HELSINKI, Finland-For a market with a well-deserved reputation as the most dynamic and innovative of Europe's telecom sectors, one could easily think that traditional Scandinavian confidence is in a state of early winter hibernation. The customary drone of deals, domestic and cross border, has...
HELSINKI, Finland—Group 3G, which won a third-generation (3G) license in Germany last year, said it will share a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network with E-Plus in Germany. The two carriers will use common network elements, such as antennas, cables, transmitters, receivers and radio...
LONDON—British Telecommunications plc and Deutsche Telekom finalized their third-generation network sharing agreement, first announced in June, for their respective mobile subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Germany. The agreement is expected to deliver up to a 30-percent cost savings during 10 years to BT...
HONG KONG-On the face of it, Hutchison Whampoa is a great success story. The company is among the leading international wireless operators and part of the giant Cheung Kong (Holdings), which in May announced after-tax profits of US$8 billion on a market capitalization of...
GERMANYGerman mobile operator E-Plus introduced natural language access to information and services using iVB Network Solutions' Omvia product line. The E-Plus Voice Assistant service includes live and stored multimedia content, voice management and voice-activated service management activities, including telephone bill status and message access.SWEDENCellPoint...
HANNOVER, Germany-CellPoint Inc., which provides location and wireless telemetry services, announced a strategic partnership with German mobile operator E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH.E-Plus has installed CellPoint's network-based mobile-phone location system. The system supports location-based services for all GSM phones and mobile GSM devices in the operator's...
CANNES, France-Sema, an information technology and business services company, announced Mobile E-mail, its new messaging service offering for telecom operators. The product allows operators to offer interactive Internet e-mail services, so users can choose how to send and retrieve e-mails, whether by SMS, WAP...
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands-In a move that could further i-mode's push into Europe, Telecom Italia Mobile said it will jointly develop and introduce a new mobile Internet concept for the pan-European market with KPN Mobile and its Japanese partner NTT DoCoMo.TIM said the joint venture...
Alcatel.Benin. With Office des Postes et Telecommunications (OPT) for a GSM network, along with fiber-optic and switching equipment.Value: US$32.8 millionKenya. With KenCell for a 50,000-subscriber capacity GSM network.Value: UndisclosedMorocco. With Maroc Telecom for mobile switching centers.Value: UndisclosedPortugal. With Portugal Telecom's TMN for a GPRS network.Value: UndisclosedQatar. With Q-Tel...
TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced it signed a memorandum of understanding with KPN Telecom, acquiring 15 percent of the voting rights in a newly formed holding company called KPN Mobile N.V. for about $4.5 billion. The announcement follows KPN's failed merger talks with Spain's Telefonica...
PARIS-France Telecom announced it will take a 28.5-percent stake in Germany's MobilCom, which provides mobile, wireline and Internet services, for about $3.6 billion. The German company has about 2 million wireless subscribers.In connection with the deal, the companies said they will create a joint...
BellSouth Corp. said last week it could issue a tracking stock for its highly successful Latin American operations by late April or early May, a move that will allow investors to more accurately value the company's international assets.BellSouth's Latin American business consists of properties...
NEW YORK-Communications companies dominated merger and acquisition activity in 1999, accounting for $304.8 billion in transactions and 21.5 percent of the dollar amount of deals whose dollar values were disclosed.The communications sector also moved up a notch to first place from its 1998 ranking,...
Mergers and acquisitions are proliferating worldwide, with the strongest mark being made in Western Europe. Carriers are scrambling to maintain their footholds, while looking to the next potential market investment.Vodafone/MannesmannThe battle between Vodafone AirTouch and Mannesmann continues, as Vodafone AirTouch revealed its wireless data...
ATLANTA-BellSouth Corp. became the first U.S. operator to enter the European wireless industry's recent merger and acquisition frenzy by exercising its right of first refusal to acquire 100 percent of E-Plus, Germany's third-largest mobile operator. As part of the deal, The Netherlands' KPN Telecom...
During the last five weeks, merger and acquisition announcements have flooded the telecommunications arena. Carriers in Asia, Europe and North America continue to jockey for positions in an industry that promises to exclude players without multinational footprints.Telia/TelenorThe merger of Telia of Sweden and Telenor...
Mannesmann AG, parent of Germany's top mobile communications company, confirmed last week it made a bid to buy U.K. mobile carrier Orange plc, which Orange's largest shareholder accepted.The bid values Orange, the United Kingdom's third-largest mobile operator, at about $32 billion.Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa,...
NEW YORK-France Telecom last week proceeded toward its goal of becoming a pan-European provider of seamless mobile, wireline and Internet communications through an agreement to acquire controlling interest in E-Plus, Germany's third-largest wireless carrier.After the E-Plus acquisition, France Telecom will have about 17 million...
PARIS-France Telecom said it reached an agreement to buy Vodafone AirTouch plc's 17.24-percent interest in E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH, Germany's third-largest mobile carrier, for $1.86 billion.Vodafone was required to sell its stake in E-Plus as part of its agreement to buy AirTouch Communications Inc. earlier...
GENEVA-The ferocious competition that has characterized the DM70 billion (US$40 billion) German telecommunications market since the introduction of full telecom competition a year-and-a-half ago shows no signs of abating, with the country's four cellular operators all promising more price cuts and the introduction of...
GENEVA-The ferocious competition that has characterized the $40 billion German telecommunications market since the introduction of full telecom competition a year and a half ago shows no signs of abating, with the country's four cellular operators all promising more price cuts and the introduction...
Chief Executive Officer: Chris GentChairman: Sam GinnDeal value: $97 per shareCombined current market capitalization: $100 billionEquity split: about 50-50Terms: AirTouch shareholders receive firve new ordinary Vodafone shares, or 0.5 of a Vodafone ADR, plus $9 cash for each AirTouch shareWireless customers: more than 23 millionEmployees: 24,000Headquarters: Newbury, EnglandWorldwide presence: Australia, Belgium, Egypt, Fiji, Frnace,...
OXFORD, United Kingdom-The game of musical chairs between telecom operators vying for a stake in the lucrative German market seems to have slowed down. There is now some semblance of stability following the launch of E2, Germany's fourth mobile phone network, at the end...
BONN, Germany-The partnership of British Telecommunications plc and Viag AG, called E2 Mobilfunk GmbH, received its license to operate a Digital Cellular System 1800 personal communications services network in Germany.The joint venture company received the concession in February, but the final award was delayed...
