November 2000

PORTLAND, Ore.-Sonera Corp. announced it will invest $68 million to purchase one-fourth of Metro One Telecommunications. The deal gives Metro One enough capital to pay down about $35 million in …

TOKYO-Japanese mobile Internet users by the end of March 2001 will reach 38 million, doubled from the number of wireless Internet users at the end of September, according to a …

NEW DELHI, India-Cellular operators in Pakistan will move to the calling party pays (CPP) regime by the end of November, following a decision by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Making …

The evolution of the Symbian initiative advanced last week as the company held its first developers conference in London, supporting the release of version 6.0 of its open software platform …

BELLEVUE, Wash.-Samsung Telecommunications America Inc. and VoiceStream Wireless Corp. have agreed to develop GPRS phones using Microsoft Corp.’s Stinger smart phone platform and Mobile Internet Explorer microbrowser software for VoiceStream’s …

The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, Motorola Inc. and others convinced the Illinois Supreme Court to stay the publication in USA Today last week of a notice of class-action litigation …

After answering more than 5.5 billion questions in the past four years, Ask Jeeves Inc.’s online question answering service is finally learning to talk. The talking capabilities come from an …

NEW YORK-The 2.4 GHz unlicensed radio-frequency band is getting a bit crowded these days, with cordless phones, microwave ovens and the new guest, Bluetooth, all tapping into it. By contrast, …

NEW YORK-Wireless interactive marketing company SkyGo Inc. announced it completed the first phase of its market research study in Boulder, Colo., and has more than 1,000 consumer participants. The study …

Qualcomm Inc.’s much-battered stock received a vote of confidence last week as Lehman Brothers released an equity research report reiterating its “Buy” rating of the company’s stock, which has seen …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-A new wireless ventures company will help Scandinavian entrepreneurs build “world-beating wireless companies,” according to a release from Argo Global Capital and Northstream. The two companies teamed up to …

TOKYO-Seven regional companies of KDDI Group on 1 November merged to form a new company called “au.” KDDI decided to merge these regional companies to better compete with giant NTT …

Wal-Mart’s 1,000 stores nationwide will begin carrying disposable zinc-air cell phone batteries from Electric Fuel Corp. in time for the holiday shopping season. Each battery offers at least six hours …

WASHINGTON-Carriers last week overwhelmingly warned the Federal Communications Commission that while they will make their best efforts to meet implementation deadlines for enhanced 911 Phase II, they are concerned that …

WASHINGTON-The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it plans to fine Clear Communications Group $120,000 for willful and repeated violations of federal workplace safety regulations. “The failure to provide adequate …

WASHINGTON-Neoworld Inc., a newcomer with a back-to-the-future wireless strategy, represents a new breed of dispatch operator forced by massive consolidation and other industry trends to exploit market niches with economic …

UTRECHT, The Netherlands-NewsEdge Corp. and CMG Telecommunications announced an alliance to combine NewsEdge’s eTopics with CMG’s WAP Service Broker, which will allow CMG to offer specific information to their mobile-phone …

Sprint PCS made several announcements last week aimed at increasing its role in the wireless transmission of photos and videos over its network. The carrier partnered with FlashPoint Technology Inc. …

SINGAPORE-Singapore operator MobileOne (M1) accused rivals SingTel Mobile and StarHub of efforts to lure away its CDMA customers. An advertising war has been under way, with SingTel Mobile and StarHub …

TOKYO-Matsushita Communication Industrial announced a new company in the Czech Republic to manufacture mobile phones and car audio equipment. The company will begin production in October 2001. Matsushita, which markets …

Over the past several weeks, Sprint PCS has rolled out several additions to its Wireless Web service designed to target the consumer market, particularly teen users. In the last month, …

LONDON-Ten companies are vying for 42 wireless broadband licenses in the United Kingdom in a government auction commenced last Friday. The auction is expected to raise about $1.42 billion, but …

Following the disclosure of their third-quarter earnings, two leading local multipoint distribution services carriers proved the business of financing is a hit-and-miss proposition. Winstar Communications Inc. said it secured approximately …

NEW YORK-Seeking to become a dominant player in the emerging lithium-ion polymer battery field, Valence Technology Inc. plans to buy all rights to this technology that now are held by …

WASHINGTON-For all the confusion and uncertainty following last week’s presidential and congressional elections, it is possible telecom policy could escape the massive political gridlock that is predicted ahead. But don’t …