Editor’s Note: The RCR Wireless News Time Machine is a way to take advantage of our extensive history in covering the wireless space to fire up the DeLorean and take a trip back in time to re-visit some of the more interesting headlines from this week in history. Enjoy the ride!
2008: The year of convergence?: Cable, telecom companies eye wireless element for converged services
Telecom and cable companies will go into 2008 with an eye on real convergence products and personalizing content access for customers, according to Kent Steffan, VP of the content direct initiative for CSG Systems. The company provides customer service and back-office solutions for about half of North American cable operators, Steffan said. CSG’s customers include Time Warner, Comcast, Cox Communications, satellite companies such as EchoStar Communications and DirecTV, and telcos such as Verizon Communications Inc. In 2007, Steffan said, the company “saw a huge push around kiosks” that allowed customers to do simple self-service tasks such as make payments or place orders for products. The kiosks also doubled as advertising and brand extensions for the telecom companies. Some companies even looked to co-brand kiosks. … Read More
Congress resurrects plans for cellphone directory ban: CTIA: No plans to pursue such a directory
The calendar says 2008, but a wireless directory controversy that’s been resurrected in Congress makes it seem like 2004 all over again. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) introduced a bill designed to protect cellphone subscribers from being listed without their consent in a national directory they believe cellular industry association CTIA is compiling. “This bill is good news for consumers because people should have the right to decide who has access to their wireless phone number,” said Boxer. “There are more than 250 million wireless subscribers in the United States today. Without the protections provided in this bill, the cellphone numbers of countless Americans could be at risk. As this legislation moves forward, I will continue to work to protect consumers.” … Read More
Moto’s CES phones play music, movies: But no post-Razr platform evident, yet
Those looking for Motorola Inc. to unleash a post-Razr platform to fuel the company’s turnaround are still searching at the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas. The company itself had raised expectations by promoting its launch event prior to the show and analysts were looking for a sign of rejuvenated designs from the company. Instead, Motorola launched two feature phones, one touted as a “mobile film studio,” the other a new iteration of the Rokr music handset. Two more handsets in the vendor’s budget W series also were launched today. … Read More
Great expectations: Glimpsing the new year
Predictions are so last year. Instead, let’s talk “expectations” – a term that seems to promise a more realistic look ahead at the new year. And there are questions worth asking that dog the conventional wisdom. To keep it tangible, consider issues related to mobile handsets and their vendors. The issues range from the macro to the micro. One element that appears uniformly lacking: product-specific and carrier-specific tip-offs to device launches. Apparently, the stakes are too high. … Read More
URL battle: m vs. .mobi: Confusion still reigns in figuring out the best way to get to mobile Web
There is no shortage of reasons why traffic on the wireless Web hasn’t matched the sky-high forecasts of a few years ago. But one of the biggest stumbling blocks may also be the most overlooked. A recent study from Jupiter Research found that nearly two-thirds of mobile-phone subscribers worldwide don’t use their handsets to access the Internet. The market research firm called for an alternative to traditional browsers that would help users access information quickly, and said carriers could spur uptake by lowering mobile data prices. … Read More
Power Struggle: Industry challenges FCC’s emergency backup power rule
The Federal Communications Commission is facing a gathering legal storm over its emergency back-up power rule, with the mobile-phone industry asking a federal appeals court to put its legal challenge on a fast track and Sprint Nextel Corp. seeking to stay the effective date of new guidelines that could cost cellphone and tower companies hundreds of millions of dollars. The FCC back-up power rule was approved last year, following recommendations in 2006 by the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks. The agency responded to protests by partially modifying the rule and extending auditing and compliance deadlines. … Read More
CES: Gates introduces the ‘next digital decade’
Bill Gates may not be slowing down on the professional and charitable projects that he holds near and dear, but it’s clear he’s having fun in his final months as chairman of Microsoft Corp. Gates took plenty of light-hearted jabs at himself yesterday during his eleventh and final keynote address here at the Consumer Electronics Show. He took the CES audience along for a humorous ride, as he candidly wondered what he might do with his time after retiring from the software giant that he founded more than 30 years ago. … Read More
Cellphones to dominate for navigation, study finds
Standalone navigation devices will give way to mobile phones as the worldwide portable navigation market explodes over the next several years, according to a report from Telematics Research Group. The market research firm said 30 million dedicated navigation devices were sold last year, outpacing navigation-enabled mobile phone sales by 50%. But wireless handsets and other Internet-enabled gadgets will fuel massive growth in the space, with the market growing from 50 million units in 2007 to more than 500 million units in 2015, TRG predicted. … Read More
Verizon Wireless sues Alltel over ad claims: Fight centers on ability to change plans without affecting contracts
Verizon Wireless filed a civil suit against Alltel Corp., accusing the No. 5 carrier of false advertising. Verizon Wireless’ suit takes issue with an Alltel ad that claimed “only Alltel gives wireless customers the ability to change their calling plans without having to extend the term of their contracts,” according to the suit filed in federal court in Richmond, Va. In early October, Verizon Wireless began allowing its customers to change their wireless plans without requiring an extension of their contracts. … Read More
AT&T Mobility nabs 19,000 subscribers through W. Va. carrier buy: Carrier consolidation continues
AT&T Mobility announced it completed its acquisition of Easterbrooke Cellular Corp., a rural wireless carrier with services in West Virginia operating under the Cellular One brand. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction included licenses, network assets and more than 19,000 subscribers, according to AT&T Mobility. The company said the acquisition will beef up its coverage in areas of West Virginia. … Read More
