FirstNews
South Korea Says Samsung Chip Plant Caused Cancer
December 14, 2012 9:22 am | by Youkyng Lee, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA South Korean government agency said Friday that working at a Samsung Electronics factory caused the breast cancer of a worker who died earlier this year, only the second time it has recognized a link between cancer and Samsung's chip plants...
UN Group Gives Nod for Greater Internet Oversight
December 13, 2012 11:30 am | by Brian Murphy, Associated Press | News | CommentsA U.N. conference weighing possible Internet rules shifted into a high-stakes showdown on Thursday after advancing a proposal for greater government oversight. The proposal was a blow to U.S.-led efforts to keep new regulations from touching the Net.
Google Maps App Back on iPhone
December 13, 2012 11:11 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsA new native Google Maps app for iOS devices went live in Apple's App Store today, bringing some relief to those suffering Apple's own flawed maps app included in iOS 6. While iPhone and iPad users operating on iOS 6 have been able to access...
Sprint Officially Offers to Buy Clearwire
December 13, 2012 10:44 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsClearwire today filed an 8-K to inform investors of Sprint's filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, disclosing its intent to acquire the Clearwire Corporation capital stock it doesn't already own. Clearwire's filing reports...
First News Briefs for December 13, 2012
December 13, 2012 10:28 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsRed Bend Software announced that LG Electronics has chosen Red Bend’s vRapid Mobile firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updating software and vDirect Mobile device management software for its new Optimus G smartphone.
French Mobile Operators Hit with Antitrust Fines
December 13, 2012 9:29 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsFrance's competition watchdog has slapped €183 million ($239 million) in fines on the country's two top mobile operators for anti-competitive pricing policies between 2005 and 2008. The Autorite de Concurrence said Thursday that Orange and SFR had abused their dominant...
Broadcom Announces Quad-Combo Chip
December 12, 2012 10:25 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsBroadcom yesterday introduced today introduced two new Near Field Communication (NFC) solutions to be showcased at the upcoming 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The company announced a unique quad-combo chip that will...
Microsoft Increases Surface Tablet Production
December 12, 2012 10:24 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Surface is the first tablet Microsoft Corp. is selling under its own brand, and the company is promoting it heavily after its late-October launch. But reviews have been mixed, and there have been few signs that the tablet is flying off the shelves. So far, Microsoft has been selling it online and through its own stores.
First News Briefs for December 12, 2012
December 12, 2012 10:04 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsBoingo Wireless, Inc. today announced the expansion of its relationship with NTT DOCOMO, INC. The agreement will give NTT DOCOMO access to Boingo’s global network of more than 600,000 hotspots and NTT DOCOMO will extend the Boingo worldwide network of managed and aggregated hotspots to its customers, providing a seamless global user experience.
Report: Sprint, Clearwire Deal Could Come Soon
December 12, 2012 10:00 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsSprint and Clearwire are nearing a deal that would allow Sprint to buy the remaining 49 percent of Clearwire that it doesn't already own, according to a report from CNBC. In October, Sprint acquired a 4.5 percent stake in Clearwire from Eagle River Holdings LLC to push it up to a 50.8 percent...
FCC Gives Dish OK on AWS Spectrum
December 12, 2012 10:00 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsThe FCC late yesterday gave approval for Dish Network to deploy a terrestrial wireless broadband network on its holdings of what was previously spectrum reserved for satellite transmissions. The decision came concurrent with the commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for an auction of the H Block, a chunk of airwaves adjacent to Dish’s AWS spectrum in which Sprint has expressed interest.
MVNO FreedomPop Enters In-Home Broadband Market
December 12, 2012 9:52 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsFreedomPop, an MVNO operating on Clearwire’s WiMax network, today announced its foray into home broadband and the company has begun accepting pre-orders for its Hub Burst modem/router. The broadband service will operate on a freemium model similar...
Avvasi Enables Ops to Improve Video QoE
December 11, 2012 11:22 am | by Brian Santo, CED Magazine | News | CommentsAvvasi has introduced a new system network operators can use to actively adjust the quality of video – per subscriber and per device. While the system could be used by any broadband provider, Avvasi’s new product (like its previous products) are aimed at LTE network operators. The company said its Q-SRV Video Service Gateway builds on its Q-VUE product, currently...
