2002

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Indosat Multimedia Mobile (IM3), a new entrant in Indonesia’s cellular market, reached an agreement to use Satelindo’s GSM network to cover blank spots in its network. IM3, which began …

NEW DELHI, India—The much-awaited 1900 MHz mobile-phone service of the Thai government agency Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) is slated for launch on 27 March under the brand name “Thai …

HELSINKI, Finland—Nokia said it has signed a contract to continue to supply GSM equipment to Pannon GSM of Hungary in a deal valued at more than US$50 million. Nokia will …

LUXEMBOURG—Luxembourg has begun a “beauty contest” tender for four third-generation (3G) licenses, with each license costing e200,000 (US$172,000) per year. Interested parties must submit a proposal by 29 March. The …

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands—Dutch telecommunications giant KPN will buy the remaining 22.5-percent interest in German mobile-phone operator E-Plus that it does not already own from U.S.-based BellSouth for about US$1.06 billion …

MOSCOW—Russian carriers operating CDMA technology based on the IS-95 standard called on the Communications Ministry to stop restricting the standard and even asked for new spectrum for further development. IS-95 …

OXFORD, United Kingdom—Having paid e3.3 billion (US$2.8 billion) for its third-generation (3G) license, the Italian cell-phone operator Ipse is becoming increasingly concerned that the Italian Telecom Ministry might withdraw the …

SAN DIEGO, United States—In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Qualcomm said it does not plan to make its promised US$300 million investment in NextWave because of …

REDMOND, Washington, United States—AT&T Wireless Services and Canadian operator Rogers Wireless introduced cross-border GSM/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) roaming for their respective customers. Rogers currently covers 85 percent of the …

OKLAHOMA CITY, United States—Dobson Communications said it will follow nationwide roaming partners AT&T Wireless and Cingular Wireless in overlaying its current TDMA network with GSM/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology. …

LOS ANGELES—The latest Econ One survey showed that costs of cell-phone service in the United States dropped greatly during 2001, especially in those cities that traditionally offer the highest prices …

MONROE, La.—CenturyTel Inc. said its wireless revenues decreased 3 percent to $108.5 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with $111.8 million for fourth-quarter 2000. Its wireless revenues …

SAN JOSE, California, United States—DMC Stratex Networks said it began additional shipments of its radio-frequency products to Jordan Mobile Telephone Services (JMTS). JMTS will use the radios to provide wireless …

TOKYO—Some 20 leading Japanese companies led by NTT DoCoMo, Hitachi and Toyota Motor Company, set up a forum aimed at launching highly accurate satellite communications services for mobile equipment in …

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Following the postponement until May of the personal communications services (PCS) and third-generation (3G) licenses auction, Uruguay has added the possibility of a plebiscite to decide on the …

MOSCOW—U.K.-based Inquam, a consortium of Qualcomm and Omnia, is reportedly negotiating a deal to purchase Russian CDMA carriers Moscow Cellular Communications (MCC), SONET and St. Petersburg-based Delta Telecom. The news …

HELSINKI, Finland, and SINGAPORE—Thailand’s Advanced Info Service (AIS) announced separate agreements with Finnish company Comptel and U.S.-based Convergys. AIS has purchased Comptel’s MDS mediation and provisioning system for the operator’s …

HONG KONG—Wireless enthusiasts in Hong Kong will be the first in the world to see the commercial availability of U.S. vendor Handspring’s new wireless Treo device. The company announced it …

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Illinois, United States—Motorola signed an agreement to supply GSM 900 and 1800 MHz network infrastructure services and equipment to Indonesia’s Telkomsel. The US$170 million contract will include a …

TAIPEI, Taiwan—The Taiwan third-generation (3G) auction, which was predicted to be short lived and bring in just over the minimum bid prices, is nearing a two-week run, with total bid …

LONDON—Logica announced a deal with T-Motion, the mobile online services arm of T-Mobile International, to create a portal to market billable value-added services to customers across Europe. The system uses …

ATLANTA, United States—Cingular Wireless and AT&T Wireless said they will form a joint venture allowing both carriers to more quickly and cost effectively expand their buildout of GSM/General Packet Radio …

DENVER, United States—Verizon Wireless became the first nationwide U.S. carrier to commercially launch cdma2000 1x services this week as it unveiled its Express Network in a select number of markets. …

TORONTO—Research in Motion (RIM), the maker of the popular BlackBerry pager, announced a major alliance with Motorola and Nextel Communications to develop a combined e-mail, pager and telephone device for …

BEIJING—Ericsson’s joint venture in the East China city of Nanjing, Nanjing Ericsson Panda Communications, signed contracts worth US$120 million with Jiangsu Mobile to expand its GSM network. The contract is …