Editor’s Note: With 2011 nearly over, RCR Wireless News takes a look back at the top 100 stories from the past 12 months. The stories are in chronological order beginning with Jan. 1. The first part of the list runs through the first half of the year, with the second half set to run Thursday.
Jan. 4: Motorola kicks off 2011 as two separate companies
Motorola officially split into two separate companies, Motorola Mobility Holdings and Motorola Solutions The two-year plan also stripped the co-CEO title from the company’s two top executives, leaving each to run a stand-alone company on his own. Sanjay Jha became chairman and CEO of Motorola Mobility, and Greg Brown became president and CEO of Motorola Solutions. … Read More
Jan. 5: Qualcomm pays $3B for Wi-Fi chipmaker Atheros
Recognizing the pervasiveness of Wi-Fi technology, Qualcomm said it plans to buy Wi-Fi chipmaker Atheros Communications for $3.1 billion. Qualcomm said the acquisition will help it expand to new businesses beyond cellular. … Read More
Jan. 5: AT&T Mobility joins 4G fray, accelerates LTE plans
It was only a matter of time before AT&T Mobility jumped into the 4G marketing game, and that time has come. The nation’s second largest operator today unveiled “accelerated” LTE plans that call for the carrier to begin launching LTE services by the middle of this year and complete its nationwide LTE plans by the end of 2013. That would allow the carrier to equal rival Verizon Wireless’ plans for nationwide LTE coverage by the end of 2013 … Read More
Jan. 6: Skype to acquire Qik, scores Verizon Wireless video chat deal
Consolidation has already hit the nascent mobile video chat space as giant Skype said it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Qik for an undisclosed sum. The deal is expected to close this month. … Read More
Jan. 6: Verizon Wireless puts on the full-court press for ’4G LTE’
Verizon Wireless was seemingly everywhere at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show — in fact, it would have been a tall order to avoid the carrier’s presence. As expected, the carrier was mostly hyping the recent launch of its LTE network, but it also announced a series of 10 devices that will begin coming on board in March. … Read More
Jan. 11 Verizon Wireless to offer CDMA iPhone 4 on Feb. 10
Apple and Verizon Wireless did millions a favor and finally got a room. The two biggest names in the domestic mobile business made it official, with Verizon Wireless announcing it will begin offering a CDMA version of Apple’s now 6-month-old iPhone 4 beginning Feb. 10. … Read More
Jan. 18: Stanton named chairman of Clearwire’s board
Clearwire replaced one wireless industry legend with another as it announced that John Stanton would replace Craig McCaw as chairman of its board of directors. McCaw left that position at the end of 2010, with Clearwire noting that the move was “not due to any disagreements with the company on any matters relating to the company’s operations, policies, or practices.” … Read More
Jan. 20: T-Mobile USA targeting No. 3
Looking to put its recent tumultuous past behind it, T-Mobile USA moved aggressively forward with ambitious plans to jump past current rival Sprint Nextel Corp. as the nation’s third-largest operator. … Read More
Jan. 24: Huawei sues to stop sale of some Motorola assets to Nokia Siemens Networks
Huawei Technologies asked a U.S. court to block the sale of some of Motorola’s wireless networks business to Nokia Siemens Networks, charging that the proposed $1.2 billion sale of the business could transfer Huawei’s intellectual property around GSM and UMTS technologies to NSN. … Read More
Jan. 24: LightSquared looks to stem GPS concerns
Looking to stem objections to its planned network launch, LightSquared said it would fully cooperate on “rigorous” testing procedures to ensure that its plans to offer both satellite/terrestrial and terrestrial-only wireless services do not interfere with GPS offerings. … Read More
Jan. 26: FCC taps LTE for public-safety network
Not that the technology needed a boost, but the Federal Communications Commission said that long-delayed plans for a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband wireless network will rely on LTE for its platform. … Read More
Jan. 26: Obama calls out for high-speed mobile innovation in State of the Union
