• MobiTV says it has experienced a 49 percent increase in daily viewing minutes over the last year. The Tiger Woods press conference was responsible for a three-fold jump in MobiTV viewership on channels airing the event: ABC News NOW, FOX News, MSNBC and ESPN Mobile TV.
• Mobile personalization company Bridgewater Systems says its Chief Technology Officer and founder Russ Freen will be stepping down from the CTO position effective March 31. Freen will continue to serve as a director of the company, which made $11.2 million Canadian in 2009.
• InterDigital has formed a Technology Advisory Council to provide guidance on technology and telecommunication industry trends and investment. Participants include IEEE Fellow Gilbert Amelio, 2020 Venture Partners CEO Hossein Eslambolchi and Telecom Italia executive Naresh Soni.
• Dual-mode WiMAX and CDMA USB modem manufacturer Franklin Wireless says sales hit $25.2 million in its second fiscal quarter as demand rose for its U300 and U301 dual-mode USB modems. The company made $821,000 in its second quarter compared to $523,000 last year.
• Prepaid wireless provider Ready Mobile says its handsets and plans are now available at Murphy USA retail locations. Murphy USA has more than 900 stores in 20 states. Ready Wireless anticipates the announcement of additional retail deployments in the coming weeks.
• NextG Networks says it has achieved an industry first with the launch of its 5,000th distributed antenna systems (DAS) site through buildouts of its coverage base in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In addition to the 5,000 DAS sites now in operation, the company has more than 1,500 new, additional DAS sites under contract and in various stages of development.