Editor’s Note: The RCR Wireless News Time Machine is a way to take advantage of our extensive history in covering the wireless space to fire up the DeLorean and take a trip back in time to re-visit some of the more interesting headlines from this week in history. Enjoy the ride!
Big Apple ripe in re-auction
Wireless operators may now have to take some of the blame for New York residents feeling somewhat superior to the rest of the country. Through 49 rounds of bidding in the Federal Communications Commission’s re-auction of PCS licenses, the Big Apple is the only large marker still witnessing intense competition for licenses. Prior to the auction, Cingular Wireless, AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and Verizon Wireless were tipped as having to win at least one license in New York if they wanted to introduce any additional services on their already over-stressed networks. … Read More
Kennard era ends
Federal Communications Commission Chairman William Kennard, after signing off on a $106 billion communications deal with far-reaching implications for wireless and other high-tech industry sectors, announced his resignation last week. “Our work here is done. It is time for me to go,” said Kennard last Friday morning, hours after announcing FCC approval of the merger of AOL Corp. and Time Warner Inc. The deal symbolizes the massive restructuring occurring in the telecom industry and represents one of biggest achievements by an FCC that experienced its share of ups and downs with Congress and industry during Kennard’s tenure as chairman the past three years. … Read More
Handset sales slow down
The ominous shadow of an economic slowdown is creeping into the wireless industry as vendors reel under unfulfilled earnings forecast, poor sales performance, downgrades and investor anxiety, capping off the gold-rush mentality of the past half-decade which took shareholders, analysts and Wall Street executives on a fairy-tale ride. In the past quarter, Lucent Technologies Inc. recanted its forecasts, Motorola Inc.’s shares dipped, Nokia Corp. reported a slide in handset demand and L.M. Ericsson of Sweden predicted a loss that bewildered analysts. Last week, Motorola met fourth-quarter estimates when it reported a net income decline of 58 percent, triggering expectations of gloomy results from the other big vendors like Nokia and Ericsson later this month. … Read More
Small companies feel pinch in big auction
When the Federal Communications Commission set aside a portion of the licenses up for bid in its 1996 personal communications services auction, the intent was to foster competition in the wireless industry by allowing minority-owned companies, known as designated entities, to purchase licenses without having to bid against well-established and well-funded competitors. The plan was partially successful. While many licenses were indeed won by minority-owned companies, one DE, NextWave Telecom Inc., walked away with 90 licenses valued at $4.7 billion. But NextWave filed for bankruptcy soon after and has been fighting with the FCC ever since for control of those licenses. … Read More
Broadband merger canceled: Adaptive Broadband, Western Multiplex blame stock market
The sagging stock market is partly to blame for another telecommunications snafu as Western Multiplex Corp. and wireless broadband equipment manufacturer Adaptive Broadband Corp. announced last week that Western Multiplex’s planned acquisition of Adaptive Broadband for approximately $645 million has been terminated. “The fixed-wireless industry currently is experiencing weakness in the U.S. and financing is eroding for emerging carriers. From a stock market point of view, fixed wireless specifically, and telecommunications stocks, in general, have really taken a beating, making it very difficult to put a monetary valuation on the transaction at this time,” said Daniel Scharre, president and chief executive officer of Adaptive Broadband. … Read More
Group works to derail collocations
The EMR Network-a grassroots organization of people opposed to wireless facilities due to a fear of the impact of radiation-has come out strongly against a recent publication of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that is meant to help in siting stealth antennas and collocations.
“This slick document gives many details on how to mount cell-phone base stations and antennas inside historic buildings-including churches-to gain revenue for the protection of these icons of our history. … We must nip this well meaning, but potentially disastrous effort in the bud!” reads an e-mail sent to the EMR Network and obtained by RCR Wireless News. … Read More
Sky’s the limit for carriers: Wireless operators report robust net adds
As reports of a slowdown in the wireless industry continue to make headlines in the news and on Wall Street, wireless carriers have been reporting strong customer addition numbers for the fourth quarter, with analysts predicting continued growth for 2001. “Subscriber numbers have simply failed to meet the many irresponsible, grandiose predictions made for the market. Overall, wireless subscribers of every type will continue to grow,” said Allied Business Intelligence Inc. in a recent report. … Read More
Meeting needs of individual users overriding message at CES
Whether we like it or not, most of us are plugged in, turned on or otherwise connected to everyone else on this planet. But in spite of these universal ties, there is growing interest in maintaining individuality, or so it seemed at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week. Hundreds of vendors converged to showcase products created to address a similar, yet different, consumer market. Show-goers once again were met with the battle cry that applications will drive new technology. In his Executive Perspective keynote address, America Online’s president of interactive services, Barry Schuler, said companies must not lose sight of what consumers want. … Read More
Positive signs ahead for MMDS players
Prospects for accelerated deployment of multichannel multipoint distribution services here and abroad look promising this year, Michael Greenbaum, chief executive officer of Hybrid Networks Inc., told securities analysts last week. The company, based in San Jose, Calif., is a major supplier of network infrastructure for MMDS, which is designed to provide high-speed, fixed-wireless, two-way data and voice communications over spectrum once allocated for television in the United States. In an announcement accompanying Greenbaum’s presentation, Hybrid Networks said it had met its shipment projections of $35 million for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31. … Read More
Tower industry 2001: Put up or shut up
Back in October, when the top brass of the tower industry converged in Las Vegas for the 2000 Tower Summit and Trade Show, the room buzzed with anticipation over the new opportunities third-generation technologies were expected to bring. Why should the tower industry care about 3G, SpectraSite Communications Corp. Chief Executive Officer Stephen Clark, asked? “The answer starts with the appeal of new applications,” Clark said. “More bandwidth always results in more cell sites,” he added. … Read More
