The company declined to reveal which handset makers would be purchasing the chips, which are available now. However, the biggest customer for RF Micro chips is Nokia, which represents about 65 percent of the companies revenue, according to analyst firm WR Hambrecht. A diminutive "receiver" from RF Micro Devices makes room on cell phones for a larger screen or new functions such as video. The Greensboro, N.C.-based company said it has shaved a half-millimeter off all four sides of the receiver, which is the first semiconductor that a phone signal passes through when it reaches a handset.

CNET también está disponible en español, Don't show this again, Customer service fees are only one of several new charges and policies that cell phone network operators have introduced this year to dig deeper into the wallets of consumers, These kinds of additional fees are one way for top U.S, network operators such almond blossoms by vincent van gogh iphone case as AT&T Wireless and Sprint PCS to increase their revenue, industry watchers say, Revenue in the industry has stagnated as cell phone subscriber growth has waned and newfangled data services have been slow to appear..

On Thursday, Sprint PCS became the last of the big four national operators to launch an advanced data-capable network. Sprint PCS' new service--dubbed PCS Vision--will lets subscribers exchange photos, check Web sites and e-mail, and download games. Wireless carriers in the United States have fallen behind their international peers on next-generation, or 3G, networks. Lacking a must-have application to stoke sales, wireless carriers have resorted to the time-honored practice of boosting fees to increase revenue.

"It's nickel-and-diming, which is very common in the telecommunications industry," said Lee Biddle an attorney for the Utility Consumers' Action Network, a almond blossoms by vincent van gogh iphone case nonprofit in San Diego dedicated to protecting consumers from abusive utility practices, "Network operators are really trying to get as much as they can out of every subscriber," said Biddle, "Their stock prices are falling, so they're taking the tactic of squeezing a few more cents out of their customers, With millions of subscribers across the country, that's a lot of money."..

Cell phones themselves are also getting more expensive. Meanwhile, cell phone users are hankering for lower prices and better basic services. The company also extended peak-time hours an extra 60 minutes to 9 p.m. earlier this year. Calls made during peak time are charged at a higher rate. And starting Aug. 28, the company will deduct air time whenever customers use their cell phones to check their phone usage, said Wilinsky. Subscribers will still be able to check usage on the Sprint PCS Web site for free, he said.