NEWS BRIEFS

German telecom operator Mannesmann AG said it executed its option rights on shares of Italian mobile operator Omnitel, raising its stake in the company by 1.5 percent to 55 percent.

TSR Wireless L.L.C. signed a two-year connectivity agreement with Internet provider ZipLink Inc., under which TSR will resell ZipLink’s national access service. The agreement allows TSR to bundle paging, cellular and Internet services on one bill.

The State Department has forwarded the name of Cecily Holiday, deputy chief of the satellite and radiocommunication division of the FCC’s International Bureau, as the U.S. candidate for executive secretary of Citel (Inter-American Telecommunication Commission). Citel is a unit in the Organization of American States, which coordinates spectrum and telecom policy for North America, Central America and South America.

Cannon Technologies Inc., a provider of software and hardware systems for the electric utility industry, introduced a load control receiver that uses FLEX paging technology. The LCR 5000 allows utilities to manage the cost and availability of energy during peak conditions by controlling air conditioners, water heaters, irrigation pumps, oil wells and other customer loads. The company previously implemented FLEX technology for capacitor bank control.

Socket Communications Inc. said it made its first shipments of the Digital Phone Card Data Connection Kit to Bell Mobility in Canada. The Digital Phone Card is a plug-in card that makes it easy to attach a digital data-capable cellular phone to any Microsoft Windows CE operating system-based mobile computer or notebook, making it possible to wirelessly send and receive e-mail, connect to the Internet or access a corporate network. The kit is available for use with Qualcomm Inc.’s QCP-2700F digital personal communications services phones and includes a removable cable to connect the plug-in card to the phone, said Socket. It is priced at $109.

BellSouth Wireless Data L.P. said it will begin providing wireless data transmission services to FieldCentrix, a mobile and Internet software solution provider targeting field service companies.

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