July 2000

The CDMA industry recently chose to standardize Qualcomm Inc.’s High Data Rate technology, but industry analysts wonder when carriers will see a big enough business case to deploy the data-only …

FRANKFURT, Germany-WorldCom Inc. formally pulled out of the German auction for third-generation licenses. The company is the third bidder to withdraw from the process before the auction officially begins July …

NEW YORK-Streaming multimedia via portable devices may be down the road a bit, but the image of a handheld computer or cellular phone as a photograph viewer already is moving …

NEW YORK-InfoWave Software Inc. will make commercially available in July its new FirstHand server software package, which give devices enabled with Wireless Application Protocol access to Microsoft Exchange information. FirstHand …

WASHINGTON-The Supreme Court last week agreed to decide whether individuals who divulge illegally intercepted electronic communications are as liable as eavesdroppers themselves, setting a showdown between free speech and wireless …

BRUSSELS, Belgium-The mobile subsidiaries of Belgacom and Deutsche Telekom are partnering to jointly bid for a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System license in the Netherlands. The combined company, 3G Blue, will …

TUCSON, Ariz.-Sprint Corp. launched its second broadband wireless market in Tucson, Ariz. Sprint initially deployed its Broadband Direct service in Phoenix at the beginning of May. The multichannel multipoint distribution …

ABILENE, Texas-Titan Towers L.P. completed a communications facilities agreements with Equilon Enterprises L.L.C. and Motiva Enterprises L.L.C. granting Titan exclusive rights to construct communications towers, facilities and equipment on 111 …

As regulators seemingly around the world wrestled the life out of the Sprint-WorldCom merger last week and everyone and their brother speculated about who now might partner with whom as …

LAFAYETTE, La.-Nextel Partners Inc. launched its digital wireless network in southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas including the cities of Lafayette, New Iberia and Lake Charles, La.; and Port Arthur, Orange …

Palm Inc. introduced a wireless solution for its full line of personal digital assistants at PC Expo last week called the Mobile Internet Kit. The kit consists of a software …

NEW YORK-Nokia Corp. has spent the past five years refining lessons learned from its attempts to jump-start digital cellular in the United States, said Matt Wisk, vice president of national …

BOSTON-A new report from consulting company Ovum advises current and potential players in the wireless market to develop wireless portal strategies and partnerships now and focus on the core aspects …

Motorola Inc. plans to divest its interests in more than a dozen international wireless operators to free itself from potential conflicts with customers. The new wholly owned subsidiary, Propel Inc., …

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. reported it was laying off approximately 200 workers, or roughly 3 percent of the company’s 7,000 employees, in what Qualcomm said is a companywide employee adjustment. Diana …

ATLANTA-Shareholders of LHS Group Inc. will vote on the company’s merger with Sema Group plc July 27, with each holder of LHS common stock as of June 14 entitled to …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Mobile entertainment service provider MobileEngines announced the formation of the wireless market’s first teen advisory board focused on ideas for new mobile entertainment services. John Uhran, president and …

Underwater wireless communication is not a new concept, but until recently, it was nothing more than pings, dots and dashes, that only a trained ear could decipher. Acoustic modems now …

WASHINGTON-Congress Friday passed legislation to give federal law enforcement the ability to negotiate directly with wireless carriers and manufacturers for network-wide digital wiretap upgrades of switches on a firm fixed-price …

LONDON-Sonera Zed Ltd. has agreed with Unilever and Hewlett-Packard Co. to test new mobile marketing solutions beginning in Finland this summer. “Mobile marketing is one of the areas in which …

Several weeks ago Congress passed the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, giving electronic signatures the same legitimacy as actual signatures, and insuring virtual transactions using these cryptic …

DUBLIN, Ireland-Trunked radio may be dismissed by some as the poor relation of GSM and an irrelevance in the world of multibillion pound Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) license bids, …

GENEVA-The sky-high third-generation (3G) license fees generated by the United Kingdom’s May auction are having serious repercussions for European operators seeking a pan-regional presence. Governments on the mainland are rejigging …

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina-Cuba’s government decreed that the new millennium begins on 1 January, 2001, and to mark the event, grand celebrations are being prepared. In tone with the decision, the …

Alcatel. Benin. With Office des Postes et Telecommunications (OPT) for a GSM network, along with fiber-optic and switching equipment. Value: US$32.8 million Kenya. With KenCell for a 50,000-subscriber capacity GSM …