December 2007
Holiday Wire: Sacca As VC; iTunes Ovi Offer;... →
— 5 Questions with Chris Sacca: Chris Sacca, head of special initiatives at Google (NSDQ: GOOG) (responsible for Google’s spectrum bid), is among the latest to depart the Googleplex to become an investor. IN an interview, he talks about open networks: “The impending openness creates huge opportunity. Although I was hopeful about getting them to open their networks, I must admit...
Ringtone On The Wane Globally →
Not that this is news to regular readers here..we have been tracking the decline of aggregators and interest in the ringtone market for most of this year. NYT reports on some numbers from third party trackers, and says that former ringtone kings, like Jamba of Germany and Musiwave of France, are refocusing their businesses on other phones apps. What happened? Multimedia phones which allows users...
Infospace's Mobile Division Sale To Motricity... →
Motricity has closed its acquisition of the mobile services business unit of InfoSpace for $135 million, the companies announced on Friday. Also as expected, Motricity announced the completion of $185 million in funding in a round led by Advanced Equities, Carl Icahn and New Enterprise Associates. Ryan Wuerch remains as chairman and CEO of Motricity while Steve Elfman, former EVP of...
Holiday Wire: ITunes Ovi Offer; Aussie Age Regs →
— A Nokia board member has been quotes as saying: “Apple can get into our portal [Ovi]. We even invite (Apple Inc chief executive) Steve Jobs to do so”, adding that Apple’s i-Tunes store would be an enrichment for Nokia’s customers. While that might be true, I suspect the offer was made under the strong assumption that Apple wouldn’t be taking it up any time...
Broadcom Claims Qualcomm's Workaround Also... →
Just to keep up on this… The workaround that Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) developed to get around the patent Broadcom claims is being infringed is being called into question. RCR News reports that Broadcom is complaining to the US ITC that the workaround also infringes its patent.
Holiday Wire: Google-DoCoMo; Verizon Sports →
We’re closed for the rest of the year, hence running on headlines until Jan 2:
— DoCoMo To Offer Google Services: Japan’s NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM) is in talks with Google (NSDQ: GOOG) for more Google services on iMode. KDDI already has a deal with Google on search and e-mail services for its “au”-brand mobile phones.
— Verizon Gets Mobile With Sports: The...
SPONSOR POST: WINBC launches first ever Pacific... →
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Encounter 100s of the brightest minds and greatest ideas in wireless. PNWS is Canada’s only regional wireless conference.
Register now for the conference or, if you are a promising Canadian wireless company, for the Service Provider Investment Forum (SPIF).
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Holiday Wire: Google-DoCoMo →
We’re closed for the rest of the year, hence running on headlines until Jan 2:
— DoCoMo To Offer Google Services: Japan’s NTT DoCoMo is in talks with Google for more Google services on iMode. KDDI already ha a deal with Google on search and e-mail services for its “au”-brand mobile phones.
O2 Expects TO Sell 200K iPhones By Jan; Big Data... →
UK telecom operator O2’s CEO Matthew Key was in California last week to meet Steve Jobs, briefing him on the iPhone’s progress so far in the country. Key told FT that 200K iPhones should be sold in Britain by early January, in line with his expectations since the November 9 launch. A 3G version of iPhone is due next year and Key is confident that O2 will also have an exclusive deal for...
Broadcom Claims Qualcomm's Workaround Also... →
Just to keep up on this… The workaround that Qualcomm developed to get around the patent Broadcom claims is being infringed is being called into question. RCR News reports that Broadcom is complaining to the US ITC that the workaround also infringes its patent.
Nokia Wins Pre-Emptive Strike In UK Patent Case... →
A British court has ruled that three of four InterDigital patents are not essential to the UMTS 3G standard, in a case brought by Nokia. InterDigital has previously filed claims with the US International Trade Commission, alleging Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is engaging in unfair trade practices related to the licensing of some of its patents, and the two companies have fought numerous patent battles over...
Mobile Content Bits: N-Gage; O2; GPS; Australia;... →
— N-Gage Beta Launch Delayed: Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has delayed the launch of the public beta test of its revamped N-Gage service until after the New Year, despite earlier comments that it would open the testing this week. The official N-Gage blog says the company this week discovered in its closed testing “an issue we feel we need to address.”
— O2 Revamps Portal: O2 in the...
Senators Urge FCC To Open White Spaces Spectrum →
Five senators urged the FCC to approve the unlicensed use of the so-called “white spaces” spectrum that exists in between frequencies used for television broadcasts. In a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, the senators said opening up the white spaces would have significant benefits for consumers, and that it should be opened up to unlicensed use for both mobile and fixed services,...
