WASHINGTON-The wireless industry's push to enter the populous Chinese market got a big boost last week as several undecided Democrats and Republicans announced they will vote for permanent normal trade relations with China, a swing in momentum driven by stepped-up lobbying from the Clinton...
On the heels of press reports that the British government soon will require mobile phones to carry health warnings, a Swedish team of medical investigators released findings from a new study that resurrects concerns about links between brain tumors and cellular phones.In the report,...
WASHINGTON-Even with President Clinton's decision last week to dramatically improve global positioning system accuracy for civilians, vendors that offer a network-based E911 solution say their products are still valid.Meanwhile, mobile-phone carriers remain tight-lipped about which location-based wireless technology they will choose to meet enhanced...
DUBLIN, Ireland-Utility companies across Europe are entering the mobile communications business, hoping to simultaneously grab a slice of an extremely lucrative market and diversify their operations. But analysts are undecided on whether the companies have the requisite technical expertise or resources to effectively compete...
BulgariaKPN Telecom and Greece's Ote raised their offer to US$600 million for a 51-percent stake in Bulgarian Telecommunications Co. The companies previously offered US$510 million, Reuters reported. If the purchase is successful, KPN and Ote will acquire 51 percent of Mobikom and 100 percent...
IsraelRiots and injuries occurred during protests against the installation of cellular masts in a Druze Arab village in March, according to international press reports. Reports said seven police officers and members of the public were injured in the riots, which are thought to be...
South Korean mobile phone carrier Hansol M.com said talks to sell a controlling stake in the company to either Korea Telecom or the LG Group had broken down. The problems centered around differences over prices, according to press reports.Both Korea Telecom and the LG...
TOKYO-J-Phone Group, Japan's second-largest mobile phone company, plans to merge its nine member firms into three companies later this year. The announcement follows the company's application for a third-generation license to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications earlier this month.The move is aimed at...
BEIJING-China agreed in its negotiations with the United States for entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that foreign operators would be allowed a maximum 49-percent stake in mobile telephone joint ventures by 2005. The European Union is aiming for a foreign majority of...
Great Aunt Agatha has never really come to terms with electricity. She keeps buying dummy plugs to insert into any unused electricity socket she can find. "If you leave the socket open, the electricity could leak out," she explains, "and electricity is dangerous."She also...
MOSCOW-Three nationwide Russian wireless carriers, which control close to 75 percent of the market, have launched a fierce battle for new clients as mobile phones become more common communications tools in Russia.Cellular phones are now ringing in buses, trolley buses and even subways. The...
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...
WASHINGTON-A divided federal appeals court in Atlanta ruled wireless carriers and Internet firms do not have the same right as other telecom service providers to access utility poles on a nondiscriminatory basis-an unexpected decision that could hurt mobile-phone antenna siting and the rollout of...
STUTTGART, Germany-The Mobile Electronic Signature Consortium announced another 11 organizations have joined its effort to define a worldwide standard for mobile digital signatures, bringing the total number to 25.The consortium aims to develop an application interface facilitating standardized communication with e-commerce providers via the...
If someone wants to kill you, chances are they will be able to, given enough time and venom. It is naive to think that any tool, least of all, a four-inch wireless phone, can stand up against the evil that exists in some people....
NEW YORK-Bolstered by their respective strengths in network infrastructure and mobile handsets, the Scandinavian giants, Ericsson Inc. of Sweden and Nokia Corp. of Finland, reported strong quarterly results last week.Nokia, which released its earnings April 27, reported profits of $822 million, a 76-percent increase...
BEACHWOOD, Ohio-At Allen Telecom Inc.'s annual meeting, President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Paul said the company has significant opportunities in the geolocation market with its Geomatrix system, and noted that every division within the company had opportunities to participate in the growth of...
WASHINGTON-While most of the nation's 90 million mobile phone subscribers are still without enhanced 911 wireless service two years after the federal deployment deadline, there are signs of progress as a result of key legislative and regulatory actions."I would say Phase I is beginning...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is expected shortly to rule on Motorola Inc.'s 911 call processing-telematics waiver request, a filing that attracted industry support and sharp criticism from consumer and public-safety groups.Motorola last month asked the FCC for permission to build an additional 30,000 handsets...
Content is king. That's the mantra repeated by many looking to make it big in the wireless Internet space these days. But for content to be valuable, it must be personal, and that is the driving force behind the growing interest in synchronization technologies...
AUSTIN, Texas-Siemens announced it will spend $500 million to re-enter the U.S. telecommunications market. The company exited the U.S. telecom business in 1998.The company said its $500 million mobile communications effort will include strengthening existing businesses, entering new markets, building its brand awareness among...
WASHINGTON-Dr. George Carlo, the controversial scientist who broke with the cellular industry last year after finding data possibly linking mobile phone use to health problems, will roll out a new research program this week combining epidemiology, laboratory research and passive surveillance of the nation's...
Large carriers across the country are painstakenly trying to determine what wireless Internet service offerings will attract customers. Surprisingly, some small and rural carriers are on the same page.Smaller operators historically have followed the coattails of their metropolitan counterparts when it comes to deploying...
WASHINGTON-The White House is expected shortly to release a belated report advocating the integration of wireless technologies into the nation's Emergency Alert System, a policy that industry, federal regulators and Congress have not aggressively pushed despite the fact that millions of mobile phones today...
