July 2001

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal from the Federal Communications Commission on a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on the bankruptcy …

NEW YORK-AARO Broadband Wireless Communications Inc., which moved to Oklahoma City from Springdale, Ark., in May, must pay $530,000 in judgements related to securities fraud charges brought against it by …

I hesitate a bit to write a column about driver distraction since the last time I did so a few readers found it necessary to disparage me on our letters …

WASHINGTON-An Illinois state court this week is poised to rule on a proposed $1.4 million health-related privacy suit against the cellular industry, which faces increased litigation as science raises more …

Telia sells remaining Vodafone shares STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Telia said it sold the remaining 66.5 million Vodafone shares it owned for about $147.1 million. When Irish telecom operator Eircom disposed of its …

Just beating a federally mandated deadline, Verizon Wireless sold off its Chicago interests in PrimeCo Personal Communications last week to a telecommunications investment group led by Southern California-based Clarity Partners …

In spite of recent questions regarding the availability of spectrum for next-generation services, Sprint PCS pushed forward last week, announcing two deals with Lucent Technologies Inc. and Nortel Networks to …

NEW YORK-With a stroke of Republican Gov. George Pataki’s pen June 28, New York became the first state in the country to impose a statewide ban on the handheld use …

WASHINGTON-The impact on the federal budget of last month’s decision by a federal appeals court to overturn the reclamation and re-auction of bankrupt NextWave Telecom Inc.’s 90 PCS C- and …

WASHINGTON-As the potential ramifications of the passage of New York’s mobile-phone law reverberated through the wireless industry last week, a representative of the Personal Communications Industry Association met with a …

HELSINKI, Finland-There is an old saying in Norway that declares “true arrogance is a city inhabited by Swedes.” However generalized and over the top that expression may be in the …

TOKYO-Amid harsh competition among mobile carriers, Japanese cellular handsets have been evolving rapidly. Most handsets currently used are light, tiny, fashionable and smart. Internet-ready capabilities and color screens are almost …

Young Israeli men go through three years, and girls two years, of compulsory military service when they reach 18 years of age. All Israeli Jews of age belong to the …

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina-Mobile communications are vital to Israel. The permanent tension, caused by terrorist attacks, compels everyone to be in constant communication. Despite its conflicts and small population, Israel has …

DENVER, United States-The third-generation (3G) hype is much less intense than a year ago, as executives and engineers get down to the nitty-gritty of making the new technology-and their business …

MEXICO CITY-The Mexican cellular industry has grown fast and steady in recent years. From 1 million subscribers in 1997, the operators closed last year with 14 million customers, and the …

MELBOURNE, Australia-Most of the major telecommunications carriers to have successfully bid at the recent Australian 2 GHz spectrum auctions plan to adopt wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) for third-generation (3G) services. Cable & …

OSLO, Norway-Telenor said it is looking to increase its shareholding in Malaysian mobile operator DiGi.Com. The Norwegian company currently has a 32.9-percent stake in DiGi. Telenor informed the Malaysian operator’s …

WASHINGTON-NextWave Telecom, a one-time poster child for everything that went wrong with the U.S. government’s C-block auction for PCS licenses, said it stands ready to continue to build its network, …

Handsets/ devices Mitsubishi Mitsubishi released three new handsets. The Eclipse is a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) phone with a color display. The dual-band phone offers 256 colors and up …

China IMT-2000/3G International Summit 11-13 July Beijing IIR Tel: (+852) 2219 0111 Fax: (+852) 2219 0112 [email protected] RadioCom 2001 11-13 July Mexico City Andear Tel: (+52) 12 244 5193 Fax: …

MELBOURNE, Australia-Melbourne wireless telecom developer Advanced Communications Technologies (ACT) is on track to be the first company in the world to commercially launch a multiprotocol mobile base station, including third-generation …

TOKYO- NTT DoCoMo, in cooperation with KPN Mobile and E-Plus, is scheduled to launch i-mode-like services in the Netherlands and Germany in the fourth quarter. Access, a Japanese provider of …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-After all the publicity, time and money spent obtaining third-generation (3G) licenses, European mobile operators are keeping plans strictly to themselves about what mobile applications they might launch …

SEOUL, South Korea-South Korea is confronting a row over awarding a third license for third-generation (3G) mobile services, as the government has called for consolidation in the telecom market as …