Amp'd Mobile, looking to ramp up subscribers and bring in revenue from advertising, has placed its $35 million advertising account into review.A company spokeswoman said the marketer's ad agency Taxi, which launched the brand, will not participate in the review. She declined further comment....
Mobile virtual network operator Amp'd Mobile Inc. announced it will begin selling Motorola Inc.'s Q smartphone starting next month. And the device has the Amp'd approach to wireless entertainment written all over it-the Amp'd Q marks the first time a U.S. wireless provider will...
Tween-focused mobile virtual network operator kajeet Inc. has officially announced its retail launch, with its service and handsets to be available in Best Buy and Limited Too stores.Kajeet already had begun sales through its Web site, but not in retail locations. As of May...
As an American who grew up in Italy, Sebastian Harrison always had two phones: one for use in Italy, and one for the United States. As an adult, he decided to tackle the international traveler's dilemma of having to carry or buy a new...
When Skype, the PC-based Voice over Internet Protocol provider, petitioned the Federal Communications Commission last month to allow consumers to load third-party, IP-based software onto their mobile phones, the company was thinking big. Getting a proprietary VoIP client onto mainstream feature phones could put...
Snoop Dogg took the music world by storm in late 1992 when he helped propel gangsta rap to the most commercially successful subgenre of hip hop up to that point. But, the world-famous rapper who brought us songs that will live on in clubs...
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...
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...
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...
The debate over net neutrality has moved full force into the wireless space.A new paper by Columbia University law professor Timothy Wu claims mobile-phone carriers' iron-clad control of networks is retarding innovation and hurting consumers. "The wireless industry, over the last decade, has succeeded...
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...
The debate over net neutrality has moved full force into the wireless space.A new paper by Columbia University law professor Timothy Wu claims mobile-phone carriers' iron-clad control of networks is retarding innovation and hurting consumers. "The wireless industry, over the last decade, has succeeded...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
As a testament to the fickleness of the wireless industry, Motorola Inc., once the bell of the handset ball, has fallen on hard times.Was it not so long ago that the Schaumburg, Ill.-based company was basking in the glow of its Razr dollars?...
Like real estate, mobile advertising is all about location. And carriers are scrambling to cash in on the most desirable territory in wireless data: the deck.Network operators are hastily choosing mobile marketing partners and developing strategies for placing banner ads, clickable links and other...
