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Alltel Wireless has teamed up with SpinVox to launch a new service, Voice2TXT, that converts voice mail messages to text messages. The launch makes Alltel Wireless the first of the five largest U.S. carriers to offer its customers the ability to receive voice mail message in text form, the company s...

While most technology fans are still drooling over Apple's new iPhone, a future crisis awaits unsuspecting consumers. Reed Hundt, former FCC chairman, along with a gaggle of self-interested advocates, are attempting to use politics and government regulations to turn back the clock on the Internet. H...

The two largest phone companies in Canada are in talks for a possible merger that could fend off U.S.-backed private equity buyers as the wave of consolidation that reshaped the U.S. telecommunications landscape appears poised to hit north of the border. BCE, the largest phone provider in Canada, co...

Openwave Systems, a top provider of software solutions used in the communications industry, has rejected an offer to be bought out and taken private, bucking a recent trend that has seen scores of companies swallowed up by private equity firms. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company's board voted to...

Private investors will acquire wireless carrier Alltel in a deal worth around $27.5 billion, as the private equity buyout trend reaches into the mobile space for the first time. Alltel's board of directors agreed over the weekend to be acquired by TPG Capital and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners for $...

Sirius Satellite Radio said Monday it would launch a Web-only version of its subscription satellite service, a significant step for the company as it tries to generate enough revenue to earn back major investments in on-air talent. Sirius will launch Sirius Internet Radio, which it described as a CD...

In a move that could further accelerate the adoption of mobile video, MobiTV said Thursday it would make available a version of its software designed for smartphones and handheld devices running Windows Mobile 5.0. Windows Mobile devices join the list of gadgets that can be loaded with MobiTV softwa...

A new survey from America Online's Tegic Communications division shows that a "surprising number of people" in America and Europe are sending Christmas and Hanukkah greetings by text messaging this year, rather than through conventional, paper cards via the mail. The survey is based on data from the...

In a move to replicate the success of its mobile search engine technology, Google today launched Local for mobile. The application attempts to take mapping to the cellular level. Google bills Local for mobile as "a free download that lets you find local hangouts and businesses across town or across ...

The long-discussed consolidation of the wireless communications industry appears poised to pick up speed again, with the Federal Communications Commission said to be on the verge of approving Sprint's US$35 billion acquisition of Nextel Communications. Staff at the FCC have reportedly forwarded reco...

Stocks posted modest gains today as merger activity sparked a rally that petered out by the end of the session as investors turned a wary eye to the upcoming earnings season. The first wave of corporate earnings reports comes this week and got off to a mixed start as metals giant Alcoa posted a less...

Telephone service provider Alltel has finalized a deal to buy fellow niche carrier Western Wireless for US$4.4 billion in cash and stock as the merger activity in the wireless field moves into the regional space. As part of the deal, Alltel will take on about $1.5 billion in debt that Western Wirele...

Stocks closed mixed today, with the Dow and the S&P 500 ending their three-day losing streaks, but the Nasdaq still stuck in reverse. The Dow ended at 10,622.88, up 25.05 points, or 0.24 percent. The Nasdaq fell 1.24 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,090.00. The S&P 500 gained 4.15 points, or 0....

Reports of the demise of the consolidation trend in the wireless sector might have been premature, as Alltel, which currently ranks sixth in the U.S., is reportedly in talks to buy regional carrier Western Wireless. The deal, which has yet to be made official, would be worth an estimated US$4 billio...

A spate of mergers and good consumer demographics have the wireless industry poised for a strong 2005, with brokerage house Merrill Lynch the latest to weigh in with a more bullish outlook on the sector. From improved outlooks for subscriber growth to next-generation broadband and emerging markets s...