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!
EDGE not only not survives, it thrives
No longer will EDGE technology belong to the list of protocols with an uncertain future. As some industry experts look at it, EDGE is ramping up in spite of its weaknesses. It is taking advantage of the boom of its predecessor, GSM/GPRS, another technology that has enjoyed a charmed life. Today, 106 operators around the world have deployed EDGE technology in some form, said Chris Pearson, president of 3G Americas, which espouses the technology. … Read More
Verizon goes long with global phone
Verizon Wireless threw its considerable resources into the international roaming business earlier this month by expanding the availability of Samsung Corp.’s SCH-a790 Global Phone to the carrier’s non-business customers. The handset, which retails for $350 with a two-year contract, and accompanying Global Phone service, allows subscribers to use the carrier’s CDMA network in the United States and GSM-based networks overseas operated by Vodafone Group plc, which owns roughly 45 percent of Verizon Wireless. … Read More
Group aims to set foundation for wedding Wi-Fi, cellular
With 802.11n still lurking in the distance, wireless players are stepping up efforts to wed cellular and wireless local area networks while earnestly preparing Wi-Fi for wedded bliss. The “n” protocol will not be ready for a few years, but some carriers have set their eyes on the revenue opportunities the marriage of Wi-Fi and cellular could present. These carriers are among the 14 companies, including infrastructure suppliers and handset vendors, that have come together to publish a set of open specifications for extending mobile voice and data services over wireless local area networks. … Read More
Mobile porn lucrative, troublesome
Wireless carriers and content providers around the world are salivating over potential revenues from adult content, which is expected to generate $1 billion annually within the next few years, according to a study by the Yankee Group. But already, governments, concerned citizens and wireless companies are struggling with how to control mobile porn. Last month, South Korea pledged to invest $8.8 million to develop technologies to protect children from Internet pornography, and Japan has set aside $2 million to develop a mobile-phone filtering system. Governments in Germany, Australia and Taiwan are proposing, or have passed, legislation to require mobile operators to provide safeguards from porn on phones and help control chat and dating applications. … Read More
FCC confirms Jan. 12 NextWave license re-auction: AMTS auction ends
The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau late Thursday said it is going forward with plans to auction Jan. 12 the licenses returned by bankrupt NextWave Telecom Inc. and other PCS licenses and said a request by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association to open the bidding was “beyond the scope,” and it would deal with it at a later time. … Read More
Rogers Wireless readies for Microcell offer
Canadian wireless operator Rogers Wireless Communications Inc. said it has filed a request with the Canadian Competition Bureau for an advanced ruling certificate and a short form pre-merger notification relating to a possible offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of rival Microcell Telecommunications Inc. Rogers Wireless noted the filings were made to allow the company to make an offer for Microcell, though the company has not made a final decision to make an offer. … Read More
FCC blasted for alleged secret Nextel negotiations
Verizon Wireless has sent a blistering letter to the Federal Communications Commission charging that the FCC is illegally negotiating with Nextel Communications Inc. regarding a key portion of the FCC’s plan to solve public-safety interference in the 800 MHz band. … Read More
Consumer groups warn regulators on Cingular/AWS merger
Consumer groups today warned federal and state regulators that a merger of Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and AT&T Wireless Services Inc. would lead to excessive concentration in the local telecom access market in top U.S. markets. … Read More
Report says N.A. wireless industry’s future brighter than Europe, Asia
The potential for growth in the North American wireless industry is far higher than in the more mature markets of Europe and Asia, according to a new report from Merrill Lynch. The study, titled “Where’s the Growth? Lessons from Japan and Korea,” paints a bleak portrait of European and Asian wireless markets. … Read More
Report says high-tech jobs still in decline
A new report funded by the Communications Workers of America shows U.S. high-technology workers still face chronic unemployment and a serious jobs deficit despite an economic recovery being declared three years ago. The report, titled “America’s High-Tech Bust” and conducted by the Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois (Chicago), found the U.S. high-tech economy continued to lose 200,000 jobs after the recession was declared over in November 2001 by the National Bureau of Economic Research. … Read More