Vivendi's SFR Buys Louis Dreyfus & Cie.'s Stake In... →
The deal is done: Following days of talks, Vivendi (EPA: VIV) SA’s SFR mobile phone unit will buy Louis Dreyfus & Cie.’s 29.5 percent stake in telecom provider Neuf Cegetel for 2.12 billion euros ($3.05 million). It has also offered 4.5 billion euros ($6.4 million) for the remaining 59.5 percent stake of Neuf Cegetel it doesn’t yet own. The deals would put Vivendi in the...
Mobile Internet Usage In Japan: Survey →
Most Japanese seem to have fairly steady mobile phone usage habits if a self-reported survey is anything to go by. What Japan Thinks reports that 61.3 percent of respondents said there was no change in how often they used the internet on their mobile phones this year compared to last year. On the plus side, 19.3 percent said they used it a little more, 6.7 percent said they used it more and 4.3...
9 Million Mobile TV Subscribers In Korea →
Korea had 9 million mobile TV subscribers across both its T-DMB and S-DMB networks at the end of October, reports Telecoms Korea behind a subscription wall. The last figures at the end of November had the free T-DMB service with 4 million registered users and the for-pay S-DMB service with about 2.4 million subscribers.
What If The iPhone Weren't A Slam Dunk In Japan? →
When the news surfaced that Steve Jobs was talking to DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM) president Masao Nakamura, it was widely assumed that bringing the iPhone to Japan would be a slam dunk for Apple. After all, Japan is the land of nearly 98 million mobile users who routinely pay $300-$400 for a handset and do all sorts of things on their mobiles like paying for purchases, watching TV and even reading novels....
In Hibernation Mode For Rest Of December →
A big and eventful year for all of us is coming to an end, and we’re going into hibernation mode for the rest of December, barring breaking news. The newsletters will resume Jan. 2. Time to kick back, recharge, reflect, and plan. Thanks to all of you—our readers, sponsors, partners, and others—for making 2007 a fab year. Expect a lot more from us in 2008: more in-depth coverage, deeper...
Earnings: RIM Income More Than Doubles From Last... →
Blackberry maker Research in Motion (NSDQ: RIMM) reported revenue of $1.67 billion in its Q3, up 100 percent from last year’s $835 million. Net income more than doubled to $370.5 million from $175.2 million a year ago. The company says it shipped 3.9 million Blackberries in the quarter and that its subscriber base swelled to 12 million. Revenue for the coming quarter is expected to be around...
2007 Review: Big Web Brands In Mobile Have Strong... →
To a large extent 2007 has been dominated by the moves of big web brands into mobile. In fact, if I was under pressure to point to the strongest effect on the mobile industry this year I would point to Apple’s (NSDQ: AAPL) entry into the market (note that I didn’t say iPhone), which I’ve explained below. I include Apple as a “web brand” because its entry was linked...
Mobile Content Bits: Activision; Thumbplay; 3 UK;... →
— Guitar Hero III Out On Verizon: Activision’s (NSDQ: ATVI) mobile version of Guitar Hero III is now available exclusively to Verizon (NYSE: VZ) subscribers, for $4.49 per month or $11.99 for unlimited use. (Release)
— Qloud To Sell Thumbplay Content: Qloud, which makes a music application users can put in their social-networking profiles, will feature links to ringtones for...
Yahoo To Launch Panama For Mobile in Q1 →
Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) plans to launch its Panama online ad platform for mobile devices in the first quarter of 2008, reports NMA (subscription required). Yahoo says it will allow advertisers to run integrated online and mobile campaigns, and control both from a single user interface. The company also says it wants to be the leading mobile internet advertising player, but it’s already lagging a...
Kyte's Second Round: $15 Million Led By Telefonica →
SF-based video platform Kyte says it raised $15 million in a second round, officially putting a number on previously reported investments from Telefonica, (NYSE: TEF) Nokia, (NYSE: NOK) DoCoMo, (NYSE: DCM) Swisscom, and Holtzbrinck Ventures. Om reported last week that Telefonica contributed $5.6 million to the round, but Kyte won’t confirm that number. Also participating was previous...
Danger Files For $100 Million IPO; $56.4 Million... →
Palo Alto-based Danger, a developer of mobile platforms and services, has filed to raise up to $100 million in a NASDAQ IPO. The company behind the T-Mobile Sidekick device and related services says it did revenues of $54.6 million in the fiscal year ending Sept 30, up 14 percent from the previous year’s revenue of $49.3 million. Net loss for the year was $12.4 million. Underwriters include...
Yahoo Signs America Movil For OneSearch; 16... →
Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) has announced its biggest carrier deal to date: America Movil, which has 143 million mobile subscribers. The deal will see oneSearch as the default mobile search engine on America Movil’s mobile portals in 16 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. Yahoo will customize and deploy localized versions of oneSearch for each region, and America Movil may add more of...
