Grupo Iusacell S.A. de C.V., a cellular provider in Mexico, announced it has registered an average rate increase of 30 percent with the Secretariat of Communications and Transport. The price increase, which takes effect this month, is a result of rising inflation and is expected to improve the company’s operating margins.
Motorola Inc. and Shanghai Radio Communication Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd. announced a joint venture to build pagers using Motorola’s FLEX technology. The $12 million joint venture company, Shanghai Motorola Paging Products Co., will be located in Pudong, Shanghai, China, and is expected to begin production later this year. Motorola said this is its first joint venture with partners from China’s Posts and Telecommunications Ministry.
L.M. Ericsson said it will deliver and install a Global System for Mobile communications cellular telephone system in Serbia, in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Ericsson said the system will be operated by Mobile Telecommunications Srbija BK-PTT, a joint venture between the Serbian PTT and BK Trade. Ericsson also announced it has signed a contract, valued at about $46 million, with France Telecom Mobile Liban to supply and install turnkey equipment in Lebanon. The contract includes switches, base stations and transmission equipment for a GSM system supplied by Ericsson, the company said.
Cincinnati Bell Information Systems announced it has formed an alliance with Hewlett-Packard Co. to supply billing and customer care solutions to the European mobile Global System for Mobile communications, personal communications networks and analog telephony markets. The companies will partner to deliver customer management implementations that focus on the CBIS Advantage Solution Set.
Metromedia International Group Inc.’s wholly owned subsidiary, Metromedia International Telecommunications Inc., has agreed in principal to acquire 51 percent of the existing ventures of Protocall Ventures Ltd., a United Kingdom company specializing in trunked mobile radio. Metromedia will make its initial investment with cash and other considerations valued at $3.1 million. PVL owns interests in trunked mobile radio networks in Spain, Portugal, Romania and Belgium, and is establishing a network in Hungary.
BSC de Panama, a consortium headed by BellSouth International, announced it has won a 20-year license to build and operate Panama’s first cellular telephone network. The company said it will begin construction of the digital network immediately and launch service by June. BSC will market the service under the the BellSouth name. BSC plans to invest about $40 million to build and operate the network and will use Time Division Multiple Access digital technology.
