As the apparent economic slowdown continues to shake up Wall Street and dislodge stocks, many in the wireless industry are holding their breath to see whether the situation is grave enough to cause consumers not to jump on-or jump off of- the mobile bandwagon...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is wading through competing comments and competing economic studies as it decides whether to eliminate the cap that limits the amount of spectrum a company can control in a market, leave it in place or raise the cap to 70...
Sprint PCS added 826,000 net customer additions for the first quarter ended March 31, topping analysts estimates of 800,000 net additions. The carrier said its business customer base jumped 73 percent fueled by its Sprint PCS Wireless Web for Business offering.Net operating revenue for...
Players throughout the wireless industry are waiting for the Federal Communication Commission to determine the fate of the current spectrum-cap rules.If the caps are kept in place-an idea favored by most of the small wireless operators-the wireless industry landscape is expected to remain the...
WASHINGTON-In a development with national implications for a wireless industry increasingly hit with complaints about service quality and billing problems, a California telecom regulator last week suggested the state Public Utilities Commission may consider approving a new policy before year's end that would allow...
The federal government recently has been looking at freeing up spectrum in the 1710-1850 MHz band, currently being used by the Department of Defense, and the 2500-2690 MHz band, which is occupied by a variety of tenants including religious, educational and fixed wireless Internet...
Several recent announcements have cast an unfavorable light on Symbian Ltd., a maker of operating systems for a number of wireless devices. But even with the added illumination, it's still unclear whether the company is in for rough times or smooth sailing.Last month, the...
The once questionable smart-phone market received additional validation last week as Sprint PCS announced it would market Kyocera Corp.'s QCP-6035 handset beginning later this month. The news follows the carrier's plan to introduce Samsung's SPH-I300 smart phone later this summer, and the lead of...
HNC Software, which provides predictive software solutions, is breaking ground in the telecommunications world with its new Telecommunications Fraud Data Consortium, which it said is a first in the industry.HNC has spent the past year developing a data and fraud consortium to help carriers...
WASHINGTON-Last December, two months after President Clinton ordered government studies on spectrum availability for third-generation wireless systems and at a time when mobile-phone and Pentagon officials were intensely studying the issue, Senate Armed Services Committee member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) quietly directed the General Accounting...
The plan is ambitious, to say the least.Metrocall Inc. and WebLink Wireless Inc. announced last week a plan to merge by concurrently filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a business move that apparently has never been done before. The struggling companies face a number of...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa-Verizon Wireless launched its digital wireless service in Cedar Rapids, which includes coverage to Iowa City, Waterloo/Cedar Falls and Dubuque.According to the company, features of the new digital service include caller ID, text messaging, superior voice quality, longer battery life and enhanced...
Amid the frenzy over a flagging economy and road bumps to the next generation of technologies, Nokia Corp. won a series of third-generation infrastructure contracts that gives the handset vendor coveted status as a network provider.The deals, including a $1.3 billion deal to supply...
Nokia Corp.'s splash into the CDMA handset market was tempered last week after the world's largest cell phone manufacturer admitted some of its phones already on the street will not work with high-speed networks expected to roll out later this year. Nokia said the...
INDIANAPOLIS-Brightpoint Inc. announced its subsidiary Brightpoint North America L.P. will provide B Digital USA Inc. with integrated logistics services including packaging fulfillment and other support services for wireless handsets and accessories in the United StatesB Digital was formed in March 2000 as a subsidiary...
BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless added more than 518,000 new customers during the first quarter, bringing its total customer base to 28 million subscribers.While Verizon Wireless was pleased with the additions, the carrier noted net additions were negatively impacted by the company's ongoing plan to remove...
EDGE is dead. Long live EDGE.Depending on where they stand on the EDGE debate, some operators want EDGE born alive. Others think it should be left as merely an idea.Andrew Seybold of the Andrew Seybold Group is not amused by the optimism expressed about...
BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless launched Mobile Office, a service allowing customers to use their data-capable wireless handsets to dial into their company network or Internet service provider.While the service is included with all of the carrier's digital service plans, Verizon Wireless offers a Mobile Office...
WASHINGTON-The mobile-phone industry, stung by two government reports last week that largely rule out use of the 1700 MHz and 2500 MHz bands for third-generation wireless systems, managed to win a commitment from Commerce Secretary Donald Evans to work with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld...
In addition to being headquarters to a slew of businesses that have become known worldwide, including Microsoft Corp. and Starbucks, Seattle last week was ground zero for GSM technology as VoiceStream Wireless Corp. hosted the GSM Association's 45th Plenary Meeting.While the meeting is only...
WASHINGTON-The Illinois Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision that said Illinois cities, including Chicago, could not charge wireless carriers rights-of-way fees because they do not use them.The Illinois court is the first in the nation to address the constitutionality of fees imposed on...
It's all about connecting.The notion that telecommunications exists to connect people is no longer a simple yet catchy idea, but an obvious cliche that does little to sell communications services. Advertising agencies and wireless companies are looking to connect with consumers on a different...
NEW YORK-Lenders anted up significant capital during the first quarter for the five publicly traded wireless tower companies, even as their share prices declined amid the stock market's general concerns about telecommunications."At a time when companies like PSINet made announcements that their stock is...
LAS VEGAS-Like fresh water on a dry rock, some good news for Lucent Technologies Inc. But how good?The $5 billion deal last week with Verizon Wireless provided a shot in the arm for a company whose repeated stumbles have made industry watchers wonder if...
