SINGAPORE—Virgin Mobile, which launched its service in Singapore on 12 October, has found itself caught in a disagreement between incumbents SingTel Mobile and StarHub. Virgin Mobile Chief Executive Sir Richard Branson claimed Starhub is asking US$234,000 to let Virgin Mobile customers be connected to...
SINGAPORE—Virgin Mobile launched service in Singapore on Friday, the first Asian market in which it has launched its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service.Virgin Mobile partnered with SingTel Mobile last year to provide MVNO services in Singapore and other Asian markets. Virgin Mobile currently...
LONDON—The mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) business model has arrived in the United States.Sprint and Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group officially announced their teaming, a saga that has been in the works for several years. Virgin Mobile USA will offer its popular pay-as-you-go wireless...
NEW YORK—Tele2 AB, formerly NetCom AB, today said it will be the first mobile virtual network operator in the Netherlands under an agreement with Telfort, a GSM operator in the Netherlands that is owned by British Telecom.Tele2 said the agreement will allow it to...
TOKYO—Japan Communications Inc. said it will launch data communications services for corporate users in November using DDI Pocket's Personal Handyphone System (PHS) networks, the firm announced 22 August. It will be Japan's first mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service. DDI Pocket, the largest PHS...
The NextWave Telecom Inc. saga continued last week as the hopeful wireless wholesaler unveiled funding plans to roll out its network, while its potential wireless competitors/customers continued to look for ways to wrestle some control over licenses that are still waiting for a proper...
While lawyers have spent the past four years wrangling over the fate of Nextwave Telecom Inc.'s 93 C- and F-block licenses, the wanna-be telecom company has been moving ahead with its plans to build out and launch its network. With the U.S. Court of...
As the Virgin Mobile rumor factory continues to pump out news stories, Sprint PCS finally brought some substance to the situation. The wireless carrier issued a brief, two-sentence release confirming that the two companies were in discussions, but that no definitive agreement had been...
Heinz Corp.Heinz Corp., which provides services to wireless carriers, has promoted Rick Vogt to senior project manager. In his new position he will be responsible for Heinz's projects for Cingular Wireless. Vogt has been with Heinz for about a year, and most recently supervised...
Editor's Note: As part of its celebration of 20 years covering the wireless communications industry, RCR Wireless News each month will take a look back at crucial points in the history of mobile telecommunications. This month, RCR revisits the early days of Nextel and...
KARLSKRONA, Sweden-Europolitan and Hi3G, two companies granted Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses in Sweden last year, agreed to jointly build part of their UMTS infrastructure.The companies will form a common entity designated to build and provide UMTS infrastructure, mainly outside the three major metropolitan...
COPENHAGEN, Denmark-Denmark awarded two new GSM 900 MHz licenses to Mobilix and Telia Denmark, the country's two incumbent operators that had only GSM 1800 MHz licenses.Telia said the GSM 900 MHz license enables it to build a mobile network with full national coverage in...
DenmarkTele2 entered an agreement with Sonofon to become a mobile virtual network operator (VNO) in Denmark. Sonofon is the first operator to open its networks to mobile VNOs, according to Tele2's parent company, NetCom.FinlandSonera said it is in talks about a merger or partnership...
GENEVA-The sky-high third-generation (3G) license fees generated by the United Kingdom's May auction are having serious repercussions for European operators seeking a pan-regional presence. Governments on the mainland are rejigging their own forthcoming Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) license allocations to take advantage of...
BOSTON-Radio spectrum is scarce and becoming concentrated in the hands of fewer and more powerful players, according to a new report by Ovum, an independent research and consulting company.In "Virtual Mobile Services: Strategies for Fixed and Mobile Operators," Ovum suggests that new ways of increasing...
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...
