FALLS CHURCH, Va.-Mesa Communications Group L.L.C. announced it acquired a 25-percent ownership stake in Centerpointe Communications L.L.C., based in Arlington, Texas.Centerpointe manages approximately 2,000 communications towers for cable television owners and others across the country, Mesa said.Financial terms of the acquisitions were not disclosed.
NEW YORK-Crown Castle International Corp., Houston, found itself in an enviable position when it went to Wall Street last week proposing to issue $250 million in senior notes due 2011.Instead, it was able to raise $500 million, with a 10.75-percent coupon, through an offering...
WASHINGTON-The National Association of Tower Erectors, angered by a government report that raised serious tower safety concerns, has complained to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that the report is not balanced.The report, issued by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in...
Fires, floods, avalanches, carjackings. Disaster at every turn. This is everyday Americana?Yes, according to CTIA head Tom Wheeler at last week's CTIA's Wireless Foundation Awards dinner honoring 51 VITA Award winners. (OK, Wheeler didn't say it exactly that way.)Wheeler was praising-as well he should-51...
WASHINGTON-James Lee Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said last week Congress should intervene if mobile-phone carriers continue to refuse to offer early-alert warnings for natural disasters and other local emergencies."If we can't get private industry doing this, then I think Congress...
OpenGridWireless Internet solutions provider OpenGrid Inc. appointed Gary Rhea to the position of chief financial officer. Rhea will oversee the company's financial activities, including treasury, accounting, business planning and investor relations. Rhea was CFO for Versant Corp., a provider of enterprise-level database management systems...
Plantronics Inc. announced it has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed offering by a stockholder of 1 million shares of Plantronics common stock.Corrigo secured $12 million in a second round of financing from CMGI@Ventures, the venture capital...
WASHINGTON-Carriers and tower owners wishing to build out their networks by siting more antennas are running into regulatory roadblocks that often delay buildout."The pressure is building on carriers and tower owners because there are just too many conflicting regulations coming from agencies and these...
FALLS CHURCH, Va.-Mesa Communications Group L.L.C. acquired Spectrum Resources Towers L.P., based in Falls Church, Va., from VS&A Communications Partners, the private equity affiliate of New York-based media merchant bank Veronis Suhler, Mesa announced. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.The acquisition adds...
WASHINGTON-The importance public image holds for competitive wireless carriers was highlighted last week when a major daily newspaper here-pointing to the lack of mobile-phone service in underground subways that run through some poor black and Latino neighborhoods-questioned whether Verizon Wireless was engaged in redlining...
Columbus, Ohio-based Divine Tower International Corp. bills itself the one-stop shop for small wireless carriers looking to build out their networks, providing everything from the initial financing to equipment procurement."Towers are only a component of our infrastructure. The only thing we don't have is...
NokiaNokia Corp. unveiled its new 8260 wireless phone that the company says blends colorful and stylish options into a small digital handset. The 8260 is Time Division Multiple Access 800 compatible, weighs 3.4 ounces, is approximately four inches tall and will include mobile originated...
ATLANTA-TowerCom Enterprises L.L.C., a company that owns, develops and manages wireless communications towers, said it purchased certain tower assets in California and Arizona and formed TowerCom West Coast L.L.C.
Sirf Technology Inc., a developer of global positioning system technology, said it closed a mezzanine round of financing of $24.7 million, bringing the company's total funding to $47.3 million. Some of the company's new investors include Hitachi Ltd., Mitsubishi International Corp. and Hikari Tsushin...
BOSTON-American Tower Corp. and U.S. Wireless Corp. said they have formed a strategic alliance to accelerate the deployment of a wireless location network that will provide wireless phone users with E911 caller location assistance, as well as other location-based services such as traffic updates...
NEW YORK-Excluding the third-generation wireless impact, the number of cell sites for mobile communications in the United States likely will reach 140,000 in the next two years, said Ric Prentiss, senior vice president of equity research for Raymond James & Associates.Citing Cellular Telecommunications Industry...
NEW YORK-With existing wireless carriers seeking to expand coverage and capacity and new spectrum poised for commercial use, building owners and managers must develop enhanced expertise in telecommunications before negotiating cell site leasing deals.Landlords must deal with issues including: health hazards to equipment installers from...
WASHINGTON-The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said injuries and fatalities from workers falling from wireless towers are occurring at a substantially greater rate than in other U.S. industries."The cost of a phone call should not be a worker's life," said NIOSH Director...
Time was when Bill Gates was the quintessential symbol of American capitalism. The undisputed icon of the Digital Age. But now, with the Justice Department, 19 states and a tough federal judge wanting to break up Microsoft Corp., Gates' star is fading. Why, according...
WASHINGTON-Even with President Clinton's decision last week to dramatically improve global positioning system accuracy for civilians, vendors that offer a network-based E911 solution say their products are still valid.Meanwhile, mobile-phone carriers remain tight-lipped about which location-based wireless technology they will choose to meet enhanced...
DUBLIN, Ireland-Utility companies across Europe are entering the mobile communications business, hoping to simultaneously grab a slice of an extremely lucrative market and diversify their operations. But analysts are undecided on whether the companies have the requisite technical expertise or resources to effectively compete...
Bell Atlantic Mobile, Vodafone AirTouch plc and PrimeCo Personal Communications L.P. had a problem when they were going to merge their U.S. wireless assets into a single company. How do you combine three company names, each with strong regional appeal, into a single entity...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is becoming increasingly concerned about anecdotal stories about public-safety operations experiencing interference from commercial systems."We on a regular basis hear anecdotal stories on how radios are susceptible to interference from commercial systems and in some cases don't work at all,"...
IsraelRiots and injuries occurred during protests against the installation of cellular masts in a Druze Arab village in March, according to international press reports. Reports said seven police officers and members of the public were injured in the riots, which are thought to be...
