The introduction of digital phone technology has changed dramatically the landscape of wireless communications across the globe and put the heat on the global paging industry.Paging's old advantages of small size and cheaper service are being whittled away, as digital phones shrink in size...
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)...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-Competition in the South African wireless telecommunications sector is likely to be fierce this year, with two new cellular operators scheduled to enter the arena. This will delve a blow to existing operators MTN and Vodacom, which have had exclusive preserve of...
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...
Cellcom Israel completed a trial using Nortel Networks' multi-beam antenna and array processing technology aimed at reducing the per-subscriber cost of mobile radio access infrastructure by increasing base station capacity. The carrier, which operates a TDMA IS-136 network from Nortel, conducted the trial in...
LONDON-The Baltic region covers an area of 174,000 square kilometers, with approximately 8 million people generating US$13 billion in gross domestic product (GDP). But while Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania may seem similar countries to an outside eye, in reality they boast quite different cultures,...
The International Telecommunication Union's 31 December deadline passed without resolution in the intellectual-property-right stand-off over third-generation technology, but the ITU has indicated it may push ahead anyway.The ITU warned the wireless industry in December it may only consider proposals for 3G technologies based on...
LISLE, Ill.-Indian mobile network operator BPL-US West Cellular Ltd. said it again selected Tellabs' MartisDXX managed transport network solution for the expansion of its Global System for Mobile communications digital cellular network. The contract was awarded through Motorola India.According to Tellabs, the subscriber base...
WASHINGTON-The Justice Department's denial of Nextel Communications Inc.'s request to modify a 1994 antitrust consent decree kept the nation's top dispatch radio operator from bidding on bankrupt Geotek Communications Inc.'s licenses last week, a potentially major setback that could stifle the highly leveraged wireless...
SINGAPOREMotorola Inc.'s Cellular Infrastructure Group signed a contract valued at $23 million to upgrade M1's digital wireless telephone network in Singapore. In addition to its SC 4852 base transceiver station, Motorola CIG will install two new base station types into M1's network, its SC...
SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-In an agreement with IBM's software group, Motorola Worldwide Data Solutions Division said it now will be able to offer IBM's eNetwork Emulator Express, eNetwork Web Express and eNetwork Wireless Gateway and Mobile Client as part of its Private DataTAC+ solution."The eNetwork Wireless...
WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration progressed in getting more telecommunications and information technology products shielded from tariffs, but last week acknowledged problems persist in convincing China to open its market and hinted the United States was ready to consider retaliation."Our companies do not have market access...
SEATTLE-Go to any trade show where mobile phone operators congregate, and you will hear grumbling about how AT&T Wireless Services Inc.'s Digital One Rate pricing plan has wreaked havoc on business plans. The play for the high-end business user seems to be falling in...
After months of aggressive buildout-beginning in late June with the Texas launch-PageMart Wireless Inc. announced its two-way, ReFLEX 25-based narrowband personal communications services network is available nationwide.The $310 million, Internet Protocol network upgrade adds two-way messaging capabilities to its existing FLEX network and, with...
SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Motorola Inc. announced it signed a multiyear contract with United States Realty & Investment Co., New York, to provide antenna-site management for some of its properties.Under terms of the agreement, Motorola will manage exclusively any wireless communications equipment to be placed on more...
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-Motorola Inc.'s Cellular Infrastructure Group plans to shut down its plant in McHenry, Ill., that housed analog base station equipment manufacturing functions.Sue Frederick, a spokeswoman for Motorola CIG, said the facility was opened in 1995 as a leased facility, and employees were...
MIAMI-Topp Telecom announced it signed a licensing agreement with Motorola Inc. to incorporate Topp Telecom's prepaid software into select Motorola phones, including the StarTac model.The prepaid Motorola phones will be available off-the-shelf and will not require any signed contracts, credit checks, monthly access fees,...
The semiconductor industry is showing signs it could be emerging from a slump that has plagued it this year.The Asian economic crisis, coupled with a glut of semiconductor products in the market, has led the industry into one of its most sluggish years ever....
FORT WORTH, Texas-Motorola Inc. announced it licensed its FLEX protocol decoder chipset to Korean equipment manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.The agreement is expected to speed the transition from POCSAG to FLEX paging technology in the Asian market.Samsung reportedly will combine the FLEX protocol decoder...
Sweden-based L.M. Ericsson said it will cut roughly 10,000 employees as economic problems in Asia and Latin America squeeze some of the company's operations.Ericsson head Sven-Christer Nilsson announced last week the company's profits for 1998 will be lower than analysts expected-about 15 percent to...
Brightpoint Inc. announced it entered into an agreement to provide integrated logistics services for Nextel Communications. Under the agreement, Brightpoint's wholly owned subsidiary, Wireless Stockroom, will provide a variety of services for Nextel's retail and direct-to-end-user channels. Brightpoint's services will include call center management...
RICHARDSON, Texas-TransData Inc. announced its Mark-V Series Energy Meter was selected by Alabama Electric Cooperative for its wireless packet data network substation automation project.The Mark-V is interfaced with the Motorola Inc. MOSCAD Remote Terminal Unit, to give AEC a real-time data collection system that...
WASHINGTON-CIA officials last week were expected to appear before a federal grand jury here in connection with new revelations that intelligence officials may have broken the law by contacting Hughes Electronics Co. about the Senate Intelligence Committee's probe of high-tech exports to China, which...
Metawave Communications Corp. last week expanded its SpotLight 2000 product line to include a Code Division Multiple Access/Advanced Mobile Phone Service smart antenna system that works with Motorola Inc.'s SC 9600 base station.The SpotLight 2000 product also is compatible with Lucent Series II and...
