Cingular Triumphs in Data Broker Case
Cingular Wireless is claiming victory in its case against 1st Source Information Specialists, in which Cingular claimed the data broker illegally obtained and disseminated Cingular customer records. Separately, Alcatel inked a deal to help deliver advanced services over Cingular’s 3G network.
The outcome of the suit, which was originally filed in December 2005, calls for 1st Source to pay Cingular a $1.135 million settlement. Cingular had obtained an injunction against the company.
In August, Sprint Nextel won its case against 1st Source. The carrier was entitled to a $1 million settlement. Verizon Wireless and CTIA also are proponents of cracking down on data brokers in an effort to protect the privacy of wireless subscribers.
Cingular considers the 1st Source settlement a victory but will continue its fight. “We are fighting to protect customer privacy on other fronts as well, including filing new lawsuits against telemarketers and spammers,” says Joaquin Carbonell, Cingular’s executive VP and general counsel.
To that end, Cingular has filed three new data broker lawsuits. In the first suit, Cingular alleges that the operators of www.webuyresorts.com and www.resortsellers.com transmitted unauthorized, deceptive and unsolicited commercial text messages to Cingular customers’ wireless phones. In a second lawsuit, Cingular alleges that Gary Bullard of Miramar, Fla., also transmitted unauthorized, deceptive and unsolicited commercial text messages to Cingular customers. In a third lawsuit, Cingular alleges that Hispanic Solutions made unsolicited marketing calls to Cingular subscribers via automatic dialer.
Cingular is seeking injunctions against and damages from the defendants named in the newly filed lawsuits.
In other Cingular news, the carrier selected Alcatel’s multiservice transport solution to assist in the delivery of advanced 3G services, such as high-speed data and video-on-demand. The Alcatel multiservice transport solution consists of the 7670 Routing Switch Platform (RSP) and the Alcatel 1671 Service Connect (SC) multiservice cross-connect.
Cingular selected the Alcatel solution because it will enable the carrier to support the increased bandwidth requirements for high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) in its radio access network in a cost-effective manner, according to the companies. Cingular first rolled out its HSDPA network in December 2005. The carrier’s goal is to deliver the 3G network to most major U.S. markets before the close of 2006.
Source- wirelessweek Wireless Mobile Telecom
