1998

China L.M. Ericsson signed four Global System for Mobile communications contracts in China, which the company values at a total of $756 million. Ericsson will expand existing GSM networks in …

“We are on the verge of completing a massive system that has been 10 years in the making,” remarked Dr. Edward Staiano, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Iridium …

NEW YORK-Orange plc outshined the other major mobile network providers in the United Kingdom, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 1998 U.K. Mobile Customer Satisfaction Study. Orange’s overall satisfaction …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week did some house-cleaning on the local multipoint distribution service auction by adopting partitioning and disaggregation rules that give LMDS licensees the same flexibility that …

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-Metrocall Inc. launched paging service through its Global Messaging Gateway, a newly installed satellite uplink facility located in Stockton, Calif. Metrocall now handles about 250 million pages per month, …

WASHINGTON-Rep. Connie Morella (R-Md.), chairwoman of the House Science subcommittee on technology, is pressing the Clinton administration for support to prevent U.S. companies from being unfairly muscled out of the …

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-Motorola Inc.’s Cellular Infrastructure Group was awarded two contracts, valued at about $105 million, by China’s Hunan Posts and Telecommunications to expand Global System for Mobile communications networks …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission and the Industrial Telecommunications Association have signed a memorandum of understanding that will allow ITA to be the first contact on interference complaints for private wireless …

WARSAW, Poland-The GSM MoU Association and Japan’s largest wireless communications operator, NTT DoCoMo, have signed an agreement regarding the development of third-generation mobile phone technology. The GSM MoU believes the …

NEW YORK-Orbcomm Corp. of Herndon, Va., filed for a public offering to raise capital to repay Orbcomm Global L.P., which has financed the start-up low-earth-orbit satellite data communications venture so …

NEW YORK-WinStar Communications Inc. agreed to purchase from private investors 14.9 percent of Advanced Radio Telecom Corp.’s outstanding common stock, which is about 3.3 million shares, said WinStar. WinStar will …

Midway through this year’s legislative session, many states have considered and passed bills to provide a cost-recovery mechanism for wireless carriers deploying enhanced 911 systems. Phase I of the Federal …

BOULDER, Colo.-CellPort Labs introduced its AutoServer embedded vehicle-based wireless data server software last week. AutoServer is based on recently patented technology the company developed to manage and enable wireless data …

Motorola Motorola Inc. appointed Dennis Roberson vice president and chief technology officer. Roberson reports to Merle L. Gilmore, president, Europe, Middle East and Africa. As president, EMEA, Gilmore also oversees …

WASHINGTON-The House Commerce Committee, raising the stakes in its probe of the Federal Communications Commission’s planned headquarters move, last week authorized subpoenas to Portals developers Franklin Haney and Steven Grigg; …

Vivox USA Inc. Vivox USA Inc. plans to begin shipping its patented hands-free car kit, the VL-1E7 for GE/Ericsson 6xx/7xx series cellular phones this month. The system uses a vehicle’s …

WEST POINT, Ga.-Powertel Inc. said it added 38,000 net personal communications services customers during the first quarter, closing the period with about 157,000 total PCS subscribers. PCS revenues and sales …

Sygnet Wireless Inc. said it is exploring strategic alternatives, including the possible sale of the company, and has retained Lehman Brothers Inc. as its financial adviser. The company said the …

WASHINGTON-Representatives of the Land Mobile Communications Council have begun informal contacts with the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, the agency that must approve any spectrum-sharing arrangement with the federal government, …

The on-again, off-again personal communications tender in Argentina has leaned to the off side, as a court order there suspended the auction of the two licenses in response to complaints …

Here’s something to ponder: Is the FBI to blame for the current CALEA fiasco, as the wireless industry has long claimed? Or does this rather serious controversy reflect the wireless …

SINGAPORE-What was to have been one of the most glorious moments in Singapore’s telecommunications history turned out to be a major fiasco when one of the contenders for the nation’s …

WASHINGTON-Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, in what could become a model for other states, has signed into law a bill to give local communities without approved zoning plans the power to …

JACKSON, Miss.-Mobile Telecommunication Technologies Corp. reported operational results for the quarter that again exceeded analysts’ financial expectations but did not meet their subscriber forecasts. Mtel reported a net loss of …

The 220 MHz specialized mobile radio industry, sometimes known as the final frontier of wireless spectrum opportunity, gained a major player when four of its larger operators agreed in principle …