TORONTO-Canada's telecommunications industry was shaken up with the announcement that Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. plans to distribute its 37-percent interest in Nortel Networks to its nearly 500,000 shareholders.BCE at one point owned 100 percent of the company.Under the plan, which has been approved by...
TORONTO-Industry Canada conducted its first spectrum sale in November, raising CAN$172.5 million (US$116.7 million) in online bidding for licenses in the 24 GHz and 38 GHz bands.In the process, which began in October and followed 118 rounds of bidding, Industry Canada sold six large...
The Canadian wireless market has seen a run-up in stock prices this year as tremendous growth and recent consolidation activity have driven increased interest in the sector."1998 was not a bad year, but it was a little wishy-washy," said George Karidis, director of research...
DENVER-VeloCom Inc., which recently won mirror licenses to operate competitive telecommunications networks in Brazil, said today it has acquired the Latin American assets of Argentina-based SLI Wireless S.A. and Brazil-based Taquari Participacoes S.A. in return for stock. The move gives VeloCom interests in telecommunications...
WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration may have misled American telecom firms by suggesting that problems created by Beijing's ouster of wireless and wireline investors in China Unicom could be ironed out by year's end as part of negotiations over China's membership in the World Trade Organization.But...
BEIJING-China Unicom said Chinese regulators ordered it to kill more than 40 "irregular" joint ventures with foreign investors by the end of the month, according to Reuters.Companies, including France Telecom, Bell Canada Corp., Nextel Communications Inc. and Sprint Corp. have invested $1.4 billion in...
More than 660,000 U.S. and Canadian customers subscribed to GSM wireless service in the second quarter of 1999, according to the North American GSM Alliance. This brings the total number of GSM customers in North America to 4.2 million.CanadaBell Canada announced plans to purchase...
Ericsson signed a US$100 million contract with Diginet Americas to build out Diginet's fixed wireless networks throughout Latin America. The agreement makes Ericsson the preferred supplier to Diginet to provide ATM and IP-based equipment and services for the first pan-Latin America fixed wireless broadband...
BANGALORE, India-Foreign investors are reconsidering their investments in India, with press reports naming several European and U.S. companies lining up to back out of operations there.Swisscom, the Switzerland-based telecommunications operator, decided to pull out of its joint venture with Essar group of India several...
China Unicom is working to oust foreign investors from its telecommunications projects this fall, and it appears investors may not leave quietly.The Chinese government has ordered China Unicom, the country's second telecommunications operator, to wind up all China-China-Foreign (CCF) partnerships by the end of...
MONTREAL-Bell Canada announced plans to purchase for $1.06 billion the minority interests in BCE Mobile Communications Inc. Bell Canada currently owns 65 percent of the outstanding common shares of BCE Mobile.As a result of the acquisition, the minority shareholders in BCE Mobile would receive...
Asia-Pacific countries are beginning to emerge from the severe economic problems that have gripped them for two years, and mobile phone carriers are finding they desperately need cash to expand services.Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines took the hardest economic hits after the Thai...
BrazilTelemig Celular said it plans to invest R$200 million-R$220 million (US$118 million-US$130 million) during 1999 to expand its services in the state of Minas Gerais, according to the Jornal do Comercio. Telemig is owned by Telesystem International Wireless and local partners, the same group...
DENVER, United States-Canada's telecom market saw major changes recently as its four smallest telecom companies agreed to merge into one company and Bell Canada formed a strategic partnership with U.S.-based wireline and wireless Midwest operator Ameritech.Formation of AtlanticCoThe merging of four Atlantic region-based firms...
AustraliaThe Australian Communications Authority said it will complete its PCS auction of 800 MHz and 1.8 MHz spectrum, with the final 800 MHz lot covering Central Australia to be brought to auction for the third time. No time frame has been given, though the...
PALO ALTO, Calif.-Matsushita Electric Corp. of America and Bell Canada joined The Centennial Funds, Vanguard Venture Partners and North River Ventures to form a new venture relationship called CenCom V Sourcing Inc.CenCom V is targeting businesses that emerge out of the convergence of telecommunications,...
Canada's telecom market saw major changes last week, as its four smallest telecom companies agreed to merge into one company and Bell Canada formed a strategic partnership with U.S.-based Ameritech Corp.The merging of the four Atlantic region-based firms will create the country's third-largest telecom...
SYDNEY, Australia-Formus Communications Inc. formed a joint venture with Bell Canada International Inc. to seek broadband wireless local multipoint distribution services spectrum in the multiple round Australian spectrum auctions this month.The Australian Communications Authority is auctioning the right to use 1150 megahertz of radio...
SEOUL, South Korea-Despite the financial crisis in Asia, the wireless telephony market has performed better than expected in South Korea. The number of cellular and PCS subscribers in the country more than doubled from 5.6 million at the end October 1997 to more than...
ATLANTA-Telecom Wireless Solutions Inc. announced it obtained $17 million in financing for strategic acquisitions, new ventures and product development initiatives.As a part of this strategy, TWS also added four new board members. They include: Hugh Sawyer, chief executive officer and president, National Linen Services; Mike...
More legal issues have fallen in the way of Venezuela's plans to tender a personal communications services license earlier this month.Conatel, Venezuela's telecom regulatory agency, was set to tender a license by Nov. 4, but protests from three cellular operators have stalled the process...
Telecom companies from around the world are dashing to the Asia Pacific region as they begin to find willing sellers that need cash to expand their telecommunications services."It's definitely a buyer's market right now because of the economic conditions in the market," said Edward...
NEW YORK-"There is no question that, with no bank or bond market to finance your start-up, you need either to be crazy or have a well thought out plan," said Patricio Jimenez, chief financial officer of Telinor, a fledgling wireless local loop carrier in...
NEW YORK-Telecommunications carriers, equipment manufacturers, regulators and financiers are invited to attend the second steering committee meeting Nov. 9 of a new organization being formed to promote competitive markets and capital availability in developing nations.The Association for Competitive International Telecom is modeled after the...
