News of the Day

sponsored by 

EarthLink plans Wi-Fi phone
EarthLink has inked a deal with Accton Technology to manufacture phones designed to work with EarthLink's Wi-Fi networks. The handsets will operate on EarthLink's municipal Wi-Fi networks. Wireless IQ (3/20)

Business & Industry Watch

sponsored by 

AT&T's U-verse goes live in Kansas City area
AT&T has launched its IPTV service in the Kansas City area. AT&T has launched its IPTV service in the Kansas City area. Kansas City represents the 15th market across six states where the U-verse service is available. Multichannel News (3/20)

• AT&T service makes keeping tabs on workers easier: AT&T has released its TeleNav's TeleNav Track service designed to offer workforce GPS-based tracking, which enables dispatchers and managers to locate and determine a worker's location, assign new jobs, estimate time of arrival and keep a record of customer visits. The service is available for Research in Motion's BlackBerry 8800 and HP's iPAQ hw6920 Mobile Communicator. Yahoo!/TechWeb/InformationWeek (3/20)

Carriers, handset makers support Qualcomm
Qualcomm has lined up several telecom heavyweights, including Verizon Communications, Sprint Nextel, Vodafone and Motorola, to help it fight a proposed U.S. ban on EV-DO chips in the U.S. The International Trade Commission is holding a two-day public hearing related to the case filed by Broadcom. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (3/21)

BT comes to aid of smaller U.S. cable, telecom companies
BT Group is helping cable companies, wireless providers, ISPs and CLECs through its Global Telecom Markets organization. Through consulting work, the organization helps Tier 2 and Tier 3 providers transition to IP to better compete for large businesses. Telephony Online (3/20)

Verizon courts customers in New York
Verizon Communications and Cablevision Systems are going toe-to-toe in their battle to win the hearts and wallets of subscribers in the New York metropolitan area. The companies are each touting their networks in ad campaigns. Reuters (3/20)

BenQ rejects chairman's resignation attempt
BenQ's board turned down Chairman K.Y. Lee's offer to take full responsibility for the acquisition of Siemens' mobile-phone unit and resign from his post. BenQ reported a bigger-than-expected fourth-quarter loss of $238.4 million, while revenue slid 48% when compared with a year earlier. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (3/21)

Register for NXTcomm today!
NXTcomm is THE next-generation global forum and marketplace for the business of information, communications and entertainment technology. From enterprise users and service providers to technology suppliers and content providers, the forces that drive communication and the solutions to harness it converge here. Learn about the most innovative and up-to-the-minute technologies, business solutions and revenue-generating applications at NXTcomm's exceptional lineup of keynotes and conference programs. Register now at www.NXTcommShow.com!

Technology Trends

sponsored by 

Broadband providers look to sweeten advertising pot
AT&T is reportedly looking to retool its portal agreement with Yahoo! while The Wall Street Journal reported that Comcast is looking for more revenue from its deal with Google. One reason broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast are rethinking their deals with large Internet brands is that broadband-penetration rates have changed the landscape. ZDNet/CNET (3/20)

Networks try to keep viewers in seats for commercials
ABC, which is scheduled to unveil prototypes Wednesday for less-disruptive commercial breaks, is the latest TV network to look for ways to prevent viewers from clicking to another channel during a commercial pod. "It's not about labeling a 'good' commercial or a 'bad' commercial," said Perianne Grignon, VP for media services at Sears Holdings Corp., which owns Kmart and Sears. "It's about engagement." The New York Times (3/21)

Nortel makes live UMB call
Nortel has made use of MIMO antenna technology to complete a live call over an Ultra Mobile Broadband network. The company demonstrated HD video and VoIP during the call using 4G technologies. Mediacaster (3/20)

Dobson Communications contracts with VeriSign
Dobson Communications will make use of VeriSign's Settlement and Exchange Services platform as part of a clearing services agreement. The bundled roaming and revenue assurance platform features a customized Web-based reporting system. cellular-news (U.K.) (3/21)

Regulatory & Legislative

Petition: FCC should have no say over Internet TV
The FCC should relinquish its regulatory authority over Internet TV because the service is neither a cable nor broadcast entity, according to a petition from Internet TV company Network2. Broadcasting & Cable (3/20)

Britain weighs in on net neutrality
U.K.'s former trade minister Alun Michael sees net neutrality as a nonissue in Britain, saying the idea of it is "impractical." Ofcom, which enables providers to prioritize packets by application, supports letting the market sort out competition issues. The Register (U.K.) (3/20)

LeadQuote

Email: ustelecom@dailylead.com
Legal and Privacy information at http://www.dailylead.com/legal.jsp