Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Teens ramp up digital use, cell phone ownership
Eighty-four percent of teenagers own at least one of four devices, including a desktop computer, laptop computer, cell phone or Blackberry. In addition, 45 percent of teens have their own cell phones, said a new report. The findings were part of a survey on Internet use among teenagers conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which is studying the impact of the Internet on Americans. The number of teenagers who use the Internet has increased 24 percent during the past four years, according to the report. About 21 million teens use the Internet, with half indicating they access daily the Internet. “Increasing numbers of teenagers live in a world of nearly ubiquitous computing and communication technologies that they can access at will,” said Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist at the project and co-author of the report. … Read more
Maybe that’s why MTV wants to get into SMS marketing?
NEW YORK-MTV Networks is developing an in-house text-messaging platform that will deliver content from the company’s cable channels to U.S. wireless users. The Viacom network is planning to offer cross-carrier polling, alerts and sweepstakes from the MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Country Music Television, Spike and Logo channels. mBlox, a San Francisco-based short message service provider, will power the service. “Mobile messaging is an ideal way to enable our audience to interact with programming and get our immediate, fresh and personalized entertainment content whenever, wherever,” said Nicholas Lehman, senior vice president of strategy and operations for digital music and media at MTV Networks. … Read more
Sprint PCS ups its teen appeal, too
AUSTIN, Texas-Sprint PCS is targeting teenage users with new video programming from Varsity Media Group. Varsity Mobile, which the carrier has added to its Vision Multimedia Service, offers four on-demand programs featuring news, extreme sports and user-created content written and produced by teens for mobile phones. Six-year-old Varsity Media also provides an online community for teens and broadcasts user-created content for linear and on-demand TV. “Teens want to express themselves, and they do it by creating their own content,” said Kelly Hoffman, chairman and chief executive officer of Varsity Media Group … Read more
Opening the walled garden gate
Cingular Wireless L.L.C. continued to dismantle its garden walls Tuesday, announcing its first deal with a WAP-based, off-deck content aggregator. The No. 1 U.S. carrier inked an agreement with Bango, which sells mobile music, games and other content through both the Internet and mobile storefronts. The deal allows content providers to market and sell their wares directly to mobile users through Bango’s network, eliminating the need for Cingular to pre-approve each vendor and service. Bango will apply standards for the content and manage contracts with each provider. “Cingular is pioneering the open mobile content model,” said Anil Malhotra, vice president of alliances at Bango. “This agreement gives Cingular customers massively increased choice by enabling a wide range of content providers to market mobile services easily and directly.” The move is the latest step by a U.S. carrier looking to open the mobile content market to outside vendors. … Read more
Alaskan cellular market heats up
ANCHORAGE, Alaska-Alaska Communications Systems Group Inc. said it added a company-record 6,782 customers during the second quarter, which was a 119-percent improvement compared with the 3,092 customers the carrier added during the second quarter of last year. ACS ended the quarter with 109,061 total customers. Customer churn increased slightly from 1.7 percent during the second quarter of 2004 to 1.8 percent this year, while average revenue per user jumped more than 26 percent from $44.33 last year to $56.03 this year. ACS’ management attributed some of the ARPU increase to seasaonality. The strong customer and ARPU growth contributed to a 59-percent surge in wireless revenues … Read more
AOL gets into mobile search
America Online Inc. is testing a suite of mobile search services, the Internet giant said Wednesday.The new offerings allow users with Web-enabled phones to search the Internet for information including local business listings and to compare prices of goods from online retailers. Israeli technology provider InfoGin Ltd. is powering the service, which formats traditional Web pages for wireless phones. Internet search engines increasingly are looking to wireless users to expand their reach. Google Inc. launched its short message service-based search service last year, and Ask Jeeves provides a similar product. Last month, Yahoo! Inc. launched an SMS service to its package of wireless search offerings … Read more
MVNO Amp’d Mobile picks content platform provider
SEATTLE-Planned mobile virtual network operator Amp’d Mobile has tapped thePlatform to aggregate and manage digital and audio content, the companies announced Wednesday. Amp’d Mobile, which is slated to launch this fall on Verizon Wireless’ EV-DO network, will use thePlatform’s Media Publishing System to deliver its youth-targeted content. The technology automatically publishes content for delivery over broadband and mobile networks to PCs and wireless phones, and provides reports on usage and the quality of content delivery. … Read more
Sprint affiliates fight Nextel acquisition impacts
Sprint Corp.’s wireless affiliate troubles gained more steam as network partner Gulf Coast Wireless L.P. joined the growing list of disgruntled affiliates seeking injunctive relief from Sprint’s pending acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. In a court filing, Gulf Coast, which has ties to fellow affiliate US Unwired Inc., said it was seeking preliminary and permanent injunctive relief preventing Sprint from violating its affiliate agreement. Gulf Coast Wireless noted that Sprint’s acquisition of Nextel will place Sprint in direct competition with the affiliate through Nextel’s and its affiliate Nextel Partners Inc.’s networks in Gulf Coast Wireless’ service areas that include the coastal regions of Louisiana and Mississippi. The complaint is similar to previously lodged accusations by Sprint affiliates UbiquiTel Inc., iPCS Inc., US Unwired, Horizon Personal Communications Inc. and Bright Personal Communications Services L.L.C. … Read more
WiMAX is going to hit the big time. No, really!
LONDON-Worldwide pre-WiMAX equipment sales rang up $16.4 million in 2004, and the market will grow to $124.5 million by the end of 2005, according to a report from Infonetics Research.
While the technology initially is being deployed as a wireless backhaul solution, it will begin to be used as a mobile application starting in 2007 once the 802.16e standard is ratified and WiMAX-capable devices hit the market, the firm said. Outdoor mesh network access nodes also represent a quickly growing wireless segment, with revenues expected to hit $110 million this year, according to Infonetics. “WiMAX promises many strategic opportunities, not just as a backhaul solution for Wi-Fi, delivering additional bandwidth to hot spots, but potentially for 3G networks too,” said Richard Webb, who wrote the report. … Read more
