Softbank’s bid for Sprint Nextel has reportedly won the support it needs from the Federal Communications Commission, the last regulatory approval necessary to complete the $21.6 billion deal. Two of three members of the FCC have signed off on the deal, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. That approval reportedly extends to Sprint’s buyout …

Nokia has agreed to purchase Siemens’ 50 percent stake in Nokia Siemens Networks, the struggling joint venture between the two companies, for 1.7 billion euros ($2.2 billion). The Finnish smartphone maker released a statement on Monday, local time, confirming the transaction, which is expected to close during the third quarter. “Nokia Siemens Networks has structurally improved its operational and financial …

The Federal Communications Commission has approved Google’s plan to operate a database that would allow unlicensed TV broadcast spectrum to be used for wireless broadband and shared among many users. Google, which was granted commission approval on Friday, is the latest company to complete the FCC’s 45-day testing phase. Spectrum Bridge and Telcordia completed their trials, and there are another …

The U.S. Department of Defense is building its own secure 4G network to improve collaboration among separate branches of the military, according to the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. The network is part of an effort dubbed “Joint Information Environment,” which will consolidate 15,000 Defense Department networks in the cloud, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey said in a …

South Korea is about to get a taste of what true 4G mobile broadband speed is. SK Telecom announced Wednesday that it has launched the world’s first LTE-Advanced network, a faster LTE standard that was originally deemed by the International Telecommunication Union as a true 4G standard. LTE-Advanced is capable of data transfer rates of 150Mbps, roughly twice as fast …

BlackBerry officially launched a service late Monday that allows Apple and Android users to separate personal data and company information on the same device. Managed through BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 (BES), the long-anticipated Secure Work Space creates a container to keep corporate applications such as e-mail, calendar, contacts, and tasks separate from users’ personal apps. The service is designed to …

A day after revealing that successor to the Optimus G will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800, LG sent out invitations to a mysterious press event scheduled for August 7 Related stories TV in the Bathroom: Technically Doable but a Very Bad Idea Best Laptop for 2022: The 15 Laptops We Recommend Best TV Deals of 2022: Save Up to …

The successor to LG’s flagship smartphone Optimus G will be powered by the speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, the companies announced Wednesday night. The new smartphone, which as of yet hasn’t been officially named, is expected to be announced later this year. The continued collaboration between the two companies isn’t surprising considering that the LG Optimus G was one of …

Sprint Nextel has filed a lawsuit against Dish Network and Clearwire seeking to prevent Dish’s takeover of the wireless broadband provider. The No. 3 wireless carrier filed a lawsuit Monday against the two companies in Delaware Court of Chancery, alleging that Dish’s tender offer violates the rights of Sprint and Clearwire’s shareholders and the laws of the state of Delaware. …

AT&T appears to have quietly begun rolling out nationwide support for Apple’s FaceTime videoconferencing app for iPhone on its cellular network. While AT&T has made no official announcement about beginning a nationwide rollout, the move would be a major step toward fulfilling a promise it made in May that its LTE customers would be able to use video chat apps …