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,...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission deemed the wireless industry competitive and for the first time used antitrust data in its report."There is effective competition in the wireless marketplace, and the state of the industry is strong," said John Muleta, chief of the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications...
Mobile-messaging company Glenayre Technologies Inc. announced the commercial deployment of a new messaging service. Dubbed the Versera Intelligent Communications Environment (ICE), the service has been deployed in Atlanta, where MetroPCS has used it since May. The announcement marks Glenayre's most significant effort since the...
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...
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...
PARIS-Alcatel Corp. said it has signed a $100 million contract to supply Libyan carrier General Post and Telecom Co. with GSM/GPRS and UMTS infrastructure and services.Alcatel said this will cover the carrier's radio access and core network solution, targeting 2.5 million users. The deployment...
A flurry of announcements Friday brought European mobile users one step closer to watching video broadcasts on their handsets. In three separate announcements: Handset manufacturers Nokia Corp., Motorola Inc., Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and NEC Corp. will cooperate to create a standard that will...
DALLAS-MetroPCS Inc. said it has received a notice from the trustee under the indenture governing its $150 million of 10.75-percent senior notes due 2011 that it has failed to comply with a covenant requiring the carrier to file its second-quarter 10-Q form with the...
WASHINGTON-Data service revenues reached 3.6 percent of net revenues in Brazil in the first quarter of 2004, up from 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2003. But substantial growth is still likely, both Brazil-wide and within specific regions, a new study found.Increasing interoperability,...
ST. LOUIS-AAT Communications Corp. and Bechtel Telecommunications have signed a national two-year contract under which they will partner to offer wireless carriers a one-stop solution for tower siting and network expansion projects.According to the partnership, Bechtel becomes AAT's preferred contractor for new tower deployments,...
LA JOLLA, Calif.-With the NFL's opening weekend just days away, Sorrent announced three new sports-related mobile content offerings. The California-based company will promote the launch with a television advertising campaign that Sorrent claims will be the first of its kind by a mobile-gaming publisher.Beginning...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission said Thursday the wireless industry is competitive and for the first time used antitrust data in its report."There is effective competition in the wireless marketplace, and the state of the industry is strong," said John Muleta, chief of the FCC's...
Once lightly regarded as a true competitor for its larger nationwide competition due to its relatively small customer base, not-quite nationwide footprint and questionable network quality, T-Mobile USA Inc. has managed to stake its claim as one of the segment's leading operators in the...
WASHINGTON-The nation's top mobile-phone carriers asked a Minnesota federal court to stay a judge's decision last Friday upholding a new state law going into effect next week that bans mobile-phone carriers from making significant changes to service contracts without obtaining written or verbal permission...
Jay Kitchen, president and chief executive officer of PCIA, will retire, according to a release issued today by the wireless tower industry trade organization.Kitchen will stay with the group for a year to head up a transition team that will eventually name his successor....
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-Regional telecommunications provider Alltel Corp. reported that privately held telecommunications and incumbent local exchange carrier Valor Telecommunications L.L.C. has extended it outsourcing contract for two more years through 2008. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Alltel currently provides Valor with...
JONKOPING, Sweden-Datalink Nordic has developed a mobile service that allows users to send alerts from their mobile phones when they are in danger.Users activate MLARM on their phones and then they can press any button to send alert data to the MLARM service. Predefined...
LA JOLLA, Calif.-Wireless users can create personal video greetings specifically tailored for friends and family members through a new application from mobile software developer Openwave Systems.The third-generation service allows users to record video greetings featuring images of themselves, celebrities or animated depictions, and choose...
BUSAN, Korea-High-speed mobile networks are taking hold in the Asia-Pacific region, providing a platform for multimedia services development, according to a new report from Telecommunications Management Group Inc.The report, "Asia-Pacific Mobile Multimedia Outlook," said the number of high-speed mobile subscribers rose 11.4 percent between...
BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless customers can now access their account balances from their handsets by dialing #BAL where they will hear details of their last five payment transactions, including the dates payments were received and the total balance paid. Users can also receive text messages...
OKLAHOMA CITY-Dobson Cellular Systems' Cellular One today launched the Identity phone, a new handset that uses Wildseed Ltd.'s SmartSkins, an interactive wireless accessory.SmartSkins are interchangeable covers that change the "mood" of the phone through a built-in chip. There are more than 20 SmartSkins available...
WASHINGTON-There is no technical reason for carriers not to comply with the digital wiretap act, a senior government official said Wednesday."At this junction, it does not appear that there is a technical impediment to complying with CALEA," said Julius Knapp, deputy chief of the...
WASHINGTON-FCC Chairman Michael Powell called on Congress to codify the agency's recently adopted plan to solve public-safety interference in the 800 MHz band.Such a move would mean that Nextel Communications Inc. would not have to approve the measure to swap spectrum so Nextel's commercial...
Lucent Technologies Inc. said it has won two multimillion dollar contracts in the CDMA 450 MHz bands in Romania and Russia. The wireless supplier also unveiled a new product.Lucent said it signed a contract with Romanian carrier Zapp to deploy a third-generation mobile data...
