Apple Pay, Google Wallet welcomed again at RiteAid; Ubuntu-based smartphones go on sale for U.S. consumers

More wireless news from across the Web:

> Apple Pay and Google Wallet once again can be used at Rite Aid stores. Rite Aid is part of a group of merchants known as Merchant Customer Exchange, or MCX, which is pushing an alternative mobile payment method. CNET article

> CurrentC, MCX's payment system, which is backed by Best Buy, Target, and Walmart, will commence testing in the next few weeks. Reuters article

> Apple may be one of the biggest losers from China's surprise decision to devalue its currency, while Chinese smartphone makers and iPhone suppliers are expected to be among the biggest winners. Wall Street Journal article

> Despite ongoing security issues with the Android operating system, the number of Android mobile device activations continued to rise in the enterprise, according to the latest Mobility Index Report from enterprise mobility management firm Good Technology. FierceMobileIT article

> TT-Network, the joint venture between TeliaSonera and Telenor, completed the final phase of its Single RAN network sharing project with Nokia Networks, sharing GSM, 3G and LTE networks. Release

> Qualcomm unveiled two new upgraded mobile application processors, the Snapdragon 412 and the Snapdragon 212. Release. Qualcomm also introduced its next-generation visual processing technology with new versions of its graphics processing unit (GPU) and image signal processing (ISP) unit. Release

> U.S. consumers who are interested in Canonical's Ubuntu-based smartphones can now order them from BQ, Canonical's hardware partner. PhoneScoop article

> OnePlus took to its forums recently to warn potential U.S. buyers that its new OnePlus 2 smartphone will not ship to North America until two to three weeks after the phone ships to Europe. PhoneScoop article

> ZTE has refused to make one of its top executives available for questioning in a patent dispute with Vringo over fears he will be arrested if he enters the U.S. Reuters article

> Alibaba said its second-quarter revenue rose 28 percent, missing analysts' estimates, with growth slowing to its lowest rate in more than three years. Reuters article

Installer News

> The FCC has approved four Connect America Fund projects that will receive $11.2 million in funding to deliver broadband services to thousands of consumers in rural areas in five states. The funding is a small component of an overall offering of nearly $1.7 billion that has been paid to carriers as part of the Connect America initiative. Article

> Google Fiber's going through some growing pains as it builds its network in Charlotte, N.C., but city officials say the company's severing of gas lines and resulting traffic issues are not unusual when a company is building a new network. Article

Online Video News

> Are OTT analysts asking the right questions of consumers? Editor's Corner

> In the wake of its cancellation of Steve van Zandt mobster dramedy Lilyhammer, Netflix announced its next original movie, Mascots. The Christopher Guest comedy is slated to premier sometime in 2016, according to an announcement on the provider's website. Article

European Wireless News

> China Telecom has become the first operator to deploy an Ericsson LTE Radio Dot System in the country, deploying the system in two of the country's coastal provinces, Zhejiang and Guangdong. Article

> The GSMA urged Arab States to reallocate a significant amount of the UHF band currently used for terrestrial digital television (DTV) services for mobile broadband. Article

Cable News

> Coming off a week in which media and pay-TV stocks lost an estimated $60 billion in market capitalization because of an onset of investor anxiety about cord-cutting, Nomura analyst Anthony DiClemente said Wall Street is over-reacting. Article

> Canadian MSO Videotron has announced what it's billing as the country's first pay-TV 4K set-top, a Samsung-made, eight-tuner-DVR-equipped device capable of storing up to 115 hours of high-density Ultra HD content. Article

Telecom News

> Adtran CEO Tom Stanton said that he predicts software-defined networking (SDN) will have a huge impact on the telecom industry because, once deployed, it will allow operators to move more quickly and save money. And he believes Adtran is well positioned to take advantage of this trend once operators stop trialing SDN and begin converting their networks. Article

> Marriott inked a three-year, $150 million deal with AT&T in which the operator will provide faster broadband services for Marriott guests, VOIP calling, cloud services and LTE backup. Article

And finally… Nebia, a startup that makes a water-conserving shower head, has received funding from Apple's Tim Cook and the Schmidt Family Foundation, which was co-founded by Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google. Article