Roy Mark

AT&T and Verizon Wireless announced a spectrum swap Dec. 4 as part of the divestiture requirements of AT&T’s $2.8 billion acquisition of Dobson Communications. Before the acquisition, Dobson was the largest independent rural wireless provider in the United States, with 1.7 million customers. Verizon Wireless will acquire from AT&T some former Dobson properties in Kentucky. […]

U.S. Senator Arlen Specter introduced legislation Dec. 3 that would shift the responsibility for telephone companies’ role in President Bush’s warrantless domestic spying program to the government. Under Specter’s bill, those suing AT&T, Verizon and other carriers would have to change their legal claims from those against telecoms to claims that can only be made […]

Nokia is looking to mobile Internet services as the engine that will drive the expected 16- to 17-percent growth in operating margins over the next two years. Speaking at the company’s annual investor event in Amsterdam, Netherlands, CEO Olli Pekka Kallasvuo said Dec. 4 that he expects Nokia’s Devices & Services Division operating margin to […]

Seeking damages and future royalties estimated at $360 million, Klausner Technologies is suing Apple and AT&T for patent infringement related to the iPhone. The lawsuit, filed Dec. 3, also names Comcast, Cablevision Systems and eBay’s Skype for patent infringement on the same technology. Apple is named in the lawsuit as the designer of the iPhone, […]

The executive turmoil at struggling Motorola continued Dec. 3 with the resignation of Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Padmasree Warrior. Warrior’s resignation came three days after Motorola announced that CEO Ed Zander is stepping down and will turn over the reins of the company Jan. 1 to Ed Brown. According to various media […]

Comcast and Time Warner said Dec. 3 they would not participate in January’s 700 MHz spectrum auction, eliminating two potential powerhouse bidders for the prime airwaves considered ideal for wireless broadband. Google declared Nov. 30 it would be in the race for the spectrum while AT&T and Verizon, who have not officially stated their intentions, […]

In the end, billionaire investor Carl Icahn got what he wanted: Ed Zander’s ouster as Motorola’s CEO. Now, Ichan, who holds about 3 percent of Motorola, wants to break up the world’s third largest cell phone maker. After Motorola announced Nov. 30 that Greg Brown would replace Zander as CEO on Jan. 1, Icahn, who […]

Beset with slumping handset sales and little momentum, Motorola said Nov. 30 Greg Brown will replace Ed Zander, Jan. 1, as chief executive officer of the worlds No. 3 cell phone maker. Zander will continue to serve as Motorolas chairman until the annual meeting of stockholders in May 2008. Zander, a former Sun Microsystems executive, […]

Ending months of speculation, Google said Nov. 30 it would bid for the choicest slice of airwaves in Januarys 700MHz spectrum auction. The eventual winner of the spectrum is required under Federal Communications Commission rules to allow customers to use any legal device or software on the network. The open requirements imposed by the FCC […]

Google officially entered the hunt Nov. 30 for what is likely the most valuable spectrum to come on the market for a generation. The lingering question is, why? After a successful summer campaign to convince the Federal Communications Commission to change the rules for Januarys 700MHz auction to require the winning bidder to build an […]

Verizon plans to use Long Term Evolution technology as it path to fourth generation wireless services. Long Term Evolution will provide Verizon and Vodafone — the joint owners of Verizon Wireless — with the opportunity for a common access platform that will eventually allow customers to use their phones in both the U.S. and Europe, […]

Apple will release a 3G iPhone next year, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said Nov. 28. Apples current iPhone, introduced earlier this year under an exclusive contract with AT&T, runs on the companys slower EDGE network. Speaking at a Churchill Club appearance in Santa Clara, Calif., Stephenson did not elaborate on a specific release date or […]