August 2000

NEW YORK-The Financial Accounting Standards Board, Norwalk, Conn., expects by early next year to complete its project to eliminate the advantageous tax treatment of mergers as pooling of interests, rather …

Almost exactly one year after becoming the first wireless carrier to introduce wireless Internet service to customers, Sprint PCS has introduced a new program to its Wireless Web service that …

WASHINGTON-Nextel Communications Inc. is sweeping the 800 MHz auction, winning licenses for the top 15 markets ranked by population. At the end of round 30, bids totaled more than $262.7 …

One of the world’s most savvy and chic brand names is coming to the U.S. mobile-phone market next year. Virtual network operator Virgin Mobile USA said it plans to ink …

NEW YORK-Motorola Inc. said it is finishing a schedule to de-orbit Iridium L.L.C.’s 66-satellite constellation after the satellite company failed to find a buyer after months of searching. A scheduled …

MINNEAPOLIS-Netbiquity L.L.C., a start-up firm specializing in wireless application development for corporate clients, announced plans to create a wireless portal for the consumer and small-business market. The portal is expected …

BOISE, Idaho-The Bluetooth Special Interest Group placed Version 1.1 of Extended Systems Inc.’s XTNDAccess Blue SDK on its Bluetooth Qualified Product List, ensuring its compliance with Bluetooth interoperability standards. The …

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-Metrocall Inc. has partnered with SalesMountain Inc. to deliver local sale alerts and specials advertising to Metrocall messaging subscribers. Customers may receive SalesMountain’s aggregated sales and specials alerts, as …

CHICAGO-U.S. Cellular Corp. launched SpanAmerica, a national rate plan that eliminates roaming and long-distance charges. The plan includes five combinations ranging in cost from $30 to $150 per month and …

Telus Corp. offered to acquire all the shares of Clearnet Communications Inc. for $4.48 billion, creating a daunting competitor in Canada’s tight wireless market. Under terms of the offer, Telus …

SAN DIEGO-PacketVideo Corp. has expanded its Programming Division to include consumer application development for mobile devices, re-naming the unit the Consumer Applications & Services Division. In addition to creating wireless …

Wireless application service provider Air2Web took a step forward in company growth this week by rolling out its Always Interactive Suite, a wireless enablement platform used to extend enterprise and …

TORONTO-Paradigm Advanced Technologies Inc., through its PowerLoc wireless location division, entered a contract with Atlanta-based Special Circuits Inc. to make SCI a provider of PowerLoc’s L-Biz wireless global positioning system …

NEW DELHI, India-Ailing Indian GSM operator Koshika Telecom has decided to sell majority stakes to pay license fees to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The company operates in four contiguous …

SAN DIEGO-Silicon Wave Inc., which supplies radio-frequency systems-on-a-chip for wireless and broadband communications, raised $52 million in its fourth round of financing. The financing included new investments from 3Com Ventures, …

WASHINGTON-Amy Zoslov, the former chief of the auctions and industry analysis division of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, died earlier this month of cancer. She was 42. Zoslov spent most …

WASHINGTON-The private-wireless industry asked the Federal Communications Commission to revise its procedure for classifying systems with trunked operations. Centralized trunked (YG) systems could be converted by a computer database to …

CALGARY, Alberta-Air2Lan will build a nationwide broadband wireless network using Wi-Lan Inc.’s broadband access products, the companies announced. Air2Lan launched high-speed Internet access service in Jackson, Miss., in May, and …

NEW YORK-Verizon Communications hopes to raise $5 billion in an initial public offering of its Verizon Wireless business, according to documents filed Aug. 24 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission has denied a waiver application submitted by Illinois Valley Cellular RSA 2 Inc. to increase the bandwidth of two stations and for IVC to be allowed …

In preparation for the Personal Communications Industry Association’s GlobalXChange 2000 conference Sept. 26-29 in Chicago, RCR is accepting advance vendor product announcements that will be made at the show. News …

MURRAY HILL, N.J.-Lucent Technologies Inc. signed a $15 million contract with U.S. Cellular Corp. to supply wireless intelligent networking hardware and software for the rapid deployment and delivery of enhanced …

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-In a move designed to give its customers a higher level of focus, resources and services, Motorola Inc. created the Global Telecom Solutions Sector, which includes employees from …

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-Metrocall Inc. formed a strategic alliance with Handango Inc. under which Metrocall will provide two-way messaging capabilities to handheld computers powered by Handango’s suite of business applications. In addition, …

BERNE, Switzerland-Swisscom said it plans to reorganize the company’s corporate structure, transforming the Swiss telecom company into a group of operationally independent companies by the end of 2001. As part …