Chile’s Undersecretary of Telecommunications Juanita Gana announced mobile phone carriers no longer can force subscribers to sign long-term contracts, according to an article in El Diario. Until now carrier contracts have been for between 12 and 24 months.
Ericsson Radio Systems announced it bought telecommunications consulting company Edgecom for an undisclosed amount. Edgecom will provide consultancy services to new network license holders and Ericsson customers to help them enter the market quickly and remain competitive and profitable, said Ericsson. Edgecom was a subsidiary of Unisource N.V. and has 30 employees based in London and Stockholm, Sweden.
Motorola Inc. formed a new Internet and Connectivity Services Division to focus on developing and providing integrated communication and information services. The division will work on speech-enabled, web-based, content, in-vehicle and paging information services.
Nokia and Sonera Corp. (formerly Telecom Finland) signed an agreement for the delivery of a High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD) solution to Sonera. The carrier is among the first operators to adopt a HSCSD solution for data services in GSM networks, according to Nokia.
InterDigital Communications Corp., United States, received a US$2.3 million order through Siemens A.G. for IDC’s UltraPhone Wireless Local Loop System. The system is being delivered to Telecom Namibia.
The International Mobile Telecommunications Association said commercial trunked radio subscribers in Guatemala could number more than 200,000 by 2000, making it the largest trunked radio market in Central America.
DSP Communications Inc., United States, announced the availability of its third-generation TDMA baseband processor chipsets. Volume production quantities of the IS-136A compliant D5203 chipsets are planned for delivery to original equipment manufacturers for use in subscriber units during the fourth quarter of this year, said the company.
