My selection of industri news » WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

Senior Sprint Director Stepping Down

KV — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:31:27 +0000

Sprint Nextel Corp. announced that their longest-serving director, Irvine O. Hockaday Jr., has decided not to run for re-election to the company’s board. The company did not cite any reason regarding Hockaday’s decision but they assured the public that it had nothing to do with the company’s policies or operations. Some observers doubt this as Hockaday has been under public scrutiny for the longest time because of his unusual situation.
Over his 12 years with the company, Hockaday had his fair share of criticism. Analysts have been claiming that Hockaday has violated rules that limit certain individuals to a particular number of boards. Aside from his position at Sprint, he was also Chief Executive at Hallmark Cards Inc. up to 2001, and is currently a member of the boards of Crown Media Holdings Inc., Ford Motor Company, and Estee Lauder Inc.

Newest Axesstel Products to be Flaunted CTIA

KV — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:30:02 +0000

Axesstel, industry heavyweight in wireless voice and broadband products, intends to showcase its newest products at the upcoming CTIA Wireless Convention to be held this April 1-3 at Las Vegas Convention Center. Axesstel has been assigned to Booth 1034 and will be displaying their latest technologies including wireless phones, broadband modems, and security alarms.
Axesstel’s revenue mostly come from 2G and 3G GSM technologies and the company intends to build on their previous success in this field. The organization is looking to take advantage of the current trend as more and more carriers migrate from CDMA to the newer and faster HSPA networks. Operators, most notably in North America, are following this trend and Axesstel intends to make this region their primary target market for 2009.

The Verizon Revolution

KV — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:28:34 +0000

Verizon Wireless, the largest telecom network in the United States, intends to further improve its customers’ retail store experience this 2009. The telecom giant recently announced that they will be opening an additional 560 retail stores with the Evolution Store design. The state-of-the-art store design gives Verizon customers a fully interactive experience with the company’s latest services including wireless voice, data, video and music.
The design was initially introduced last year to more than 20 stores throughout the United States and Verizon says that by the end of 2009, they intend to have the design rolled out to as much as 830 Communication Stores.
Among other features, the Evolution Store’s latest innovation is the SHOPP system or the Streamlined Hybrid Order Processing Path which is a custom-built sales software system that promises to enhance the entire in-store sales process.

100 InterDigital Employees to Lose Jobs

KV — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 03:25:22 +0000

InterDigital employees from its King of Prussia, Pennsylvania site will be losing their jobs in the next few weeks. The communication corporation announced Monday that further layoffs have to be made due to the current restructuring of the company, and that at least 100 employees should expect to be released. The company says that these job cuts will translate to around $33 million of savings.
The layoffs are related to the company’s plans to have some changes in their SlimChip business. InterDigital will no longer develop and produce new chips and will focus on those they have already developed, by securing intellectual property licenses for them. Surely this move will be able to help the company through its financial struggles, but what happens to the 100 jobless folks who will definitely experience their own crises?

China Unicom: What Recession?

KV — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:22:58 +0000

Business analysts and economists alike have shared their thoughts on the ongoing global financial crisis, and some have said that China is or will be the least affected country in the world. If anything, the country and its local businesses might even experience growth during the recession. To prove this point one just has to look at China Unicom, China’s smallest telecommunications provider, and how much profit it made in 2008—a whopping $4.9 billion.
The Beijing-based companies released a statement on Tuesday that their 2008 profit rose 58 percent by the end of 2008. The company gained profits amounting to 33.9 billion yuan (almost $5 billion) compared to 2007’s 21.4 billion yuan. Does this fact truly serve as proof that China will not at all experience the hardships of its western counterparts or is the jump in profit just a one-off?

Verizon’s New Business Ringback Tones

KV — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:20:42 +0000

Verizon Wireless has flexed its muscle again in the wireless communication market by introducing a brand new service for its customers. The telecommunications giant has began marketing an innovative and simple way to change ringback tones while promoting the company’s image.
Ringback tones are what people hear whenever they call someone. Unless the person you’re calling has a ringback tone on his mobile then you would be hearing the regular ringing every time you call. Verizon has come up with a commendable idea of changing these ringback tones to whatever message businesses may want to relay to its callers.
It may be announcements, advertisements, or even current promotions; it is fully customizable and companies can put in whatever ringback tone they’d like. It may look like a good idea on paper but some might argue that this is nothing different from IVR messages announced whenever one calls the customer service department of any company—something most customers could live without.