• Verizon Wireless announced the exclusive availability of Business Ringback Tones to let organizations replace the generic ring callers hear when contacting a wireless business number with a customized message. Business Ringback Tones are priced at $1.99 per month per line.
• Boost Mobile launched International Connect, a $10 per month add-on for Monthly Unlimited customers that includes unlimited international text messaging and walkie-talkie in and between the United States, Canada, Baja California (Mexico) and to select areas of South America from the United States, Canada and Baja California (Mexico) for one flat charge.
• American Airlines is moving from the Wi-Fi trial stage and into the installation of Gogo Inflight Internet on more than 300 domestic aircraft over the next two years. American will install the Aircell system on its domestic MD-80 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft fleets, beginning with 150 MD-80 aircraft this year.
• Pocket Communications, a San Antonio, Texas-based wireless voice and data service provider, will offer Qualcomm’s BREW-based services to Pocket customers beginning this summer.
• MobiHand announced the beta release of its own on-device app store client for BlackBerry smartphones. The beta-release version of the MobiHand App Store includes more than 5,000 free and paid applications from BlackBerry developers. Best- selling applications appearing in the app store at launch include QuickLaunch, BBSmart Alarms Pro, TouchBubbles, StormSlots, Aerize Email Alerts and Empower Email Viewer. The MobiHand App Store also features a Deal-of-the-Day, where consumers are offered a deep discount on a different best-selling application every day.
• GoTV Networks is launching LiveFromYou, a personal media application for mobile phones and social networks. The new product enables users to share the stories of their lives in pictures, videos and words with friends and family on their social network page. LiveFromYou automatically organizes pictures, videos and other media for instant sharing via an application widget loaded onto a user’s Facebook or MySpace page.
• The IP/MPLS Forum announced the successful completion of the pilot phase of its “MPLS in Mobile Backhaul” Certification program, with four vendors completing and successfully passing the tests. The program allows vendors and operators to work together to provide a globally recognized benchmark for use by mobile backhaul providers, operators and their end-users. Vendors that successfully completed the initial phase of certification include Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei Technologies and Juniper Networks. Cisco already has been certified as part of the pilot phase.