NEC Corp. won contracts for two transmission projects in Costa Rica in conjunction with Intituto Costarricense de Electricidad. One project calls for NEC to supply a 2 GHz/8 Mbps digital microwave radio system for rural districts of Costa Rica. The other calls for NEC to supply a 155/622 Mbps fiber optic transmission system, which will provide Internet and video on demand services.
Nokia Telecommunications reached an agreement with Beijing Telecommunications Administration to supply a Digital Cellular System 1800 trial network. Nokia agreed to supply mobile switches, base stations, base station controllers and a network management system. Deliveries will begin this summer. Beijing Telecommunications also operates a Global System for Mobile communications network supplied by Nokia. The new DCS 1800 network will share the GSM network short message service center supplied by Nokia in 1994.
Tellabs will supply its MartisDXX managed access and transport network system to Belgium’s new Global System for Mobile communications operator, Mobistar. The MartisDXX nodes will be deployed at mobile switching center sites and at key base station concentration points throughout Mobistar’s network, Tellabs said. The system provides traffic concentration and compression and monitoring of network testing and line quality.
The CDMA Development Group said more than 130 delegates from the Indian telecommunications industry attended its CDMA Operators Forum, held April 2 in New Delhi, India. “Developing countries like India are facing a demand for new business and residential telephone service-because of the unique features and benefits of (Code Division Multiple Access) technology, more and more operators are choosing CDMA-based wireless local loop networks to deliver these services,” said Perry LaForge, executive director of the company.
Millicom International Cellular S.A.’s board of directors authorized a repurchase of its common stock on the open market. The number of shares to be repurchased was not disclosed. “If the financial markets continue in their present unsettled state, we believe that from time to time an opportunistic repurchase of shares may represent an attractive investment for the company and the shareholders and that this program would enhance shareholder value,” said Jay Metcalfe, president and chief executive officer of Millicom.
Nokia Telecommunications agreed to expand Telenor Mobil’s network in Norway. Telenor Mobil is the mobile operating unit of Telenor, the Norwegian public telephone operator. Nokia said it will provide its PrimeSite base stations, which will allow Telenor Mobil to focus coverage in specific areas. The companies also recently signed an agreement to expand Telenor Mobile’s Nordic Mobile Telephone 450 and NMT 900 networks.