Report: Kodak Gets Patent Bid from Apple, Google
December 11, 2012 11:09 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsApple and Google, bitter rivals in smartphone technology, have joined up to make a combined bid for a bundle of patents offered by photography pioneer Kodak, according to a published report. Bloomberg News reported Saturday that Apple Inc. and Google Inc. have abandoned competing bids for the portfolio to offer a combined $500 million.
Apple Questions Text-to-911 Rules
December 11, 2012 11:05 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsApple is looking for clarification from the FCC as to exactly what applications will be included in its Text-to-911 initiative. Apple appears concerned about whether clients like its IP-based iMessaging application will be effected by the plan. In a filing with the FCC, Apple suggested...
iSolated: Bad Apple Maps Directions Lead to Desert
December 11, 2012 10:55 am | by Kristen Gelineau, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe city of Mildura is not at the end of a dirt road in the Australian bush, in tire-choking desert sand far from food and water. Unfortunately, Apple's much-maligned mapping application thinks it is. Australian police say the app is "potentially life threatening" because of the bad directions it has given to the southern city.
Virgin Mobile Pulls Offensive Ad
December 11, 2012 9:33 am | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsVirgin Mobile, owned by Sprint Nextel, has removed from its website and disavowed an offensive ad, citing it as a "rogue post by an external agency that was not approved by Virgin Mobile US." Virgin Group founder Richard Branson joined the Twitter chorus that decried the ad as distasteful and vaguely supportive of violence toward women.
Huawei Will Open R&D Center in Finland
December 10, 2012 4:14 pm | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsHuawei Monday announced a move to set up shop on Nokia's home turf. The Chinese company says it will invest $90 million over a five-year period to establish a research and development (R&D) center in Helsinki, Finland. Huawei said the move will add to its existing R&D deployments, which include over 70,000 employees worldwide.
Growth in Smart Connected Devices Expected to Continue
December 10, 2012 10:49 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsThe global connected device market continues to grow, according to the latest number from IDC reseach. According to the report, shipments of PCs, tablets, and smartphones as a collective grew 27 percent annualy in the third quarter of 2012, hitting a record 303.6 million shipments valued at $140.4 billion dollars.
Dish: Sprint Trying to Block New Market Entrant
December 10, 2012 10:32 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsThe back and forth between Dish Network and Sprint continued today, as Dish submitted an ex parte filing that blasts Sprint's suggestion that the FCC do more to protect the H Block from being interfered with by Dish's AWS-4 spectrum.
First News Briefs for December 10, 2012
December 10, 2012 10:00 am | by Wireless Week Staff | News | CommentsRio Tinto will use Alcatel-Lucent’s LTE and IP network technologies in Rio Tinto’s West Angelas mine in Australia to support in-pit mining operations, including asset monitoring and other production and safety systems.
Why Is Wall Street Losing Its Appetite for Apple?
December 10, 2012 9:46 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsApple began selling the iPhone 5 on Sept. 21, the same day the company's stock hit an all-time peak of $705.07 per share. Since then, the stock has plunged more than 20 percent, trimming the company's market value by more than $150 billion. On Friday afternoon, shares were trading at around $534.
STMicroelectronics to exit Ericsson joint venture
December 10, 2012 9:39 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsEurope's largest chipmaker, STMicroelectronics NV, said Monday it plans to exit its money-losing joint venture ST-Ericsson, as it struggles to manage a downturn in global demand. Swiss-based STMicroelectronics said it is negotiating "exit options" from ST-Ericsson, its joint venture with Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson.
T-Mobile: We Will Aggressively Challenge AT&T
December 7, 2012 4:38 pm | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsT-Mobile USA CEO John Legere says that his company will aggressively challenge AT&T in the coming year. "You love your iPhone, but you hate AT&T. I want you to get used to that kind of tone, because that is the way we're going to play," Legere said, during remarks Thursday...
CTIA: Dish Spectrum Will Not Interfere with GPS
December 7, 2012 10:53 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsIn the on-going drama surrounding Dish Network's AWS-4 spectrum, CTIA said there is no need for the adoption of GPS-specific technical requirements in the FCC's final rules on Dish's holdings. In a filing with the FCC, CTIA noted that "GPS operations, located at 1559-1610 MHz band...
