An increasing number of parents around the country can sidestep the dreaded $400 cellphone bill boosted by their child's texting mania, as more wireless companies begin to offer custom controls on children's wireless usage.AT&T Mobility announced last week that it is making parental controls...
Wireless call quality continues to improve, with customers seeing a reduction in initial disconnects in particular, according to the most recent J.D. Power and Associates report on call quality.The study, which was based on responses from more than 25,000 wireless users earlier this year,...
Telecom carriers traditionally have been among the nation's biggest advertisers. Through the years, those advertisements have educated us about rate plans, weekend calling, in-network calling, call quality and the joys of texting. They've also introduced us to some pretty cool phones. The advertisements playing...
Editor's Note: Welcome to Yay or Nay, a feature for RCR Wireless New' new weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week we'll review a new wireless application or service from the user's point of view, with the goal of highlighting what works...
THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS Commission appeared poised to reject M2Z Networks Inc.'s plan to offer free nationwide broadband service on the 2155-2175 MHz band, a move likely to prompt a court challenge and refocus the campaign to integrate open-access wholesale requirements in the wireless space.Once...
The Federal Communications Commission appeared poised to reject M2Z Networks Inc.'s plan to offer free nationwide broadband service on the 2155-2175 MHz band, a move likely to prompt a court challenge and refocus the campaign to integrate open access-wholesale requirements in the wireless space.Once...
Google Inc. Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt left the door open to bidding on wireless licenses when the 700 MHz auction begins in mid-January, but the Web search-engine giant and others are not apt to make final plans until after the Federal Communications Commission...
Welcome to our Friday feature, Week in Review. Every Friday, RCR Wireless News will run through the major events of the past week, outlining what happened and speculating on what to look for in the coming weeks. Check below for news about carriers, handset...
Despite the tumultuous nature of the business, it appears the mobile virtual network operator market hasn't lost the interest of private equity and venture capitalists. Movida Communications Inc. announced that it received $40 million in financing from a group of new and existing investors.The...
Customer satisfaction in the prepaid sector has increased considerably since last year, driven by new pricing options and services, according to the latest survey by J.D. Power and Associates. Overall satisfaction got a boost of 10 points on the company's 1,000-point scale, with cost...
The Federal Communications Commission set Jan. 16 for the start of the 700 MHz auction, and asked for public comment on competitive bidding procedures for the 1,099 wireless licenses up for grabs. The agency will employ anonymous bidding as a safeguard against anti-competitive behavior...
hedge*hog*ging v. Interrupting conversations in an office environment by poking your head over the top of the cube. Verizon Wireless, which recently announced plans to acquire Rural Cellular, said it had acquired the assets of Ramcell in Kentucky and Oregon. The deal included Ramcell's...
Though diminishing in count, regional wireless operators continued to report firm financial results highlighting continued opportunities outside the urban corridors.U.S. CellularU.S. Cellular Corp. reported $971.6 million in total revenues for the second quarter, a nearly 15% increase compared with the $846.1 million the carrier...
The Federal Communications Commission scored one for the little guys last week, essentially saying that nationwide operators have to strike roaming agreements with smaller carriers. The commission did not dictate prices for roaming service, but noted that reasonable deals must be made and carriers...
Verizon Wireless said it purchased the operating assets of regional wireless services provider Ramcell in Kentucky and Oregon for an undisclosed sum.The nation's second-largest carrier picked up Ramcell's 51 cell sites as well as spectrum licenses that cover a population of nearly 600,000 in...
Leap Wireless International Inc. failed to meet analysts' estimates for customer additions in the last quarter and its stock suffered dramatically because of it, plummeting more than 20% following yesterday's report.The carrier reported almost 127,000 customer additions to its Cricket-branded service, most of which...
WHILE THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION AND OTHERS CELEBRATED anticipated public-safety and wireless benefits of last week's 700 MHz auction rules decision, skeptics question whether the action will indeed produce a competitor to the Bell telephone-cable TV broadband duopoly and a strong commercial entity willing...
Sprint Nextel Corp. is pulling out of the joint venture it formed with four cable companies to participate in the Advanced Wireless Services spectrum auction last year, but said the move has long been planned and does not reflect a change in carrier's strategy....
While the Federal Communications Commission touts anticipated public-safety and wireless benefits of its 700 MHz rulemaking decision, others are skeptical about whether the ruling will indeed produce a competitor to the Bell telephone-cable TV broadband duopoly or a strong commercial entity willing to partner...
It's been a tough couple of weeks in the mobile content space.Crown Castle International Corp. fled the nascent mobile TV market last week, absorbing a $10 million hit as it shut down its Modeo business and agreeing to lease the spectrum once salted for...
Sprint Nextel Corp. unveiled a new WiMAX partnership this morning, announcing it is working with Internet giant Google Inc. on a new mobile portal for WiMAX mobile Internet customers. This is the carrier's second major WiMAX collaboration announcement in two weeks. Sprint Nextel said...
An increasing percentage of customers report that their service problems are "resolved in a timely manner," according to the latest survey of customer care by J.D. Power and Associates-and carriers' investments in network infrastructure are likely the cause. The semi-annual study asks customers about...
Yahoo Inc. has tapped Chicago's Novarra Inc. to provide transcoding technology for its oneSearch offering.Novarra, which powers mobile Internet services for a handful of wireless services providers-including bankrupt mobile virtual network operator Amp'd Mobile Inc.-will provide technology that customizes Web pages for mobile phones....
AT&T Mobility will work with Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. to build a 3G wireless network in Hawaii, the two companies announced. DoCoMo said it will provide up to $24 million to support the network build, which AT&T plans to launch on Oahu by...
