June 1999

NEW YORK-In a move that will give it 1,000-megahertz local multipoint communication systems licenses in nearly every Canadian city, the MaxLink Communications Group of Companies has acquired two divisions of …

SAN FRANCISCO-3Com Corp. and Sun Microsystems outlined plans to develop a reference port for the Java 2 Platform Micro Edition, Sun’s Java runtime environment for consumer products, for 3Com’s Palm …

TORONTO-Nortel Networks’ President Dave House plans to leave the company by the end of August. House joined Nortel as part of the company’s acquisition of Bay Networks, where he served …

WASHINGTON-In one way or another, Dale N. Hatfield has been connected to the wireless industry as a telecom policy maker, a consultant, an academic and now back full circle as …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-General Magic Inc. introduced myTalk, a free ad-supported Internet service allowing users to manage their e-mail using the phone and spoken word commands. The company said it intends to …

Geoworks Corp., adding yet another new business focus, has embarked on a crusade to elevate the wireless environment to the broadcast advertising status of television and radio. The company revealed …

WESTBOROUGH, Mass.-ShopKo Stores Inc. plan to sell MobileComm branded paging products in its 158 stores beginning in September, under an agreement with Arch Communications Group Inc. ShopKo stores are located …

Fresh from his turnaround performance leading MobileMedia Communications Inc. out of bankruptcy, former president and chief executive officer Ron Grawert has been named CEO of Clariti Telecommunications International. The company …

WASHINGTON-The Senate last week, after an arduous process, passed a bill to limit lawsuits resulting from the millennium bug. The action sets up what promises to be difficult negotiations with …

United Parcel Service introduced a new wireless package tracking system, created in conjunction with Motorola Inc., that uses American Mobile Satellite Corp.’s Ardis packet data network. The system is the …

WEST POINT, Ga.-Powertel Inc. is offering its handsets and wireless services via an e-commerce section on its redesigned Web site-www.powertel.com. Mike Bashaw, vice president of marketing and product development for …

LONDON-Cable & Wireless plc announced its tender offer for Japanese telecommunications carrier International Digital Communications was successfully concluded, with sufficient shares having been tendered to take Cable & Wireless’ holding …

Microsoft Corp. launched its MSN Mobile service, a wireless extension of its MSN.com Internet portal that allows customers to receive their information services on pagers, cell phones and other wireless …

WASHINGTON-The United States and Japan are at a standoff over renewal of the 1980 Nippon Telegraph and Telephone procurement agreement, which governs fair telecom procurement practice by the Japanese government. …

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-Frontier Corp.’s board of directors last week decided not to act on an unsolicited bid made by Qwest Communications International Inc. to buy the company, electing instead to move …

WASHINGTON-As industry opposition to Pentagon spectrum bills mounts, the Federal Communications Commission confirmed last week it is prepared to suspend the normal regulatory process for deciding how to auction 36 …

WASHINGTON-The chairman of the Senate subcommittee that controls the purse strings of the Federal Communications Commission believes strongly companies that purchase spectrum licenses either should pay the original bid price …

Now that the Federal Communications Commission has completed the re-auction of 365 C-, D-, E- and F-block personal communications services licenses, it still could be months or even years before …

SCARBOROUGH, Ontario-Clearnet Communications Inc. introduced the Nokia 6188, a digital personal communications services phone that offers almost three hours of talk time, more than four days standby time and 200-number …

HONG KONG-China United Telecommunications Corp.’s plan to deploy Code Division Multiple Access technology ensures its survival into the next generation and creates momentum for cdmaOne technology throughout the Asia-Pacific region, …

Aquis Communications Group Inc. signed a definitive agreement to buy the paging assets of Francis Communications Ltd. of El Paso, Texas. This is the company’s third acquisition since buying the …

NEW YORK-For bond investors, high-yield debt deals by telecommunications and media companies are hard to ignore since they have constituted 30 percent to 40 percent of all new dollar-denominated issues …

LONDON-Symbian introduced the latest version of its EPOC technology to developers and licensees with several new features and architectural advances. EPOC Release 5 features messaging, e-mail and SMS capabilities as …

WASHINGTON-A technical committee for Code Division Multiple Access technology development is working on an adjunct standard of the technology that could be used for Phase II enhanced 911. The specification …