2006

SAN JOSE, Calif.—A new report from the Semiconductor Industry Association predicts semiconductor sales worldwide will grow 9.8 percent to nearly $250 billion this year, driven largely by the cell-phone market. …

BEIJING—Motorola Inc. responded to a statement made by a Chinese online retailer last week, saying it generally does not grant exclusive e-commerce rights. PacificNet Inc. issued a press release last …

DALLAS—Small businesses are becoming increasingly mobile, according to a survey conducted by the American Small Business Travelers Alliance. About 80 percent of respondents to the survey said they rely on …

WASHINGTON, D.C.—France Telecom and the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, are reportedly in discussions to purchase Austrian operator One for more than $1.9 billion. Reuters reported the talks, citing …

SAN DIEGO—Leap Wireless International Inc. will officially kick off a service launch in three Texas cities tomorrow with promotional events over the next couple of weeks involving a cattle drive, …

SAN DIEGO—Qualcomm Inc. said it successfully demonstrated fully mobile Voice over Internet Protocol calls over its EV-DO Revision A technology. The announcement is notable as Sprint Nextel Corp. has announced …

WASHINGTON—The Commerce Department today asked for public comment on the creation of a government-industry spectrum-sharing test bed, a key component of President Bush’s spectrum plan that has taken on greater …

LOS ANGELES—UrbanWorld Wireless launched a new online store hawking ringtones, voice tones and mobile images from its roster of celebrities. The site, www.urbanwireless.com, features content from noted hip-hop acts and …

PALO ALTO, Calif.—Details on the Sidekick III emerged out of the Federal Communications Commission, in effect giving Palo Alto-based Danger Inc., a small handset software vendor, continued traction in the …

WASHINGTON—Public-safety answering points serving more than 75 percent of the population are now able to receive location information from mobile-phone callers, according to statistics from the National Emergency Number Association. …

WASHINGTON—The telephone companies accused of allowing the National Security Agency access to customer calling patterns dodged a bullet Tuesday when the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee decided to defer …

SEATTLE—Direct-to-consumer mobile content provider 3GUpload is the latest to join the user-generated content rush. The company rebranded as Mixxer and launched a package of Web-to-mobile features designed to help members …

DETROIT—Rapper Eminem settled a lawsuit with a Colorado-based content provider accused of illegally selling ringtones of the hip-hop star’s tunes. Michigan-based Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated said they struck …

CHICAGO—L.M. Ericsson launched a new end-to-end Internet Protocol TV offering, saying the solution is the first step in the company’s long-term plans for TV services. During a press conference at …

BELLEVUE, Wash.—Sofitel hotels will be joining the ranks of businesses that offer T-Mobile USA Inc.’s Wi-Fi hotspots. Softitel, a brand of European Accor hotels, has 10 locations in the U.S. …

BASKING RIDGE, N.J.—U.S. phone shoppers have three more devices to pick from as Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Motorola Inc. and Nokia Corp. all released new gadgets into the market. All …

WESTON, Mass.—Proxpro Inc., which provides mobile search and social networking products, said it launched a new mobile tool that allows Sprint Nextel Corp. and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. customers to access …

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Intel Corp. is rumored to be exploring the sale of its communications chip business as it seeks to slim down its operations and focus on its leadership position …

SHENZEN, China—Chinese telecom manufacturer ZTE Corp. announced it signed a contract to build a CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A network in Mongolia for Skytel, which is the largest CDMA wireless …

NEW YORK—Nortel Networks Ltd. has finally caught up with its financial filings after a series of restatements and delays, but the figures for the first quarter of 2006 included larger …

LONDON—Telcogames Ltd. said it acquired Finnish publisher Fathammer in an effort to expand its portfolio of 3-D mobile games. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although Fathammer investors 3i …

LONDON—Warner Music continued to expand its digital distribution operations, acquiring a minority stake in Japanese mobile broadcasting FrontMedia. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Warner Music Japan said it …

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. lost its chance to block several class-action lawsuits in California as the U.S. Supreme Court opted to allow the suits to proceed in state court. The …

WASHINGTON—Sprint Nextel Corp. urged the Federal Communications Commission Monday to reject the proposed $67 billion merger of AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp. because of the negative affect it will have …

NEW YORK—Lawyers for the Justice Department, Wall Street investor Mario Gabelli and Lynch Interactive Corp. told a federal judge they have settled a suit over spectrum auctions. The suit accuses …