Two newly publicized health studies on mobile phone and base station radiation have produced mixed results, likely keeping alive the long-running scientific debate over whether handsets and cell site transmissions can cause cancer and other illnesses. Japanese mobile-phone operators NTT DoCoMo Inc., KDDI Corp....
Disney Mobile has chopped the price of two handsets for a limited time, and is promoting a limited-edition "Steamboat Willie" phone aimed squarely at Disneyophiles. The "Steamboat Willie" phone comes complete with collector packaging and a collector pin.The mobile virtual network operator is offering...
Editor's Note: Welcome to our weekly 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, Ovum's Roger...
Big opportunities come with big risks, particularly in chasing the future of the mobile handset business.One opportunity, pursued by the market's two giants and their challengers, is to deliver ultra low-cost handsets into the hands of low-income subscribers in developing markets. The upside to...
With a fresh year just under way, many wireless carriers are re-evaluating their marketing strategies-in some cases putting their accounts up for review. Cingular Wireless L.L.C. last week began a nationwide re-branding campaign to wrap all of its customers under the blanket of...
DENVER-The Helio store gleams from a distance in the early dark of a cold Denver evening, its floor-to-ceiling windows enclosing a modern, warehouse/boutique-chic space that is brand spankin' new and very, very shiny. You know that new-car smell? The Helio store has a new-store...
Amp'd Mobile Inc. is taking to the hardwood with content from the NBA, CSTV Networks and basketball magazines "Dime" and "Bounce."The mobile virtual network operator said it will deliver a live video stream of NBA TV including live broadcasts of NBA games and daily...
Editor's Note: Welcome 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, Ovum's Roger Entner...
Amp'd Mobile Inc. continues to tout its success in the mobile virtual network operator space, gaining more than 70,000 customers in the fourth quarter to end 2006 with more than 100,000 customers. The company is one of the few MVNOs to release details of...
Full-track, over-the-air downloads have yet to gain any serious traction, and ringtones are so 2006. But when it comes to mobile music applications, U.S. carriers increasingly are looking to ringback tones to boost data revenues.Ringback tones-music clips that a caller hears instead of a...
Mobile virtual network operator XE Mobile has worked out a distribution deal with Office Depot stores, aiming to land college-age customers as they shop for school supplies. The company also said it is introducing the first-ever Sony Ericsson Walkman phone for the pay-as-you-go market....
There used to be essentially two types of places to buy wireless: directly from the carrier store, or through an indirect retailer. But as online sales become an increasingly important part of the overall buying experience for customers, what was once a two-way tug-of-war...
IN A GAHAN WILSON CARTOON several presidential campaigns ago, an alien steps from a flying saucer and a crowd of humans surge forward. At the back of the crowd, one human confides to another, "I don't know who he is, but I like him."...
Sprint Nextel Corp.'s loss of postpaid iDEN customers accelerated during the fourth quarter, and investors jumped ship late last week after the company announced weak customer metrics. The carrier tried to temper fears with a flurry of other announcements promising revamped price plans, initial...
Amp'd Mobile has tapped Amdocs' Qpass digital commerce platform to handle its off-deck content business.The mobile virtual network operator said it will use Amdocs' centralized digital commerce platform to support third-party offerings such as text messaging, chat, voting, personalization content and other applications. The...
XE Mobile announced it is introducing Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P.'s Walkman phone for the pay-as-you-go market. The mobile virtual network operator is offering the Sony Ericsson W300 Walkman for $100.The handset supports both MP3 and AAC music files, has a built-in FM radio...
MTV Networks is partnering with Amp'd Mobile Inc. to produce a made-for-mobile comedy series.The yet-to-be-named program, which is slated to come to market later this year, will be co-produced by Amp'd, MTV franchise Comedy Central and comedy writer and producer Donick Cary. The offering...
Mobile virtual network operator XE Mobile has worked out a distribution deal with Office Depot stores, aiming to land college-age customers as they shop for school supplies. "We're already seeing an increase in sales, proof positive that we have the right team in place...
Sprint Nextel Corp.'s trouble in holding onto its postpaid iDEN subscribers continued during the fourth quarter as the company announced weak fourth quarter customer metrics and said that network and business investments would likely affect its financial performance in 2007. The carrier also plans...
Amp'd Mobile Inc. is continuing to build on its appeal to younger mobile phone users. The mobile virtual network operator has further expanded its mobile entertainment portal through fresh deals with Facebook.com, Freewebs.com and Livejournal.com, having created one of the largest collections of social...
Amp'd Mobile Inc. continues to tout its success in the mobile virtual network operator space, gaining more than 70,000 customers in the fourth quarter to end 2006 with more than 100,000 customers. The company is one of the few MVNOs to so far release...
Amp'd Mobile Inc. is racking up deals to offer its unique content and user interface abroad, and reap the benefits of revenue sharing without the effort and expense of expanding its mobile virtual network operator business. Two international partnerships are slated to go live...
WASHINGTON-Wireless carriers are renewing their fight for relief from new regulations and taxes levied by cities and states, while manufacturers find themselves caught in the crosshairs of a dispute headed for Capitol Hill between the mobile-phone industry and public-safety community over the latter's efforts...
Conventional wisdom says, and consumers certainly seem to think, that family wireless plans offered by cellular carriers are a great deal. In exchange for tying other family members into one service plan at the standard $10 per month, consumers can cut down on their...
