PURCHASE, N.Y.—MasterCard Worldwide customers can find nearby ATMs with their mobile phones thanks to a new application from Mobile 365. Under the new service, Mobile users can dial an 800 number and enter their location information to receive a text message detailing the location...
BOSTON—Wireless enterprise data services in North America will generate more than $10 billion each year by 2010, according to a new study from research firm Strategy Analytics Inc. The company said the market will serve more than 41 million users in North America by...
MADRID, Spain—Mobile transaction provider mBlox said it is working with application service provider Dynetic to provide an SMS-based bidding service to eBay in Spain. The service uses mBlox’s SMS services to alert customers when they have been outbid on an item on eBay. Customers...
The health-care industry increasingly is looking to wireless technologies to save money, reduce inefficiencies and cut down on human errors. And the wireless industry is scrambling to oblige. Modern health-care providers and administrators in Europe are finding creative ways to use text messages to...
More than one-third of wireless customers have some sort of data plan as part of their wireless subscription, according to research by The NPD Group. However, the retail and consumer information company concluded that "consumer adoption of most data services has remained steady through...
Valista Ltd. is vying for more space on the mobile payments playground with a hosted, WAP-based offering for carriers in the United States and Europe. The Dublin, Ireland-based developer this week plans to unveil a new platform designed to serve as a bridge between...
Two briefings. Two telecom execs. One conclusion: The market of one is the future-and companies that successfully navigate that space will profit from this small audience.Today, carriers have segmented their subscribers in several ways: there is the business user, the pro-sumer, the family-plan user,...
NEW YORK-Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. has tapped MX Telecom to support its off-deck content activity. The mobile virtual network operator said MX Telecom will deliver premium SMS support and provide short-code connectivity for third-party transactions. The London-based messaging company maintains direct connections to more...
NEW YORK—Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. has tapped MX Telecom to support its off-deck content activity. The mobile virtual network operator said MX Telecom will deliver premium SMS support and provide short-code connectivity for third-party transactions. The London-based messaging company maintains direct connections to more...
PALO ALTO, Calif.-Social networking provider FriendFinder.com said it launched a new payment system that allows its members to be billed for the company's services via their cellular carrier. "We are turning on a (premium short message service) billing system that enables members to buy...
PALO ALTO, Calif.—Social networking provider FriendFinder.com said it launched a new payment system that allows its members to be billed for the company’s services via their cellular carrier. "We are turning on a (premium short message service) billing system that enables members to buy...
BASKING RIDGE, N.J.—Verizon Wireless hopes that, as it claims, "everybody loves chocolate," especially the $150 variety from LG Electronics Co. Ltd. that provides multimedia functions. Verizon Wireless launched the Chocolate today, hyping it as "part MP3 player, part phone, totally sweet." The Chocolate phone,...
Welcome to Hedgehogging. As you know from your own jobs, there is always something happening in the wireless industry. Some of it makes us stop what we're doing to clap, boo or simply question these developments. This column is a round-up of wireless happenings...
Call it the WAP gap. Major media companies and mega-brands around the world are trying to lure customers by promoting short codes as a kind of red carpet to their Internet and mobile offerings. Consumers can send a text message to the five-digit code...
From carriers to content providers to messaging companies, everybody in wireless wants to drive data revenues. And a couple of companies are focusing on users' fingers. Digit Wireless Inc. hopes to boost text-messaging activity and minimize cumbersome user interface issues with its Fastap keypad,...
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...
SUNNYVALE, Calif.—Skype Ltd. has tapped mobile transaction company mBlox Inc. to power its new text message service. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Skype SMS allows users to send text messages from computers to mobile phones worldwide. The Internet voice service provider claims more...
WASHINGTON—An influential House Democrat said policy-makers should consider requiring wireless carriers and other communications service providers to participate in any overhaul of a Cold War-era emergency alert system. At a hearing last Thursday, Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), ranking member of the House telecom and...
Upoc Networks announced it is providing mobile chat and community functions to Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. customers.The service allows customers to access thousands of existing messaging groups or create their own personal messaging groups. The service is available on phones through a WAP browser...
NEW YORK—Upoc Networks announced it is providing mobile chat and community functions to Virgin Mobile USA L.L.C. customers. The service allows customers to access thousands of existing messaging groups or create their own personal messaging groups. The service is available on phones through a...
ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. has turned to flat-rate bundles for messaging. The move mirrors pricing strategies from other national carriers, some of which have been offering flat-rate bundles for messaging for about a year and a half, according to a Current Analysis research note. The...
SINGAPORE—Motorola Inc. has decided to turn up the volume—the volume of handsets it sells, that is—by releasing five new, entry-level handsets in pursuit of the proverbial "next billion" subscribers in emerging markets. The American handset maker made the announcement today at the opening day...
Wireless carriers are spending big bucks in promoting the use of their flashy, fast new data services: full-length music downloads, three-dimensional mobile games, Web surfing and the like. But with carriers relying on revenue from those transactions to boost their average revenue per user,...
Wireless industry trade association CTIA is hoping to spur direct-to-consumer revenues by expanding the industry's short-code program. The industry group, along with short-code administrator NeuStar Inc., announced open registration for six-digit short codes. Wireless subscribers can access content or services by sending a key...
