This holiday season will see an unprecedented number of mobile phone competitors in the market, but carriers still seem unwilling to compete with break-neck pricing as they aim to keep average revenue per user at high levels.It's a "digital Christmas" this year, said Miles...
WASHINGTON-Daniel Phythyon, capping a stormy year-and-a-half stewardship of the Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, which had him under constant siege from feisty bankruptcy lawyers, angry lawmakers and high-powered lobbyists, said he will step down Dec. 1."The timing was my decision," said Phythyon. "The...
HELSINKI, Finland-Nokia Mobile Phones announced a new mobile phone for Japan's PDC market.Nokia said the phone is the first in Japan to have built-in infrared connectivity and a slide cover. The phone also incorporates the Yo-Be-Ba voice recognition function as do other Nokia products...
LAFAYETTE, Calif.-Mobex Communications said it will centralize mobile phone services for San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co.The first phase of the project will consolidate about 8,000 of the utility's wireless phones under one carrier to streamline accounting processes, said Mobex. Responsibilities also could...
BEIJING-Six wireless operators with 11 networks is the daunting choice offered to Hong Kong's techno-savvy consumers.The mobile phone scene here is a lot brighter than one would have expected just one-and-a-half years ago, with the territory's hand-over to the People's Republic of China on...
WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration will brief the Senate Finance Committee this week on mobile phone trade and standards policy, a meeting prompted by intensified lobbying by Global System for Mobile communications advocates and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute in response to Congress and the White...
China has been considered a mountain of opportunity for mobile phone infrastructure vendors, but signs today indicate a bleaker outlook as Chinese officials seem to have soured on cdmaOne technology and have banned certain foreign joint ventures in telecommunications projects.Vendors say China presents a...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission this week will vote to consider lifting the 45 megahertz spectrum cap, revamping relocation rules for 2 GHz mobile satellite operators and auctioning spectrum mandated by Congress-three controversial issues with broad implications for future terrestrial and space-based wireless systems that...
The mere idea it may one day be possible to connect computers, mobile phones and other electronic devices to share voice and data transmissions without the need for cables has brought together some of the industry's heaviest hitters under the umbrella of the Bluetooth...
WASHINGTON-Key lawmakers, amid stepped-up negotiations last week on third-generation mobile phone technology, are laying the groundwork to move legislation in 1999 if they conclude in crucial coming months that U.S. wireless interests in Europe and elsewhere have been compromised unfairly.3G was a major topic...
WASHINGTON-In the post-telecom-act era, the cellular telephone industry continues to face intertwined challenges of policy and perception.On the one hand, the Federal Communications Commission wants to foster the local competition goal of the 1996 telecom law.To date, the only evidence of telecom service choice...
ATLANTA-LHS Group Inc. announced it will co-develop and co-deploy an advanced customer-service, billing and financial management business support system for Iridium L.L.C.'s global mobile phone service. According to LHS, the system can process call rates and billing in all major currencies and can operate...
SAN JOSE, Calif.-Spyglass Inc. announced its Device Mail 3.1 embedded e-mail and Device Mosaic 3.1 browser products are available.Device Mail is an embedded e-mail client that extends e-mail capabilities to mobile phones and handheld computers. The first announced customer of the product is Motorola...
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.-Metromedia International Group Inc. and its subsidiary Metromedia International Telecommunications Inc. have completed two transactions overseas-one to enter the wireline and wireless phone market in Russia, and another entering the paging business in Ukraine, announced Metromedia.MITI formed a joint venture with Tyumen...
WASHINGTON-Qualcomm Inc. is waging a major court battle against the Federal Communications Commission to gain recognition of Code Division Multiple Access technology innovation in personal communications services and the potentially lucrative prize that comes with it. The Qualcomm case will be briefed in the...
What began as an idea 11 years ago is a reality today as Iridium L.L.C. brought its constellation of 66 low-earth-orbit satellites online for commercial service Nov. 1, becoming the world's first global wireless phone service provider."This is a very exciting week for Iridium,"...
PolandPoland may call tenders for three new mobile phone licenses for Global System for Mobile communications 900 MHz and 1800 MHz systems during the first half of next year. Reuters reported that the country's telecommunications minister Marek Zdrojewski said the tenders would be issued...
When all is said and done and the Federal Communications Commission has fully relocated to the Portals II building in Southwest Washington next year, the real catastrophe for the telecommunications world may not be the distance to the FCC (and the possibility that taxis...
DALLAS-Dobson Cellular Systems said it will install Nortel Networks' digital infrastructure equipment in Maryland, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania under a three-year, $30-million contract.Nortel will supply radio and switching equipment using Advanced Mobile Phone Service, Time Division Multiple Access Interim Standard-136 and cdmaOne (IS-95...
AirTouch Communications Inc. reportedly is close to awarding a new contract to Nortel Telecom Inc. to replace existing Motorola Inc. Code Division Multiple Access equipment in Los Angeles.Industry sources indicate the two still are negotiating terms of the contract. The sticking point is AirTouch...
LISLE, Ill.-United Kingdom mobile phone operator Cellnet will deploy Tellabs EC Duo 8000 echo cancelers in 13 switching centers to eliminate background noise from mobile phone calls, Tellabs announced.
WASHINGTON-Wireless Technology Research L.L.C. Chairman George Carlo is expected to recommend early next year that basic scientific research be de-emphasized in the future in favor of post-market surveillance.Carlo announced that initial findings from radio-frequency radiation experiments do not appear to have identified a clear...
The new head of Italy's communications ministry said the government expects to hold its tender for a fourth mobile phone license by the middle of next year.The ministry originally said the tender would get underway by the end of this year, but that was...
OXFORD, United Kingdom-Cellular penetration rates now exceed 50 percent in Finland. But real penetration rates are much higher if you ignore the very old and the very young. Pretty well every Finn who can walk and talk now has a mobile phone.Amongst Finnish youth,...
