It was a fairly quiet week in the wireless world, but we still managed to share a few observations and kvetches-or as we like to say, here's what got us hedgehogging last week. Most carriers are still dancing around the potential problems that Slingmedia's...
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—ROK Entertainment Group U.S. expanded its mobile video offerings with 13 free channels of news, music and sports. The subsidiary of the U.K.-based wireless video company unveiled FreeBe TV, a WAP-based service for roughly two dozen 2.5G and 3G phone models. Channels...
Hello! And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There's a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCR to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
WASHINGTON—After sitting on the issue for almost two years, the Federal Communications Commission voted to allow Qualcomm Inc. to operate its MediaFLO mobile TV offering in markets where TV broadcasters are currently using the 700 MHz spectrum Qualcomm plans to use for the service....
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Qualcomm Inc.'s highly anticipated MediaFLO mobile TV service is gaining momentum as Sprint Nextel Corp. confirmed it is conducting trials using the network technology and could soon join initial launch carrier Verizon Wireless in offering the service to consumers. The additional support...
Qualcomm Inc.'s highly anticipated MediaFLO mobile TV service is gaining momentum as Sprint Nextel Corp. confirmed it was conducting trials using the network technology and could soon join initial launch carrier Verizon Wireless in offering the service to consumers. The additional support could be...
With big fanfare but little surprise, T-Mobile USA Inc. announced it would begin deploying UMTS technology across its network beginning early next year. The move follows the recent completion of the Federal Communications Commission's advanced wireless services auction that saw T-Mobile USA plunk down...
Like most things in wireless, the mobile TV contest boils down to devices, networks and—perhaps most importantly—spectrum. As such, two U.S. companies are racing to build mobile TV networks using the same transmission standard (DVB-H), and both trumpet their position as the competitive high...
NEW YORK—Following its $4.2 billion worth of spectrum auction winnings, T-Mobile USA Inc. announced plans to spend $2.6 billion to upgrade its network to 3G technology. The carrier said it has already been working with 3G handset and equipment vendors for months to get...
The following list details this week's infrastructure awards for the cellular, Wi-Fi and WiMAX industries. The contracts are broken down by transmission technology, country and vendor. The value of the contract is included when available. Click here for additional infrastructure awards from RCR Wireless...
LONDON—By 2012, W-CDMA technology will rake in the highest capital-expenditure investment by mobile operators—more than $150 billion—according to a new report from ABI Research. Mobile operators’ attitudes towards capex have changed over the past two or three years," said mobile wireless research analyst Shailendra...
During the long flight from Los Angeles back to Denver, I realized that the CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment show turned out completely different than I had expected.When I first arrived in Los Angeles last Tuesday, I had fully expected a press release from...
LOS ANGELES--Skepticism about the potential of mobile television is rampant within the wireless industry, according to a recent survey of executives conducted by Mercer Management Consulting. However, a panel of executives during a breakout session at last week's CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show...
Mobile TV has captured the industry's imagination. Wireless users can already watch music videos, check out sports clips and--with the right hardware--view full-length Hollywood blockbusters on their phones. And technology companies are betting enormous sums on the application, spending hundreds of millions of dollars...
SAN DIEGO--Qualcomm Inc. announced that chipmaker Newport Media Inc. signed a royalty-free agreement to design, manufacture and market Qualcomm's MediaFlo multicast mobile TV technology. The move is somewhat surprising since Qualcomm has a history of collecting what many in the industry consider inflated royalties...
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands--Motorola Inc. and Nokia Corp. are teaming up to test the interoperability of DVB-H mobile devices and network services in hopes of accelerating mobile TV service deployments. The companies said they support DVB-H because of the technology's low battery consumption and the...
SAN FRANCISCO--The audience for mobile TV grew 45 percent to 3.7 million subscribers in the second quarter of 2006 as news, weather and sports channels topped the list as the most-watched content, according to a new report by consumer research firm Telephia. The study...
LOS ANGELES—Mobile Entertainment company WAAT Media and mobile games developer Charismatix formed a parent company, Twistbox Entertainment Inc., which the companies said will represent the operating unit and brand for all their general entertainment activities. Within 90 days, Charismatix will be rebranded as Twistbox...
Sprint Nextel Corp. is expected to become the first Tier 1 carrier to officially step onto the mobile marketing playground this week, tapping Enpocket in an effort to generate revenues by delivering advertising messages through its wireless Web service. Industry sources say New York-based...
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.-The market for long-form mobile video will begin to gain traction in 2008, according to new figures from In-Stat. The market research firm said that while long-form wireless TV-video content of more than 30 minutes-is still in an experimental phase, the market will...
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—The market for long-form mobile video will begin to gain traction in 2008, according to new figures from In-Stat. The market research firm said that while long-form wireless TV—video content of more than 30 minutes—is still in an experimental phase, the market will...
The FLO Forum said it approved a specification for its mobile TV network technology, a move that will allow equipment makers to build gear designed to work on any FLO-based network and enable operators to choose products from multiple vendors. Designed to broadcast multimedia...
Few wireless applications tickle my oh-so-fickle fancy. As a matter of fact, up until last week only a pair of apps were useful enough for me to download to my handset: Google Maps and Opera Mini Browser, both of which are off-deck apps and...
So Sprint Nextel fired its chief operating officer, Len Lauer. The carrier said it is making changes in the management of its core operations and that Lauer would leave the company immediately. Gary Forsee, Sprint Nextel's president and chief executive officer, will assume Lauer's...
