May 1999

INDIANAPOLIS-Brightpoint Inc. announced it entered into an agreement with AirTouch Cellular under which Brightpoint will provide warehousing and distribution services, fulfillment, repair and refurbishment and returns processing services for AirTouch …

The transition of control of cell sites from wireless carriers to independent tower companies is accelerating, and build-to-suit companies increasingly are getting the call from carriers to handle the buildout …

WASHINGTON-MCI WorldCom Inc. chief Bernard Ebbers, basking in glow of first-quarter earnings that surpassed forecasts, last week did not indicate whether the No. 2 long-distance telephone company is seriously interested …

WASHINGTON-The House Republican leadership sent a letter to their colleagues last week stating strong support for a House bill to relax export controls on encryption products. “H.R. 850, the Security …

NEW YORK-Montreal-based Telesystem International Wireless Inc. announced April 29 that Dolphin Telecom plc, its London-based subsidiary, raised $210 million in private equity to help finance the rollout of an enhanced …

WASHINGTON-U.S. and Chinese officials will resume talks mid-May in Beijing in hopes of reaching a landmark deal by June that would dramatically open up the wireless equipment and services market …

SEATTLE-Cellular Technical Services Co. Inc. reported revenues for the first quarter of $2.8 million, a decrease from the $3.4 million reported for the same time the previous year. Net earnings …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-California Microwave Inc. completed the sale of its government business to Northrop Grumman for $93 million in cash, for an approximate net gain of $38 million, said the company. …

INDIANAPOLIS-Brightpoint Inc. reported revenues for the first quarter ended March 31 increased 9 percent from $343.4 million in first-quarter 1998 to $372.7 million for the same time this year. The …

DUBLIN, Ireland-In the wake of the phenomenal success of “ready-to-go” prepaid packages, many European mobile phone subscribers are concerned they are paying more than they need to for their service. …

MCI WorldCom seems to be signaling it is not interested in acquiring trunked radio giant Nextel Communications anytime soon, if ever, despite recent speculation. “We don’t think it’s imperative we …

HONG KONG-Mobile number portability (MNP) has been in effect in Hong Kong since 1 March, but there is no sign yet of a switching spree among cellular customers in the …

NEW YORK-Microcell Tele-communications Inc. is hoping Canadian regulators will follow the lead of the United Kingdom and Hong Kong in granting customers mobile number portability (MNP) as they change carriers. …

Ericsson Brazil. With Tele Norte Celular for upgrade and new TDMA. Value: US$50 million Chile. With Entel PCS for GSM 1900 equipment. Value: Undisclosed China. With Liaoning Post & Telecommunications …

BEIJING-In early February, China’s Minister of Information Industry (MII) was apologetic about the prospects for CDMA in his country. The customers couldn’t care less which technology is used-as long as …

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina-Chile, which became the first country in Latin America in 1998 to implement PCS, has just felt the tremor of three new events in its market that could …

Recently I have read a few opinions casting doubt on the value of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) in today’s converging wireless and Internet industries. I consider these opinions to …

SAO PAULO, Brazil-Samsung in mid-March opened its first manufacturing operations for cellular handsets outside of South Korea. The company began manufacturing a CDMA handset for the Brazil market in Manaus, …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-The potential bidders for the third cellular license in South Africa are determined to break the existing Vodacom-MTN duopoly. “We will be competing head-on with MTN and Vodacom …

BANGALORE, India-Although the growth of South Asia’s relatively new markets has temporarily slowed due to political and financial problems, increased competition and investment have made them extremely promising. With managed …

Lucent Technologies announced three technical initiatives designed to increase capacity in TDMA equipment. The company announced a series of software enhancements developed by Bell Laboratories to increase frequency re-use; as …

SANDTON, South Africa-Telecel International, one of the most active cellular investors in Africa, split into two separate companies as from the end of April. The resulting companies are Telecel One, …

GENEVA-Late in the evening of 21 April, fax machines on the desks of night editors at Europe’s major dailies suddenly began to hum in unison, roused by a simple, one-page …

MONTREAL, Canada-Montreal-based Telesystem International Wireless, through its London-based wholly owned subsidiary Dolpin Telecom, and Motorola have established a strategic relationship for deploying TETRA in Europe. The alliance includes infrastructure and …

Moldova The Republic of Moldova, formerly a part of Romania, has reported an emerging commercial trunked radio market, with one company licensed to date, according to the International Mobile Telecommunications …