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Last week, we learned that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wanted to revisit a commission mandate regarding carrier roaming. While the idea was to force carriers to provide roaming services to rivals, an exception was made for companies who owned spectrum in a market, but hadn’t built out a network. The clear intention is to prod these companies into actually building the network. However, given the recent spectrum auctions, the commission is looking into the exception again. Leap Wireless, one company gradually rolling out networks with newly-acquired spectrum, has filed an ex parte letter with the FCC regarding this exception, according to Wireless Week.

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When you think of identity theft, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Credit card. Right? Ask most people, and that’s what they’ll tell you. Most other common answers have to do with financial institutions. Did you know that your cell phone account is a high-risk place for identity theft? Since it is a form of credit, all of your vital information is one file. This allows thieves to steal your identity in the same manner as they would a credit card. Consumerist points us to a study by the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, which shows that in 2007 Verizon Wireless had the most reported incidents of identity theft.

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After the AWS spectrum auction in September 2006, and the 700 MHz auction earlier this year, it was thought that most of the usable 3G spectrum had been taken. While the FCC is looking into various new bands of spectrum, it faces controversy. Then, in late April, we learned that a company called NextWave controlled some spectrum that would be attractive to existing carriers. Today, we learn that T-Mobile has won the largest chunk of licenses, paying out $97.5 million.

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We kind of knew this day would come, the day when, like our computers, our mobile phones aren’t safe from the havoc of viruses. While mobile phone viruses aren’t exactly new, they are just now starting to pick up serious steam. According to Judy Motti of InternetNews.com, wireless carriers are seeing a far greater number of viruses this year than even last year. This includes on carrier seeing virus rates go from .05 percent last year to six percent this year, and another doubling the number of viruses it cleans off the network daily, from 50,000 to 100,000.

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When Verizon announced its purchase of Alltel earlier this year, talks of antitrust began circulating. This acquisition would give the nation’s current No. 2 wireless carrier full market share in a number of regions, something that local residents tend to fear. We want choice. When the choices were merely Alltel and Verizon before, it was bad enough. Now, customers could be left with just one option, and that’s not going to sit well. Thankfully, it doesn’t sit well with the Department of Justice, either. They’ve met with Verizon, and it looks like Verizon could divest in 85 markets to get this deal done, according to Fawn Johnson of Down Jones Newswires.

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D’oh! Your cell phone broke. Clearly, there’s only one thing to do, right? Yeah! Head on down to your local retailer and have them replace it. After all, it’s under warranty. So you hop in your jalopy and putter down to the nearest store. You engage the first sales rep you see, and explain your situation. “The phone is great, it’s just that the [directional pad, trackball, numerical key, whathaveyou] is broken. It’s still under warranty, though, so I was wondering if you could just replace it.” A totally reasonable request, right? So the employee takes a look at the phone, and you notice that he takes the battery cover off. Must be standard procedure.

Then he turns to you and says, “I’m sorry, but we can’t replace your phone under warranty.”

Read the rest of Why your cell phone warranty might be void right now…

So the guys at IntoMobile aren’t too excited about the new Motorola clamshell which has passed through the FCC. And why should they? When your focus is the latest and coolest in phones, seeing a clunker like this is rather uninspiring. However, it serves a purpose: A cheap entry-level phone. It’s stripped down, simple phone which probably won’t rumble your wallet. Plus, it has Bluetooth, EDGE, and a camera, so your basics are covered. And, if you’ll believe it, it isn’t named with four capital letters. Rather, this one is tentatively titled “Ischia,” which will lead us to call it “The Ish,” in memory of our elementary school bus driver. Photo after the jump.

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It’s still over a month away, but T-Mobile, as announced back in June, will be raising its SMS rates to 20 cents each, matching the industry norm. While I’m sure there was a perfectly reasonable thought process among the T-Mobile executives which led to this decision, it can be an indirect boon to consumers. Because raising SMS charges denotes a “materially adverse” change to your contract with the company, technically you can escape your contract without paying an early termination fee. As Consumerist reminds us, there are restrictions to this.

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Yesterday, we talked about the current 3G iPhone shortage. It seems that most Apple and AT&T stores are down to their last few models, or else are completely sold out. Good for Apple, bad for anyone who wanted to wait it out and get one after the lines had cleared. On their earnings call, they addressed the issue, saying that “demand has been staggering,” and also noting that the U.S. is the only country in which it miscalculated demand. The company plans to release the device in 20 more countries on August 22. Does that mean that they’ll have a replenishment for the U.S. supply at that point? Only they know, I suppose.

Read the rest of Mobile Notes: Social networking, Subway cellular, iPhone shortage, Verizon…

Just because there was a court ruling against shady ringtone practices doesn’t mean the participants will heed the rules. Just like a decision against a prepaid phone trafficker won’t deter others, and like Verizon suing spammers won’t stop that profession, either. So it comes as little surprise that the European Union’s consumer affairs commissioner has found that eight of 10 of these shady ringtone sites signs you up for a subscription, according to an Associated Press report.

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