Exactly one week after EarthLink Inc. said it would be shutting down its nearly citywide municipal Wi-Fi network in Philadelphia, one of the city's elected officials is making political hay out of what he sees as a major loss for the city and its...
Editor's Note: In this monthly feature, RCR Wireless News talks to retail managers across the country to get a first-hand view of what's hot in wireless.The wireless retail space has been in a state of flux over the past several years with carriers trying...
Just as FDR targeted radio listeners with his fireside chats and John Kennedy's dashing looks helped sway television viewers during the Richard Nixon debates, Barack Obama is using a cutting-edge media platform to approach voters.The Illinois senator last summer launched a new text messaging...
Following much speculation, Virgin Mobile USA Inc. confirmed today that it is in "preliminary discussions" with SK Telecom to "explore possible strategic opportunities." Those opportunities are expected to include a possible merging of Virgin Mobile USA and SK Telecom-controlled mobile virtual network operator Helio...
EarthLink Inc. announced it will be shutting down its municipal Wi-Fi network in Philadelphia in 30 days, handing yet another black mark to the once-burgeoning market for muni Wi-Fi.After months of negotiations, Earthlink said the parties involved couldn't even reach a deal to give...
Fresh off a seven-party deal to form a new, and much larger company under its name, Clearwire Corp. reported more than $176 million in losses during the first quarter of the year as it expanded its fixed high-speed wireless network and built up its...
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...
Imagine that a group of disparate warriors needs to cross a field laden with land mines. If they can agree on an approach that keeps all of them intact, they all survive to seek their fortunes. But if one or more seeks its own...
Leap Wireless International Inc., which sells unlimited wireless phone service under the Cricket brand, reported an unaudited $18.1 million loss in the first quarter, a 25% improvement from the $24.2 million it lost in the same period a year prior.Leap Wireless grossed 550,520 new...
The Federal Communications Commission could be forced to back off the backup power rule. Two members of a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voiced serious doubts about whether the FCC had authority to mandate...
A bipartisan group of senators urged Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin to abandon a plan to use reverse auctions to award universal service fund support to eligible telecom carriers in rural areas."Reverse auctions leave too many unanswered questions about stranded investment and the...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier--Lehman Brothers lowered its estimates on Virgin Mobile USA to 39 cents from 46 cents for 2008 after the company reported in-line first-quarter results.--Standard &...
Editor's Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless News' weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week we'll review a new wireless application or service from the user's point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works and...
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 the coming weeks...
Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell said he supports imposing an interim cap on high-cost universal service funds primarily benefitting wireless carriers that serve rural areas, paving the way for agency approval of a policy that the mobile industry and some lawmakers assert is...
Can you smell me now?Multimedia messaging could soon become multi-sensory. A German syndicate including a sensory analysis and marketing consultancy and an interactive value-added services specialist have filed for a patent for technology that allows users to send scents with their MMS messages to...
A divided Federal Communications Commission voted to impose an interim cap on high-cost universal service fund payments to competitive eligible telecommunications carriers, a blow to some smaller mobile-phone carriers that rely on subsidies to bring competitive services to underserved rural areas of the country."This...
Wireless technology helps Ryder Systems Inc. keep track of its fleet of nearly 160,000 vehicles and provide its customers with services that include trip reports to help cut down on fuel usage and track driver habits, as well as streamline a warehousing process that...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly feature, Analyst Angle. We've collected a group of the industry's leading analysts to give their outlook on the hot topics in the wireless industry. In the coming weeks look for columns from Current Analysis' Peter Jarich, NPD Group's...
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...
The Mobile Marketing Association is working to make sure the world, indeed, is flat.The Denver-based nonprofit last week released its first set of global guidelines, tweaking its instructions for mobile Web advertisers and adding new rules for marketing campaigns centered on mobile messaging and...
MOBILE CONSUMERS PROBABLY don't give voicemail a second thought. But a couple of startups are hoping to change that. Voicemail, like caller ID and long-distance calling, has become a standard inclusion in almost all wireless offerings, nearly as much a part of plans as...
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. firmly established itself as the world's second-largest handset vendor, with about 16% market share, as former rival Motorola Inc. dwindled to 9.4% share in the No. 3 spot. Samsung shipped 46.3 million handsets in the first quarter, growth of 33%...
It's all about context. With investors apparently expecting dark news from the infrastructure sector, L.M. Ericsson's stock shot up more than 12% today after the company reported a 5% gain in revenue, a 55% drop in net income and an erosion in gross margins.Add...
