WASHINGTON—The total amount raised by the advanced wireless services auction is creeping toward $13 billion, although each round is raising less money that the previous. However, bidding is still active on a number of licenses; the number of licenses with new high bids continues...
WASHINGTON—Just as at any yard sale after a long weekend, the big, expensive items are long gone and the persistent shoppers have continued to rummage about for the unappreciated gems that add significant value to their own current holdings. Click here for the latest...
TOKYO—KDDI Corp. said it will invest $1.73 billion over the next three years to upgrade its network to CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A technology. Japan’s second-largest carrier said the new network will boost network speeds roughly tenfold, allowing downloads up to 3.6 megabits per...
RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. ousted its chief operating officer, Len Lauer. The company released a statement saying it is making changes in the management of its core operations and that Lauer was leaving the company immediately. Gary Forsee, president and chief executive officer, is...
WASHINGTON—Bidding remained active on the ninth day of the Federal Communication Commission’s advanced wireless services spectrum auction, as bidders continued to focus their attention on smaller licenses now that bidding on big regional licenses appears to have ended. Click here for the latest headlines...
The days of charging consumers $3 for a 30-second ringtone may be coming to an end. But for carriers, record labels, artists and software developers, there is still plenty of money to be made in mobile music "personalization." Analysts long have predicted the demise...
The advent of contactless payment technology in mobile handsets ushers in big possibilities for credit-card companies, network operators, and handset and chip vendors-if all parties can agree on an equitable business model. For consumers, new technologies such as near field communication, or NFC, offer...
IRVINE, Calif.-Search company go2 plans to deliver sponsored listings from Yahoo Inc. through its mobile service. Go2 Directory Systems, which is offered on the decks of Cingular Wireless L.L.C., Sprint Nextel Corp. and Verizon Wireless, will deliver relevant links from Yahoo advertisers in addition...
Sprint Nextel Corp. CDMA affiliate iPCS Inc. has claimed victory in a lawsuit that could force Sprint Nextel to divest its iDEN operations in the affiliate's territory. Sprint Corp. took control of the iDEN network when it acquired Nextel Communications Inc. last year. iPCS...
Sprint Nextel Corp. had a rocky second quarter, with plummeting retail postpaid net customer additions and negative net additions through its wholesalers. Carrier executives acknowledge the problem and blamed it on a tightening of the company's credit requirements for customers, as well as the...
LONDON-The Walt Disney Co. has opted to delay the launch of its mobile virtual network operator phone service in the United Kingdom. "We have decided to postpone the launch of the Disney Mobile service," said Disney Mobile U.K. spokeswoman Sandra van Vreedendaal.Van Vreedendaal added...
As the advanced wireless spectrum auction moved into its second full week, competition for regional licenses was slowing considerably and a number of potential new wireless players had dropped out. T-Mobile USA Inc. appears likely to succeed in its quest of expanding its spectrum...
Despite initial anticipation that cable and satellite companies would use the advanced wireless services spectrum auction to catapult into the mobile marketplace, the hype doesn't seem to be panning out. However, walking away from the spectrum auction may not be a bad thing, at...
Sprint Nextel Corp. is launching a new advertising campaign focused on the quality and capabilities of its network. The new tagline for the carrier's ads will be: "Sprint. Power Up."The nation's third-largest carrier will launch internal employee campaigns and new advertising efforts "as part...
Belgian car fanatics can now download a free ringtone that features the revving engine of a Porsche Cayman S. The ringtone is an interactive "mupy" promotion offered by communication agency DDB, urban furniture company JCDecaux and wireless marketing firm Alterwave. People passing within 10...
SAN FRANCISCO-Burger King Corp. is letting its customers get their information their way-and more and more, that way appears to be via a mobile phone. Although McDonald's Corp. and other rival chains have toyed with mobile marketing tests, such as text-messaging sweepstakes and on-pack...
Controversial competing technologies. A spectrum auction that brings in billions of dollars. Am I flashing back to 1995?No, but a few noteworthy announcements in recent weeks are reminiscent of spectrum auctions and subsequent buildouts for second- and third-generation services. If history repeats itself, look...
Sprint Nextel Corp. tweaked its Fair & Flexible price plans, leaving the dollar amounts the same on the basic voice plans but changing the number of minutes for three of its mid-range plans and increasing the cost of overage minutes. The changes basically eliminate...
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The battle for the large regional licenses in the advanced wireless services spectrum auction appears to be largely settled at this point, with Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. the big winners. Click here for the latest headlines from the AWS auction. Click...
WASHINGTON—Verizon Wireless appears to be in a bidding war with T-Mobile USA Inc. over the valuable F-block licenses up for grabs in the advanced wireless services spectrum auction. Meanwhile, Sprint Nextel Corp.’s joint venture with four cable companies is focusing on buying spectrum within...
RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. is launching a new advertising campaign focused on the quality and capabilities of its network. The new tagline for the carrier’s ads will be: "Sprint. Power Up." The nation’s third-largest carrier is starting internal employee campaigns and new advertising "as...
IRVINE, Calif.—Search company go2 plans to deliver sponsored listings from Yahoo Inc. through its mobile service. Go2 Directory Systems, which is offered on the decks of Cingular Wireless L.L.C., Sprint Nextel Corp. and Verizon Wireless, will deliver relevant links from Yahoo advertisers in addition...
CHICAGO, Ill.—Sprint Nextel Corp. CDMA affiliate iPCS Inc. has claimed victory in a lawsuit that could force Sprint Nextel to divest itself of its iDEN operations in the affiliate’s territory. Sprint Corp. took control of the iDEN network when it acquired Nextel Communications Inc....
WASHINGTON—Verizon Wireless staked a claim to all six of the largest licenses for sale in the advanced wireless services auction, bidding $3.5 billion in round 14 of the auction for 20 megahertz of spectrum covering the entire continental United States.Click here for the latest...
