January 2007

The digital rights management playing field got a little more crowded as four of the world’s biggest consumer electronics companies released services for a new anti-piracy solution.The Marlin Trust Management …

The worldwide base of mobile gamers will more than double by 2010 as publishers develop better games and carriers market the offerings more effectively, according to a study from iSuppli …

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 us …

At the close of a year that saw Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. introduce penny texting, hybrid price plans and an ad-time-for-airtime service called SugarMama, the company announced that it now …

Regional, flat-rate carrier MetroPCS Communications Inc. filed for a $1.1 billion initial public offering, and plans to use the money to expand into new markets where it recently won spectrum …

Citing a need for “fresh thinking,” Sprint Nextel Corp., the nation’s No. 3 cellphone provider, which spends $1.6 billion in marketing, has placed the creative portion of its advertising account …

WASHINGTON-Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he would cooperate with Congress if the new, Democratic-controlled House and Senate pursue legislation to increase the supply of public-safety spectrum. Chertoff acknowledged federal, …

MindMatics L.L.C. is powering a text-message contest in two markets centered on NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution’s daytime talk show “Maury.”The company launched an interactive campaign that allows users in …

Verizon Wireless announced a multi-year deal to become the “official wireless service provider” of the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association in the United States. As …

A startup focused on mobile media sharing has aborted plans to auction itself off after receiving zero bids on eBay.Mojungle.com allows users to record text messages, photos and videos with …

Patent-related lawsuits are part of the high-tech landscape. Here’s a new twist: a nonprofit group representing the state of Washington’s public universities has filed suit against Nokia Corp., Samsung Electronics …

The instant gratification that comes with the quick snap of a cellphone photo or a text message to friends has taken on a new, more interactive form-thanks to a number …

NextWave Wireless Inc. has agreed to acquire Go Networks Inc., which develops Wi-Fi networks for campus and municipal deployment. NextWave will pay about $13.3 million in cash for the company, …

Cingular Wireless L.L.C., the nation’s largest cellphone carrier, announced it will renew its content distribution deal with Motricity. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.“Motricity has reduced Cingular’s time to …

The N, a TV channel for teens developed by MTV, will be available on Sprint Nextel Corp.’s mobile TV service, the companies announced. MTV’s The N Mobile will be available …

Cingular Wireless L.L.C. landed a big contract renewal from the Western States Contracting Alliance, through which the carrier currently provides service to more than 1 million subscribers. The WSCA contract …

Just as 2006 came to a close, so too did Nortel Networks Ltd.’s sale of its UMTS radio access business to Alcatel-Lucent. The $320 million purchase closed on Dec. 31, …

Mobile gaming in the United States will gain steady ground over the next several years even as titles get more expensive, according to new figures from IDC.The market research firm …

Spanish triple-play telecom company Ono plans to begin a mobile virtual network operator business later this year, using the network of wireless carrier Telefonica. Ono said in a recent statement …

Orb Networks Inc. co-founder and chairman Joe Costello will take the reins as CEO of the place-shifting technology provider.Costello also currently serves as chairman of software developer think3, and spent …

Changes in online handset prices keep raising questions for observers: Is the post-holiday retail model one of continued discounting to milk any lingering consumer desires to shop and spend money? …

WASHINGTON-Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin appointed his wireless advisor to head the agency’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, which had lacked a permanent chief since Martin took over the agency in …

The good news for mobile marketing is that advertisers can target by location, demographic and create actionable responses. The bad news? More than three-quarters of Americans are annoyed just thinking …

AT&T and Bell South merged Dec. 29 shortly after the Federal Communications Commission gave its final approval to the $86 billion merger and a day after two Democratic commissioners wielding …