Openwave systems can look forward to running a leaner operation starting now, as Microsoft has officially agreed to lift its Musiwave subsidiary off of its hands for a cool $50 million. Granted, only $46 million of that will actually hit Openwave's bank account, as the other $4 million will be debt that Microsoft will assume. Three days prior to this announcement, the two firms made known that they were in exclusive talks, and apparently, 72 hours was enough time for Redmond to pull the trigger. Reportedly, the purchase will give Microsoft access to valuable relationships with "music labels, device makers and mobile operators that deliver digital entertainment to consumers," but what exactly the firm plans to do with its new acquisition remains to be seen.

[Via mocoNews]

Well, we guess we can put aside any intermittent chatter of Deutsche Telekom losing interest in the US market (for the time being, anyway). The German conglomerate has announced that its US subsidiary, T-Mobile, is acquiring regional GSM carrier Suncom for some $1.6 billion plus $800 million in existing debt obligations. As the smallest national carrier in the country, T-Mobile's clearly looking to increase its footprint and flex some muscle here against its larger adversaries; if everything clears the usual regulatory hurdles, the two can expect to take on the world some time in the first half of 2008.

[Via Phone Scoop]

It's probably not shocking to anyone that the Zune hasn't exactly lived up to the high hopes Microsoft had for it, and at the recent Citigroup technology conference in New York, Mindy Mount -- corporate vice president and CFO of the firm's entertainment and device division -- noted that she'd "give it a B-," and also stated that it was a "solid effort for the first year." More intriguing, however, was her comments on the future of the Windows Mobile OS, and while she was tight-lipped in regard to RIM acquisition whispers, she did hint at the possibility of a tweaked system to compete with Apple's iPhone interface. Reportedly, Mount stated that Microsoft "identified [Windows] Mobile being more integrated with photos and music," and concluded by proclaiming that it was "a natural thing to have in its product roadmap." Of course, this corporate speak can't really be regarded as much more than just that at the moment, but feel free to make of it what you will.

[Via Zune-Online]
Read - Microsoft Exec Hints at iPhone Rival
Read - Microsoft exec: Zune gets a B-; Xbox profitability; Windows Mobile's future

It's been no secret that Alltel's been courting suitors for a few months now, and someone's finally bit the bait to the tune of $27.5 billion. A pair of firms, TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners (of Goldman Sachs), have hooked up to make the deal happen by offering $71.50 in cold, hard cash for each of Alltel's shares, a fair premium over the $65.21 each share commanded as of market close on Friday. Assuming the deal clears the usual regulatory hurdles -- which we're guessing will be considerably lower, since Alltel's buyer isn't a fellow carrier -- it thinks it can get everything squared away by Q4 of this year or Q1 of 2008.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Alright, Palm, your days of making incrementally improved, merely evolutionary Treos may finally be numbered. Or not, depending on how your new owner wants to roll, but either way, rumors have now gone from a simmer to a full boil that a Palm sale is imminent. Like, seriously imminent -- Morgan Stanley, which Palm hired to court suitors, allegedly wants to get a deal sealed by March 22. The company -- which rose to stardom as a division of USRobotics and 3Com and made a huge splash in the then-budding smartphone market -- is now a shadow of its former self thanks largely to a split which saw its software division ultimately getting bought by Japan's ACCESS. Be that as it may, word has it the sale should command $20 a share -- a healthy premium over Palm's recent pricing -- and at least four companies are rumored to have interest: Nokia (could we finally see that Symbian-powered Treo?), Motorola, and a pair of private investment firms. We wish you the best of luck, Palm; there's definitely a certain sentimental value associated with your name these days, and we hope your new owners do what it takes to get you back on the straight and narrow. Keep pluggin' away at that WiMAX handset!

Vodafone might be the more globally recognizable mobile mega-conglomerate of the two, but if China Mobile has anything to say about it, that's all about to change. The world's largest carrier (Voda weighs in at number two) -- which has historically built its hefty subscriber base in its domestic market -- has made a bold move beyond Chinese borders by purchasing 88.9 percent of Pakistan's Paktel from Millicom International Cellular for a stiff $284 million in cash. Granted, Pakistan isn't any closer to home than China, but if this acquisition-happy philosophy eventually finds its way to the States and ends up scoring us an Amoi, we say "bring it on."

[Via The Wireless Report]

When a single manufacturer accounts for an overwhelming majority of your license revenue, it stands to reason that said manufacturer might save a little dough in the long haul by acquiring you outright. And so it goes for the long, passionate relationship between UIQ and licensee Sony Ericsson; of the 13 handsets running the Symbian-based platform, nearly half -- six in all -- have been designed and produced by Sony Ericsson, with the remainder split between Motorola and Arima units that haven't seen been met with nearly as much publicity. The Swedish company, currently owned by Symbian itself, will be transferred to Sony Ericsson (pending clearance of the typical bureaucratic stuff, of course) for an undisclosed sum but will continue to operate as an independent entity with the current management team in place. Though UIQ promises that its platform will continue to be available "on equal terms to all its licensees," the move makes official what's been known for years: that UIQ is to Sony Ericsson what S60 is to Nokia, an interpretation of the Symbian smartphone operating system to call its own. Will UIQ ever match S60's popularity, particularly in the Symbian-friendly European market? Probably not, but with a committed partner now laying out the requisite cash, it does seem more likely than ever that UIQ's here to stay -- and as always, we're all about choice.

[Via All About Symbian]

Now that Motorola's back to its old industry-dominating self, it sounds like an acquisition or two might be in order. Ron Garriques, head of Moto's Mobile Devices division, apparently mentioned in an interview that the company has a "serious interest" in scooping up Sagem from current parent SAFRAN Group. As expected, the comment has put both SAFRAN and Motorola in damage-control mode, with Motorola France insisting that Garriques' comment has no bearing on the company's plans and SAFRAN noting that they're still exploring all their options for flipping Sagem, which has had a for-sale sign around its neck since September. If the sale were to materialize it probably wouldn't mean much this side of the Atlantic, but it'd give Motorola a significantly expanded presence in Europe where France-based Sagem does the lion's share of its business. More importantly, though, it'd mark the union of two of the more unusual marketing schemes in the industry: Sagem's "my"-everything and Motorola's MOTOBRNDs. Who wouldn't want a myMOTOKRZR?