1999

The State Department late last month urged the European Commission to allow U.S. third-generation wireless equipment and service providers a fair opportunity to compete in Europe. In a letter sent …

SANTA MONICA, Calif.-After 16 rounds of bidding, Radiodigital was awarded one regional and the only nationwide 220 MHz license in Mexico, according to Angellcom. Mexico’s wireless bureau, Cofetel, agreed to …

IRVINE, Calif.-AirTouch Cellular announced its new, all-in-one phone and service product, the AirTouch PrePaid Phone In a Box, is now available at hundreds of locations throughout Southern California, including AirTouch …

LOUISVILLE, Colo.-The Federal Communications Commission has ruled that a prohibition on cellular phone use in airplanes should not apply to a new air-to-ground wireless phone system designed by AirCell Inc. …

NEW YORK-“In its 93rd month of expansion, the U.S. economy may be more vulnerable going into 1999 than at any time since 1994 when the Federal Reserve (Board) last tightened …

WASHINGTON-The wireless industry last month urged the Federal Communications Commission to look at options other than local number portability to conserve telephone numbers. The ever-increasing exhaust of numbers has caused …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission’s 1998 review of its regulations, with an eye toward eliminating those that were unnecessary, was insufficient, said FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth. “The official 1998 review had …

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-Gensym Corp. and Ericsson Hewlett-Packard Telecommunications announced they installed the EHPT Fault Management eXpert at Rogers Cantel, a Canadian national wireless communications service provider. The FMX network product provides …

ORLANDO, Fla.-Using technology from Brite Voice Systems, Mannesmann Mobilfunk GmbH said it launched Germany’s first personal number service that uses a subscriber’s mobile number as the single number. The service …

After disclosing fourth-quarter earnings would be below analysts’ projections and problems in its two-way pager production, Glenayre Technologies Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Smith resigned last week, replaced …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson and Powertel Inc. said they will conduct trials of Ericsson’s “GSM on the Net” solution, which provides business communication services over an integrated Global System for Mobile …

WASHINGTON-The House of Representatives this week is expected to elect Rep. J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) to be speaker of the House for the 106th Congress. Hastert’s rise to the third-in-succession-to-the-presidency …

WASHINGTON-Iridium L.L.C. gave itself an early Christmas present on Dec. 23 when it announced it was buying Claircom Communications Group Inc. from AT&T Corp. and Rogers Cantel for $65 million …

MEXICO CITY-Grupo Iusacell has announced plans to obtain about $60 million in equity infusions from its two major shareholders, Bell Atlantic Corp. and the Peralta Group, during the next several …

Logica plc, an international computer consulting, systems integration and software company, acquired Dallas-based Aethos Communications Systems Inc. Dec. 18 for about $77.5 million. Logica also bought DDV Group, a Dutch …

ORLANDO, Fla.-Using technology from Brite Voice Systems, Mannesmann Mobilfunk GmbH said it launched Germany’s first personal number service, which uses a subscriber’s mobile number for the single number. Mannesmann’s D2-UniversalNumber …

While many independent tower companies grapple with the issue of whether to offer construction services as part of a one-stop shop, one company believes it can succeed purely in the …

An informal group of MobileMedia Communications Inc. unsecured creditors has formed to oppose the company’s proposed merger with Arch Communications Inc., saying it is unfair for them to finance Arch’s …

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.-Motorola Inc. announced it has finalized an agreement to purchase the research and product development portion of Lucent Technologies Inc.’s wireless handset facility in Piscataway, N.J. Motorola said it …

LONDON-The Baltic region covers an area of 174,000 square kilometers, with approximately 8 million people generating US$13 billion in gross domestic product (GDP). But while Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania may …

SEOUL, South Korea-Despite the financial crisis in Asia, the wireless telephony market has performed better than expected in South Korea. The number of cellular and PCS subscribers in the country …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-Independent mobile dealers feel threatened in many countries in Europe. Those that have not been swallowed up by the national retail chains or taken over by a cellular …

LONDON-The Middle East wireless sector continues to show positive signs, with several major contracts awarded and plenty of healthy GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) activity over the past year. …

Finland continues to lead the world in take-up of mobile services. The Ministry of Transport and Communications released a statement in late December estimating that for the first time the …

GENEVA-Stop in for a lunchtime croque monsieur at any of the bistros that line the Boulevard St. Germain in Paris, and you’ll hear a new sound mingling with the clink …