Samsung Electronics Co. has sold more than 1 million Any Call digital Code Division Multiple Access phone sets and obtained more than 1.4 million new subscribers in one year. The company said its four CDMA handset models-SCH-100, SCH-100S, SCH-200 and SCH-200F-captured 58 percent of the Korean handset market during the first quarter.
SBA Communications Corp. opened its first Latin American office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The office, SBA Telecomunicacoes do Brasil Ltd., is part of the company’s goal to pursue business in emerging international markets. The company said Brazil is considered the top cellular market in Latin America, and the country will be awarding 10 cellular licenses this year.
Comsat Corp. acquired IntelCom Mexico, a wholly owned subsidiary of ICG Satellite Services Inc. The company was renamed Comsat Mexico S.A. de C.V. Comsat Mexico is part of Comsat International, a unit of Comsat Corp. that provides digital network services to corporate customers and carriers in growing international markets. The company holds a teleport license for both domestic and international satellite communications and will provide digital networking services through its teleport in Mexico City, said Comsat.
Microcell Solutions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microcell Telecommunications Inc., said its Airship Fido will be positioned over Toronto from May 2 to June 15. Airship Fido is a helium-filled dirigible, which is about five stories high and half the length of a football field, the company said. It can stay aloft for 15 hours at a time and can travel at speeds up to 85 kph under the power of two engines. Fido is the first personal communications services offering at 1.9 GHz in Canada, said the company.
Teleglobe Canada together with Swiss Telecom PTT Mobilcom, developed a conversion platform that will allow personal communications services operators with Global System for Mobile communications technology to offer international roaming. The platform will convert ANSI format calls originating in North America to the ITU format used in much of the rest of the world and vice versa, said the companies. Teleglobe and Swiss Telecom designed the system, which was developed for them by MicroLegend Telecom Systems of Ottawa.
Hughes Network Systems Inc. and Alcatel Telecom signed a contract with Telesp of Sao Paulo, Brazil, to implement a cellular mobile system in Taubate. The system, which is scheduled to begin the first phase of service in November, will support 50,000 subscribers by March 1998. The system will allow Telesp to offer a range of Advanced Mobile Phone Service vertical features including IS-41 inter-system signaling, which allows roaming throughout the entire cellular coverage area of Telbras, Brazil’s national phone company.
