WASHINGTON-As Congress raises national security concerns about global telecom mergers, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.-the Japanese parent company of arguably the world's top mobile-phone Internet operator-confirmed last week the FBI is scrutinizing its proposed $5.5 billion purchase of a Colorado Internet firm."All that we...
BRUSSELS, Belgium-The mobile subsidiaries of Belgacom and Deutsche Telekom are partnering to jointly bid for a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System license in the Netherlands. The combined company, 3G Blue, will be held 50 percent plus one share by Ben, the Dutch mobile operator, and...
DUBLIN, Ireland-The massive sums being invested in third-generation (3G) licenses, network development and acquisitions have placed the major European operators firmly under the financial spotlight. While observers agree there is no significant cause for concern yet, it is also clear operators are being forced...
DENVER, United States-Rumors that Deutsche Telekom was preparing a US$32 billion offer to acquire U.S. GSM carrier VoiceStream Wireless circulated at press time.DT has been hunting for U.S. acquisitions and has been linked to a number of possible purchases, including Sprint. VoiceStream has reportedly...
NEW YORK-As it formally announced last week its intention to bid in Germany's next-generation wireless auctions, Deutsche Telekom AG also began taking orders for a planned secondary stock offering it hopes will raise about $5.22 billion.This public sale, the carrier's third including its 1996...
PARIS-France Telecom entered a framework agreement with Deutsche Telekom and Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau that will reverse the cross shareholding agreement between the two European telecom companies.The agreement calls for France Telecom to sell its 1.8-percent holding in Deutsche Telekom to KfW between Dec. 15...
FinlandPriority Wireless, a unit of United Pan-Europe Communications, said it won a license to implement a wireless local loop system in Finland. The 26 GHz license covers the nine most populous areas of Finland, including Helsinki. Priority Wireless plans to begin rolling out the...
Less than a week after Qwest Communications International Inc. and U S West Inc. conquered a major regulatory hurdle in Minnesota regarding their pending merger, Qwest reported its first-quarter revenues increased 39 percent to $1.22 billion, compared with $878.4 million for the same quarter...
NEW YORK-After first admonishing all attendees to turn off their cell phones, William T. Lake, a partner at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, Washington, D.C., convened a recent Practising Law Institute conference on Telecommunications Convergence with these remarks."Convergence is a word used without knowing what...
An unspecified number of U S West shareholders filed a lawsuit against Qwest Communications International Inc. March 17, alleging Qwest deflated U S West stock prices through its recent merger negotiations with Deutsche Telekom AG, which are now defunct.The suit, filed in U.S. District...
MADRID, Spain-A Vivendi-led consortium and Spain's three incumbent mobile phone operators won Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses in Spain. The third-generation licenses were awarded through a selective tender process.The Xfera consortium plans to invest about $4.8 billion in its 3G network during the next...
NEW YORK-The March 16 announcement that Qwest International Inc. will sell some of its properties to The Montana Power Co. complies with a major condition for final Federal Communications Commission approval of the Qwest-U S West Inc. merger.Touch America, the telecommunications subsidiary of Montana...
NEW YORK-Deutsche Telekom officially ended its negotiations to buy Qwest Communications International Inc. and U S West Inc. March 9, but the German carrier is continuing its search for acquisitions outside its borders.In a statement released in the late evening, Qwest said, "a major...
MANILA, the Philippines-Globe Telecom, the second-largest cellular phone operator in the Philippines, announced a $2.3 billion merger with another Philippine wireless service provider, Isla Communications. The agreement allows Ayala Corp., Singapore Telecom and Deutsche Telekom to partner in the country.Globe Telecom is a joint...
Speculation circulated last week that Germany's Deutsche Telekom AG is in talks with Qwest Communications International Inc. about a possible merger between the two, while SBC Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp. also were rumored to be in merger talks.There are signs that the pending...
MANILA, The Philippines-Globe Telecom, the second-largest cellular telephone operator in the Philippines, announced a US$2.3 billion merger with another Philippine wireless service provider, Isla Communications. The agreement allows Ayala Corp., Singapore Telecom and Deutsche Telekom to partner on the island nation.Globe Telecom is a...
The European Commission said it will extend its investigation into the proposed merger between MCI WorldCom and Sprint Corp. by another four months.MCI WorldCom and Sprint last fall agreed to a $130 billion definitive merger that will combine the second- and third-largest U.S. long-distance...
Rumors of a merger between Telecom Italia Mobile and Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobil wireless network emerged again last week, with the Italian press reporting such a move is being considered by Telecom Italia's chief executive officer.Ever since Deutsche Telekom lost its takeover bid for Telecom...
NEW YORK-Qualcomm's meteoric stock price appreciation in 1999 may well be a unique phenomenon that other companies are unlikely to replicate.Nonetheless, other established and new telecommunications players seem poised to offer substantial returns on investment, J. Michael Gallipo, portfolio manager of Monument Telecommunications Fund,...
After resisting a hostile takeover attempt by Vodafone AirTouch plc for more than two months, Germany's Mannesmann AG last week agreed to a revised friendly offer just days shy of the Feb. 7 deadline for Mannesmann shareholders to vote on the hostile bid.Mannesmann's supervisory...
France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom made significant moves to part ways last week with France Telecom agreeing to purchase Deutsche Telekom's and Sprint Corp.'s stakes in the Global One joint venture for a total equity value of $3.88 billion.The move ended a struggling and...
LONDON-BT Cellnet said it will be the first U.K. mobile phone operator to commercially launch General Packet Radio Service this summer. The carrier also officially launched commercial Wireless Application Protocol service.BT Cellnet's GPRS service will begin with a 500-person trial, followed by commercial service...
BONN, Germany-Deutsche Telekom announced it will bundle its cellular phone activities into a new holding company called T-Mobile International AG.Kai-Uwe Ricke, currently head of Deutsche Telekom's German wireless operator T-Mobil, will become chairman of the management board of the new company and act as...
OXFORD, United Kingdom-While the use of mobile communications in Europe continues to grow beyond everyone's wildest expectations, the latest bid of $140 billion by Vodafone AirTouch plc for the Mannesmann empire has caused many a jaw to drop in stunned amazement.This record-breaking bid has...
