RealNetworks Inc. expanded its mobile entertainment business with the $9 million acquisition of Sony NetServices.A joint venture between Sony DADC and Sony Europe, Sony NetServices targets carriers in eight European markets with white-label music services. The company's technology powers on-demand music and video offerings...
Buongiorno S.p.A. expanded its mobile marketing business with the acquisition of U.K.-based Flytxt Inc.The Italian content behemoth said it will spend $5.4 million for the 7-year-old Flytxt, which powers text-to-win campaigns and other mobile marketing efforts. Flytxt's operations will be integrated with Buongiorno's technology...
NextWave Wireless Inc., which has been on an acquisition bent this year and remains a steady force in the industry, announced a 98% increase in revenues over the year-ago period in financial results for the first quarter of 2007.The company raked in $7.7 million...
Nuance Communications Inc. continued to help thin the speech-recognition herd, snapping up VoiceSignal Technologies Inc. in a deal valued at nearly $300 million.Nuance said it will fork over 5.8 million Nuance shares as well as $204 million in cash for privately held VoiceSignal, a...
Airvana Inc. announced it has acquired 3Way Networks, a provider of home base stations. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Airvana said it hopes the acquisition will help expand its push into UMTS radio access networks and fixed-mobile convergence. Airvana said it is aiming...
Cooper Industries Ltd. announced it acquired MadahCom Inc. for $43 million. Florida-based MadahCom, which manufacturers wireless emergency control and mass-notification systems, had sales of about $22 million in 2006 and currently has more than 200 installations worldwide at military, government, commercial sites, industrial locations...
Oz Communications Inc. is looking to expand its mobile messaging offerings with the acquisition of Thumbspeed Inc. from Hands-On Mobile Inc.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Thumbspeed develops and publishes mobile messaging, photo-sharing and personalization services and applications, including branded services from AOL, MSN...
Artificial Life Inc., a Hong Kong-based company that focuses on mobile technology, content, games and applications, said it bought the SMS Galaxy system from Script Avenue AG.The SMS Galaxy system is a mobile interface that complements live TV shows and allows users to interact...
Both companies' stock has been bid up, though for opposite reasons, and both companies seek to expand their traditional markets by intruding on the others' turf. They both make smartphones for a dedicated cadre of end users in North America, and they're expanding to...
NextWave Wireless Inc. announced it will purchase TD-CDMA supplier IPWireless Inc. for $25 million in cash and $75 million in stock. The ultimate purchase price could increase to $235 million by 2010 if IPWireless manages to achieve "certain revenue milestones," although NextWave did not...
Mobile search company AskMeNow said it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Expert Systems S.p.A. Expert Systems, based in Modena, Italy, provides search, classification and extraction of unstructured information based natural language processing. AskMeNow and Expert Systems previously worked together under an...
NextWave Wireless Inc. announced it will purchase TD-CDMA supplier IPWireless Inc. for $25 million in cash and $75 million in stock. The ultimate purchase price could increase to $235 million by 2010 if IPWireless manages to achieve "certain revenue milestones," although NextWave did not...
Canadian satellite communications company Stratos Global Corp. announced it will be acquired by Communications Investment Partners Ltd., an investment company focused on satellite services. Satellite vendor Inmarsat plc announced it is financing the transaction.The total value of the transaction is $576 million."After careful consideration,...
Pointer Telocation Ltd. announced its plans to acquire Cellocator Ltd., a private Israeli company focused on location-based services and technology for cellphones. Pointer, which provides roadside assistance, fleet management and stolen vehicle retrieval services in Israel, Argentina and Mexico, said it will pay Cellocator...
L.M. Ericsson, the world's largest equipment manufacturer, announced it will acquire Mobeon AB, which produces an IP-based voicemail system called Messaging over IP (MoIP). Ericsson plans to accelerate the development of a new messaging system through the acquisition, the company said in a news...
Software giant Microsoft Corp. announced it acquired voice-services company Tellme Networks Inc., which offers a variety of speech-recognition services for cellphones and other platforms. Microsoft said it will integrate the company's offerings into its various desktop computer products as well as its nascent Live...
Faith Inc. continued its retreat from Europe and North America, selling off Paris-based mobile content company Digiplug SAS to global technology consultant Accenture.Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Digiplug, which was founded in 1998, supplies music and video technology to music labels, wireless service...
Mach announced that it acquired CB Holdings Inc., the parent company of financial-settlement company Cibernet. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Combined, Mach and Cibernet is expected to have more than 650 mobile operator clients that will process more than 25 billion billing...
French media-telecom conglomerate Vivendi S.A. sharpened its charges against T-Mobile USA Inc. and its global affiliate, alleging corporate corruption helped the No. 4 U.S. mobile phone operator bid successfully on $4 billion worth of advanced wireless services licenses to support the build-out of...
Wireless technology company Mobixell announced it will acquire the assets of rival Adamind. Terms of the deal were not disclosed."The synergy between both companies; their strategy of developing products according to a best-of-breed approach, and building on the leading capabilities of each of the...
Openwave Systems Inc. announced it acquired WiderWeb Ltd., a mobile Web software developer, for $5 million in cash and a further potential $4 million if the company achieves certain levels of sales or profitability for Openwave. With WiderWeb in tow, Openwave said it can...
Chinese wireless vendor Linktone Ltd. said it plans to make a competing offer for U.K. mobile content company MonsterMob Group Plc.Spain's LaNetro Zed has already made a bid to buy a majority stake in the company. MonsterMob shareholders are expected to decide on the...
Polycom Inc. plans to acquire SpectraLink Corp., according to a definitive agreement between the companies.SpectraLink provides workplace wireless solutions, including wireless handsets that integrate with VoIP and business telephone platforms. Polycom specializes in video, voice, data and Web technologies such as conferencing and collaboration...
Mobile payment company Obopay announced it bought BillMonk, a company that provides "social money" services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.The companies said social money includes transactions that encompass shared consumer experiences, such as splitting a check at dinner, sharing travel expenses or...
