Cable Companies, Sprint Nextel in Wireless Pact

[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Justin Hyde and Kenneth Li]
Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Communications and Advance/Newhouse Communications announced a $200 million mobile phone service joint venture with Sprint Nextel Corp., giving them another weapon in a growing battle with telephone companies. The move will allow them to sell a package of products -- cable TV, high-speed Internet, telephone and wireless phone services -- to compete against "Baby Bells" Verizon Communications and SBC Communications as they launch pay TV services. The four companies and Sprint Nextel also said the venture, which may reach up to 75 million U.S. homes, will develop new services by making devices work together -- such as allowing customers to program digital video recorders or watch stored shows through their cell phones. The coalition adds a new competitive contingent seeking a spot in the mobile media market, pitting the cable industry and wireless industry against telephone companies, consumer electronics makers and global communications hardware makers. Multichannel News reports that this is 20-year deal with cable operators putting up about $100 million (another $100 million will be provided by Sprint Nextel) to fund the development of services such as integrated wireless and cable-telephony voice mail and e-mail, national marketing initiatives and back-office integration.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2005-11-02T234801Z_01_MAR246802_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEDIA-SPRINT.xml

* Sprint Nextel Service to Cross Platforms
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Mike Farrell]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6280415.html?display=Breaking+News
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* 5 Firms to Link Cable, Cell Phones
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/02/AR2005110200609.html

* TV Makes a Big Move To the Small Screen
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113097962714186911.html?mod=todays_us_personal_journal

* Sprint cuts ‘next frontier' deal with cable giants
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20051103/1b_cablecell03.art.htm

* Sprint, Cable Firms Form Partnership
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-cable3nov03,1,1435247.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business

See also:
* Nokia Sees New Mobile TV Network by 2006
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Lucas van Grinsven]
Mobile phone giant Nokia expects that by mid-2006 there will be mobile TV networks up and running, allowing people to watch TV on their cellphones. The company's system -- Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) -- is being tested in 40 markets around the world.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&storyID=2005-11-02T153254Z_01_SCH253787_RTRUKOC_0_US-NOKIA-MOBILE-TV.xml