TOKYO-Japan's NTT DoCoMo is reported to be considering an entrance into the U.K. market through a tie-up with Canada's Telesystem International Wireless Inc. and Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. TIW and Hutchison partnered shortly after TIW won a third-generation license in the U.K. auction...
CanadaBCE Inc. said it is in discussions with the independent committee of the Teleglobe board of directors, the majority shareholders of Teleglobe and their tax advisers to finalize the structure of BCE's proposed acquisition of the company. BCE also said it is involved with...
PARIS-The French government has decided not to auction third-generation licenses later this year and will instead award the licenses through a "beauty contest." The government still will raise nearly $19 billion through the process, with each license costing about $4.7 billion.That amount is much...
BIEL, Switzerland-Ten companies submitted applications to bid for four third-generation licenses in Switzerland in November. Switzerland's Federal Office of Communications will decide by the end of August which of the applicants can participate in the auction.The regulator said a candidate must prove that granting...
HONG KONG-Hutchison Whampoa and Sweden's Investor AB formed a consortium that plans to apply for a third-generation license in Sweden. The proposed ownership structure is 60 percent for Hutchison Whampoa and 40 percent for Investor.Investor is Sweden's largest holding company. The two companies recently...
HONG KONG-Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. said it will invest $400 million in China Unicom in its pending initial public offering. In addition, the companies will cooperate in various telecommunications activities in mainland China.Through a strategic placing agreement, Hutchison will acquire at China Unicom's IPO $400...
FRANKFURT, Germany-The German telecommunication regulator approved 11 bidders to participate in its Universal Mobile Telecommunications System auction, set to begin in July. The regulator excluded only one company from bidding in the auction.Germany plans to sell 12 frequencies of radio spectrum, which could yield...
MELBOURNE, Australia-The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) announced that beginning Sept. 25, 2001, mobile-phone carriers must allow customers to keep their number when changing phone companies. The date is six months later than the date suggested in the ACA's preliminary report released in March.ACA considers...
A consortium comprised of Telefonica, Orange and Sonera will join U.S.-based MCI WorldCom and 10 other groups in bidding for third-generation (3G) licenses in Germany. The auction is set to begin in early July.The German regulator will sell 12 frequencies of radio spectrum to...
SINGAPORE-Falling margins, cheaper alternatives and technological obsolescence have combined to deal a major blow to Singapore's four paging operators.From an all-time high of 1.36 million subscribers in June 1998-representing a penetration of more than 40 percent, the world's highest-the paging market in the small...
IRVINE, Calif.-Primal, a provider of Internet-enabled customer management software to the communications industry, signed an order to provide Metrocall Inc. with its customer care and billing system, Connect CCB.According to Primal, the new system is a Web-based, Internet Protocol and wireless customer care and...
NEW YORK-VoiceStream Wireless Corp. is prepared to wage war on two fronts in the battle of the titans for transnational control of wireless telecommunications, John Stanton, VoiceStream's chairman and chief executive officer said.Although focused on expanding its domestic footprint through acquisitions of carriers and...
HONG KONG-Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. announced it sold part of its stake in Vodafone AirTouch plc for net proceeds of about $5 billion.The stake was sold through an agreement with Goldman Sachs Equity Securities (UK) Ltd. and Deutsche Bank A.G. of London.Prior to the transaction,...
NEW YORK-To simulate third-generation wireless before its deployment, Finland's Sonera has just embarked on a new program, Sonera Mspace, said Kaj-Erik Relander, the company's executive vice president.In partnership with content, service and technology providers, Mspace will conduct in Finland "real life trials with consumers...
MONTREAL-Telesystem International Wireless Inc. announced it closed a private placement of $300 million in 7.75-percent equity subordinated debentures convertible into TIW subordinate voting shares.Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. and Chase Capital Partners each have invested $150 million, and Hutchison has an option to purchase an additional...
SYDNEY, Australia-Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) Ltd. joined three Australian mobile phone incumbents in securing spectrum in the 1800 MHz band. Proceeds of the spectrum auction totaled more than $809.5 million for the Australian government, with One.Tel Ltd., Telstra Corp. and Vodafone AirTouch plc also receiving...
MONTREAL-Telesystem International Wireless Inc. said Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. and Chase Capital Partners will make a $300 million investment in TIW under terms of an agreement signed last week by the companies.Hutchison and Chase Capital each will purchase $150 million of equity subordinated...
SINGAPORE-Singapore has fast-forwarded its liberalization plans for the telecommunications sector by a staggering two years, effectively throwing the industry wide open almost immediately.The move, which comes into effect on 1 April this year, is the island state's boldest move in the communications arena thus...
MELBOURNE, Australia-The explosive growth in mobile telephony and the last chance to buy personal communications services (PCS) spectrum in the 1.8 GHz band have led to a fierce bidding war among Australian carriers. The auction for spectrum in all mainland state capital cities also...
The Federal Communications Commission approved the merger of VoiceStream Wireless Corp. and Omnipoint Corp. last week and noted the Department of Justice and the FBI delayed its decision, a problem that may grow as U.S. operators hook up with international carriers.The DOJ and the...
VoiceStream Wireless Corp. announced plans to invest in Canadian Global System for Mobile communications operator Microcell Telecommunications Inc., a move that sets the stage for a seamless North American footprint.VoiceStream will invest $275 million to purchase 9.59 million newly issued Class A shares of...
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.-Hong Kong's mobile operator, Hutchison Telecommunications Ltd., selected Siemens Information and Communication Networks Group to implement its Wireless Application Protocol platform for wireless Internet-based services.The deal calls for Siemens to provide Hutchison with a complete WAP solution including Phone.com Inc.'s UP.Link server...
SYDNEY, Australia-After four rounds and two days of bidding for Australia's 1800 MHz wireless phone licenses, the total of standing high bids was $64.4 million. The licenses will provide extra network capacity in the country's five largest cities.According to the Australian Communications Authority, the...
ROSH HA'AYIN, Israel-Partner Communications Co., an Israeli Global System for Mobile communications operator, announced it gained 13 percent of the Israeli cellular market after one year of operation. The company began full commercial operations in January 1999 and had 355,000 customers at the end...
