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* Public interest group not satisfied with industry fixBy Jasmin MelvinWASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. wireless industry is rolling out more consumer-friendly billing practices, fending off a plan by communications regulators to impose new rules against unexpected charges.Guidelines unveiled on Monday by the wireless trade association, CTIA, will see companies send alerts to customers when they near or reach monthly limits on voice, text and data services, and before they incur international roaming charges.The guidelines are similar to rules the Federal Communications Commission was contemplating, and the regulator is backing off its plan for now.”Consistent with the FCC’s ongoing efforts, these actions harness technology to empower consumers, and ensure consumers get a fair shake, not bill shock,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said.The FCC has found that one in six mobile phone users have experienced bill shock, or unexpected fees tacked onto their monthly bills, and 23 percent of those users have faced unexpected charges of $100 or more.The FCC proposed rules last October that would make mobile phone companies send text or voice alerts to customers before charging them for services not covered by their plans.Consumers should begin receiving warnings about their bills faster under the industry initiative than the FCC would have been able to require through the rulemaking process.CTIA, representing companies serving 97 percent of wireless customers, and the FCC announced the voluntary guidelines, including disclosure of tools that make it easier for customers to track and control their service usage.But public interest group Free Press criticized the FCC for failing to establish rules, opting instead for “industry platitudes.”“The FCC is charged by Congress to protect consumers and it should fulfill this mandate to write a rule that puts an end to outrageous monthly cell phone bills that rival the price of a new car,” said Joel Kelsey, the Free Press political adviser.CTIA expressed concern last October that prescriptive and costly rules could threaten practices in the industry that have already led to fewer wireless complaints and lower average monthly bills.The FCC intends to leave its bill-shock proceeding open. If wireless carriers failed to comply with the industry guidelines, the agency could still move ahead with enforceable rules, an FCC official said.”Our phones shouldn’t cost us more than the monthly rent or mortgage,” said President Barack Obama in a statement, applauding the wireless industry’s efforts to work with the administration.CTIA Chief Executive Steve Largent called the initiative an example of how federal agencies and the industries they regulate can work together to avoid burdensome rulemaking, as directed by a recent executive order from Obama.Wireless carriers are to provide at least two of the four alerts — voice, text, data or roaming — within 12 months and the rest within 18 months, under the industry initiative.The FCC said the alerts will require substantial investment from wireless companies as they must make upgrades to their billing systems.The majority of Americans get their wireless service through major providers such as AT&T Inc ; Sprint Nextel Corp ; Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile; and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc .”We hope that in the future this industry effort serves as a model for the communications space,” said Kathleen Grillo, Verizon senior vice president for federal regulatory affairs, commending the FCC for allowing a non-regulatory solution to bill shock.

The all-terrain vehicle was on display here during an annual meeting and arms bazaar of the Association of the United States Army, held in Washington this week.Lockheed spent more than $20 million of its own funds to develop the system, dubbed Ox after the beasts that helped lug previous- generation troops’ loads.Five years in the works, the unit is controlled by a touch-screen computer that include as “come-to-me” button. Using laser radar, it can also follow a given soldier or carry out point-to-point missions.The goal is to sell for less than $250,000 per unit, said Don Nimblett, the company’s top business development manager for the project.Lockheed foresees a potential U.S. military market of nearly $2 billion over the next 20 years, including 3,000 to 5,000 vehicles for the Army, he said.Future applications may include providing security for borders and oilfields as well as firefighting and dangerous industrial applications, the company said.

Accelerating revenue growth in Google’s international business, particularly from emerging markets, and its mobile business contributed to the 28-percent increase in paid click growth, analysts said.Google’s third-quarter results signal a positive trend for the sector, said BofA Merrill Lynch analysts, including Justin Post — a five-star rated analyst according to Starmine data for the accuracy of his earnings estimates on the company.BofA Merrill analysts maintained their positive stance on eBay Inc and Amazon.com Inc and continue to rate the Google stock a “buy.”Collins Stewart raised its price target on the stock to $795 from $725 — 42 percent higher than its current levels.According to Thomson Reuters StarMine data, 13 analysts rate Google a “strong buy,” 20 rate the stock a “buy” and 4 others rate it a “hold,” with a mean price target of $716.17.Google’s Frankfurt-listed shares were trading up 8 percent on Friday. The company’s shares, which closed at $558.99 on Nasdaq on Thursday, were trading up $41.31 at $600.30 in pre-market trade on Friday.”We remain buyers of Google shares as strong third-quarter results, including accelerating top line growth, reflect continuing momentum in mobile and building traction in display,” Deutsche Bank analysts wrote in a note to clients.GAINS FROM MOBILE BUSINESSSeparately, analysts at J.P. Morgan Securities said they believe mobile was the biggest factor in Google’s sharp growth in paid clicks.The revenue run rate for Google’s mobile business is more than $2.5 billion, a significant leap from $1 billion just a year ago. It is plowing money into its fast-growing mobile business which competes with iPhone maker Apple Inc.The strong mobile revenue highlights the importance of Google’s Android mobile software — already the world’s most-used smartphone platform — and supports the rationale for its Motorola Mobility Holdings deal, the analysts said.In August, Google announced plans to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. The deal will give Google access to one of the largest patent libraries in the wireless industry as well as hardware manufacturing operations that will allow it to develop its own line of smartphones.The increasing usage of tablets in a manner more similar to PCs than phones is helping drive incremental queries and paid clicks to Google, even if they are coming at a lower price for now, JP Morgan analysts, who rate the stock “overweight,” said.”We expect this trend to continue, and for Google to be the primary beneficiary as it likely has 90 percent plus share of mobile search — even higher than on the desktop,” they added.

The company also suspended crude deliveries to China via the East Siberia - Pacific Ocean pipeline, which carries 300,000 barrels of oil per day. The pipeline was not damaged after the 6.1 magnitude earthquake.