YOU ARE AT:TagsOvum

BROWSING: Ovum

New MVNO to focus on Chinese-Americans

NEW YORK-A new mobile virtual network operator targeting Chinese-Americans officially launched, offering cheap international calls to Asia and a Razr phone with menus in Chinese. Red Pocket Mobile soft-launched about two weeks ago, according to Max Smetannikov, vice president of business development for Global...

Kajeet: A ‘life stage’ MVNO

NEW YORK-Fatherhood was the inspiration for creating and naming mobile virtual network operator Kajeet Inc., and the market will test whether those fathers really do know best when it comes to offering a wireless service that will appeal to kids. Daniel Neal, Kajeet's chief...

Mobile ESPN throws in towel

NEW YORK-Mobile ESPN seemed to have all the qualities of a successful MVNO: a highly successful brand and recognized brand, a unique user interface, slick handsets and content that would appeal to its sports-enthusiast demographic. But after eight months on the market, the mobile...

Upscale Voce advises grandpa, sends soup, makes reservations

NEW YORK-Here's a sampling of the recent customer requests handled by service reps for Voce, the luxury mobile virtual network operator that apparently can do just about anything its subscribers ask of it. Ten customers wanted reservations at Wolfgang Puck's new steakhouse in Los...

Mobile ESPN drops MVNO ball

NEW YORK—After a mere eight months on the market, Mobile ESPN has decided to get out of the mobile virtual network operator business. The brand’s entrance into the wireless space was eagerly anticipated, scrutinized and praised for its innovative user interface, but handset problems...

New MVNO to focus on Chinese-Americans

NEW YORK—A new mobile virtual network operator targeting Chinese-Americans officially launched today, offering cheap international calls to Asia and a Razr phone with menus in Chinese. Red Pocket Mobile soft-launched about two weeks ago, according to Max Smetannikov, vice president of business development for...

Auction marathon down to wire as bid-ness slows to crawl

Before you can run, you have to crawl. That is, you can't run off with your precious, hard-won spectrum before crawling to the finish line along with your auction-weary competitors in the advanced wireless services auction.The auction limped on last week like an Energizer...

Sprint Nextel begins to wade into mobile marketing waters

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...

T-Mobile inching closer to 3G network: AWS bidding slows, but end not yet in sight

Bidding slowed last week in the advanced wireless services spectrum auction, but the competition could be far from wrapping up as companies could bid up prices for competitors and make a few last attempts to capture always valuable spectrum. T-Mobile USA Inc. will almost...

Wishful thinking

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...

Hedgehogging

While perusing the Telus Mobility Web site-hey, it was a slow week-we noticed the Canadian carrier was offering a Motorola Inc. M800 Bag Phone for the bargain price of $500 without a contract. In this day and age of ever-decreasing phone sizes, we think...

Worst of the Week: Get New App

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...

Simplicity to propel wireless gaming

LONDON—Operators must make it easier for users to discover and download games if the mobile gaming market is going to move from niche-market to mass-market status, according to a new report from Informa Telecoms & Media. The market research firm said wireless games will...

Sprint Nextel choose WiMAX, but operational issues linger

When Sprint Nextel Corp. unveiled its choice of next-generation network technology last week, there appeared to be two types of reactions: "Finally!" and "Quit trying to distract us." After months of hints and trials, the carrier laid out its technology decision, a timeframe and...

Verizon Wireless leads A-IMS initiative

Marking its first commitment to Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem technology, Verizon Wireless, joined by a handful of network infrastructure heavy-hitters, unveiled Advances to IMS, or A-IMS, a concept document along with an architecture overview aimed at jump-starting standards development of IMS technology for wireless...

High-powered consortium to push advanced IMS architecture

BASKING RIDGE, N.J.—Verizon Wireless and a group of industry network suppliers have set out what they see as a path to advance mobile network architecture and transition networks to IMS, or Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem. The companies involved in the Advances to IMS, or...

Amdocs’ buy of Cramer follows one-stop-shop tactic

Amdocs Ltd. continued its spending spree last week, agreeing to shell out $375 million to acquire operations support provider Cramer Systems Group Ltd. Cramer, a privately held, London-based outfit, produces network resource management software for mobile and fixed-line telecommunications companies. The firm boasts more...

Ovum expands U.S. presence with Summit Strategies acquisition

LONDON—Market research firm Ovum plc said it will pay $1.2 million to acquire Boston-based counterpart Summit Strategies Inc. Ovum, which staged an initial public offering in March, offers research and analysis to customers including Alcatel Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., Deutsche Telekom AG and Vodafone...

BREW: Alive and well, headed for battle over direct-to-consumer

"News of my death has been greatly exaggerated," Mark Twain is said to have written in 1897, when he remained hale and hearty. Qualcomm Inc. has taken a page from Twain and added a biblical twist, as it hails its new incarnation of BREW...

Wireless looks to capitalize on FIFA World Cup action

All eyes will be on Germany next week as teams from 32 nations open play in the FIFA World Cup, a four-week, 64-game tournament to determine the planet's best soccer club. And the wireless industry is hoping many of those eyes will be watching...

Sweeping back the veil for a closer look at India’s handset market

In the wireless universe, one outstanding fact about India trumps its ancient history, heterogeneous society and complex political and economic mix: With more than 1 billion people, India is the second-most-populous country in the world, and with rising prosperity, its citizens are buying wireless...

Mobile TV needs better programming to prosper, reports show

SAN FRANCISCO-Content providers will need to deliver compelling programming for mobile video to grow beyond the young, male demographic it currently attracts, two new reports indicate. Mobile TV is already drawing a key demographic for advertisers, according to Telephia. Wireless users between the ages...

Mobile TV needs better programming to prosper, reports show

SAN FRANCISCO—Content providers will need to deliver compelling programming for mobile video to grow beyond the young, male demographic it currently attracts, two new reports indicate. Mobile TV is already drawing a key demographic for advertisers, according to Telephia. Wireless users between the ages...

Opera scores T-Mobile deal for mobile browser

HANNOVER, Germany-Opera Software ASA scored a major win, inking a deal to pre-load its Java-based mobile browser on T-Mobile International phones in Europe. The deal calls for a custom, branded version of Opera Mini with "T-Mobile's look and feel" to be embedded on three...