February 2007

Napa, Calif., has announced an agreement with AT&T Inc. for a 12-square-mile public Wi-Fi network. The network will offer wireless broadband access for residents, visitors and businesses “from virtually all …

Nuance Communications Inc. said it will spend $140 million to acquire BeVocal, a fellow developer of speech-recognition software.Nuance announced plans to issue roughly 8.3 million common shares and spend $15 …

A new handset potentially destined for mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. has popped up on the Federal Communications Commission’s Web site. The PN-810 from Pantech Corp. is a two-way …

The next few quarters will be “rocky,” Motorola Inc.’s chief financial officer told investors and analysts at Bank of America’s 2007 Technology Conference-a term the executive used three times until …

Both Apple Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. will use the “iPhone” name worldwide, Cisco’s lawsuit against Apple has been called off and the two companies will “explore opportunities for interoperability” …

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 …

Motorola Inc. has teamed up with Discover Financial Services to trial mobile payment and account management services.The trial uses Motorola phones and its M-Wallet software and will allow participants to …

A glance at Motorola Inc. Krzr and Razr prices across carriers serves to tell a story about one handset vendor’s product succession plans, as well as the fractured and cutthroat …

WiMAX carrier Clearwire Corp. hired Los Angeles-based Omnicom Group’s DDB as its new advertising agency following a review of its advertising business. Clearwire offers WiMAX service in 35 markets, most …

Holding company Titan Global Holdings Inc. has agreed in principal to acquire prepaid mobile virtual network operator Ready Mobile L.L.C., which only began operations last year.Financial terms of the deal …

Sprint Nextel Corp. this past week made increased efforts to work its online retail handset angle. The carrier added at least four new handsets in the entry- and low-tiers, cut …

Disruptive Voice over Internet Protocol phone company Skype asked the Federal Communications Commission to rule that consumers have the right to use Internet communications software and that they can attach …

The Bush administration sent Congress a long-overdue report that is key to the deployment of spectrum licenses that bidders paid $13.7 billion for during last year’s auction.Mobile phone carriers and …

Think adult content is a safe play for wireless carriers? Try asking Canadian operator Telus Corp.Telus quietly dropped its racy offerings this week-less than two months after raising eyebrows by …

Mobile marketing startup Mozes Inc. picked up $5 million in a first round of funding from Norwest Venture Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners.Mozes’ service, which is currently in beta, …

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America has become the latest organization to team up with Working Assets to offer wireless service to its supporters through a mobile virtual network operator …

T-Mobile USA Inc. tweaked its plans for business subscribers, adding a new 1,000-minute-per-month option and bumping up the price on its 1,500 minute plan. The carrier has also discontinued a …

Corporate wireless management company mindWireless has stepped into the fierce debate over which carrier truly has the fewest dropped calls, offering up its own data that shows Sprint Nextel Corp.’s …

Openwave Systems Inc. announced it acquired WiderWeb Ltd., a mobile Web software developer, for $5 million in cash and a further potential $4 million if the company achieves certain levels …

Dobson Cellular Systems will change its name, effective March 5, to Cellular One from Dobson Cellular Systems. The firm purchased the Cellular One name last year from Western Wireless Corp. …

Alltel Corp. posted robust wireless results for the fourth quarter and full year 2006, solidifying its position as the largest small player in the wireless space.Alltel reported that its wireless …

American Tower Corp. reported favorable financial results for the fourth quarter, as well as positive expectations for 2007, and announced a new $1.5 billion stock-repurchasing program. The tower operator earned …

In Style is the latest U.S. print publication to go mobile, launching a downloadable application with celebrity photos, fashion trends and shopping information.The application will include community features that allow …

LogicaCMG said it will sell its telecoms products division to a consortium led by private equity firm Atlantic Bridge Ventures in a $518 million deal.The move gives birth to a …

Brightpoint Inc. will acquire Danish cellphone distributor Dangaard Telekom in a deal valued at $300 million, making Brightpoint the largest distributor of handsets serving European and U.S. markets. The transaction …