Mobile

The Federal Communications Commission opened a formal proceeding Wednesday to get feedback on whether it should reclaim some spectrum licenses held by TV broadcasters and auction them off to wireless broadband providers.

The public comment notice issued by the FCC is the first step in a process that could pit TV broadcasters against the FCC and the wireless industry.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a speech earlier in the week that he is interested in taking back some of these airwaves to re-auction them for use in building new wireless broadband services.

Broadcasters oppose a plan under which they'… Read more

Verizon Wireless and AT&T have ended their public legal spat over advertising, and have thus agreed to stop complaining about each other's advertising campaigns.

On Wednesday AT&T announced it dropped its suit against Verizon Wireless for allegedly misleading customers by showing its weak 3G coverage. And Verizon said it agreed to drop a suit it filed earlier this year against AT&T for claiming it had the "More Bars in More Places," the "Best Coverage," and the "Best Worldwide Coverage."

In its amended suit filed in August, Verizon … Read more

If you thought that all wireless carriers know just how good their competitors' networks are, you might be suffering from a dropped conception.

In a recent speech to the Association of National Advertisers, posted on the AdAge Web site, Verizon Chief Marketing Officer John Stratton explained that his company couldn't get hold of any good data on just how reliable AT&T's network is. So it commissioned a third-party survey, one that seems to have sent it giddy with joy.

"What we saw, we sort of suspected, but it was almost astounding," he said.

So … Read more

Correction at 10:01 a.m. PDT December 7: VMSP licenses will be sold at $41,200.

How will demand for mobile technology play out in developing countries? Mike Kellett and Joe Morgan are tackling this issue as they prepare to launch their global mobile platform at CES 2010.

Although their joint venture, IP2, isn't the first company to address the need for low-cost international cellular service, it's taking a different approach. "We have a system that doesn't depend on government intervention," says Mike Kellett, co-founder of IP2, based in the U.K.

IP2 will … Read more

AT&T has dismissed its lawsuit against Verizon Wireless for using an advertisement that AT&T complained confused customers about its 3G wireless coverage.

On Wednesday, AT&T formally dismissed the lawsuit. Last month, the wireless operator suffered a major legal setback when a judge rejected the company's request to force Verizon to pull its "There's A Map For That" advertising campaign.

AT&T filed its lawsuit in federal court in Atlanta in early November asserting that Verizon Wireless' advertisements mislead customers by suggesting that AT&T subscribers cannot access wireless … Read more

The Federal Communications Commission is shaking up the communications market with bold initiatives to overhaul the $7 billion Universal Service Fund to help pay for universal broadband and reallocate wireless spectrum for new wireless broadband services.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski presented plans for revising the USF program and reallocating spectrum during a speech on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., at The Innovation Economy Conference.

The Universal Service Fund is a $7 billion federal subsidy program that is funded by fees added to consumer phone bills. The USF was originally designed to provide subsidies to pay for phone service in rural … Read more

Finally, some good news from Nokia.

On Wednesday, the world's largest maker of cell phones said it expects sales volumes of mobile handsets to increase 10 percent in 2010 from 2009, as the market rebounds from a worldwide recession.

"Going into 2010, the overall mobile-devices market is stabilizing, and it is growing more in the areas where Nokia has competitive advantages," Nokia's new chief financial officer, Timo Ihamuotila, said in a statement.

Nokia said its worldwide market share of 38 percent would remain unchanged next year but that the company would increase revenue by focusing on … Read more

As Research In Motion opens up the BlackBerry platform, it is providing new features and integration between third-party apps and core BlackBerry apps.

ZDNet UK spoke to Alan Brenner, a RIM senior vice president and general manager for the platform. Brenner was asked how BlackBerry competes in the crowded smartphone app market, how the handset manufacturer expects to work with developers, and what the key challenges are for the company's mobile platform.

Q: Where do you think the new APIs and the integration into core BlackBerry apps put the BlackBerry as a platform, compared with other smartphones? Brenner: The … Read more

India has blocked service to all mobile phones without a valid identity code, as part of antiterrorist measures being implemented by the Indian government.

On Monday, any handset without a valid International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) code had its connection cut off, according to the Indian Cellular Association (ICA), which represents mobile operators in the country. The mobile industry is complying with a government directive that arose after discussions between Indian security agencies and the Indian Department of Telecommunications, the ICA added.

The IMEI, a 15-digit number printed inside a phone, can be used to identify a particular device on … Read more