Samsung Telecommunications America Inc. plans to introduce a new series of Code Division Multiple Access phones this week at Wireless '99 in New Orleans, including the company's first CDMA tri-mode handset.According to Peter Skarzynski, vice president of wireless sales and marketing at STA, the...
NEW YORK-Vari-L Co. Inc., a Denver-based designer and manufacturer of advanced components for wireless telecommunications, reached an important patent milestone in China recently that gives it the green light for a marketing joint venture there.The People's Republic of China awarded patent protection for Vari-L's...
LOS ANGELES-Telemac Corp. said it has expanded its technology development and marketing agreement with Brite Voice Systems Inc. for exclusive distribution of the company's BriteStar System in Europe.BriteStar is a prepaid program consisting of Telemac prepaid technology and Brite prepaid and service management solutions,...
Despite a five-week service launch delay and continued handset production problems, Iridium L.L.C. finished the fourth quarter with results that beat analysts expectations.The quarter, ended Dec. 31, marked the long-awaited launch of the company's 66 low-earth orbit satellite global phone and paging system and...
The third-generation technology debate is beginning to have a negative impact on the valuation of the world's largest wireless carrier, Japan's NTT Mobile Communications, which plans to become the first carrier in the world to deploy wideband Code Division Multiple Access technology.Dresdner Kleinwort Benson...
Geoworks Corp. and APiON Ltd. announced they successfully completed interoperability tests of their products based on the Wireless Application Protocol. The testing process lasted several months and involved Geoworks' new Premion Interface+ graphical user interface and APiON's WAP gateway system to allow Premion-enabled handsets...
BellSouth Cellular Corp. announced it will invest in designing software-defined radio technology, a move that could give momentum to the rest of the wireless industry to change the way handsets are produced.The idea of developing a wireless handset that can operate on any air...
SANTA ANA, Calif.-Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and SRS Labs Inc. entered into a licensing partnership that calls for Samsung to use SRS' VIP voice technology in its cellular and wireless handsets worldwide.SRS said VIP increases the clarity and intelligibility of the spoken voice, especially...
ZetronZetron Inc. launched the Model Z907 PCS Fault Finder, which provides fast notification of power amplifier and antenna problems at personal communications services sites. The PCS Fault Finder monitors forward radio-frequency power and antenna return loss in the 1.8 GHz to 2.0 GHz frequency...
NEW YORK-L.M. Ericsson announced several endeavors that will provide handsets with increasing degrees of global utility.The Swedish-based manufacturer said it is forming a "groundbreaking initiative" with four companies to create the "geostationary mobile satellite standard," or GMSS.Participating with Ericsson in developing GMSS are United...
NEW YORK-Home Wireless Networks, a Norcross, Ga., company in which Lucent Technologies Inc. has invested, Friday announced the commercial availability of a wireless home/office data and voice communications distribution system.Its function is to provide small-business customers with secure voice and data communications they can...
TanzaniaInmarsat announced Tanzania became its 85th member country. Adolar B. Mapunda, managing director of the Tanzanian Telecommunications Co. Ltd., signed the Inmarsat Operating Agreement at the International Maritime Organization's office in London at the end of 1998. Tanzania is the 14th African country to...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Strategis Group projected the number of people who use cellular service will increase from 285 million today, to 700 million by 2003, leaving the world's mobile satellite service operators scrambling for new subscribers.The challenge before MSS operators will be to target those...
Sprint Corp.'s PCS Group added about 830,000 subscribers during the fourth quarter, positioning itself to top the industry in customers additions for the second consecutive quarter.Though most carriers are slated to release subscriber numbers within the coming weeks, analysts believe the Christmas season resulted...
Geoworks Corp. announced the latest stage in its continuing transformation last week with the introduction of a consulting division called the Professional Services group.The business unit was created to provide software development, strategic consulting, project management and quality assurance consulting services to the wireless...
A recent Federal Communications Commission notice may give some momentum to vendors offering handset-based solutions for wireless enhanced 911 compliance.The FCC has mandated that wireless carriers by Oct. 1, 2001, be able to locate wireless 911 callers to within 125 meters 67 percent of...
Unwired Planet Inc. took another step toward making its vision of Wireless Application Protocol devices and services a commercial reality by providing interoperability testing between its WAP-enabled UP.Link Server and WAP-encoded browsers produced by handset manufacturers.The first company to begin testing its proprietary browser...
JACKSON, Miss.-Tritel Inc. announced it will launch a 1900 MHz personal communications services wireless network as an affiliate of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. The network will cover Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Georgia.Tritel said it will deploy a Time Division...
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...
If the recent consolidation activity among independent tower companies is any indication, size is perceived to be an important element to a tower company in attracting deals with wireless carriers.The rapid consolidation of the industry was jolted into high gear in November when American...
WASHINGTON-Iridium L.L.C. gave itself an early Christmas present on Dec. 23 when it announced it was buying Claircom Communications Group Inc. from AT&T Corp. and Rogers Cantel for $65 million in cash and debt.Seattle-based Claircom is the second largest provider in the United States...
BRUSSELS-A newly formed company recently announced it plans to buy the paging business of Philips Electronics Inc., following that company's termination of its joint venture with Lucent Technologies Inc.Advantra International was formed recently by Page+ and Acyclon Electronics, and hopes to become the world's...
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-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...
