T-Mobile assembles concerts to push greater camera use, while Verizon Wireless hit a snag in labor talks … 13 years ago this week
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!
T-Mobile couples music, cameras in new promo
T-Mobile USA Inc. will continue its innovative marketing campaign with five simultaneous music concerts across the country, all in an effort to help sell its camera phones, messaging features and other advanced services. T-Mobile’s upcoming concerts are part of the wireless industry’s attempt to drum up interest for advanced wireless services. Indeed, T-Mobile’s latest marketing effort comes on the heels of its previous contest aimed at promoting its camera phones, an event carrier executives describe as generating a “ton of traffic.” Earlier this year T-Mobile held its See, Send, Share contest, asking camera-phone users to send in their best pictures. The winner scored a free trip with his friends with his entry of a picture of a police officer writing him a ticket while he was on the way to pay off a previous ticket. … Read More
Verizon Wireless labor talks hit snag
Contract negotiations between union representatives and Verizon Wireless, which to date have been overshadowed by labor talks involving workers employed by the parent landline company, apparently have hit a snag and stolen the spotlight. Talks are scheduled to resume Wednesday in New Jersey to hammer out a new Verizon Wireless labor deal, which expired Aug. 1. Verizon Wireless has 51 cell site and switch technician workers in lower Manhattan in New York who are represented by the Communications Workers of America, a number dwarfed by the 78,000 unionized Verizon wireline employees. … Read More
Siemens, Huawei to invest $100M in TD-SCDMA joint venture
Continuing the string of announcements surrounding the potentially lucrative Chinese market during the past few weeks, Siemens AG and Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co. said they will join forces to promote the Chinese homegrown third-generation standard TD-SCDMA. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding to form a joint venture to develop, manufacture and market TD-SCDMA technology. The new $100 million company will be based in Beijing, with Siemens holding 51 percent of the venture and Huawei holding the remaining 49 percent. … Read More
Customer-care problems lead to churn, J.D. Power asserts: Photo messaging, PTT are most desired features
Wireless customers unhappy with their carriers’ customer care are more likely to switch service providers, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2003 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study. The group found that 26 percent of those who rated their latest customer-care experience as below average are “definitely” or “probably” likely to switch from their current carrier in the next year, while just 7 percent of those who experienced above-average customer care are likely to switch. J.D. Power said 55 percent of wireless users have contacted customer care in the past year-76 percent by phone, 21 percent at a retail store and 3 percent via e-mail or Internet. … Read More
Motorola looks to exit Symbian
Despite just releasing a phone based on the Symbian operating system, Motorola Inc. said it will exit the OS venture. Nokia Corp. said it and Psion plc have begun procedures with Motorola to transfer Motorola’s shares in Symbian to Nokia and Psion. Once the transaction is completed, Nokia would increase its shareholding from about 19 percent to 32 percent, and Psion would increase its Symbian ownership to about 31 percent. Nokia said the transfer would not affect Motorola’s existing licensing arrangement with Symbian. … Read More
NextWave gets approval to go forward with Cingular license sale
Bankruptcy Judge Adlai S. Hardin Jr. has given bankrupt NextWave Telecom Inc. the green light to proceed with the sale of 34 licenses to Cingular Wireless L.L.C., a sale that according to bankruptcy law must first be put out for higher and better offers. Cingular has agreed to pay $1.4 billion for the licenses, a portion of which will be surrendered to the Federal Communications Commission. If a higher and better offer is made, it must include a $21 million breakup fee for Cingular. … Read More
Nokia blitzes emerging markets
In a strategic blitz to take advantage of the revenue streams in what industry experts call emerging or new-growth markets, Nokia Corp. has rolled out a string of mobile phones, business models and network solutions. Pointing out Russia, India and Latin America as prime examples of this initiative, the company described the markets as capable of lifting worldwide mobile subscriptions to 2 billion by 2008 from the current 1.2 billion. … Read More
Rural carriers say CTIA’s WLNP guidelines discriminate
The rural wireless carriers Tuesday said recent implementation guidelines for wireless local number portability developed by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association will put them at a competitive disadvantage. “The large nationwide commercial mobile radio service carriers have developed certain guidelines for their implementation of WLNP. These large-carrier guidelines are not appropriate or workable for rural carriers, and their imposition on rural carriers could result in discriminatory and anti-competitive results inconsistent with the Federal Communications Commission’s rationale for imposing WLNP,” said Gregory Whitaker, an attorney with the law firm of Bennet & Bennet. … Read More
Mobile gaming space revs up
Due to a rash of deals in recent days, wireless users the world over will soon have access to games and content ranging from the arcade classic Pong to a game based on the TV show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Such deal making and the resulting products continue at a frantic pace as startups, carriers and handset makers look to take advantage of the wireless data industry. … Read More
WorldCom, Verizon Wireless settle differences
Long before WorldCom Inc. admitted to billions in accounting fraud, it was trying to become a major wireless carrier by reselling service from Verizon Wireless. As part of that scheme, Verizon Wireless resold some of WorldCom’s telecommunications services. Then the tech bubble burst, and WorldCom imploded and went bankrupt. It’s first course of action after declaring bankruptcy-get out of wireless. That was the end of the story until the Dow Jones Newswire reported that Aug. 22 WorldCom made a filing with its bankruptcy court saying it had settled an outstanding dispute with Verizon Wireless. … Read More
Check out RCR Wireless News’ Archives for more stories from the past.
