Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. tied the knot last week in what the two telecom providers call a $35 billion "merger of equals." The newly formed Sprint Nextel operation will serve more than 35 million customers, including Sprint PCS' 2.8 million resale customers,...
TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s journey to fourth-generation technologies earned a boost as the carrier achieved a 1 gigabits per second data rate in downlink high-speed packet transmission. DoCoMo used OFDM radio access and multiple-in-multiple-out techniques. "NTT DoCoMo is currently conducting indoor tests with various radio...
LONDON-The GSM Association announced plans to upgrade a database used by GSM operators that can identify stolen mobile phones. The database ensures that stolen phones cannot be resold. The association said it updated its own centralized, global database as well as a database available...
Third-generation wireless carrier Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. said it has nearly 6 million subscribers to its 3G services around the world. The 5.9 million subscriber figure is up 81 percent from Hutchison's 3.2 million subscribers as of Aug. 19. These figures include Hutchison's operations, which...
The anticipated merger between Sprint PCS and Nextel Communications Inc. offers an olive branch in one area and a turf battle in another. The turf battle arises from what the combined company will do with its massive MMDS 2.5 GHz spectrum. Peace dividends redound...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission left the few remaining independent wireless carriers twisting in the wind last week when it said that mobile-phone and long-distance carriers could not get access to unbundled network elements. "If you allow long-distance or mobile carriers access to UNEs, they...
With carriers focusing on network efficiency, tower companies are not expected to yield any immediate benefits from the anticipated merger between Sprint PCS and Nextel Communications Inc., according to analysts. In a few years, however, SpectraSite Inc. may reap some financial gains if and...
Global Signal Inc. said its board of directors has increased its cash dividend for the fourth quarter to 40 cents per share of common stock from 37 cents in the third quarter of 2004. The dividend is payable Jan. 20. The tower player owns...
LONDON-U.K.-based wireless carrier MmO2 successfully completed a series of live wireless calls using High Speed Downlink Packet Access technology with wireless supplier Nortel Networks Ltd. MmO2 said it plans to deploy Nortel's HSDPA solution across portions of its pan-European wireless network. Nortel said MmO2...
SAN DIEGO-Leap Wireless International Inc. added 9 Squared Inc.'s RealTone JukeBox music downloads to its BREW-based Cricket Clicks offering. The carrier said the application allows customers to download real music ringtones to their handsets. The downloads are available in three credit packages beginning at...
BELLEVUE, Wash.-Wireless Internet company InfoSpace Inc. continued its acquisition spree with the purchase of German wireless gaming company Elkware GmbH for $26 million in cash. Infospace said Elkware managed $1 million in revenues in its previous quarter. "We are excited about expanding our presence...
BRUSSELS, Belgium-Following several similar reviews, the European Regulators Group-a body comprised of national telecom regulators in Europe-plan to survey mobile operators in Europe about their mobile roaming rates. The questionnaire will provide the European regulators with comparable information on wholesale international roaming prices, discounts...
LITTLETON, Colo.-Wireless carriers posted 54.8 days of inventory valued at $1.7 billion during the third quarter of this year, which was a week more than reported during the second quarter of this year and the most held during a quarter during the past two...
MONTREAL-Canadian telecommunications provider BCE Inc. said it plans to begin technical trials of CDMA2000 1x EV-DO technology on its wireless network with plans to launch commercial services in major Canadian urban centers beginning late next year. The company, which controls Canada's second-largest wireless operator...
SEATTLE-Let the music play, says the deal between software music company Melodeo and Warner Music Group. Both companies came together to ink a global agreement that will allow consumers to download to their mobile phones entire tracks from WMG's music catalog.Select U.S. mobile carriers...
Fundamental changes in wireless sometimes take place with a bang (the disappearance of AT&T Wireless, the combination of Sprint and Nextel) and sometimes creep in (location-based services, telemetry, etc.).While the U.S. carrier space is doing some dramatic flips as of late, the worldwide vendor...
SEOUL, South Korea-Indian wireless carrier Airtel has reached 1 million subscribers for its ringback tone service just five months after its July service launch, said WiderThan, which provides the service. Airtel, which is the brand name for the service owned by Bharti Tele-Ventures Ltd.,...
MOSCOW-I-mode mobile Internet service is coming to Russia and Eastern Europe under an agreement between Japanese i-mode creator NTT DoCoMo Inc. and Russia's largest wireless carrier Mobile TeleSystems.The carriers said Friday they have formed an exclusive strategic partnership under which MTS will launch i-mode...
VIENNA, Austria-Telekom Austria said Friday it acquired a call option to purchase Bulgarian wireless carrier Mobiltel AD. The call option gives the Austrian carrier the right to purchase full control of Mobiltel for up to $2.1 billion in late 2005. "The terms of the...
Investors trashed device maker PalmOne Inc. following lower-than-expected forecasts for the critical holiday shopping season, sending the company's shares down almost 20 percent to around $34.18 per share.Three out of four investment firms have downgraded their opinions of the company during the past week....
The GSM Association announced plans to upgrade a database used by GSM operators that can identify stolen mobile phones. The database ensures that stolen phones cannot be resold.The association said it updated its own centralized, global database as well as a database available to...
The New York State Supreme Court has a greed to hear the case involving Russian telecom contractor Whale Telecom in a $400 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against Qualcomm Inc. over plans to dissolve Metrosvyaz, the CDMA player's partner in Cyprus.Whale filed the lawsuit Nov. 15.Whale...
IRVINE, Calif.-Verizon Wireless said it has extended coverage of its CDMA2000 1x EV-DO BroadbandAccess network to nearly all of Los Angeles county, as well as into portions of Riverside and San Bernardino, Calif., counties. The carrier noted that the service previously covered all of...
TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo Inc.'s journey to fourth-generation technologies earned a boost as the carrier achieved a 1 gigabits per second data rate in downlink high-speed packet transmission.The operator employed equipment with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing radio access and multiple-in-multiple-out techniques."NTT DoCoMo is currently conducting indoor...
