Device Arena

AT&T today announced that AT&T Labs Chief Scientist David Belanger has been named the first recipient of the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) Industrial Innovation Award. The award will be presented this afternoon at IEEE GLOBECOM 2009 in Honolulu.

The Industrial Innovation Award was established to recognize individuals in industry for major industrial accomplishments that substantially benefit the public in the field of communications and information technologies and that are visible beyond the company or institution where the contribution was made. Belanger was honored for “pioneering, innovating, and leading the interdisciplinary execution of information systems that transform massive online data streams into actionable information for service businesses.”

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AT&T and NYC & Company — the official tourism, marketing, and partnership organization for the City of New York — announced today a two-year advertising and marketing agreement which provides an integrated package of marketing assets to allow AT&T and its YELLOWPAGES.COM brand to reach customers throughout New York City. The assets include founding sponsorship of the NYC Official Information Center, search integration on NYC & Company’s Web site (www.nycgo.com), advertising on NYC & Company’s media assets, and sponsorship of NYC Extreme Local — the City’s most fully experiential marketing program to-date which launched on November 27.

“AT&T is excited to work with NYC & Company on a robust, integrated marketing, advertising, and sponsorship campaign that will allow locals and tourists to better connect with New York City and its boroughs,” said Chris Schembri, vice president, AT&T Media Services. “This relationship is a model for what we hope to replicate in cities throughout the country.”

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AT&T and LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc., today announced the LG eXpo will be available online beginning December 7. Featuring the first 1 GHz processor in the United States, the LG eXpo allows business professionals to meet their demanding data sharing needs while on the go. Available exclusively for AT&T customers, the handset will be compatible with AT&T’s High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 Mbps technology, which provides a considerable speed boost to the nation’s fastest 3G network.

The LG eXpo is the first device in North America to support an optional integrated pico projector. The LG Mobile Projector snaps onto the back of the device and allows users to share presentations, slideshows and even online videos straight from their mobile phone. Weighing only 1.8 ounces and small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, the LG mobile projector provides users with powerful new technology in a compact design, featuring a projection distance as far as eight feet

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Sprint Nextel Corp. today announced that it has received all regulatory approvals needed to complete the acquisition of iPCS, Inc. On Nov. 24 the Federal Communications Commission approved the transfer of the spectrum license held by a subsidiary of iPCS. On Nov. 23 the Public Service Commission of West Virginia granted the joint petition of Sprint Nextel and iPCS for prior consent and approval of the acquisition and ownership of iPCS by Sprint Nextel. No other state public service commission approval is required to satisfy the conditions to the tender offer. In addition, on Nov. 10 the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period applicable to the transaction expired.

All other terms and conditions of the previously announced tender offer for all outstanding shares of the common stock of iPCS, which is being conducted through a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sprint named Ireland Acquisition Corporation, remain unchanged. The iPCS board has unanimously recommended that the iPCS stockholders accept the tender offer, tender their shares of iPCS common stock in the tender offer, and if necessary, adopt the merger agreement. The tender offer is scheduled to expire at midnight EST today, Wednesday, Nov. 25.

Upon the successful closing of the tender offer, stockholders of iPCS will receive $24.00 in cash for each share of iPCS common stock tendered in the tender offer, without interest and less any required withholding taxes. Following the completion of the tender offer and merger, iPCS will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sprint Nextel.

Sprint Nextel anticipates that the acquisition will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Sprint

Alcatel-Lucent today announced that it has been selected by Sichuan Telecom, a subsidiary of China Telecom, to upgrade its WAP Gateway to an integrated WAP and Web Gateway system in Sichuan Province in the southwest of China. This is China Telecom’s first commercial rollout of the WAP & Web Gateway. The contract was secured through Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell, Alcatel-Lucent’s Chinese flagship company.

By deploying the WAP and Web Gateway solution, Sichuan Telecom will be able to build a compatible transportation hub of HTTP and WAP service to enable smooth mobile internet access without installing any terminal software for the mobile phone subscribers. Moreover, the WAP and Web Gateway will enable Sichuan Telecom to develop more diversified and personalized services, and in particular, the media-rich applications for its subscribers to enjoy the most exciting and satisfied Web-surfing experiences. Alcatel-Lucent deployed the WAP and Web Gateway as a complete and independent system in the operators’ network.

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