The Fox network has opted for a new dance partner to handle its wildly successful "American Idol" text-message voting campaign, according to sources familiar with the deal.The News Corp. subsidiary will no longer use Mobliss Corp. but has tapped VeriSign Inc. for the popular...
The Fox network has opted for a new dance partner to handle its wildly successful "American Idol" text-message voting campaign, according to sources familiar with the deal.The News Corp. subsidiary will no longer use Mobliss Corp. but has tapped VeriSign Inc. for the popular...
PHOENIX-Freedom Wireless Inc. sued two wireless carriers and three service providers for allegedly violating the company's patents on providing prepaid wireless services. Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Alltel Corp. are named as defendants in two separate suits, along with their prepaid suppliers: Ericsson Inc. is...
LOS ANGELES-Fixed-line Internet companies and industry associations have long grappled with potential pitfalls and consumer-unfriendly tactics such as spam, click fraud and unwelcome pop-up ads from in-your-face marketers. In the world of wireless, though, carriers are hoping to boost mobile data services by keeping...
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-VeriSign Inc. will spend $52 million to acquire technology consulting firm inCode Wireless. InCode has 14 offices in 10 countries and provides strategy consulting services to wireless and fixed-line operators as well as cable TV providers and telecom manufacturers. The company's investors...
LONDON—Groove Mobile is hoping to take its wireless, full-track download service directly to European consumers. The mobile music technology developer said it will step up marketing and business development efforts in England, tapping Jason Binks as its new director of off-portal marketing. Binks’ resume...
For mobile content players, these are either the best of times or the worst of times. Or, in some cases, both. Investment money continues to flow into wireless content and marketing. Thumbplay Inc., a direct-to-consumer aggregator, hauled in $10 million in a third round...
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—VeriSign Inc. said AOL has agreed to use its computer-to-wireless messaging technology in North America. The Internet giant will use VeriSign’s ENUM Data Access Service, which is designed to deliver messages more efficiently and economically between IP and traditional telephone networks. The...
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Wireless content and technology vendor VeriSign Inc. reported revenues for the third quarter that were virtually identical to its results from the same quarter a year ago, but withheld profit-and-loss statistics due to the company’s internal review of its stock-option practices. VeriSign...
NEW YORK-Jamster International bulked up its content portfolio in North America with a deal to offer ringtones, graphics and mobile games from the Walt Disney Internet Group. Disney and its third-party content licensing arm Starwave Mobile already use VeriSign Inc.'s mobile content business to...
NEW YORK—Jamster International bulked up its content portfolio in North America with a deal to offer ringtones, graphics and mobile games from the Walt Disney Internet Group. Disney and its third-party content licensing arm Starwave Mobile already use VeriSign Inc.’s mobile content business to...
VeriSign Inc. finally jettisoned the bulk of its direct-to-consumer mobile content business, selling a 51-percent stake in its Jamba subsidiary to News Corp. for $188 million. The companies announced plans to form a mobile entertainment joint venture, with Fox Mobile Entertainment retaining the Jamster...
Here's what got the edit staff fired up this week: Did you see RCR Reporter Colin Gibbs' story about Sprint Nextel selling ad space on its mobile Web service? Like it promised, Sprint Nextel is transforming itself from a wireless carrier and into a...
LOS ANGELES--A quick tour of last week's CTIA I.T. Wireless & Entertainment event showed there's no shortage of hype regarding the future of wireless data. But there's also plenty of uncertainty. News Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Chernin did his best to...
LOS ANGELES-A quick tour of this week’s show indicates there’s no shortage of hype regarding the future of wireless data. But there’s also plenty of uncertainty. News Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Chernin did his best to add to the hype with...
Hello! And welcome to a special CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2006 edition of our column, Worst of the Week. There's a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry—especially at trade shows—so this column is a chance for us at RCR...
LOS ANGELES—News Corp. and VeriSign announced plans to form a mobile entertainment joint venture in which News Corp. will have a controlling interest in VeriSign’s Jamba subsidiary. News Corp. said it plans to pay $188 million for the ability to combine Jamba with Fox...
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...
BOSTON-Shares of Boston Communications Group Inc. continued to slide after the company received a letter from Nasdaq indicating it was not in compliance with Nasdaq's requirements for continued listing.BCGI, which develops billing software for mobile network operators, said it had anticipated the letter due...
BOSTON—Shares of Boston Communications Group Inc. continued to slide after the company received a letter from Nasdaq indicating it was not in compliance with Nasdaq’s requirements for continued listing. BCGI, which develops billing software for mobile network operators, said it had anticipated the letter...
NEW YORK-The broadening investigation into stock-option grants continues to plague wireless as federal prosecutors brought criminal charges against three former executives of Comverse Technology Inc. The criminal complaint, which was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, accuses founder and former Chief Executive Officer Kobi...
NEW YORK—The broadening investigation into stock-option grants continues to plague wireless as federal prosecutors brought criminal charges against three former executives of Comverse Technology Inc. The criminal complaint, which was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, accuses founder and former Chief Executive Officer Kobi...
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Shares of VeriSign Inc. lost ground despite a rebound in the company's mobile content business during the second quarter. The network infrastructure and wireless content company said its Jamster and Jamba businesses generated a combined $74 million during the recent quarter, with...
Consolidation in the mobile content space remains white-hot, with Motricity Inc. the most recent player to tap the booming off-deck market with the acquisition of GoldPocket Wireless Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Motricity has gained substantial traction with its Fuel software, which...