wireless social …

SAN DIEGO—Sequoia Communications, a fabless RF semiconductor company, said it raised $25 million in its series E round of financing. The round was led by BlueRun Ventures and included participation …

BOSTON—Despite dozens of announcements about municipal Wi-Fi deployments and feverish hype regarding the growth potential of the industry, incumbent operators have little to fear long-term from the technology, according to …

PORTLAND, Ore.—Metro One Telecommunications Inc. announced the renewal of a multi-year contract to provide enhanced directory assistance for Midwest Wireless subscribers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Metro One’s …

NETANYA, Israel—Intel Corp. has selected Siano Mobile Silicon’s multi-band, multi-standard receiver chipset for Intel’s mobile TV reference platform in its Xscale product line. The collaboration comes at a time when …

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.—Kyocera Wireless Corp. selected Bitfone Corp.’s Device Management Client Suite software for use in its mobile devices, said Bitfone. The suite includes Bitfone’s mProve and Mobile Variance Agent …

NEW YORK—Despite prepaid and reseller additions driving much of the growth within the wireless industry, Fitch Ratings concludes in a new report that the industry will continue to be profitable. …

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court asked the Bush administration to weigh in on Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch’s appeal of a lower court ruling over whether mobile phone carriers must notify subscribers …

ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. announced plans to offer an upgraded push e-mail service for business users with Microsoft Corp. Windows Mobile-enabled devices. The service, which is set to launch next week, …

FALLS CHURCH, Va.—A handful of startups are targeting wireless subscribers who may be reluctant to divulge their phone numbers. Tossable Digits Inc., which launched service earlier this year, provides a …

NEW YORK—Comverse Technology Inc. offered a glimmer of good news even as it is embroiled in a stock options investigation that forced the company to delay its most recent financial …