Nokia Update Removes GPS Tracking Feature →
Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has released a firmware update for the N95, which reportedly improves the handset in a number of ways, but The Register has noted one disturbing change: The update takes away the tracking feature from Nokia Maps. The feature gives a “you are here” indicator which updates as you move, but now people who want it will have to upgrade to the premium version of the...
Can Japan's Mixi Take The Mobile Web? →
Facebook and MySpace may be all the rage in the US and Europe, but in Japan, homegrown Mixi is the country’s most popular social networking site. But the site—which started eight years ago as a job portal targeted at twenty-somethings and made a $10 million profit out of $46 million in revenue in its last fiscal year—may see itself superseded if it doesn’t move swiftly enough to...
Forsee To Move To University Of Missouri →
Ex-Sprint (NYSE: S) CEO Gary Forsee will reportedly be named the next president of the University of Missouri system, the uni where he got his degree in engineering. In terms of income it’s a come down for Forsee, reports STLToday, which spends a while pointing out his salary will be $400,000, along with a deferred bonus of $100,000 a year if he stays for three years…compared to $17...
More On 700 MHz Bidders: EchoStar is In, So Too... →
More information about the bidders in the upcoming auction for 700 MHz spectrum has trickled out, as people figure out who’s behind the different registered bidders (PDFs of all 266 entities are here and here). It wasn’t clear earlier if EchoStar (NSDQ: DISH) had registered; it has done so through an entity called Frontier Wireless, reports Tech Trader Daily. Large companies and...
Trouble At 3Guppies After VC Firm Yanks... →
It’s not exactly clear what’s going on at Seattle-based 3Guppies, formerly known as Mixxer, but it definitely doesn’t sound good: apparently the company’s VC backers, VantagePoint Venture Partners, have yanked its $20 million investment, effectively shutting the company down. VentureBeat says VantagePoint “turned off the lights” at 3Guppies and sent its...
AT&T's MediaFlo-Powered Mobile TV To Launch 'As... →
AT&T (NYSE: T) will launch its mobile TV service, using MediaFlo’s network, “as early as possible” in 2008, reports Multichannel News. It had been reported earlier that the service’s launch had been pushed back to next year because AT&T was fine-tuning things; a spokesman confirms this, saying the operator wanted to “make sure the user experience is absolutely...
Brazil Completes 3G Auction →
Brazil has finished its 3G auction with no big changes in the landscape—all the licenses were won by the big three telcos in Brazil (Vivo Participacoes, TIM Participacoes and Claro) reports Cellular News. There was a significant premium above the expected price paid for the licenses, ranging from 34 percent to 274 percent above the market price. Regulator Anatel has raised the forecast revenues...
Verizon CEO Seidenberg: Mobile Video 'To Be A Big... →
Ivan Seidenberg, CEO of Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Communications, the parent company of Verizon Wireless, appeared on CNBC’s Mad Money show with Jim Cramer last night, talking up the company’s prospects as a converged services provider, saying it’s had to make “a spectacular adjustment” to keep up with consumer demand. Seidenberg sees great prospects for mobile video (as one...
Generation Y Wants M-Commerce Now →
Generation Y isn’t just leaving parents behind when it comes to shopping using their cell phones—retailers too, are struggling to keep up with them. USA Today has an in-depth look at the shopping habits of “digital millennials,” as this age group is being called, who want the ability now to search for an item on their phone and to buy it.
Like all teens, those in the story...
700 MHz Auction Applicants Revealed; Paul Allen... →
The Federal Communications Commission released the names of 266 “short-form” applicants for the 700 MHz spectrum auction scheduled to start Jan. 24. (Pdfs of the lists here and here.) Among the names: Vulcan Spectrum LLC with Paul Allen, majority owner of Charter (NSDQ: CHTR) Communications; AT&T (NYSE: T) Mobility Spectrum LLC; Google; Advance/Newhouse Partnership; Cox...
Industry Moves: Julio Linares Named As New... →
Spanish network operator Telefonica (NYSE: TEF) has tapped its head of planning Julio Linares to become its next chief executive officer, according to Reuters, citing Spanish newspaper reports. Telefonica has not yet confirmed the move, and said it would release a statement later today. Spain’s Cinco Dias newspaper noted that Telefonica hasn’t had a CEO in four years, and that the...
China Forms $54 Million Fund To Promote Homegrown... →
Chinese regulators have established a 400 million yuan (US$54 million) fund to give the Chinese mobile TV technologies a bit of a push over the next three years, reports Variety, adding that the aim is to avoid paying royalties to foreign firms to use their technology. There’s no mention of which particular technology is to be favored (if any) but the fund will administered by the State...
Android Full Of Bugs →
A “sizable number” of developers have complained that the Android tool kit is “plagued by coding errors” reports the Wall Street Journal, although the article only quotes two. “Functionality is not there, is poorly documented or just doesn’t work. It’s clearly not ready for prime time,” said Adam MacBeth, who earlier this year helped found mobile...
