California is sprinkled with television studios, and while many of the traditional Hollywood studios already have or are in the process of creating separate divisions for endeavors in the mobile TV space, a small group of entertainment companies have been built with mobile in...
Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. added a new phone to its lineup, the "Heat" from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. The slider-style phone supports Helio's full-track music download service and GPS location offerings, as well as touch-sensitive keys. The phone is selling for $150."Young...
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 Wireless News to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the...
Pay-as-you-go mobile virtual network operator XE Mobile added big-box retailer CompUSA as a new outlet for the MVNO's handsets and airtime cards."We expect XE Mobile's products to appeal to our younger customers who want simple, cost-effective mobile communications solutions," said Gabriela Villalobos, executive vice...
Private-equity buyout companies are the darlings of Wall Street, snapping up companies left and right and flush with the cash to do so. According to Thomson Financial, buyouts by private-equity companies accounted for more than 25 percent of the total merger-and-acquisition activity in the...
Mobile Melo shoots, scoresCarmelo Anthony, star of the Denver Nuggets basketball team, has launched a mobile portal called Melo Mobile. The portal is powered by Konami Corp.'s mobile division. The Melo Mobile application will set users back $2 per month for news, statistics, updates...
For years, the nation's two largest wireless carriers, Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Verizon Wireless, have focused on their network's reach and reliability in marketing strategies and their business models. But now that both carriers are going to use Qualcomm Inc.'s MediaFLO USA Inc. network...
A new handset potentially destined for mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. has popped up on the Federal Communications Commission's Web site. The PN-810 from Pantech Corp. is a two-way slider with stacked sections: a middle section slides out to reveal the typical phone...
Holding company Titan Global Holdings Inc. has agreed in principal to acquire prepaid mobile virtual network operator Ready Mobile L.L.C., which only began operations last year.Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is expected to close by March 15. Titan subsidiary...
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America has become the latest organization to team up with Working Assets to offer wireless service to its supporters through a mobile virtual network operator offering using Sprint Nextel Corp.'s wireless network.Planned Parenthood Wireless will provide 10 percent of...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our Monday 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 Strategy Analytics' Chris Ambrosio, M:Metrics' Seamus...
As the flurry of mobile virtual network operators that launched in 2006 start to settle in, some are proclaiming customer gains with stand-alone business models-but MVNOs are also taking alternate tracks to promote their brands and content. Both Helio L.L.C. and Amp'd Mobile reported...
Tween-focused mobile virtual network operator Kajeet Inc. has begun selling phones and service via its Web site, with coverage maps that appear to match up with the Sprint Nextel Corp. network. The MVNO is offering three handsets, all of them flip-phones: the 225 from...
Lifetime commitment, or just another quickie celebrity Vegas wedding sure to be annulled? Embarq Corp. announced the nuptials of two telephones at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas: one representing Embarq's wireless service and the other Embarq's home landline service. The ceremony...
Amp'd Mobile Inc. continued to expand its impressive content portfolio, inking deals with actor Jack Black and "24" producer Howard Gordon to offer original, made-for-mobile programming. The news stands atop a number of similar agreements signed in recent days, which may indicate that made-for-mobile...
High-end mobile virtual network operator Voce expanded its handset lineup with the inclusion of Palm Inc.'s Treo smartphone, a move that raises the question whether the company has succeeded in adding a data component to its primarily voice service.Voce's Web site now shows that...
The content and user interface of the short-lived Mobile ESPN L.L.C. mobile virtual network operator is set to be resurrected as an addition to Verizon Wireless' Vcast data service. ESPN and Verizon Wireless said that they have signed an exclusive, multiyear agreement to provide...
Regional telecommunications operator Qwest Communications International Inc. pushed its way into positive earnings for the first time in several years, posting profits of $593 million for the year 2006. The company had four consecutive quarters of positive net income, and reported fourth-quarter revenue totaling...
With the ever-expanding mobile entertainment space in full view, wireless carriers are working feverishly to bring their customers enhanced access to the social networking sites of their choosing. There's money to be made on all sides, and not just with the household-name variety like...
Mobile virtual network operator Helio L.L.C. said last week that it expects to reach the 100,000-customer mark by early in the second quarter and launched a full-track music download service to compete with similar offerings from rival MVNOs and traditional operators.The company ended last...
Regional telecommunications operator Qwest Communications International Inc. pushed its way into the black for the first time in several years, posting profits of $593 million for the full-year 2006.The company had four consecutive quarters of positive net income, and reported fourth quarter revenue of...
The content and user interface of the short-lived Mobile ESPN L.L.C. mobile virtual network operator is set to be resurrected as an addition to Verizon Wireless' Vcast data service. ESPN and Verizon Wireless said that they have signed an exclusive, multi-year agreement to provide...
Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. unveiled a new high-end option for customers who want to do a lot of talking without a contract.For $100 per month, Virgin Mobile USA users will get 1,000 anytime minutes and unlimited night and weekend calling, with night off-peak calling...
Helio L.L.C. expects to reach the 100,000-customer mark by early in the second quarter, and its subscribers have been generating average revenue per user of more than $100 per month, the mobile virtual network operator said.The company ended 2006 with 70,000 customers, according to...
