A consumer group has raised conflict-of-interest and qualification issues regarding a proposed National Academy of Sciences panel spawned by a government-wireless industry research program to examine where additional research is required on possible biological effects from mobile-phone radiation.The Center for Science in the Public...
The Supreme Court delayed a decision on whether to review a lower court's pro-state pre-emption ruling, inviting the views of the U.S. solicitor general who previously signaled disinterest in pursuing an appeal. Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. petitioned the high court...
THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION appears to have gained sufficient political cover to move forward with plans to auction a national 700 MHz license designed to serve unmet public-safety and consumer broadband needs, but the agency must still resolve a slew of critical issues before...
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said the Federal Communications Commission should write 700 MHz rules that foster innovative wireless broadband services and improved first-responder communications.Kerry, decrying the declining stature of United States in broadband penetration compared with other countries, said the upcoming 700 MHz auction...
The following list includes venture capital and other investments into wireless companies announced during the past week. The value of the investment is included when available.--Airband Communications: M/C Venture Partners invested $12.5 million in Airband as part of the company's third round of funding....
Women's mobile content startup LimeLife Inc. pocketed $3.9 million in funding-and a potentially important new board member-thanks to Core Capital Partners.LimeLife targets on-the-go women with mobile content from Rachael Ray and Time Inc.'s In Style magazine. Under terms of the deal, Core Capital executive...
Helio sought to capture the hearts, minds and wallets of its target market-young, affluent, tech-savvy, Web-browsing and messaging enthusiasts-by designing a handset that would deliver ease-of-use in a stylish package. Pantech, which has sought a higher profile and greater sales in the United States,...
RCR Wireless News has inducted Jay Kitchen and Arlene Harris into its Wireless Hall of Fame for 2007.Jay Kitchen led industry trade group Personal Communications Industry Association for 10 years, joining the group in 1994 after it merged with the National Association of Business...
California announced plans to develop and launch a statewide emergency cellphone alert system within 12 to 14 months. The move is definitely apropos for "the Golden State," which has long prided itself on being a leap ahead of other states and the federal status...
Mobile-phone carriers blasted a new Federal Communications Commission proposal to cap wireless universal service support in rural areas.The FCC plan, based on a recommendation by the Federal-Joint Board on Universal Service, is a stop-gap attempt to limit a growing high-cost component of the universal...
State groups said the Supreme Court need not review a lower court ruling that struck down a Federal Communications Commission decision pre-empting states from regulating line-item charges on cellphone bills.Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc., the third- and fourth-largest cellular carriers, respectively, asked...
State groups said the Supreme Court need not review a lower court ruling that dealt with line-item charges on mobile-phone bills. The Supreme Court ruling struck down a Federal Communications Commission decision pre-empting states from regulating line-item charges on cellphone bills.Sprint Nextel Corp. and...
The Skype debate is playing out on two distinctly deliberate levels-one that plays to the nitty gritty of the law and another that plays to emotions.The wonky public-policy crossfire pits cellular carriers that control cellular networks against consumer groups with an overarching net-neutrality agenda...
The cellphone industry blasted a federal-state panel's recommendation to enact an emergency cap on universal service fund support for carriers in rural areas.The proposed temporary fix for the ballooning high-cost fund-which provides about $4 billion in subsidies to wireline and wireless carriers in rural...
Sprint Nextel Corp. is upstaging with the Upstage.Perhaps taking advantage of a lull in pricing changes by its larger rivals, Sprint Nextel this week slashed its price on the latest and greatest from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.; the Upstage music phone, a Sprint Nextel...
Editor's note: This column by Keith Crain, chairman of Crain Communications Inc., which owns RCR Wireless News, first appeared in Automotive News, a Crain publication that covers the automotive industry.A couple of weeks ago, I was in Orlando, Fla., for the annual CTIA Wireless...
Google and Yahoo have done a bang-up job optimizing search tools on the wired Internet, and the companies are moving aggressively into the mobile space. But they are going to face fierce competition from white-label companies that are partnering with wireless carriers. I know;...
NBC Universal plans to start selling ads for its mobile video programming when the upfront season kicks off in May. That's the latest piece of evidence that the once-scoffed-at business of TV on cellphones is gaining momentum this year. The television upfront market kicks...
Hedge*hog*ing v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube.If you want to be inspired about the wireless industry, the United States and the power of the people, go RIGHT NOW to CTIA.org (http://www.ctia.org/wireless2007/index.cfm?day=3) to watch...
Money was the root of all interest at the recent CTIA Wireless conference, with various announcements from companies that want to play in the mobile payments and banking space, and a great deal of buzz about the potential opportunities for banks, operators and the...
Alltel named best in show at CTIA 2007Alltel Wireless won an E-Tech award for best in show at CTIA Wireless 2007 for its Celltop application. Celltop allows Alltel customers to access, manage and organize information available on their phone via a format similar to...
Conventional wisdom has it that since early January, every handset vendor and carrier has scrambled for an answer to the you-know-who phone, due in June. Regardless of the handicapping already taking place-who wins, who loses?-Apple Inc.'s iPhone has contributed to a shift in the...
As it approaches its one-year anniversary, Disney Mobile L.L.C. has ambitious plans to develop new applications and move toward the use of EV-DO in delivering services. The company recently provided a glimpse of how its customers are making use of the innovative family-centric applications...
The annual CTIA show is always a good time to take stock on where the domestic wireless industry has been over the previous 12 months, and where it's headed over the next 12. This year's event in Orlando, Fla., was no exception. As usual...