Mobile broadband had a few moments in the spotlight during President Barack Obama’s wide-ranging State of the Union address. One of the themes of Obama’s speech was the new global competitive landscape in which America’s workforce finds itself. … Read More
Jan. 27: SK Telecom sets partners for LTE launch
South Korean telecom giant SK Telecom said it has selected Samsung Electronics, LG-Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks to as equipment suppliers for its LTE network. The carrier said it plans to begin providing commercial LTE services in Seoul, South Korea, beginning in July, with nationwide coverage by 2013. … Read More
Jan. 28: Verizon reaches for the cloud in $1.4B Terremark buy
Verizon Communications has acquired Terremark Worldwide in a cash-for-stock deal value at $1.4 billion. While significant in its potential reach and early-mover status, the move by Verizon does follow a trend toward more operator involvement and ownership of enterprise services delivered in the cloud. … Read More
Jan. 28: Egypt restricts mobile operations
The current protests engulfing parts of Egypt has spread to the country’s mobile networks as Vodafone Group said the country’s government has asked operators to restrict service in some areas of the country. … Read More
Feb. 7: NTT DoCoMo set to trial LTE-Advanced
Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo said it plans to test key technologies for LTE-Advanced technology using experimental equipment using licenses it expects to receive from the Kanto Bureau of Telecommunication of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. … Read More
Feb. 7: Globalive ruled ineligible to offer mobile services
Canadian wireless operator Globalive Wireless Management saw its plans tripped up late last week as Canada’s Federal Court overruled a previous government decision that allowed Gobalive to offer mobile services despite questions about its ownership structure. … Read More
Feb. 11: Nokia and Microsoft team up for mobile revival
Nokia, the world’s largest handset manufacturer, took its search for a modern smartphone operating system outside its ranks and inked a wide-ranging deal with Microsoft to make Windows Phone the flagship platform for Nokia’s high-end devices going forward. … Read More
Feb. 21: Huawei abandons 3Leaf acquisition
Just short of nine months after completing its purchase of 3Leaf Systems, Huawei Technologies caved to pressure from U.S. trade authorities and abandoned its battle to take control of the company. The Chinese vendor first ran afoul with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States last May when it neglected to seek approval from the agency after it bought some of 3Leaf’s assets (including staff) for $2 million. … Read More
Feb. 25: Huawei challenges U.S. government to find evidence of wrongdoing
Huawei Technologies appeared ready to try just about anything to break into the U.S. market in a more meaningful way. While the company was very much in the driver seat of the global infrastructure market, behind only Ericsson in volume, the Chinese vendor was repeatedly thwarted in its pursuit for more business in the United States. … Read More
Mar. 11: Mobile networks fail under strain of historic earthquake and tsunami
Much of the Pacific Rim was on high alert after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan. Within hours, a 23-foot tsunami unleashed its fury on the coast of Japan and began its long journey eastward across the Pacific Ocean. Scores of people were killed and countless others left injured in its wake. … Read More
Mar. 20: AT&T to buy T-Mobile USA, become nation’s largest operator again
AT&T announced plans to acquire T-Mobile USA in a $39 billion deal that if approved will create the domestic industry’s largest player — by a sizable margin — with more than 120 million wireless customers. AT&T Mobility is currently the nation’s second-largest operator with more than 95.5 million connections, just behind current No. 1 Verizon Wireless with 102.2 million. T-Mobile USA is currently a distant No. 4 with 33 million subscribers. … Read More
Mar. 28: Sprint Nextel comes out officially against AT&T/T-Mobile USA deal
Sprint Nextel appeared set to take a hard-line stance on AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA, which would put pressure on the industry’s third-largest wireless provider. … Read More
March 29: FLO TV goes dark, what’s next for mobile TV?
