Handsets

WASHINGTON-As the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau prepared to celebrate its one-year anniversary, the agency fined Qualcomm Inc. $25,000 for not complying with the 911 strongest-signal rules. The fine, which was agreed …

BEIJING-Amiosonic’s new range of GSM mobile phones will be able to interoperate with Lucent Technologies Inc.’s GSM network infrastructure under a deal announced by the two companies. Mobile operators in …

HONG KONG-The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is generally regarded with something between scorn and indifference in Hong Kong among industry sources, and mobile operators will not even reveal subscriber numbers …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-Operators in the Middle East are focusing on extending coverage and considering networks upgrades. The region offers enormous potential, considering the cellular penetration is only 3.5 percent-very low …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-Israel is determined not to be shaken from its pristine position of having one of the highest cellular penetration rates in the Middle East by the current unrest …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-Unlike the hype that surrounded the launch of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) services, European mobile operators are taking a conservative approach to how General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) …

The satellite-based telecommunications market made headlines again as Globalstar Telecommunications released disappointing financial results and bankrupt provider Iridium endorsed a US$25 million buyout bid from former airline executive Dan Colussy. …

DUBLIN, Ireland-Having spent vast sums on third-generation (3G) mobile licenses, operators are hoping terminals will live up to expectations. Unlike GSM, where handsets are broadly similar in appearance, it seems …

PRAGUE, Czech Republic-Cesky Mobil, the Czech Republic’s third mobile telephone operator, is seeking to differentiate itself from its competition by offering low start-up costs and emphasizing ease of use. The …

SAO PAULO, Brazil-Although trunked radio regulations were handed down in May, Brazil’s trunking industry is still awaiting detailed definitions before moving forward with their strategic plans. The market, with two …

TOKYO-The third-generation (3G) business plans and service strategies of three Japanese cellular carriers are becoming more concrete. NTT DoCoMo and J-Phone Group, the mobile business of Japan Telecom, are going …

NEW YORK-More than any other part of telecommunications, the handset business “will go through the most severe changes in the next several years,” said Jeffrey Schlesinger, wireless technology analyst for …

Not one operator around the world has rolled out third-generation services yet, but discussion of fourth-generation technology is already under way. An industry that began offering a basic communications tool …

After pioneering efforts to bring Bluetooth technology to market, Ericsson dropped plans to launch the T36 cell phone, its first Bluetooth-enabled handset, in an attempt to pull its handset division …

CHICAGO, United States-One of the first commercial deployments of Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) technology could be in Mexico next year based on presentations and interviews at the …

TOKYO-Japanese vendors are in the final stages of developing third-generation (3G) terminals. Japanese 3G services are scheduled to be launched earlier than any other country in May 2001 by NTT …

TORONTO-Now that the C$6.6 billion (US$4.3 billion) Telus deal to acquire Clearnet Communications has been finalized, engineering issues are starting to surface. The challenge? How to combine the wireless operations …

TOKYO-The mobile music distribution business is going to take off in Japan, according to industry representatives. Some carriers have already revealed their services, while others are promoting field tests in …

SAN DIEGO-Kyocera Wireless Corp. and Lucent Technologies Inc. reported an agreement to work together to accelerate global deployment of third-generation CDMA wireless services by aligning development of Kyocera’s wireless handsets …

WASHINGTON-Network-based solutions to meet the wireless enhanced 911 Phase II mandate may be winning the battle with handset-based solutions because handsets are not available as the deadline looms for carriers …

In an agreement announced today, outsourced service provider Brightpoint Inc. will provide handset procurement, online order processing, inventory management, handset programming and distribution of wireless handsets for buy.com’s Wireless Store. …

BEIJING-Zhang Fan, head of mobile communications at China Unicom, this week said his company would definitely build narrowband networks based on the CDMA standard. After Qualcomm Chairman Irwin Jacobs recently …

NEW YORK-Motorola Inc. has begun carrier trials of its first Bluetooth-capable wireless phone, the Timeport 270, and expects to begin shipping the CDMA handsets by year-end. Depending on “carrier testing …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Baltimore Technologies Inc. and Motorola Inc. announced a strategic agreement to provide security solutions for Internet-enabled wireless devices. Under the agreement, Baltimore will provide mobile root digital certificates which …

WASHINGTON-VoiceStream Wireless Corp. fully expects to meet the extended deadlines the Federal Communications Commission set out for it to implement enhanced 911, said the GSM carrier recently. “All of VoiceStream’s …