WASHINGTON-A powerful Senate resolution that was to promote third-generation wireless harmonization was thoroughly diluted by U.S. backers of European-based mobile phone technology last week, a bizarre turnabout that drew a mix of new faces into the escalating controversy and further muddied the waters for...
AUSTIN, Texas-Motorola Inc. introduced a new chip last week designed to bring paging capability to personal digital assistants and other devices not traditionally used for paging.The MMC2080 chip can fully support the new G1.9 FLEX specification by combining a FLEX paging decoder and an...
An old Chinese saying may be relevant to the commercialization of CDMA mobile phone networks in China-"Those who know don't talk, and those who talk don't know"-at least on the record.When will Code Division Multiple Access networks be launched commercially in China? No one...
MCLEAN, Va.-Nextel Communications Inc. began offering Motorola Inc.'s palm-sized integrated digital handset called the i1000.The fourth-generation integrated Digital Enhanced Network handset is designed to provide business professionals with multiple communications services in a single device. The phone is a clam-shell design with external buttons...
WASHINGTON-The Mexican government will auction new frequencies for paging, narrowband PCS (two-way paging), trunking and point-to-point microwave. The auctions are scheduled for late 1998 and early 1999, depending on the service, according to the Comision Federal de Telecomunicaciones (Cofetel), Mexico's regulatory agency.Earlier this year,...
If all goes as planned, Iridium L.L.C.'s vision of a global wireless phone network-based on a constellation of 66 low-earth-orbit satellites interconnected to several terrestrial-based networks-will begin commercial service on 23 September.While the company continues to put the finishing touches on the satellite network,...
BEIJING-China Telecom announced it signed up its 20 millionth mobile phone customer, a police officer named Zhang Qinghua in the scenic city of Hangzhou, at precisely 8: 45 a.m. on 18 August. In the first half of the year, China Telecom signed up 5.45 million...
SINGAPORE-Given that Singapore's paging market is close to saturation with a 43-percent penetration rate, it comes as no surprise that paging operators in the market constantly are on the lookout for innovative ways to serve up new offerings to their customers. The latest dish...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-The licensing of two additional cellular carriers in South Africa will represent the biggest opportunity for black empowerment in Africa-and for some, the last chance to become involved in the vibrant telecommunications market here.When the Department of Communications issues tender invitations later...
WASHINGTON-The United States and Canada are the largest trading partners in the world. Mexico is the United States' fastest-growing export market and the top tourist destination for Americans. Latin American immigrants are the second-largest cultural group in the United States.With these facts in hand,...
Chile's Undersecretary of Telecommunications Juanita Gana announced mobile phone carriers no longer can force subscribers to sign long-term contracts, according to an article in El Diario. Until now carrier contracts have been for between 12 and 24 months.Ericsson Radio Systems announced it bought telecommunications...
Across most of the world's regions, carriers and analysts are claiming prepaid cellular a resounding success. Along with calling party pays, it is considered one of the leading contributors to current subscriber growth.Some carriers now are getting more than half of new subscribers through...
WASHINGTON-The third-generation wireless debate took a dramatic turn last week as a key Clinton administration official questioned whether the United States should follow Europe's lead in allocating massive 3G spectrum, and an industry schism erupted that could have Motorola Inc. going its own way.Motorola,...
FORT LEE, N.J.-TSR Wireless L.L.C. announced it purchased a narrowband personal communications services license from AT&T Two-Way Messaging Communications Inc. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.TSR's acquisition of the AT&T license combined with its earlier acquisition of American Paging gives the company...
MIAMI-Topp Telecom said it licensed Motorola Inc. to incorporate its proprietary prepaid software into certain Motorola phones that will be distributed in Central and South America and the Caribbean.The software will be embedded in the Profile and StarTac phones sold in the region beginning...
BURLINGTON, Mass.-Cedetel-Norcel, a division of Motorola Inc. that provides cellular services in Mexico-recently deployed Lightbridge Inc.'s FraudBuster fraud detection and reduction software. The company reported fraud has declined by more than 50 percent since the software was activated, said Lightbridge. The number of subscribers...
MENLO PARK, Calif.-Nuance Communications said it will provide its natural language speech-recognition technology to Motorola Inc. for its upcoming speech-enabled service code-named Myosphere.Nuance 6 allows users to speak to devices like they talk to people. For example, instructions such as, "call Ann in her...
JAPANNTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. filed applications with Japan's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications seeking approval for an international call service based on a service agreement between NTT DoCoMo and AT&T Corp. NTT DoCoMo has established a network directly connecting its gateway switch to...
Lucent Technologies Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc. announced a joint development and marketing agreement under which the two will create a unified messaging platform converging voice mail, e-mail and fax services on any device or media of the user's choice, the companies said.In this...
MCLEAN, Va.-Nextel Communications Inc., along with other equity investors, announced an agreement with Nextel Partners Inc. to build and operate an integrated digital wireless communications network using frequencies licensed to Nextel."The program allows Nextel to focus its domestic efforts in optimizing operations in larger...
The CDMA Development Group formed an interest group within the CDG that will focus on Latin America. The CDG said the interest group builds on the success of similar organizations within the CDG. Other interest groups focus on the Asia Pacific region and wireless...
WASHINGTON-In perhaps the strongest signal to date of congressional concern about U.S. global competitiveness in the future third-generation mobile phone market, Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) pressed the Clinton administration to outline the steps it is taking to ensure American technology is not snubbed by...
NEW YORK-After dramatically reducing the size and price of its initial public offering, Crown Castle International Corp., a Houston-based wireless tower company, sold 14 million shares at $13 each Aug. 18.The company had registered June 19 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell...
AT&T Wireless Services Inc.'s Advanced Messaging Division introduced two new services last week-a guaranteed delivery service and a nationwide paging alternative.The first, called AlphaTrack, is a guaranteed-messaging service reselling SkyTel Communications Inc.'s ReFLEX 50 network airtime. This is the second major resale agreement for...
