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Microsoft ordered to pay $1.52 billion to Alcatel-Lucent

A federal jury has awarded a $1.52 billion judgment to Alcatel-Lucent in a patent-infringement suit the company brought against Microsoft Corp. The lawsuit centers on the way Microsoft Media Player plays MP3 files and, if upheld, could open the door for future litigation against other media companies that make products that use MP3 technology.  Bloomberg/ClipSyndicate (2/23) The Wall Street Journal (2/23) NYTimes.com (2/23)

Business & Industry Watch

Verizon wins two additional FiOS franchises
Verizon Communications added the Westchester town of Port Chester outside of New York City and Lower Merion Township, Pa., to its growing list of video franchises. Verizon will be going head-to-head with Cablevision in Port Chester and Comcast in Lower Merion. Multichannel News (2/22)

• Revver teams up with Verizon for video clips on TV: Subscribers to Verizon Communications' FiOS service will be able to upload their own video clips onto their TVs via Revver's service. Revver said some of the videos, which will be stored on Verizon's network, would be available later this year. Yahoo!/Reuters (2/22)

Qualcomm, Broadcom end fight over Bluetooth patent
Qualcomm and Broadcom have reached an agreement to dismiss a pending legal battle over Bluetooth patent-infringement claims. The companies, however, will continue four other patent lawsuits filed between the two that are still set to go to trial. The Wall Street Journal (2/23)

Virgin, BSkyB square off in TV dispute
Talks between Virgin Media and BSkyB have taken a turn for the worse. Virgin Media, which was formed by the merger of NTL and Virgin Mobile, is dropping the Sky Basics TV package after Sky increased the fee. BBC (2/23)

Accor expands wireless with Orange partnership
Accor is expanding on its partnership with France Telecom mobile unit Orange to provide Wi-Fi access at Accor hotels in France. Wireless was already installed at more than 1,200 hotels under the partnership, and the service will now be expanded to 220 additional business hotels. Forbes/AFX News Limited (2/22)

Belgacom sells Mobistar stake
Belgium's Belgacom sold its stake in Mobistar, saying its investment in the mobile operator was never strategic. Telecompaper (The Netherlands) (2/23)

NXTcomm unveils stellar June keynote lineup
NXTcomm announced an all-star lineup of communications and entertainment industry CEOs who will deliver must-see keynote addresses at the inaugural NXTcomm, including the CEOs of AT&T, Bell Canada, Cisco, GE/NBC Universal, Motorola and Verizon. NXTcomm, the only venue where the business and technology of communications, information and entertainment meet, will be held June 18 to 21 at Chicago's McCormick Place. Learn more here.

Technology Trends

IEEE sets sights on gigabit WiMAX
The IEEE plans to develop a gigabit WiMAX standard by year's end that will help speed mobile WiMAX. The 802.16m is expected to offer speeds up to 1 Gbps within the next two years. Wireless Week (2/22)

Sorpresa! launches broadband-video service
Sorpresa!, the Hispanic children's TV network, has launched a broadband-video service that uses Brightcove's Internet-TV software. Sorpresa! currently has content deals with Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, the National Cable Television Cooperative and Cablevision Systems. Multichannel News (2/22)

LBS attracts investors
Location-based services have caught the attention of venture capitalists as more and more companies work to transform the mobile Internet. By 2010, LBS handset applications are expected to attract 144 million subscribers, according to ABI Research. Red Herring (2/22)

Other News

• Smartphone market poised for growth
  Financial Times (free content) (2/23)

IP Download

Place-shifting TV finding audiences outside U.S.
The use of IPTV to deliver TV programming away from home in cafes, train stations and parks is gaining traction outside the U.S., but faces several obstacles to building an American audience: IPTV is available in just a dozen U.S. markets, and Hollywood studios may be reluctant to allow their content to be viewed outside the home. CNNMoney.com/Fortune (2/22)

Avaya offers IP telephony support to Google
Avaya inked a deal to integrate its IP Office product with the Google Apps Premier Edition business-software package. The combined offering will enable Avaya to deliver products to the small-business sector. E-Commerce Times (2/22)

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