Cingular refutes Freedom Wireless patent claims

The US cellular operators Cingular Wireless and ALLTEL have become the latest firms hit by a lawsuit from Freedom Wireless Inc, which is claiming that the pair and three of their service provider partners have violated patents relating to pre-paid wireless services. Ericsson has been listed as a co-defendant in the Cingular suit, reports Reuters, while Comverse and VeriSign have been named in the ALLTEL suit. Freedom Wireless, which last year won a similar case against Boston Communications Group, alleges that the firms knowingly violated three of its patents relating to the use of pre-paid cellular systems. Cingular and Ericsson have already counter-sued Freedom Wireless, claiming that its patents are invalid, and Cingular is now looking to combine the two suits. A spokesperson for the cellco said: ‘We believe the lawsuit has no merit’.

Source- telegeography Wireless Mobile Telecom