BEIJING, China-Amid slowing subscriber growth worldwide, China still shows a healthy increase in mobile-phone users. The country's two mobile-phone operators are each offering new services-one General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), the other CDMA. Handset manufacturing is also soaring, with domestic suppliers narrowing the still...
JAKARTA, Indonesia-For years, countries in Southeast Asia have achieved tremendous growth in cellular phone services. However, when economic turmoil hit the region in 1997, network buildout was deferred and even stopped in some countries due to plummeting local currencies. Although many operators in the...
DUBLIN, Ireland-General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) has been dogged by delays and technical problems ever since it emerged as the mobile industry's bridge between GSM and third-generation (3G) technology. But the modest development of other so-called 2.5G platforms should ensure that GPRS becomes more...
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Personal Communications Industry Association has appointed Harold Salters to head PCIA's governmental relation department as senior director of government relations. Salters, who joined PCIA in June 1999, represents the trade organizations on the North American Numbering Council (NANC), the Network Reliability and...
DURHAM, North Carolina, United States—Pinpoint Networks released the newest version of its mobile applications platform, Fuel, which the company said will allow carriers to bill for content on a per-use and subscription basis."Fuel enhances a carrier's mobile offering by enabling billing for mobile content...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Ericsson said it has decided to acquire the remaining 19 percent of its joint venture EHPT from Hewlett-Packard in order to enhance its third-generation (3G) billing and business support systems. EHPT's activities will be incorporated into Ericsson's operations as of 4 September 2001."HP...
SEATTLE, United States—Just a month after Canadian carrier Telus Mobility announced it would switch from an airtime billing system to a pay-per-use system, the carrier added Mforma Corp.'s games and entertainment package to its content offerings. Under the agreement, Mforma will offer its content...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden—L.M. Ericsson said it has decided to acquire the remaining 19 percent of its joint venture EHPT from Hewlett-Packard Co. in order to enhance its third-generation billing and business support systems. EHPT's activities will be incorporated into Ericsson's operations as of Sept. 4,...
LONDON—Saudi Business Machines (SBM), the general marketing and services representative for IBM WTC in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announced it has completed the installation of the largest-ever computer project in the Middle East.The completed project has been designed to ensure that the Kingdom's...
BUCHAREST, Romania—Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications concluded a service provider agreement with Mobile Telecommunications Company of Kuwait, a telecommunications operator in the region.As part of the new service provider agreement, MTC will have all rights to distribute and market Thuraya's services and products throughout Kuwait. Included...
LONDON-Manx Telecom, the British Telecommunications plc subsidiary that postponed its third-generation network launch from May until later this year, said it completed the Isle of Man's first data call over the 3G network. The call allowed online browsing of HTML pages.The call was made...
LONDON—Manx Telecom, the British Telecommunications subsidiary that postponed its third-generation (3G) network launch from May until later this year, said it completed the Isle of Man's first data call over the 3G network. The call allowed online browsing of HTML pages.The call was made...
SINGAPORE—Singapore's three cellular network operators have agreed to jointly adopt a standard mobile billing platform, according to international press reports. Once chosen, the system will allow users to buy from third-party merchants via their mobile phones.MobileOne, SingTel Mobile and StarHub will evaluate submissions with...
A billing discrepancy is to blame for a disastrous subscriber and revenue miscalculation that could potentially force Arch Wireless Inc., the nation's largest paging and messaging company, into bankruptcy.Arch announced last week it is retracting its last-ditch-effort plan to restructure its burgeoning debt and...
With as many as six wireless operators to choose from in some markets, wireless carriers have to work overtime to keep their customers from jumping ship. While customer churn industrywide remains steady in the 2-percent to 3-percent range per month, wireless carriers are seeing...
SAVANNAH, Ga.-H.O. Systems Inc., which offers next-generation billing solutions for the telecommunications industry, announced it has signed a long-term billing and customer care contract with wireless operator MetroPCS.MetroPCS said H.O. Systems' billing system, which features its speedSUITE solution and includes billing, customer care, point...
GREECEGreece has awarded three Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses, one less than it had planned, when a fourth bidder failed to emerge. The country's three incumbent operators, CosmOTE, owned 59 percent by OTE; Panafon Vodafone, owned 55 percent by Vodafone Group; and Stet Hellas,...
If GSM plus TDMA equals GAIT, some software providers want to ensure that the calculus makes sense.Last week, Schlumberger Sema and Sonera SmartTrust said they had received an order to provide a GAIT Over-The-Air solution for Cingular Wireless networks.GAIT, which stands for GSM/ANSI 136...
Unplugged Games Inc. officially released its MobileStage gaming product, a wireless video game platform for carriers designed to increase revenues through multiplayer games and specialized billing systems."It, in many ways, is the core of our business," said Eric Goldberg, founder and president of Unplugged...
License-Free Wireless IP Workshop SeriesJuly 9 Renaissance St. Louis Hotel, St. Louis, Mo. 1-800-608-9641.Value Creation for Communications CompaniesJuly 9-11 Infocast. Dallas, TX. www.infocastinc.com/unimess. htm.IN-IP Roundtable Forum 2001July 9-11 Hyatt Beaver Creek, Beaver Creek, Colo. www.iec.com.Capitalizing on the Private Labeling of Wireless NetworksJuly 9-11 Sheraton...
WASHINGTON-An Illinois state court this week is poised to rule on a proposed $1.4 million health-related privacy suit against the cellular industry, which faces increased litigation as science raises more questions about whether mobile phones can cause brain cancer and other neurological disorders. The...
DUBLIN, Ireland-Opinion is divided on the identity of the "killer applications" that will allow operators to make a return on their significant investments in General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and third-generation (3G) technology. But while operators develop prototype services and grapple with technical difficulties...
NEW DELHI, India-Wireless network operators the world over are preparing to move from offering voice-only services to data and content-based services. The transition means they will have to install real-time, flexible, scalable billing systems capable of handling complex third-party environments. A bigger challenge is...
NEW YORK-A noteworthy dynamic has developed in which major players like AT&T Wireless Services Inc., Cingular Wireless and Sprint PCS are actively promoting prepaid services, while smaller providers like Dobson Communications Corp. and TeleCorp PCS want to minimize its role."The irony is not lost...
