November 2000

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, …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

SEOUL, South Korea-Four South Korean telecom companies have applied for one of three third-generation (3G) licenses. The licenses, to be awarded through a modified beauty contest by the end of …

WASHINGTON-Beijing appears to be thumbing its nose at wireless provisions of the landmark U.S.-China trade agreement, posing potential problems for American mobile-phone firms and the next administration. The move comes …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 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 …

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 …

WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration last week quietly released a long, overdue report that recommends mobile phones, pagers, the Internet and other technologies for delivering emergency alert warnings to citizens. The “Effective …

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-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 …