March 2008

MetroPCS Communications Inc. launched service in Las Vegas and unveiled two new handsets.The Dallas-based carrier launched its flat-rate, unlimited service and announced plans to operate roughly six dozen retail locations …

AT&T Mobility and MediaFLO USA Inc. announced they will launch their long-awaited mobile TV service in May, but the details of the offering still remain somewhat unclear.Neither company pointed to …

AT&T Mobility is taking on Verizon Wireless and its “best coverage” quality claims, a move some observers of the telecom industry say is overdue. “I’m surprised it’s taken them so …

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — A wireless carrier’s job is not to police copyright infringement or other illegal activity that occurs over its network, Dick Lynch, executive VP and CTO of Verizon …

The following list includes venture capital and other investments into wireless companies announced during the past week. The value of the investment is included when available. Bubble Motion: Sequoia Capital …

It seems AT&T Mobility and MediaFLO USA Inc. didn’t want to risk getting lost in the glare of next week’s CTIA Wireless 2008 trade show; the companies rushed out news …

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — With results from the Federal Communications Commission’s 700 MHz auction now public, Commissioner Robert McDowell said one thing stands out: large, deep-pocketed companies squeezed smaller (and in …

Regional wireless operator Alltel Corp. posted a strong showing in J.D. Power and Associates latest rankings of wireless call quality, taking the sole or partial top spot in three of …

The TV white spaces debate — already highly controversial and politicized, but largely limited to potential unlicensed Wi-Fi use — just got messier.The mobile-phone industry recommended to the Federal Communications …

A new kind of wireless carrier is emerging, making use of licensed spectrum and picocell technology to provide businesses with small-scale networks tailored to their needs and designed to improve …

Leap Wireless International Inc. is kicking off the second quarter with the launch of two new phones that will work on the spectrum the carrier purchased during the Federal Communications …

Hello! And welcome to our 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 …

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Late-night talk-show host Carson Daly offered an insider’s view of the future of television during a speech at the storied Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel here yesterday afternoon. The …

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Qualcomm Inc.’s push into the broadcast mobile TV space has been going slower than the company would like, CEO Paul Jacobs said in a keynote at the …

Alltel Corp. has tapped mobile video startup Transpera Inc. to power a carrier-branded Internet video service.Alltel Social Video, which is available for $3 per month, allows subscribers to access, rate …

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — “Internet circa 1996,” M:Metrics senior analyst Seamus McAteer said. “If I had to give it a score, it’s a C-minus at best,” said Steve Smith, managing director …

Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. are in discussions with the nation’s two largest cable providers — Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc. — to fund a nationwide WiMAX …

Motorola Inc. will split into two publicly traded companies, if it has its way, the company said today. Under the plan announced this morning, shareholders will receive shares of both …

A federal appeals court blocked the Federal Communications Commission’s new enhanced 911 location accuracy rule from going into effect, possibly setting the stage for the court to overturn the agency’s …

The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Handset and infrastructure vendors–RBC Capital Markets lowered its price target on …

A class-action suit filed against Verizon Wireless and third-party content providers in California federal court alleges the No. 2 mobile-phone operator enticed subscribers to engage in illegal gambling. The suit …

The turbulence continued for Motricity Inc. as COO Steve Elfman said he will move to Sprint Nextel Corp.Elfman had overseen InfoSpace Inc.’s mobile business unit and was named COO in …

Nortel Networks Corp. inked a five-year deal to deliver infrastructure kit for U.S. Cellular’s CDMA network.U.S. Cellular said it will purchase Nortel’s CDMA switching, base stations and software under terms …

CEOs tend to come and go accompanied by headlines of some sort, at least in the American press. Not so for the second-tier executives of multinational corporations, particularly those at …

Editor’s Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in …