Analysis: Sprint's big bet on WiMAX
Sprint Nextel Corp.'s proposed WiMAX network may help it deliver more bandwidth-intensive services and reduce costs, this BusinessWeek article says. Using a WiMAX network instead of a T-1 backhaul line could slash network operating costs by two-thirds, said a consultant with i2 Partners. BusinessWeek (12/27)  
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Verizon offers FiOS "Experience" at mall
Verizon Communications recently opened two dedicated stores where people can play video games and watch HDTV -- delivered by its fiber-optic FiOS service. Verizon Experience is a new concept and "is a place where you can touch and feel and see it all, and it's all under one roof," said Verizon Wireless spokesman John Johnson. Yahoo!/Associated Press (12/26)
Level 3 snaps up Savvis' content-delivery network assets
Level 3 Communications plans to pay $135 million to acquire assets from Savvis that will enable the company to better compete in the video-entertainment and online-gaming markets. Level 3 has been expanding its scope through acquisitions, including purchases of Broadwing and TelCove. TechWeb Network/Reuters (12/26)
Essar bids to buy out Hutchison's stake in wireless carrier
The Essar group has made an offer to buy out Hutchison Whampoa's 67% stake in joint venture wireless operator Hutchison Essar, the Economics Times reports. Hutchison Whampoa said it would only consider offers that exceed $14 billion, The Financial Times reports. The New York Times/Reuters (12/27), Financial Times (12/26)
BigBand sets IPO plans in motion
BigBand Networks intends to hold an initial public offering, although pricing has yet to be set. The company's broadcast-video technology serves both telecom and cable operators. Telephony Online (12/26)
Sony Ericsson to enter S. Korea handset market in 2007
Sony Ericsson is expected to enter the South Korean market in 2007, a spokesman for SK Telecom Co. said. Sony Ericsson, the No. 4 handset maker in terms of shipments, may sell high-end phones later in the year after HSDPA is commercialized, the spokesman said. MarketWatch (12/26)
Google testing AdSense-like system for Web video
Google is testing an ad program for short-form video that would offer amateur video makers an easy-to-monetize system similar to the AdSense system used for Web site ads. The first test involves 15-second ads for Allstate that appear on Beet.tv. Adweek (12/26)
Wireless technology trends for 2006
Unstrung senior editor Richard Martin reflects on what happened in the wireless space this year. Among his observations: Wi-Fi and WiMAX became realistic options; big carriers now see their future in data and high-margin services; and smartphone vendors have expanded e-mail services beyond business users. Unstrung (12/27)
Online sales of handsets rise
Between Nov. 19 and Dec. 16, nearly 374,500 U.S. consumers bought new handsets online -- more than three times the number a year earlier -- and the trend could help online mobile-phone reseller InPhonic. People often save money buying a phone online, and Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. also sell phones and service plans online. Yahoo! (12/26)
CNET reviews Moto's Rizr Z3
CNET reviews Motorola's first slider handset, the Rizr Z3, and is impressed with its design, display and navigation controls. The GSM Rizr has Google Mobile, Bluetooth and a 2-megapixel camera, among other features. CNN (12/26)
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