USA and Canada

A top US antitrust politician has voiced his opposition to AT&T’s proposed US$39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA, calling for both the US justice department and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to block the deal on competition grounds.

US mobile patent holder InterDigital said it has “initiated a process to explore and evaluate potential strategic alternatives for the company, which may include a sale or other transaction.”

Reports suggest that US operator Sprint Nextel has delayed a long-expected announcement that it will adopt LTE technology.

The US Food and Drug Administration said it is “seeking input” into its proposed approach to monitoring mobile healthcare apps.

Cisco has made good on a pledge to significantly trim its work force to improve the company's profitability, disclosing plans to shed 6,500 employees, or 9 percent of its workforce, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Exent announced the launch of GameTanium Mobile, which it described as “the first and only all-you-can-eat subscription service for mobile devices offering unlimited game play of the hottest games on Android.”

HTC said it is “highly confident” it has a strong case for the appeals process of the US International Trade Commission, after an ITC judge ruled that the company had infringed two patents held by Apple. In a statement, Grace Lei, General Counsel of HTC, said that the company is “fully prepared to defend ourselves using all means possible.”