cdma

Nortel CEO said to be leaving soon

Nortel Networks CEO Mike Zafirovski, who led the company into bankruptcy protection earlier this year and oversaw the sell-off of its wireless assets to Ericsson, will reportedly leave Nortel within weeks, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing "people familiar with the matter."

Nortel representatives did not immediately respond to e-mail seeing confirmation of and comment on the report.

Zafirovski was hired in 2005 to help turn around the company, much like he had done for Motorola's cell phone division. Initially, he had some success building profits from selling wireless gear to U.S. operators. Under … Read more

Ericsson to pay $1.13 billion for Nortel wireless tech

Ericsson cast the $1.13 billion winning bid in an auction for the wireless assets of bankrupt Nortel Networks, the companies said Saturday.

The Swedish telecommunications giant picked up Nortel's CDMA and next-generation LTE wireless technologies. As part of the agreement, at least 2,500 Nortel workers supporting CDMA and LTE will be offered jobs at Ericsson.

CDMA, or code division multiple access, is one of two major networks operating in the U.S. and is used by Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel. LTE, or Long Term Evolution, is 4G wireless technology that will potentially replace today's mobile … Read more

Gasping for air, Nortel to sell off wireless tech

Nokia Siemens Networks will buy Nortel Networks' wireless technology business for $650 million.

Struggling Nortel, a one-time giant in telecommunications equipment, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January in hopes of reorganizing. But that is unlikely now.

Nokia Siemens said Friday that it will use Nortel's CDMA and LTE technology to expand its presence in North America. CDMA, or code division multiple access, is one of the two major networks operating in the U.S. and is used by Verizon Wireless and Sprint. LTE, or Long Term Evolution, is 4G wireless technology that will potentially replace today's … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 823: Sad trombone

Whence comes the sad trombone, and other questions of great worldly importance dominate today's discussions, but there is, in fact, other technology news today. For example, Steve Jobs is OK, but citizen journalism may not be; iTunes isn't going to have to shut down after all (but copyright pricing remains outrageously stupid); and Microsoft extends the life of the Windows XP loophole...presumably all the way to Windows 7's doorstep. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 823

Steve Jobs heart attack… not http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10057521-37.html

Music publishers keep same download rate, Apple keeping … Read more

Intel's Maloney on WiMax, notebook challenges

Ask Sean Maloney about Intel's biggest challenges and biggest opportunities for growth and he'll mention the same thing: WiMax, the company's chosen broadband technology.

Maloney, an executive vice president of Intel and the chipmaker's chief sales and marketing officer, has seen waves of technology come and go since joining the company back in 1982. Recently, he got the additional responsibility of coordinating company strategy, which he said has "a good deal to do with the rapid pace of our global development."

I had the chance to talk with him last week. Maloney initially touched … Read more

Coolpad: Dual SIM, dual network

It's a common dilemma for frequent travelers on business: Should you use roaming to remain in contact but pay exorbitant fees just to call a local number? Or switch your SIM card to a local account and risk missing important calls? Most compromise by having two phones, which is frankly no solution at all.

Coolpad phones claim to be the first in the market with dual-SIM devices that not only work with more than one network, but can even switch between GSM and CDMA accounts without batting an eye. Currently retailing in Indonesia, China, and Africa, handsets range from $… Read more

What exactly is Sprint doing?

Is it just me, or is Sprint really trying to confuse the heck out of everyone? When the carrier merged with Nextel almost two years ago, everyone in the cell phone world thought it was the oddest of odd couples, and it was. Not only did the two companies operate incompatible networks (Nextel had its signature iDEN service while Sprint used CDMA), but also they attracted different consumer segments. Though at the time Sprint promised that it would be a "merger of equals," Nextel fans weren't so sure. How would the combined company integrate the two carriers … Read more

Verizon switches standards gears for next-generation network

Verizon Wireless is shaking up its technology plans for the second time this week.

Two days after the company announced plans to open its network to outside devices and applications, it announced plans to switch gears when it comes to future networking technology.

Verizon Communications and Vodafone, joint owners of Verizon Wireless, plan to use the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard backed by GSM industry players rather than the UMB (ultramobile broadband) standard backed by Verizon's current partners.

There's a host of implications for the industry, but for the phone user, the impact is simple. Right now, if … Read more

Verizon opening door to mobile future

Slowly but surely, we're reaching the point where future mobile computers will be able to hook up to the wireless Internet just like a PC.

Verizon Wireless' announcement that it will open its network to outside devices and applications by the end of next year is the latest step in the dismantling of the traditional wireless industry. For years in the U.S., we've been locked to networks, saddled with expensive two-year contracts, and restricted from doing things we'd like to do with the products we buy.

It seems like that is finally starting to change. Verizon'… Read more