Verizon Wireless is merging its online tools for business subscribers. The carrier, working alongside parent company Verizon Communications Inc.'s Verizon Business division, has launched Verizon Enterprise Center (VEC) a unified online tool for large-business customers. The new portal is made of the two former...
The rash of class action lawsuits against cellphone carriers over unauthorized third-party content charges on consumers' bill may entering a new phase: settlements.Plaintiffs' lawyers pressing such a suit against AT&T Mobility said the first national settlement of its kind has been reached with the...
Ever looked at your cellphone menu and wondered what the heck the wrench is for? Or the clipboard? Or any other random icon put there to help, but which sometimes makes using a cellphone even more confusing? Well, imagine your sight is not what...
The Supreme Court let stand lower court rulings that held federal arbitration law does not pre-empt class-action litigation against T-Mobile USA Inc., an action that divided the wireless industry and now paves the way for three federal lawsuits to move forward in California against...
Tracking FidoZoombak L.L.C. announced its GPS location application for dogs is now available at PetSmart stores nationwide. The Zoombak Advanced GPS Dog Locator uses cellular networks and GPS satellites to help owners find their dogs in real-time from their computer or cellular phone. The...
In the huge universe of wireless communications comes a world of confusion. It's common knowledge that customers have issues with their phones, service, new programs and devices, you name it. However, the bleak quality of customer service also irritates wireless subscribers. A recent J.D....
Qualcomm Inc. is backing an industry association that aims to create a "mobile giving channel" for nonprofits looking to raise money via text messaging.The chipmaker invested an undisclosed amount in the Mobile Giving Foundation, a Seattle-area outfit that serves as a messaging gateway, billing...
Verizon Wireless continues to please its business customers, both big and small. According to the J. D Power and Associates 2008 Business Wireless Satisfaction Study, released today, the carrier ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction for wireless data service, effectively meeting customer expectations and...
Mobile virtual network enabler Visage Mobile announced plans to sell its Subscriber Management business to billing giant Convergys Corp. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Visage was one of a number of so-called MVNEs that rose in the wake of the mobile virtual network...
Editor’s Note: Welcome to Reality Check, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. We’ve gathered a group of visionaries and veterans in the mobile content industry to give their insights into the marketplace. In...
A new class-action lawsuit accuses Sprint Nextel Corp. of charging subscribers for mobile content not authorized by subscribers.The lawsuit, virtually identical to one filed against Alltel Wireless in March and currently pending in Illinois federal court, alleges unauthorized charges on consumers' monthly bills are...
Rural Cellular Corp. sued Alltel Corp. in federal court, accusing the Arkansas-based cellphone operator of undermining a $48 million wireless deal between the two companies.RCC last year completed its purchase of several Minnesota markets from Alltel, a divestiture-related transaction required of the latter company...
Qwest Communications International Inc. is jumping wireless ship from its current mobile virtual network operator relationship with Sprint Nextel Corp. to reselling Verizon Wireless services. The move, expected to begin this summer, will see the end of the Qwest brand in wireless as the...
TEXT MESSAGING HAS BECOME A CASH COW for mobile operators desperate to generate revenues in mobile data. But instant messaging may be poised to change that.Mobile instant messaging, or MIM, is used by only 8% of mobile consumers worldwide, according to a recent study...
SPRINT NEXTEL CORP. HAS WATCHED its self-imposed deadline for a commercial WiMAX network launch slip by as backhaul and billing systems appear to be causing greater headaches than originally expected.The carrier planned to commercially launch its Xohm network in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.,...
When it comes to wireless plans, it's all about the buffet, J.D. Power and Associates concluded in its semi-annual survey of wireless customers' level of satisfaction with contracts.The firm, which gave a nod to regional carriers in its latest survey on call quality, found...
When it comes to wireless plans, it's all about the buffet, J.D. Power and Associates concluded in its semi-annual survey of wireless customers' level of satisfaction with contracts.The firm, which recently gave a nod to regional carriers in its latest survey on call quality,...
Sprint Nextel Corp. hopes to clean up the direct-to-consumer content business by hitting wayward partners where it hurts.The carrier last month told off-deck content aggregators that it will be "strictly enforcing" new revenue-share penalties for vendors who violate Mobile Marketing Association guidelines. Partners who...
A class-action lawsuit filed against Alltel Corp. accuses the regional mobile-phone carrier of adding unauthorized charges on subscribers' monthly bills.The suit focuses on the relationships between Alltel and third-party mobile content providers and billing aggregators such as m-Qube Inc., a unit of VeriSign Inc."Alltel...
With so many smart people in the wireless industry, how can there be so many problems with mobile content?At CTIA Wireless 2008, I had the privilege of moderating a panel on mobile content sales, and had the luxury of interviewing six wireless gurus,...
It seems there's no shortage of players looking to help carriers compile all the customer information that can be gleaned from their networks. But it appears network operators are still at a loss at what to do with the stuff.VeriSign Inc. last week spun...
SENS. BYRON DORGAN (D-N.D.) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) introduced a bill to give the Federal Trade Commission authority to crack down on fraudulent and anti-competitive behavior in the mobile phone industry and other telecom sectors. The bill adds a new twist to ongoing legislative...
The following list details this week's infrastructure awards for the cellular, Wi-Fi, and WiMAX industries. The contracts are broken down by transmission technology, country and vendor. The value of the contract is included when available.WiMAX--Caribbean: Alvarion said it signed a master supply agreement with...
Marco Boerries is the executive VP of Yahoo Inc.'s Connected Life Division, which encompasses the company's mobile, digital home, PC client and broadband teams around the world, including Yahoo Go for Mobile 2.0 and Yahoo oneSearch products for mobile.Q: What are the unique challenges...
