Monday, October 26, 2009

LiveWire Mobile to cut 20 jobs

By Mass High Tech staff

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LiveWire Mobile Inc., a Littleton-based mobile personalization firm, has announced plans to cut 20 employees from the company.

News of the personnel restructuring was announced by LiveWire Mobile officials today in a statement that also announced the company’s change and reduction in leased office space. The layoffs, expected to be complete by the end of 2009, will cost the company about $500,000 in restructuring charges. LiveWire officials said the amendments to the lease will save the company $2.5 million in real estate liabilities.

The real estate transaction relates to “excess office space held over from the sale of the NMS Communications Platforms business in December 2008,” according to LiveWire Mobile CEO Joel Hughes.

LiveWire Mobile (Pinksheets: LVWR) also announced the resignation of company director W. Frank King.

Originally based on Framingham-based NMS Communications Corp.’s ringback service, launched in 2004, LiveWire was spun out of the company in December, at the time boasting 30 operators worldwide as customers and more than 185 million subscribers, according to officials. The company’s services includes ringback tones, ringtones and full track downloads.