• Sprint Nextel has been named the exclusive wireless data provider for the 2010 census by Harris Corporation, the census’ system integrator. About 140,000 field workers are already operating on the Sprint network to send data to the U.S. Census Bureau in near real-time. In addition, Sprint is providing global MPLS sites, managed devices, active telemetry wireless devices, mobile broadband cards, and services and integration support. Sprint is serving Harris and the U.S. Census through its newly formed Business Markets Group (BMG).
• Broadcom, which provides integrated circuits to original equipment manufacturers, has upped the ante in its takeover bid for Emulex Corp. by 19 percent. Its unsolicited offer now stands at $912 million, or $11 per share from its previous offer of $9.25 a share. The company also said it would drop its lawsuit against Emulex and cancel its proxy solicitation. Broadcom plans to let its offer expire on July 14, a 10-day extension of its previous offer.
• Facebook has named David Ebersman as CFO. Ebersman takes the post in September, replacing Gideon Yu, who left the social networking company three months ago amid disagreements with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Prior to his appointment, Ebersman served as CFO of biotech firm Genentech.
• Sprint Nextel has announced the Motorola Clutch i465. In addition to its other features, the phone has a group messaging function that lets customers send messages to a maximum of 20 people at the same time. The direct connect device is part of Sprint’s iDEN line and has a candy bar form factor and qwerty keyboard. It will be available later this summer for $39.99 with a new two-year service agreement, $20 instant rebate and $50 mail-in pre-tax rebate.
• Mobile video delivery company Ortiva Wireless has appointed James D. Edson as senior vice president of worldwide sales. He will be responsible for handling Ortiva’s domestic and international carrier business, which helps companies improve the quality and efficiency of their mobile video delivery. Prior to joining Ortiva, Edson served in senior management roles at Motorola, Qualcomm, Ericsson, PacketVideo, Littlefeet and Scanbuy.
• Mobile application and services provider i2Telecom International has named Gary Menees as vice president of strategic sales. In his new position, Menees will be responsible for relationships in the company’s key markets, including enterprise, retail and small/medium businesses. Prior to his appointment Menees worked in sales at several telecom companies, including Samsung, Sony Ericsson and T-Mobile.