Roger Cheng

The next generation of wireless communications technology won't just change how quickly you can download your favorite Lady Gaga music video. It also may affect your wallet.

On Tuesday, Cisco unveiled a heavy-duty router for managing Internet traffic, as it seeks to regain market share it has lost in the arms race to manage telecommunications networks.

People are buying smartphones and we're just getting use to netbooks, but here come smartbooks which merge the low-power needs and always-on capabilities of the smartphone with the larger display of a netbook.

"Stabilization" was the key buzzword for the heads of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel and Qwest, all of whom spoke Thursday at an investor conference hosted by Goldman Sachs.

Sprint Nextel shares jumped more than 13% early Monday on the prospect that it could be an acquisition target for Deutsche Telekom.

Verizon Chief Financial Officer John Killian said the company still needs to trim down its work force and plans additional cuts over the next couple of years.

TiVo launched legal battles with Verizon Communications and AT&T alleging infringement of its patented TV "time-warping" technology.

With pricing in the smartphone race heating up, AT&T has been slow to shift gears. The telecommunications giant has stubbornly kept unchanged the pricey data plans required for the Apple iPhone - a chief complaint and impediment for consumers.

The satellite television, telecommunications and cable industries - longtime rivals - agree on one issue: The need to put TV shows that are available online, most of which are now free, behind a pay wall.

Verizon continues to eye potential takeover targets to expand its enterprise business, although the company likely is done with major phone deals, Chief Executive Ivan Seidenberg said Thursday. The New York-based telecommunications giant has been aggressive with acquisitions, having wrapped up the $28 billion takeover of Alltel Corp.