SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—724 Solutions Inc. announced it will go ahead with its plan to be acquired by venture-capital firm Austin Ventures. Austin said it would acquire 724 for $3.34 per common share. The amount is slightly more than the previous purchase price the companies...
By Jeremy Mullman CHICAGO—An alcohol industry watchdog group is accusing Anheuser-Busch of marketing beer to underage drinkers after the brewer announced a partnership to advertise on MobiTV, a streaming TV service for mobile phones.A-B said it is partnering with MobiTV in a deal that...
LAS VEGAS—When Jorma Olilla, chairman and chief executive officer of Nokia Corp., bid farewell to the industry at CTIA Wireless 2006’s opening day keynote session on Wednesday, he asked the audience’s indulgence to reminisce about wireless’ coming of age during his 13-year tenure. Olilla...
LAS VEGAS—With fog, fireworks and a helping hand from Mickey Mouse, Disney Mobile announced the launch of its cellular service at yesterday’s CTIA keynote. Steve Wadsworth, president of the Disney Internet Group, joked that the towering on-stage model of the silver Pantech flip-phone that...
LAS VEGAS—Verizon Wireless is still mulling over which spectrum auction to participate in, company officials said at CTIA on Wednesday, and has not yet made a final decision over whether to go after Advanced Wireless Services spectrum in the auction this summer or bide...
LAS VEGAS—Recently launched sports-oriented mobile virtual network operator Mobile ESPN L.L.C. reported a deal with network partner Sprint Nextel Corp. to expand the distribution of Mobile ESPN phones and services to at least 500 Sprint Nextel retail locations in the United States and Puerto...
LAS VEGAS—Sprint Nextel Corp. doesn’t expect to add many new mobile virtual network operators to its network, and plans to take time to digest the ones it already has and see how they do, company officials said during a roundtable Monday afternoon. Len Lauer,...
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—Alltel Corp. said it will offer some of its customers commercial-free music streaming over its CDMA network. MobiTV Inc. developed the carrier’s new Axcess Radio service. The service initially will be available to customers with Motorola Inc. Razr V3c and Kyocera Wireless...
RESTON, Va.—Sprint Nextel Corp. announced new services in Las Vegas that allow customers to use their mobile phone to buy tickets, register at hotels and receive mobile coupons. The company introduced a new service that allows wireless customers to purchase tickets for the Las...
ANDOVER, Mass.-Mobile music company Groove Mobile announced it closed $8.5 million in new venture funding. Egan-Managed Capital led the round, while Charles River Ventures, Kodiak Venture Partners and Star Ventures also participated. Groove has so far raised more than $20 million in funding. "Groove...
SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-In a move that could help it retain a core piece of business, Motorola Inc. is developing handsets for Sprint Nextel Corp. designed to work on both the carriers iDEN network that Motorola created for Nextel Communications Inc. in the 1990s as well...
All signs point to the Walt Disney Co. gearing up to jump into the wireless space soon. The company's mobile virtual network operator's Disney Mobile Web site has been stepping up efforts to lure would-be subscribers to the service, as well as offering hints...
Bango is powering three new mobile content portals for properties of publishing giant Hearst Publications. The U.K.-based provider of direct-to-consumer content launched mobile sites for Cosmopolitan, CosmoGirl and Seventeen, hawking ringtones, wallpapers and horoscopes for the publications. Users can access the catalogs by sending...
Wireless operators largely are expected to maintain their market share in the first quarter, which is typically a weaker quarter than the holiday-fueled fourth quarter. However, the seasonality of the wireless sales cycle is expected to be flattening, with less variation among the four...
BOULDER, Colo.-The Mobile Marketing Association has created a committee to address the operational and technical guidelines surrounding wireless video. The committee, which is open to all MMA members, seeks to establish best practices for marketing through wireless video and create guidelines for measuring the...
Sprint Nextel Corp. may have gotten a jump-at least in the rhetorical game of crafting perceptions-over its arch-rival and fellow CDMA carrier Verizon Wireless with its announced plans to implement CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A and its intent to be first to market with...
BRISTOL, Conn.-With Major League Baseball's spring training winding down, two wireless players are gearing up to bring baseball content to their subscribers in time for opening day. Mobile virtual network operator Mobile ESPN L.L.C. announced a suite of content focused on the 2006 baseball...
Amp'd Mobile Inc. is ramping up its reach, with new distribution plans and content aimed at furthering its ambition of "liberating the digital tribe," in the words of Doug Dobie, the mobile virtual network operator's chief marketing officer. Amp'd launched online in December, following...
BRISTOL, Conn.—With Major League Baseball’s spring training winding down, two wireless players are gearing up to bring baseball content to their subscribers in time for opening day. Mobile virtual network operator Mobile ESPN announced a suite of content focused on the 2006 baseball season....
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Even as Sprint Nextel Corp. continues to build out its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO network, the carrier has announced a plan to make its network even faster using EV-DO Revision A. According to Sprint Nextel, the company will concurrently put in Rev. A...
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.—Wireless operators are doing well at retaining customers, and only 7 percent of cellular customers say they plan to switch providers when their contracts are up, according to a survey by consumer and retail information company NPD Group. NPD bases its mobile...
RALEIGH, N.C.—Oasys Mobile Inc.’s makeover has been expensive. The company formerly known as Summus Inc. reported a net loss of $1.82 million in the quarter ended Dec. 31, up more than threefold from its net loss during the final quarter of 2004. The company...
BOULDER, Colo.—The Mobile Marketing Association has created a committee to address the operational and technical guidelines surrounding wireless video. The committee, which is open to all MMA members, seeks to establish best practices for marketing through wireless video and create guidelines for measuring the...
SEATTLE–Hearst Magazines is going both on- and off-deck to offer ringtones, images, daily horoscopes and editorial content from Cosmopolitan, Seventeen and CosmoGirl to wireless users. Hearst is teaming with Volantis to targeting 12- to 34-year-old females with its offerings, which will be available through...
