May 1999

WASHINGTON-Everyone who makes a phone call-either wireless or wireline-soon could see a tax cut if Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) has his way. Last week, Tauzin, chairman of the House telecom …

At last Wednesday’s hearing on wireless 911 legislation, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) made special note of a front-page Washington Post story published that day about communications problems hindering rescue efforts …

COSTA MESA, Calif.-The CDMA Development Group announced worldwide cdmaOne subscribers totaled 28.5 million at the end of March, a one-year increase of 309 percent. The North American Code Division Multiple …

WASHINGTON-The leaders of the four telecommunications trade associations, which are suing the Department of Justice over implementation of the digital wiretap act, met with Assistant Attorney General Stephen Colgate on …

The buzz phrase of the wireless data industry this year is Internet portal, and AvantGo Inc. hopes to capitalize on this attention by introducing a free interactive Internet service called …

NEW YORK-All eyes are on Omnipoint Corp., which one investment banker has likened to a poster child for personal communications services. What will be the final chapter in Omnipoint’s search …

NEW YORK-For status-conscious Americans, Nokia Corp. plans to debut by late summer its Nokia 8800 series phone, carrying a suggested retail price of “under $1,000,” the company said May 10. …

LAS VEGAS-Nokia Corp. unveiled several new Internet protocol solutions to provide mobile professionals with broadband wireless access to services such as e-mail, corporate information and the Internet. The solutions can …

MONTEREY, Calif.-Wireless data industry leaders met in Monterey, Calif., earlier this month to discuss further actions needed to capitalize on the momentum the long-fledgling market has been able to create …

BELLEVUE, Wash.-VoiceStream Wireless Corp. reported revenues for the first quarter ended March 31 of $66.8 million, more than double the revenues of $29.9 million reported for first-quarter 1998. The company …

WASHINGTON-A new treaty to curb bribery of public officials should help U.S. wireless firms become more competitive in the emerging global telecom marketplace. The accord, signed by the United States …

In the May 10 issue of RCR, the device used with American Mobile Satellite Corp.’s new eLink service should have been identified as the RIM 850 from Research In Motion …

WETHERSFIELD, Conn.-Shared Technologies Cellular Inc. and the Home Shopping Network announced the intent to offer HSN members a branded prepaid cellular phone program, set to launch on or about May …

ATLANTA-Cellemetry L.L.C. announced an agreement that will extend its Cellemetry Data Services throughout the 17-state area covered by Western Wireless Corp. With the agreement, Cellemetry said it now covers 92 …

TORONTO-Nortel Networks announced it is selling manufacturing plants and cutting 1,000 jobs as part of a restructuring plan intended to make the company more competitive. Nortel will contract out all …

WASHINGTON-Larry Irving, telecom adviser to President Clinton, last week said a 1993 bill transferring government spectrum to the Federal Communications Commission has been a failure. “I don’t know what happens …

The New York State Assembly is considering a bill that would amend county laws and state finance laws that relate to the state’s cellular telephone surcharge. New York’s 70-cents per …

NEW YORK-A class action lawsuit was filed last week by AT&T Wireless Services Inc. subscribers frustrated by dropped calls, busy signals and other indications of possible network unreliability. The case …

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. said the U.S. Justice Department has reviewed L.M. Ericsson’s pending acquisition of the company’s infrastructure division and the two company’s intellectual-property-right settlement. Qualcomm said it expects the …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Motorola Inc. last week agreed to a management buyout of its Semiconductor Components Unit in a deal led by Texas Pacific Group, a private investment partnership that specializes in …

JACKSON, Miss.-SkyTel Communications Inc. announced it has joined forces with online trading company eBay to create a wireless person-to-person online trading service that will extend auction updates and bids to …

NEW YORK-The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York handed NextWave Personal Communications Inc. a big victory May 13, cutting its C-block license bid obligation to $1.023 …

As deregulation slowly takes hold of the U.S. electric utility industry, many companies are beginning to take a look at wireless telecommunications as a way to hold on to their …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission on Friday shored up rules for auctioning 16,000 paging licenses later this year and announced it will not take action on waiver petitions on the incompatibility …

WASHINGTON-Paging Network Inc., the nation’s top paging carrier, said the Federal Communications Commission should condition any approval of the $57 billion merger between SBC Communications Inc. and Ameritech Corp. on …