A group of cdmaOne operators are making another push to harmonize third-generation technology and avoid a potential deadlock within the International Telecommunication Union over intellectual property rights.The CDMA Development Group last week released a proposal based on technical work done within U.S. standards group...
The reauction of C-block personal communications services spectrum is expected to be a dismal affair in March, and most small entrepreneurial businesses-which the auction was designed for-are likely to forgo bidding altogether.The Federal Communications Commission plans to reauction 134 15-megahertz and 208 30-megahertz C-block...
WASHINGTON-Federal Communications Commissioner Susan Ness last week added her voice to the growing drumbeat of U.S. opposition to European Union moves that could block the import of third-generation mobile phone technologies and limit harmonization of similar standards."A major concern I share with other U.S....
Qualcomm Inc. may be ready to sell off its handset division as competition in the cdmaOne handset business intensifies and costs increase.Sources say Qualcomm is in discussions with Siemens Wireless Terminals concerning the sale of Qualcomm's cdmaOne handset division. Qualcomm and Siemens declined to...
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-Motorola Inc. said Russia's largest Global System for Mobile communications operator, ZAO Mobile TeleSystems, awarded Motorola's Cellular Infrastructure Group two contracts for the supply of GSM network infrastructure.The first contract is to expand the existing GSM 900 network, and the second is...
NEW YORK-Millicom International Cellular S.A. announced it sold its interests in Bharti Cellular Ltd., Bite GSM UAB and Comliet UAB.The company sold its 13-percent interest in Bharti Cellular Ltd. in Delhi, India, for $25.9 million to British Telecommunications plc. Millicom also completed the sale...
Iridium Operating L.L.C. announced it closed $1.95 billion of new financing consisting of an $800 million senior secured credit facility, a $750 million guaranteed credit facility and $400 million in vendor financing from Motorola Inc. The new facilities will replace Iridium's existing $1 billion...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson and Powertel Inc. said they will conduct trials of Ericsson's "GSM on the Net" solution, which provides business communication services over an integrated Global System for Mobile communications-Internet Protocol network.Powertel began installing GSM on the Net in December at its West...
The State Department late last month urged the European Commission to allow U.S. third-generation wireless equipment and service providers a fair opportunity to compete in Europe.In a letter sent to EC Commissioner Martin Bangemann Dec. 19, the United States expressed concern Europe may be...
NEW YORK-As 1999 debuts, wireless companies seeking to raise money should be encouraged by news the venture capital market is flush with cash and ripe for picking."On the private-equity side, there is more competition to finance deals (because) there is so much money out...
CanadaCell-Loc Inc. announced it expects to receive funding from the National Research Council of Canada's Industrial Research Assistance Program to assist in continued research and development of a Code Division Multiple Access Cellocate System. The Cellocate System is capable of locating any cellular telephone...
NEW YORK-Taking the pulse of the domestic cellular and personal communications services sectors as 1998 drew to a close, securities analysts from three major investment banks offered a positive prognosis for 1999 and beyond.When the full-year count is completed, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Corp....
TeklogixTeklogix introduced the Teklogix 9150 Wireless Gateway, which features dual Personal Computer Memory Card International Association radio card slots that help it support mixed radio configurations. The 9150 allows users the flexibility to install a wireless backbone using open system access point architectures or...
The introduction of digital phone technology has changed dramatically the landscape of wireless communications across the globe and put the heat on the global paging industry.Paging's old advantages of small size and cheaper service are being whittled away, as digital phones shrink in size...
Finland continues to lead the world in take-up of mobile services. The Ministry of Transport and Communications released a statement in late December estimating that for the first time the number of mobile telephone subscriptions has exceeded the number of fixed telephone subscriptions in...
LONDON-The Middle East wireless sector continues to show positive signs, with several major contracts awarded and plenty of healthy GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) activity over the past year. In addition, carriers have begun to sign on with new mobile satellite services (MSS)...
OXFORD, United Kingdom-The European paging industry entered 1998 with the loud disclaimer that it had, at long last, found its high-growth niche in mobile communications. With reports they had managed to grow the total user base by more than 50 percent during 1997, European...
SINGAPORE-Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. announced it will purchase up to a 20-percent stake in Thailand's Advanced Information Service, a cellular subsidiary of Shinawatra Computer and Communications, for approximately US$353.4 million."For SingTel, this investment will be the second-largest undertaken by the SingTel Group after Belgacom. It...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-Competition in the South African wireless telecommunications sector is likely to be fierce this year, with two new cellular operators scheduled to enter the arena. This will delve a blow to existing operators MTN and Vodacom, which have had exclusive preserve of...
OXFORD, United Kingdom-Last July the European Commission identified 14 cases of excessive or discriminatory pricing of interconnect rates between fixed and mobile operators. In-depth investigations were launched, and half of those investigations have been closed or suspended following a flurry of rate-cutting and pressure...
NECGraphics pagerNEC now is offering the APOP98 pager, which is a FLEX-based alphanumeric pager that is able to receive graphic images. NEC has developed software, which will be available from the company's Web site and runs on Windows. People wishing to send a graphic...
OXFORD, United Kingdom-A seasonal increase in demand caused by an influx of visitors is a familiar phenomenon to many cellular network operators. But the increased demand is rarely overwhelming and usually is spread out in both time and space. Not so in Saudi Arabia....
OXFORD, United Kingdom-Iridium L.L.C. launched its global mobile satellite service last November, and demand for the service reportedly is high, but so far largely unfulfilled. Shortage of handsets is being cited as the main culprit.Such a situation is not uncommon in the early days...
Tele Danmark A/S announced the takeover of Millicom East Holding B.V., a Dutch holding company owning shares in the two Lithuanian cellular companies Bite GSM and Comliet. After the transaction, Tele Danmark will control 71.6 percent of Bite and 49 percent of Comliet. In...
