We're taking a bit of a break to be with our loved ones over the holiday, and we hope you are too. A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you, and we'd like to pass along a heartfelt "Thank You" for your readership. We'll be back posting again tomorrow once we can burn off some of the egg nog!

As we recover from our over-indulgence on Thanksgiving Day and our battle to find a parking spot on Black Friday, here are five tasty Wireless Report morsels that will be sure to whet your appetite. Enjoy!

1. Industry heavyweights to develop chips that will enhance mobile wallet concept
   NXP Semiconductors, formerly known as Philips Semiconductors, and Sony Corporation have agreed to work together to manufacture and market a contactless IC platform that will eventually allow users to leverage applications such as making payments direct from their cellphones.
2. No cellphones for bus drivers
   The nation traffic safety board has said that federal and state governments should ban cell phones from motor coach and school bus drivers while those vehicles are in operation. This comes as a "duh" suggestion, as *all* drivers, personal and professional, should not be using a wireless phone while driving in my opinion.
3. Large Ohio county to spend big bucks on wireless 911 system
   Ohio's Cuyahoga County, which includes the city of Cleveland, says it will be investing nearly $3 million on a wireless 911 system. The money to pay for the system will come from a 32-cent state surcharge on cellphone bills.
4. More consolidation to possibly come to European telecom and wireless market
   There are quite a few large telecom conglomerates in Europe these days, and the entire market may be ripe for consolidation soon, stated chief executives of two of Europe's leading telecom companies this past week.
5. Cellular service coming to Big Dig tunnels
   If you find yourself driving in Boston next summer, you'll be able to talk on your cellphones while passing under any of the Big Dig tunnels.

NXP Semiconductors, formerly known as Philips Semiconductors, and Sony Corporation have agreed to work together to manufacture and market a contactless IC platform that will eventually allow users to leverage applications such as making payments direct from their cellphones.

The companies said they will be looking to produce a chip that embeds their respective MIFARE and FeliCa contactless technologies which will offer providers the opportunity to roll out new services to their customers, and gives them the flexibility to access (and pay) for their services from just about anywhere.

The mobile wallet concept has gained popularity in the Asia-Pacific market as well as parts of Europe, but has not really caught on yet in the North American sector. Time will tell if these two industry giants can come out with something within the next year that will push the mobile wallet envelope with wireless providers in this country.

(Thanks Kelly!)

In order to enhance communications between first responders and civilian agencies during a serious emergency, the Joint Task Force-Civil Support and Joint Forces Command (JTF-CS) are currently testing a system known as Wireless for the Warfighter (W4W) that allows for the establishment of wireless extensions for computer and phone lines in minutes.

The W4W can be used to set up networks on the fly and can accommodate up to 500 people. Project leaders say the system, which is based on the 802.11 standard, cuts down the time needed to set up a communications network during emergencies. Eventually, it will leverage higher wireless networking standards, including WiMax, 802.16d, and 802.16e standards, further increasing its mobility.