2001

ISTANBUL, Turkey—Turkey’s fourth mobile operator, Turk Telekom-backed Aycell, is launching commercial services on 14 December, according to international press reports. Aria launched services in Turkey in March.

SAN RAFAEL, California, United States—Wireless giant Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) plans to offer a navigation, concierge and mobile-commerce service from Autodesk Location Services, a division of Autodesk, to its subscribers …

WASHINGTON—The Ecuadorian government plans to sell three wireless local loop (WLL) licenses next year. Rules will be available in January, with the spectrum to be awarded in March. In addition, …

LONDON—The Tunisian Telecommunications Ministry postponed the issue of its second GSM license. The tender process has been pushed back to 9 February from 10 January, according to an announcement from …

WASHINGTON—House of Representatives members Billy Tauzin, Bill Thomas, James Sensebrenner and John Conyers introduced legislation on Thursday to write into law a settlement between the government and NextWave Telecom Inc. …

NEW YORK—Wireless streaming video company Emblaze Systems warned that its revenues for the year will be “substantially below market expectations,” blaming carriers’ tightened spending and the late introduction of video-capable …

PARIS—French mobile music services company Musiwap changed its name to Musiwave. The company said it replaced the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)-focused name to better reflect the company’s focus on various …

TOKYO—KDDI, the second-largest operator for both fixed-line and mobile services in Japan, on 14 December announced it will introduce a voluntary early retirement program targeting its employees between 44 and …

MUNICH, Germany—Siemens said Bharti Cellular has selected it to supply GSM and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) equipment for several new networks in India. The first networks are scheduled to …

NEW YORK—Verizon Communications has agreed to sell its TSI Telecommunications Services subsidiary to GTCR Golder Rauner, a private equity investment firm, for approximately US$800 million. The deal is expected to …

ATLANTA—BellSouth Corp. said it had advised the Communications Workers of America it would be reducing 1,200 non-management network operations positions early next year. The telecommunications provider said it would offer …

BEIJING—China Mobile will close its analog mobile network on 15 December. The number of subscribers has dropped from 2.5 million in April to 102,500 on 26 November. The operator started …

MIAMI, United States—Brightstar and Cable & Wireless signed an agreement that will require Brightstar to provide Cable & Wireless with product distribution and tracking, among other fulfillment services. Under this …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Aspiro said it acquired Mgage, a Swedish developer of applications that allow subscribers to chat. The acquisition will be financed by a non-cash share issue equal to about 58 …

COPENHAGEN, Denmark—Lack of content will spell the demise of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) offerings across Europe, according to a new report from Strand Consult, an independent consultancy based in …

NEW YORK—A judge in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware gave groups bidding for bankrupt Winstar Communications another week to secure additional financing. A ruling on the case was expected …

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on 12 December began preparations to auction U.S. television channels 52-59 to fixed and mobile-wireless providers notwithstanding the fact that the spectrum in the lower …

ATLANTA-AirGate PCS Inc. priced its public offering of 4 million shares of its common stock at $50 per share. Former stockholders of iPCS Inc., which AirGate purchased last month, are …

BEIJING—U.S.-based UTStarcom has signed an agreement with fixed-line carrier China Telecom to provide personal wireless access (PAS) equipment in Luoyang city in China’s Henan province. China Telecom is offering PAS …

NEW DELHI, India—U.S.-based vendor UTStarCom will soon begin trials of its wireless local loop (WLL) technology called PHS in the Indian capital. The government-controlled telecom company, MTNL, operating in the …

BEIJING—Ericsson has signed agreements with four provincial subsidiaries of China Mobile to provide packet backbone routers. The four operators are located in Chongqing municipality, a city with provincial status; Hunan …

LONDON—MobileCom announced it will introduce a new 2.5-generation (2.5G) General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) mobile network throughout Jordan by early 2002. GPRS is currently being installed in several Middle Eastern …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Ericsson said it has signed a US$143 million GSM/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) expansion contract with Sichuan Mobile Communication Company in China. The project, which is aimed at 4.2 …

NEW YORK—Motorola said it has signed a cross-platform agreement to allow it to market popular AOL Time Warner content and services through mobile and instant messaging solutions. The U.S.-based company …

SANTA CLARA, California, United States—Palm announced it will acquire longtime partner ThinAirApps for US$19 million in common stock, a move Palm hopes will bolster its corporate wireless strategy with the …