September 2007

At this point, it’s shamefully laughable. It’s past the confusion, frustration and anger endured by journalists, lobbyists, lawyers or anybody else who ever ventured a view of a Federal Communications …

It’s been fun following the story/non-story about Apple’s possible interest in participating in the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction. Sure, Apple, like Google, which has expressed interest in the auction, …

NTP Inc. is at it again.The Virginia-based patent-holding company last week filed patent-infringement lawsuits against all four tier-one U.S. carriers, claiming the operators are violating eight patents for mobile e-mail …

“I think I feel a change in the winds,” said Mr. Gibbs to Captain Jack Sparrow.Ditto for the wireless industry.Wireless carriers and their lobbying organization, CTIA, have a steep challenge …

Motorola Inc. is shifting its long-term, 3G-chip business away from Qualcomm Inc. in favor of Texas Instruments Inc., leading one analyst last week to downgrade his short-term rating on Qualcomm …

In another move indicative of the music industry’s increasing frailty, two of its largest players are trying some new twists: Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group last week …

VERIZON WIRELESS IS SIMPLIFYING its weather offerings by dumping several content providers off its deck in favor of WeatherBug.The nation’s second-largest carrier said WeatherBug will be the only source for …

YOU CAN’T HAVE A HOLIDAY PARTY without a potent punch bowl for all comers.The news from last week: Some of the latest models of 3G handsets will indeed appear in …

Welcome to our Friday feature, Week in Review. Every Friday, RCR Wireless News will run through the major events of the past week, outlining what happened and speculating on what …

Mobile social networking site itsmy.com added a music offering to its service, enabling users to personalize their pages with polyphonic ringtone-like tracks from more than 2,000 sound clips.Gofresh, which operates …

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed into law legislation banning teen drivers from using all electronic devices-including cellphones, pagers, personal digital assistants and laptop computers-while behind the wheel.“The simple fact …

Verizon Wireless put its Bob Marley content back online after a spokesman for the late reggae star’s estate blasted the carrier publicly.Marley’s family last month said it would sue the …

Global Tower Partners acquired 549 communications towers from AT&T Inc., the company announced. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.The sale includes towers in 27 states.“The acquisition of these …

Verizon Wireless launched the LG VX8350, the heir apparent to the VX8300, the second-hottest selling handset in the United States, according to Strategy Analytics data.The phone trailed only Motorola Inc.’s …

Verizon Wireless challenged in federal appeals court the Federal Communications Commission’s 700 MHz open-access rules, the opening salvo in what could evolve into a messy legal battle. The move puts …

M2Z Networks Inc. made good on its threat to take the Federal Communications Commission to court, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to overturn …

San Francisco has formally walked away from a deal to build a Wi-Fi network throughout the city. The effort was already largely considered dead late last month when EarthLink Inc. …

Qualcomm Inc. can exhale now, and so can a number of its key customers. Holiday sales of imported 3G phones that had been banned by a federal agency can proceed. …

Alcatel-Lucent shares tumbled almost 9% after the company announced a revised financial outlook for the remainder of 2007, marking its third warning to investors since the beginning of the year. …

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 …

Sprint Nextel Corp. launched a new mobile shopping service that allows users to compare and purchase real-world items using their cellphones. The Mobile Shopper WAP site can be accessed by …

Gracenote expanded on its offerings with the acquisition of interactive voice response technology from Musicphone Inc.The Emeryville, Calif.-based firm said the platform allows music fans to dial a short code …

Vantrix Corp., a provider of technology that delivers content to cellphones, announced it raised $12 million in venture money.The Manhattan-based company will use the money to expand globally and improve …

House telecom subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey (D-Mass.) repeated his call for the Federal Communications Commission to investigate widespread allegations of telecom privacy law violations by intelligence agencies that received cooperation …

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin again suggested the agency may decide to address in a broader context the mobile phone industry practice of assessing hefty early termination fees levied …