Canadian mobile operator-to-be Globalive Communications - winner of near-nationwide Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum last summer - claims its online 'Wireless Soapbox' forum has attracted tens of thousands of users eager to have their say in what services the company should launch later this year.

Microsoft has launched a mobile music download service in the UK that it claims is one of the first in the country to be network independent.

Qualcomm has acquired the handheld technology assets of US chip-maker AMD in a US$65 million deal that the San Diego-based mobile silicon giant says will allow it to expand its graphics and multimedia offerings.

Ericsson - the world's largest mobile network infrastructure vendor - is to cut another 5,000 jobs despite reporting an increase in sales.

TeleGeography, citing a Reuters report, claims that Turkish operator Turkcell has submitted a non-binding offer to acquire Macedonian mobile operator Cosmofon from Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation's (OTE) of Greece.

TeleGeography notes that, according to a Bloomberg report, Japan's NTT DoCoMo has said its US$2.7 billion investment in Indian Tata Teleservices (TTSL) will be completed by March 2009.

Research In Motion (RIM)said it has withdrawn its CAD1.50-a-share takeover offer for Certicom after an Ontario court effectively halted the hostile bid this week.