Qualcomm’s mobile TV service went dark and with it a new round of questions cropped up about the future of mobile TV as a whole. Will there ever be a year that defines mobile TV? What will it take to finally deliver mass adoption? … Read More
Mar. 31: Vodafone pledges $5B for control of India operations
Vodafone Group pledged $5 billion to acquire the remaining interest in Indian wireless operator Vodafone Essar it did not previously control. … Read More
April 4: Vodafone to divest France interests
Just days after announcing plans to increase its stake in the Indian market, Vodafone Group said it plans to sell its stake in French wireless operator SFR for $11 billion. The deal called for Vodafone to sell its 44% stake in SFR to Vivendi for cash and a small dividend. Vodafone added that it will enter into an agreement with SFR as part of the deal to maintain their commercial cooperation. … Read More
April 5: Aussie to replace Spradley at Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks said Sue Spradley, head of its North America region, will step down from the company, and will be replaced effective April 15 by Rick Corker, who runs the infrastructure provider’s Asia-Pacific region. … Read More
April 7: Mandated data roaming rules victory for smaller operators
The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules mandating that wireless operators offer data roaming on what it calls commercially reasonable terms and conditions along a 3-2 party-line vote, with Republicans Robert McDowell and Meredith Atwell Baker dissenting from the order. … Read More
April 7: China Mobile to trial TD-LTE with Ericsson’s help
China Mobile moved forward with its TD-LTE plans having selected Ericsson to participate in a network trial of the technology in Shenzhen, China. The trial announcement followed interoperability testing between Ericsson’s network equipment and chipset manufacturers Qualcomm and ST-Ericsson. … Read More
April 8: Pole attachment order seeks price parity between cable and telecom
The Federal Communications Commission new regulations on pole attachments are designed to get mobile broadband services to market more quickly, but are already meeting resistance from the utility industry. … Read More
April 18: Apple sues Samsung for copying its devices
Cupertino based Apple is suing Korean firm Samsung Electronics for replicating the “the look and feel” of its iPad and iPhone devices, says The Wall Street Journal. … Read More
April 19: Sprint to pay Clearwire $1B, untangles wholesale pricing conflict
Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. resolved their dispute over wholesale pricing in an agreement that also gives Clearwire additional funding of at least $1 billion. Wholesale services are at the heart of Clearwire’s new growth strategy, and with Sprint as its largest wholesaler, the deal was important to the WiMAX provider. … Read More
April 21: China Mobile teams with Alcatel-Lucent on LightRadio technology
Alcatel-Lucent and China Mobile were working together to further develop technology around Acatel-Lucent’s LightRadio technology, which shrinks base-station technology down to the size of a Rubik’s Cube by moving some of the intelligence in the hardware to the cloud. … Read More
April 25: AT&T filing provides interesting industry data
AT&T filed its petition to acquire T-Mobile USA with the Federal Communications Commission. The detailed document, excluding the lack of detail from redacted information, spelled out AT&T’s argument as to why the FCC should allow the nation’s No. 2 operator to acquire the No. 4 operator and thus form a new No. 1 carrier. … Read More
April 26: RCA 2011: Sprint Nextel adds might to RCA
The Rural Cellular Associations snared a significant catch getting Sprint Nextel to join the association, which traditionally has catered to smaller wireless players. The move follows similar additions from MetroPCS Communications and Cincinnati Bell Wireless. … Read More
April 27: Apple plans to modify tracking ability
Apple released a statement to quell concerns about how the company is using data tracked from user’s locations, which has become a hot topic in the wake of research that the company has a hidden file in the iPhone that compiles timestamps, latitude and longitude. Researchers revealed that Apple was storing months’ worth of location data on the iPhone and 3G iPad and raised fears that the company was tracking users. … Read More
April 27: Verizon Wireless’ LTE network on the fritz
Verizon Wireless’ super-speedy LTE network ground to a halt as the carrier acknowledged on its Twitter page that the service was experiencing an “issue.” The carrier added that its engineers were working to solve the problem. … Read More
