May 2001

NEW YORK-The promise of intelligent networks will be realized in their convergence with the world of the Internet, said Paul G. Florack, co-author of a recently published book, Wireless Intelligent …

While some analysts and technology experts sing the dirge of EDGE before it is even born and wonder if Bluetooth will ever chew, a new initiative that hopes to leverage …

NEW YORK-The Legislature of Nassau County, N.Y., which borders New York City to the east, gave unanimous approval to a bill prohibiting handheld wireless phone use for outgoing and incoming …

SAN FRANCISCO-OmniSky Corp.’s wireless service is commercially available for the Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC via the Sierra Wireless AirCard 300 wireless modem. OmniSky’s solution includes features like the Pocket Internet …

MUNICH, Germany-Siemens AG has announced layoffs of 2,000 workers as part of its measures to make the company more profitable. The German phone maker and infrastructure supplier, which entered the …

WHEATON, Md.-Not even the faster speeds and packet-based design of GPRS networks can save the WAP standard, which is of such poor quality that operators will continue to be forced …

BURNABY, British Columbia-Telus Corp. plans to take advantage of debt capital markets in both Canada and the United States as it struggles to develop a long-term debt financing plan. The …

In a dramatic move to bolster its value and trim debt, British Telecom said last week it would spin off its wireless unit, BT Wireless, as a separately traded company, …

PORTLAND, Ore.-Consumer electronics retailer 800.com Inc. has acquired the assets of recently merged Roxy.com, an online consumer electronics retailer, and EverythingWireless, a wireless phone marketer. In the deal, 800.com acquired …

LONDON-Supporters of GSM, including the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) and the GSM Association, celebrated as the technology’s subscriber base reached 500 million last week. “In the last 12 months, …

WELLINGTON, New Zealand-Hutchison has teamed with Telecom New Zealand to launch third-generation services in the Australian market and in New Zealand. New operating companies in both Australia and New Zealand …

WASHINGTON-Wireless phone use while driving is a distraction, but should phone use while driving be banned? Not unless more data proves they are the cause of a significant number of …

WASHINGTON-The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau on Thursday denied a request from AT&T Wireless Services Inc. to keep confidential test results showing some enhanced 911 Phase II technologies won’t work for …

MUNICH-Airtel Spain has chosen Siemens AG’s Siemens Information and Communication Mobile Group as a main supplier for GPRS technology. Siemens IC Mobile will supply and implement all necessary components, including …

WASHINGTON-Baltimore lawyer Peter Angelos and attorneys in Atlanta were expected to file another lawsuit against the wireless industry either Friday or today in Georgia, demanding that mobile-phone carriers supply subscribers …

WASHINGTON-Legislation that would create a commission to study whether broad privacy protection legislation is necessary in light of various federal, state and local laws advanced to the full committee level …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week said it was overhauling its universal-service program by proposing new rules to determine how much telecommunications carriers pay into the universal-service fund and largely …

If the economy is going south for both vendors and operators in the United States, part of the solution may lie in going south, literally. According to a Strategis Group …

If teens remain `talkaholics’ and have fun doing it, Voyant Technologies wants to provide the fuel. With an instant voice-messaging solution in a next-generation environment, the company thinks it is …

The growth potential of the wireless high-speed data market is inspiring companies to modify technology and previously unused spectrum to enable delivery of these data services. But the journey into …

Symbian received an important lift after Nokia Corp. said that half its third-generation mobile phones will use the company’s platform by 2004. The move ends speculation on whether Symbian’s stakeholders, …

The wireless industry has already admitted-repeatedly-that it jumped the gun a bit on the whole wireless Internet thing, acknowledged that its fruition still is more than a bit in the …

NEW YORK-Good news for carrier access to capital arrived from the debt markets May 9 as WorldCom Inc. broke a record for debt deal size by a U.S. corporation and …

Aether Systems Inc. announced solid first-quarter earnings last week along with a slightly revised business plan, but the results were not enough to please investors who once cherished the company …

WASHINGTON-Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) is set to ask the General Accounting Office to investigate mobile-phone service problems and consumer complaints across the country, a probe that would be the most …