January 2001

SAN JOSE, Calif.-SnapTrack Inc. was awarded a patent that describes methods for remotely locating or tracking a wireless device via client-server systems that use a computer network or Web browser …

REDMOND, Wash.-Metawave Communications Corp. announced the successful completion of its GSM smart antenna system field trial in the urban core of Shanghai, China. China Unicom conducted the field trial of …

L.M. Ericsson left an ironic trail last week. It extolled its third-generation technology while surrendering its phone-making business and posting a fourth-quarter loss that limped behind expectations. The Swedish company …

WOODBRIDGE, N.J.-Cingular Interactive, formerly BellSouth Wireless Data, ended 2000 with more than 570,000 subscribers to its nationwide data network, compared with more than 200,000 subscribers at the end of 1999. …

HELSINKI, Finland-Phone maker Nokia Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding that allows China’s Fujian Mobile Communications Co. to try Nokia’s mCatch positioning system for Fujian MCC’s GSM network. The location-based …

BOSTON-The mystery of how mobile location services will make money could be solved by the increasingly popular and consumer-friendly appeal of mobile commerce and its related advertising, both of which …

CUPERTINO, Calif.-Pixo Inc. and Snippets Software announced they are teaming to make Snippets’ corporate Intranet and Internet monitoring system available to wireless devices. “Together with Snippets, Pixo is enabling individuals …

TeleCommunication Systems Inc. said it received the necessary shareholder and regulatory approvals to complete its acquisition of privately held Xypoint Corp. Under terms of the agreement, Xypoint shareholders received 4.2 …

MUNICH, Germany-Siemens said Portuguese mobile operator TMN chose it as its preferred supplier for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System technology. Siemens will be the main supplier for the network. Siemens will …

SpectraSite Transco Communications SAS, the French subsidiary of SpectraSite Transco Communications Ltd., said it purchased 19 percent of the share capital of Paris-based telecommunications network deployment company Sofrer S.A. Financial …

Yada Yada Inc. has formed an alliance with Novatel Wireless Inc. to provide co-branded Minstrel V Wireless Handheld Modems for the Palm V and to supply Minstrel S Wireless Springboard …

NEW YORK-Domestic wireless operators have begun to take prepaid services seriously, although it will be awhile before they approach the successful benchmark set by their European counterparts. Comfort with credit …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Top executives from several multichannel multipoint distribution services operators throughout Latin America helped kick off the Wireless Communications Association International’s 7th Annual Technical Symposium last Wednesday by announcing …

Citing results from their new, 300-plus page report covering almost every facet of the telecommunications industry, executives of the Telecommunications Industry Association said that while the market is slowing down …

WASHINGTON-The National Telecommunications and Information Administration said last week testing showed that ultra-wideband systems “have the potential” to operate in the 3 to 6 GHz bands even though the power …

MENLO PARK, Calif.-Nuance, a manufacturer of voice interface software, and OnStar, the telematics subsidiary of General Motors Corp., announced OnStar has licensed Nuance’s speech recognition software to be used in …

NEW YORK-Debt downgrades for telecommunications carriers last year outnumbered upgrades by a two-to-one margin, setting the stage for increased pressure on ratings this year, analysts for Standard & Poor’s Corp. …

With celebrity endorsements becoming common in advertisements for wireless carriers, Cingular Wireless knew it needed a recognizable figure to kick off the advertising campaign promoting its nationwide service. The country’s …

NEW YORK-In an unusual but not unprecedented step, the U.S. Commercial Service Export Assistance Center will be hosting what its officials call a “reverse trade mission” in the Boston and …

TAMPA, Fla.-GTE Telecommunication Services Inc. announced it will no longer market itself with GTE or Verizon Information Services and will note the distinction by changing its name to simply TSI …

ATLANTA-Just a few months after its successful initial public offering, O2wireless Solutions Inc. announced two acquisitions, which the company said will add site development and international consulting and legal services …

LAKE CHARLES, La.-US Unwired Inc., a Sprint PCS Network Partner, added 34,909 personal communications services subscribers during the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, bringing its total PCS subscriber base to …

STAMFORD, Conn.-Wireless operator Triton PCS Inc. sold $350 million of 10-year senior subordinated notes in the 144a private placement market. Triton said it would use proceeds from the sale for …

GREENVILLE, S.C.-Verizon Wireless launched digital wireless services in Florence, Lee, Sumter, Clarendon and Williamsburg counties in South Carolina. “With this significant digital expansion into eastern South Carolina, Verizon Wireless has …

HELSINKI, Finland-Nokia Corp. and Symbian Ltd. are teaming up to develop a color-screen mobile phone and personal organizer ahead of Microsoft Corp., according to the Wall Street Journal. Nokia plans …