March 19, 2008 - Spectrum auction attracts $19.6 billion in bids

Click here for wireless version: http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/kcdUoEnryAmvAFCibGzwgjDK

March 19, 2008 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise Read more at SmartBrief.com News for telecom industry leaders Search recent stories:       News of the Day  Spectrum auction attracts $19.6 billion in bids Wireless companies bid more than $19 billion for some of the most sought-after frequencies in years, the FCC reported in closing its historic spectrum auction that Chairman Kevin Martin said elicited twice as much revenue than the government had hoped. Despite the windfall, the D-block licenses failed to reach the minimum bid requirement. The FCC will likely announce the winners in the following days. The New York Times (3/19) , Financial Times (3/19) , Forbes (3/18) Premium Company Profile Verizon Communications Verizon is focusing on lowering its expenses and investing in high-growth markets to maintain its competitive positioning. Access important information and analysis on the company, understand their strengths and weaknesses and access Datamonitor's expert forecasts with this report.   Business & Industry Watch  Egypt fixed-line license draws queries from six A half-dozen companies, including France Telecom, have expressed interest in securing Egypt's second fixed-line license, the country's National Telecom Regulatory Authority said Tuesday. Reuters (3/18) Sprint VP: Apps, not nets, are the new thing Applications and content, rather than the quality of the networks, will drive the wireless industry, Ben Vos, a Sprint Nextel vice president, said Tuesday, adding that with the ascendancy of open networks, low-price, high-quality chipsets will become critical. Toward that end, Vos said Sprint was moving toward a business model based on the mobile Internet focused on embedded chipset capabilities. Telephony Online (3/18) Qwest seeks "voluntary" cuts in work force Qwest Communications said that it had offered a "voluntary separation program" to employees in an effort to pare less than 2% of its roughly 37,000-strong work force because of continued customer losses in traditional fixed-line phone services. Reuters (3/18) AT&T "very serious" about Indian market AT&T will aggressively pursue strategic interests in India's mobile-phone market, a top executive told reporters Tuesday, noting it was the world's fastest-growing opportunity for wireless services. Bernard Yee, AT&T's Asian regional managing director, declined to provide details about the company's plans to re-enter a market it left in 2004. Bloomberg (3/18) What is Yahoo! worth? On Tuesday, Web portal Yahoo! issued an upbeat forecast regarding its 2008 earnings, reportedly in an effort to convince investors that the board is right in refusing to accept a buyout bid from Microsoft. Yahoo! co-founder-CEO Jerry Yang said, "Yahoo! is positioned for accelerated financial growth -- we have a powerful consumer brand, a huge global audience and a highly profitable operating model." BusinessWeek (3/18) Other News France Telecom: No Reliance link for India cellular-news (U.K.)/Dow Jones Newswires (3/18) USTelecom Spotlight The future of entertainment is broadband Learn why at Telecom2008 at the NAB Show when USTelecom President & CEO Walter McCormick shares the state of broadband today and explores how telecom companies are bringing the broadband revolution to communities across the country and reshaping the communications and entertainment landscape. Learn more. Learn more about USTelecom -> NXTcomm  |  News  |  Join USTelecom  |  Bookstore  |  Webinars   Video Upload  TiVo expands offerings for Web video DVR pioneer TiVo has announced that it has started offering customers the ability to move Web-based videos -- such as RSS feeds from favorite shows or home movies -- from their computers to their TVs. The announcement comes a week after TiVo executives said they had inked a deal with Google's YouTube to access videos from the popular social-networking site. Broadcasting & Cable (3/18) Cablevision to offer Voom via SDV Cablevision in April will begin offering its Voom HD Network of high-definition channels via switched-digital video. According to this report, the company will deliver the 15 HD channels for free to customers with CableCard-based systems. Multichannel News (3/18) The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Monitoring Hybrid Networks – TDM, IP, 2G/3G, VoIP & IMS Operators are deploying NGN, 3G & IMS networks, while continuing to maintain existing networks. The hybrid network consists of many different network elements, from different vendors supporting different protocols. This complex monitoring challenge is addressed in the Monitoring Hybrid Networks Whitepaper. Interested in learning more about advertising in the USTelecom dailyLead? Contact Amy Abbey at 202-737-5500 ext 250 or aabbey@smartbrief.com.   Technology Trends  Tata Comm thinks the world of TelePresence net With a Cisco certification in hand, Tata Communications has launched its global TelePresence network service. Tata is the first Asian provider to receive such status from Cisco. Business Standard (India) (3/19) AT&T backs Universal Design, urges others to follow AT&T has adopted Universal Design, a practice and methodology for putting products and applications in such a way that every person can use them, a movement that caters to those with disabilities as well as those caught in situations where using a functioning device is difficult. The company said it would encourage developers and hardware makers to do the same to help people find phone keys in a darkened theater, use a phone in a crowd or answer a call carrying a load of packages, to name a few scenarios. TMC Internet Telephony (3/18)   IP Download  Broadband makes EU gains Subscription rates for broadband services in eight European countries have surpassed those in the U.S. and Japan, the EU was expected to disclose later today while citing fierce competition from new telecom providers as the primary reason. Viviane Reding, the EU's telecom commissioner, said broadband could also expand strongly in countries such as Germany and France. International Herald Tribune (3/18) Google sees "watershed moment" in mobile-Web era Mobile-phone users have accessed the Internet in significantly larger numbers since Google introduced new, speedier Web services on some phones, the company said Tuesday. "We have very much hit a watershed moment in terms of mobile Internet usage," Matt Waddell, a product manager for Google Mobile, said in an interview. CNET/Reuters (3/19)   LeadQuote  Management is nothing more than motivating other people." --Lee Iacocca, American industrialist       This dailyLead was created for webmaster@freeraovat.com Subscriber Tools       Update account information |  Change e-mail address |  Unsubscribe |  Print friendly format |  Web version |  Search past news |  Privacy policy Advertise Sales Account Director:  Amy Abbey (202) 737-5500 x250 Download Media Kit   Read more at dailyLead.com A powerful Web site for dailyLead readers including: Breaking News Industry Home Competitor News Readers' Choice Press Releases Search Archive       Recent USTelecom dailyLead Issues: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 Monday, March 17, 2008 Friday, March 14, 2008 Thursday, March 13, 2008 Wednesday, March 12, 2008     Lead Editor:  Susan Rush       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2008 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information