May 4: Global Tower Partners buys Cricket’s towers
Global Tower Partners said it acquired 130 towers from Cricket Communications. As is standard between independent tower owners and wireless operators, Cricket will remain a tenant on the towers. … Read More
May 9: Nvidia to acquire Icera, give Qualcomm a run for its money
As predicted by RCR Wireless News at the Mobile World Congress event earlier this year in Barcelona, Spain, mobile processor maker Nvidia said it will acquire 3G/4G baseband chipmaker Icera. … Read More
May 10: Microsoft to buy Skype in its biggest acquisition yet
Microsoft dropped a bombshell by announcing this morning that it will acquire Luxembourg-based Skype Global in a deal will shake up the mobile, video and gaming industries. The $8.5 billion deal, Microsoft’s largest ever, was announced … Read More
May 18: Clearwire turns over network management to Ericsson in 7-year deal
Clearwire said L.M. Ericsson will manage its network in a seven-year deal, following in partner Sprint Nextel Corp.’s decision to let Ericsson manage its network in 2009. The value of the contract was not announced. … Read More
May 26: Freescale Semiconductor launches IPO, misses $1B target
Austin, Texas-based chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor went public on Wednesday but fell short of company expectations, pricing stock 22% less than projected at $18 a share. According to its IPO filing, Freescale wanted to raise more than $1 billion, by selling stock at $22 to $24 a share but instead will settle on making about $782 million after the sale of 43.5 million shares, excluding an underwriters’ option to purchase as many as 6.5 million shares. … Read More
May 31: Nokia stock hits 13-year low, forecasts cut ‘substantially’
Nokia’s stock hit a 13-year low today after the Finnish handset maker “substantially” cut its forecasts for devices and services in the current quarter. The company said that sales from devices and services will be “substantially” less than the low end of its projected range of $8.8 billion. The drop will also impact the company’s operating margin, pushing that below a forecast range as well. … Read More
May 31: FCC asks AT&T, Deutsche Telekom for more details on planned deal
The Federal Communications Commission requested additional information from AT&T and Deutsche Telekom regarding AT&T’s pending $39 billion acquisition of DT subsidiary T-Mobile USA. … Read More
June 1: Tests showed continued GPS interference from LightSquared equipment ahead of FCC filing
LightSquared continued its public relations push by hosting a conference call designed to set expectations for its June 15 final report filing with the Federal Communications Commission on recently concluded tests of potential interference between its hybrid satellite/terrestrial network and ground-based GPS systems. … Read More
June 2: Clearwire offloads additional customer care services, 700 employees to be transitioned
Clearwire said it plans to transition more of its customer care operations to current partner TeleTech Holdings in a move that could impact about 700 employees. … Read More
June 6: Apple debuts iCloud and finally cuts the cord in iOS 5
For the first time since 2008, Apple declined to introduce a new iPhone at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. CEO Steve Jobs and his team of executives pulled few, if any, surprises on stage, but the software and services upgrades were arguably the biggest leap forward for iOS as a whole since Apple launched the App Store and opened up its platform to third-party developers more than three years ago. … Read More
June 14: Ericsson pays $1.15B for Telcordia in all-cash deal
L.M. Ericsson announced it plans to acquire privately held Telcordia for $1.15 billion in an all-cash transaction, strengthening Ericsson’s portfolio of operations support systems/business support systems. Telcordia’s 2,600 employees are expected to become Ericsson employees when the transaction closes sometime in the fourth quarter. … Read More
June 15: Dish Network bids $1.4B for bankrupt TerreStar Networks
Dish Network has submitted a $1.4 billion cash bid for TerreStar Networks in a bankruptcy auction, according to Reuters. Among other assets, TerreStar holds wireless spectrum. Dish was competing for the opening bid against MetroPCS Communications and a group of senior noteholders. … Read More
June 30: LightSquared files with FCC, pushes some interference blame onto GPS device makers
LightSquared filed a modified spectrum plan with the Federal Communications Commission that the company said would solve interference issues with approximately 99.5% of all commercial GPS devices, including 100% of GPS-equipped mobile phones. … Read More
