April 2002

HELSINKI, Finland—Nokia Corp. said it has signed a contract to supply carrier Ben Nederland B.V. with GSM 1800 MHz and GPRS equipment in the Netherlands. The contract involves second-generation core …

WASHINGTON—South Carolina-based wireless service company Morris Communications Inc. said it won a remand from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in its appeal of the …

DUBLIN, Ireland—International media group Independent News & Media has settled a case taken against its subsidiary iTouch by digital media firm HiTouch. U.K.-based wireless applications service provider iTouch was launched …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.—Verizon Wireless and LG Mobile Phones introduced the new Verizon Wireless VX1 a small, lightweight, tri-mode digital wireless phone. The new phone, designed by LG Mobile Phones, includes voice …

MOSCOW—The Norwegian Telenor is going to sell two of its Russian subsidiaries, and the second-biggest Russian carrier Vimpelcom, in which Telenor holds a major stake, is the most likely buyer. …

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is expected to introduce legislation next week directing the Federal Communications Commission to go forward with the 700 …

GENEVA—STMicroelectronics says it has introduced its third digital signal processor memory, the 4-Mbit Flash DSM2150F5, for wireless devices. The product simplifies product manufacturing, testing and field updates, according to the …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Sweden’s Telia Mobile announced that it transfered its Minicall paging service to Generic Mobile Systems, which will begin running the service. Telia said it is part of the operator’s …

CHICAGO—Cambia Networks, which provided high-end data networking infrastructure products for wireless carriers, shut down late last month. Cambia officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The company launched in …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—The South African Competition Commission and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) presented a memorandum of agreement detailing how they will cooperate in respect to the …

TORONTO—As shown through quarterly reports, the market for mobile data products and services continues slowly to move along, with many players scrapping through with small sales and cutbacks on expenses. …

PARIS—Alcatel said it posted a first-quarter net loss of $746 million compared with a net profit of $187 million for the same period last year. It recorded an operating loss …

OXFORD, United Kingdom—According to one of the United Kingdom’s largest cell-phone retailers, Carphone Warehouse, less than 1 percent of the 170,000 customers that purchased General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) phones …

TOKYO—NEC, the largest telecom vendor in Japan, announced it will expand its procurement of mobile handsets from China to 200 billion yen (US$1.6 billion) in fiscal 2002. NEC is going …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—Motorola Inc. has shut down an Illinois software development plant and laid off 200 workers, adding that half of them will be retained elsewhere. The company established the plant …

HALF MOON BAY, Calif.—Volkswagen of America Inc. announced it will begin offering OnStar telematics services in 2003. “Volkswagen Telematics by OnStar” will offer safety, security and convenience features, which the …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.—Proxim Corp. said it has signed a memorandum of understanding to sell $8 million of its fixed wireless communications equipment to Chinese vendor Eastcom. “Our agreement with Eastcom will …

MANILA, The Philippines—Philippine telecom watchdog National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said it might not be advisable to impose additional taxes on short messaging services (SMS), as this could lead to a …

WINNIPEG, Manitoba—Rogers AT&T Wireless completed the installation of its GSM/GPRS network across Manitoba’s entire coverage area. The carrier said its GSM/GPRS network now covers more than 90 percent of Canada’s …

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Telecom Personal commercially introduced its General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, provided by Ericsson, in the city of Buenos Aires, becoming the first provider in Argentina with 2.5-generation …

TOKYO—NTT Communications, a long-distance and international business unit of the NTT Group, announced that it will launch wireless local area network (WLAN) service on 15 May at 1,600 yen (US$12.46) …

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—Alltel Corp. reported 80,250 net wireless subscriber additions for the first quarter compared with 108,787 net subscriber additions for the first quarter of 2001. Alltel, which ended the …

DUBLIN, Ireland—Mobile operators in Northern Ireland could face frustration in their efforts to develop higher speed services or even improve coverage if rumored changes to planning legislation are passed. Phone …

DALLAS—Alliance Data Systems Corp., Alon USA and Cellenium Inc. announced a new joint mobile commerce product, a move that further crowds the already complex mobile commerce market. The three companies …

HELSINKI, Finland—Finnish vendor Comptel said Telecom Italia Mobile Peru has acquired its cost and credit control software. The value of the agreement was not disclosed. Comptel Balance Management will provide …