Dutch Operator KPN Finds Success In Germany With... →
Dutch mobile operator KPN has found success in Germany with the cut-rate, no-frills, no subsidized handsets mobile plan it offers through Base, a brand it had imported from Belgium. Indeed, as Businessweek notes in its feature article on KPN, it’s shaken up the Vodafone-T-Mobile “duopoly” in the country. While the two operators are duking it out trying to offer consumers more...
FCC Releases List Of Applicants For 700MHZ... →
The FCC released a list of all 266 potential bidders who have filed applications to participate in the upcoming January auction of the 700 MHZ band late Tuesday night. The list is filled with both the usual suspects and some more intriguing ones, such as oil company Chevron, and Vulcan Spectrum, owned by Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) co-founder Paul Allen.
As expected, wireless operators AT&T,...
Save The Date: EconSM 2008 Conference: April 29th... →
Before the end of our sold-out Economics of Social Media conference in April, we were already hearing from participants who wanted a reprise. Now we can tell you that will happen: the 2008 edition of EconSM will take place April 29 in the creative setting of the Skirball Center in Los Angeles.
Like last year, the focus of the conference will be business models and deals in the social media...
Real CEO Glaser: Operators Should Follow Cable TV... →
Mobile operators should follow the lead of cable TV operators by bundling content together and selling it in packages, says RealNetworks (NSDQ: RNWK) CEO Rob Glaser in an interview. He argues that putting content in packages would deliver users more content at a lower price than today’s a-la-carte pricing, and would generate more overall users of mobile data and content services. Glaser has...
Mobile Content Bits: Footy MVNO; Frengo; IM Ads;... →
— Football MVNO for TMN: Portuguese mobile operator TMN and the Porto Football Club are launching a new prepaid MVNO, reports Telecom Paper. Aside from the usual voice calls and SMS, the new Dragao Mobile service offers exclusive club content to customers, according to Telecom Paper. Customers will also get 5 percent of the value of each top-up returned to their bank account for use on FC...
Vivendi In Talks To Buy Remaining Part Of French... →
Vivendi (EPA: VIV) is in talks to acquire the remaining part of French telecom provider Neuf Cegetel it doesn’t own, according to a statement Neuf made to the Paris stock exchange. Vivendi’s French mobile-phone unit, SFR (which is 44 percent owned by Vodafone), owns about 40.5 percent of Neuf, the country’s second-biggest broadband provider; French trading group Louis Dreyfus is...
US Residential Mobile Phone Spending In 2007 Set... →
US residential spending on mobile phone service in 2007 should surpass the amount spent on landlines for the first time, the AP reports. Government figures say that US households spent an average of $524 on mobile bills in 2006, compared to $542 on landlines and pay phones, and market researchers say mobile spending should come out on top in 2007, thanks to people dropping their landlines and...
Mobile Still Seen As A Casual Gaming Platform:... →
Despite ever-advanced handsets and software, a new report says consumers still perceive mobile phones as casual gaming devices, reports Cellular-News. Parks Associates, the firm behind the report, says that even though 3D, multiplayer and other advances are established in the mobile market, most consumers aren’t yet aware of them, which means casual games will continue to dominate sales....
Earnings: Palm Swings To Loss On 11 Percent... →
Troubled smartphone maker Palm (NSDQ: PALM) announced quarterly revenue of $349.6 million, down 11 percent from last year’s $392.9 million. Losses came to $9.6 million ($.09 per share), a reversal from a $12.7 million ($.12 per share) profit in the year-ago quarter (Palm’s Q2). Total smartphone sell-through came in at 686,000, which is a disappointment, as analysts had been looking for...
Facebook Settles Text-Messaging Lawsuit; Says It... →
Facebook has settled the lawsuit an Indiana woman filed against it a few months ago, reports the AP. The woman alleged that she’d received a bunch of unsolicited and sometimes explicit content from Facebook, after one of its users’ phone numbers got recycled to her. She alleged Facebook was profiting from the messages by receiving a cut of the 10 cents she had to pay Verizon (NYSE: VZ)...
Content Mobilizer Viigo Raises First Round Of... →
Viigo, the Canadian maker of a content mobilization platform, says it’s secured its first round of funding. It’s not disclosing the amount of the round, only saying its total funding from angel and VC investors is now at C$6.4 million (US$6.3 million), and that the round was led by Canadian VC firm Ventures West. Viigo’s platform allows publishers to offer their existing web...
Off-Portal Surfing Boosts Network Traffic And... →
UK operators that allowed their customers unfettered access to surf beyond the confines of their walled gardens saw their network traffic and their content sales grow the fastest. Mobile web platform provider Bango, (AIM: BGO) which helps companies create a presence on the mobile internet, trawled through the data from their total base of content providers and found that Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) UK...