PORTLAND, Ore.-Virtual commerce enabler Vesta Corp. and smart card maker Axalto N.V. are partnering on a Subscriber Identity Module card-based payment method for prepaid wireless customers. The companies noted that prepaid subscribers will be able to use their phones to make a payment by...
The worldwide mobile-phone market roared to another record finish in the fourth quarter as unit shipments reached a staggering 245 million, according to research and consulting firm IDC. For the full year, the handset industry shipped a total of 825.5 million phones. "2005 was...
LONDON-MobileIGNITE, a trade group aiming to accelerate the adoption of fixed-mobile convergence, picked up new member companies. The group said E28 Limited, BCT Global, Convergin, FG Microtec, HelloSoft, Netrake, NewHeights Software and tekVizion have signed on. MobileIGNITE stands for Mobile Integrated Go-To-Market Network IP...
ATLANTA-In a record-smashing quarter, Verizon Wireless clocked 2 million net customer additions to pull past Cingular Wireless L.L.C.'s blockbuster results of 1.8 million net adds. Verizon Wireless continued its streak of 14 consecutive quarters with double-digit growth, with its customer growth results up 20.5...
The Chinese government has given its homegrown TD-SCDMA technology a thumbs up, calling it an officially backed standard, the Xinhua news agency reported. China's Ministry of Information Industry said the technology is "already mature and ready for manufacturers to move ahead with production."Industry analysts...
Alltel Corp. reported weaker-than-expected total earnings, but still outpaced analysts' predictions by adding 147,000 net new wireless subscribers, most of which were prepaid. Alltel reported consolidated revenue of $2.58 billion, a 21-percent jump from 2004's fourth quarter. However, net income fell to $255.1 million...
WASHINGTON-Western Wireless International Corp., citing the still-unresolved dispute over the ransacking of its cell-phone operations in Cote D'Ivoire in 2003, urged Bush administration trade officials to take a hard look at that country's telecom regulatory practices to determine whether it is in compliance with...
With little fanfare, T-Mobile USA Inc. has expanded the reach of its network by more than 50 percent, chiefly through 850 MHz roaming agreements that have put the carrier on more competitive footing and mark a shift from its historic 1900 MHz-only platform. Most...
WASHINGTON-Iraq's telecom regulatory chief vowed not to cave to pressure to extend license terms of the country's three national wireless operators, an escalating controversy overshadowed last week by a deadly ambush of a three-car convoy with technicians, body guards and drivers employed by Iraqi...
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-Alltel Corp. reported weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter wireless earnings, but outpaced analysts' predictions by adding 147,000 net new wireless subscribers during the final three months of 2005, most of which were prepaid customers. Alltel reported that 90,000 of 147,000 net new wireless subscribers were...
The very mention of Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem puts a whir in many propeller hats. The whirring is justified to a certain degree, but wireless carriers have approached investment in IMS technology with much caution. To understand their position, it's essential to first understand...
TAMPA, Fla.-Syniverse Technologies Inc., which provides technology and clearing services to wireless companies, said it has renewed its contract with regional wireless operator SunCom Wireless Holdings Inc. Syniverse said the deal calls for it to continue to supply the carrier with services designed to...
BELLEVUE, Wash.-Kristin Rinne, chief technology officer for Cingular Wireless L.L.C., will serve a second term as chairwoman of 3G Americas after being re-elected by the GSM technology organization's board of governors. Rinne has worked in the telecommunications industry for more than 25 years. Alan...
ESPOO, Finland-Nokia Corp. released a new clamshell-style phone that features quad-band GSM support, 1.3 megapixel digital camera, Bluetooth, a digital music player and the Macromedia Flash player. The company did not say where it would sell the phone, but that it would ship in...
OKLAHOMA CITY-The fourth quarter of 2005 brought continuing net customer losses but higher annual revenue per user for Dobson Communications Corp, according to preliminary figures released by the company. Dobson said it lost about 22,500 total customers during the final three months of last...
WASHINGTON-Siyamend Othman, head of the Iraqi National Communications and Media Commission, said mobile phone and wireless local loop licensing will be top priorities in the country this year. Othman met this week with representatives from the Federal Communications Commission, the telecom industry and other...
HERNDON, Va.-iDirect Technologies and Globecomm Systems Inc. announced a new service that will allow GSM carriers to backhaul their cellular traffic over a satellite connection. The companies said the offering will support GSM service throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa, and can work in...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.CarriersMorgan Stanley updated its estimates on Verizon Communications following the close of its acquisition of MCI. Fourth-quarter 2005 EPS estimate moves to 62 cents from...
OKLAHOMA CITY-The fourth quarter of 2005 brought continuing net customer losses but higher annual revenue per user for Dobson Communications Corp, according to preliminary figures released by the company. Dobson said it lost about 22,500 total customers during the final three months of last...
TAMPA, Fla.-Syniverse Technologies Inc., which provides technology and clearing services to wireless companies, said it has renewed its contract with regional wireless operator SunCom Wireless Holdings Inc. Syniverse said the deal calls for it to continue to supply the carrier with services designed to...
BELLEVUE, Wash.-Kristin Rinne, chief technology officer for Cingular Wireless L.L.C., will serve a second term as chairperson of 3G Americas after being re-elected by the GSM technology organization's board of governors. Rinne has worked in the telecommunications industry for more than 25 years and...
As in past years, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was ground zero for a series of entertaining handset battles, with vendors firing off warning shots against each other and carriers blustering over new phone offerings for consumers. Perhaps the most interesting display...
Centennial Communications Corp.'s earnings tumbled in its second quarter, despite an increase in revenue and healthy growth in its U.S. wireless operations. The carrier reported $8.2 million in income from continuing operations during the quarter, compared with $18.6 million for the same quarter a...
LAS VEGAS-Amid all the plasma TV hoopla and car speaker madness of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Cingular Wireless L.L.C. used the event to quietly show off its first W-CDMA phones. South Korean vendors Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and LG Electronics Co....
