If there is any hope second-generation CDMA technology will penetrate Europe, it may be through some struggling NMT 450 operators.The NMT MoU group, consisting of NMT 450 operators from Europe and Asia, wants members to vote at its October meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia,...
BelgiumKPN Orange launched GSM 1800 service in early April as the third mobile operator in Belgium.IrelandEsat Telecom Group confirmed it accepted an offer to acquire a pro rata share of 9 percent of Ireland's GSM operator Esat Digifone for US$57 million from International Investment...
DENVER, United States-For mobile phone operators around the world, one key question remains unanswered: What will be the demand for mobile data services?Mobile phone carriers today are attempting to answer this question as they consider what investments to make to transition to third-generation data-centric networks."The...
BANGALORE, India-Although the growth of South Asia's relatively new markets has temporarily slowed due to political and financial problems, increased competition and investment have made them extremely promising. With managed competition in India, minimal competition in Pakistan and a highly deregulated market in Sri...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-The potential bidders for the third cellular license in South Africa are determined to break the existing Vodacom-MTN duopoly. "We will be competing head-on with MTN and Vodacom for a slice of the lucrative market, believed to be worth R10 billion (US$2...
HONG KONG-Mobile number portability (MNP) has been in effect in Hong Kong since 1 March, but there is no sign yet of a switching spree among cellular customers in the territory.Offers of free handsets, free airtime, cash rewards and free services for a couple...
NEW YORK-Microcell Tele-communications Inc. is hoping Canadian regulators will follow the lead of the United Kingdom and Hong Kong in granting customers mobile number portability (MNP) as they change carriers.The Montreal, Canada-based company is the parent of a personal communications services provider with a...
Nortele-mobility servicesNortel Networks introduced a portfolio of subscriber services, called e-mobility services, that provide rapid, flexible deployment of leading-edge voice and data capabilities optimized for the Internet Protocol environment. The services include Wireless Prepaid, Group Conferencing, Smart Mobile Access, Wireless Voice-Activated Dialing, Mobile Messaging...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-The trunked radio industry in South Africa is about to experience a revolutionary change with the introduction of new technologies and standards. An entirely new market is being unlocked, and old markets are about to be reshuffled to allow for a more...
DUBLIN, Ireland-Many in the trunked radio industry view the rollout of mobile data services as the development that will drive their industry into the next millennium following the adoption last year of TETRA as the standard for next-generation trunked radio systems in Europe.However, it...
EricssonBrazil. With Tele Norte Celular for upgrade and new TDMA.Value: US$50 millionChile. With Entel PCS for GSM 1900 equipment.Value: UndisclosedChina. With Liaoning Post & Telecommunications Administration for its GSM network.Value: US$150 millionCroatia. With VIP-Net to supply base station subsystems for its new GSM network.Value: UndisclosedUkraine. With Digital Cellular...
BEIJING-In early February, China's Minister of Information Industry (MII) was apologetic about the prospects for CDMA in his country. The customers couldn't care less which technology is used-as long as it works, said Wu Jichuan. And with the world's largest GSM network, there seemed...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has completed the re-auction of 356 PCS licenses in the United States.Licenses had to be re-auctioned after several of the original bidders were unable to pay for the licenses they won in 1996 and 1997. The three largest bidders...
ChinaChina Telecom granted U.S.-based Cwill Telecommunications' smart antenna technology a digital Network Access License to connect its wireless PCS-band technology for WLL to China Telecom's phone system anywhere in China, said Cwill.Hong KongBritish Telecom is continuing its buying spree in Asia. In its latest...
GabonGabon has issued a tender for two licenses to provide GSM 900 service. The application deadline was 30 April, with the licenses scheduled to be issued at the end of May. It appears a newly created subsidiary of the Post and Telecommunications Office (OPT),...
GermanyInterDigital Communications Corp., through its subsidiary InterDigital Technology Corp., entered a worldwide, royalty-bearing Time Division Multiple Access patent license agreement with Robert Bosch GmbH of Germany. According to the agreement, InterDigital granted Bosch the license under its TDMA patent portfolio to sell telecommunications equipment...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-GSM Cellular Ltd. announced it entered into a technology license and development agreement with California-based Telemac Corp. under which GSM Cellular will launch prepaid programs in Israel, Australia, Seychelles and Namibia using Telemac Prepaid Technology.GSM Cellular said it also will work to...
Sprint PCS is expected to announce its next round of contract awards this week for the third phase of its personal communications services network buildout.Lucent Technologies Inc., say analysts, will receive the bulk of the contract. The new contracts keep all three of the...
CHICAGO-STPCS Joint Venture L.L.C., which markets its personal communications services through its D- and F-block licenses throughout south Texas as SOL Communications, joined the North American GSM Alliance L.L.C., becoming its 17th member."Joining the alliance ... gives us the ability to meet the wireless...
WASHINGTON-The re-auction of personal communications services licenses for the C, D, E and F blocks closed last week with participants bidding $412.8 million in 78 rounds, or about $3.60 per pop, according to BIA Consulting of Chantilly, Va.The Federal Communications Commission celebrated the end...
The world's carriers are set to meet in Tokyo this week for another round of discussions on converging Code Division Multiple Access-based third-generation technology.The International Telecommunication Union adopted a framework in March resulting in a single flexible standard with a choice of multiple access...
L.M. Ericsson said it supports the third-generation TDMA proposal and a group of 3G CDMA technologies that accommodates three different modes and various chip rates.The statement comes just weeks after ending the deadlock with Qualcomm Inc. over rights to CDMA-based technologies. Ericsson and Qualcomm...
BOCA RATON, Fla.-Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc. and Omnipoint Communications signed a $200 million deal under which Siemens will supply Global System for Mobile communications infrastructure to Omnipoint to expand the carrier's personal communications services network in New York, said the companies.Omnipoint will...
HELSINKI, Finland-L.M. Ericsson and Nokia Corp. said they support the European Telecommunications Standards Institute's work on a global standard for Global System for Mobile communications on the 450 MHz frequency band.Nordic Mobile Telephone 450 MHz operators are looking to migrate to digital technology. Ericsson...
