DUBLIN, Ireland-The number of new phone manufacturers and the introduction of GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) handset design packages have lead to a proliferation of new handsets. However, there already have been casualties, and it seems inevitable that other manufacturers will be forced...
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,...
HELSINKI-Two of Nokia Corp.'s joint ventures in China, Beijing Nokia Mobile Telecommunications Ltd. and Beijing Nokia Hang Xiang Telecommunications System Ltd., signed an agreement to supply equipment for the sixth expansion of the BTA network.The expansion will increase the capacity of the Beijing Telecommunications...
In Chicago, where the mobile phone penetration rate is one of the highest among the nation's most populous markets, cellular carriers Ameritech Cellular Services Inc. and SBC Wireless have made aggressive moves to match offers coming primarily from their PCS counterpart, AT&T Wireless Services...
Conxus Communications Inc. will begin offering its Pocketalk portable answering machine service in the Boston metropolitan area beginning Sept. 7. The launch of Boston will extend Pocketalk's reach to 12 U.S. markets covering more than 80 million people. Bill deKay, president of the company,...
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...
WASHINGTON-The wireless industry and the hearing-impaired community appear headed on a collision course over the implementation of the 1996 telecom act's mandate that equipment and service be accessible and usable by persons with disabilities if it is "readily achievable."The readily achievable caveat, among other...
The industry's first cellular phone manufacturer has become another casualty of the highly competitive handset business. Oki Telecom Inc. has ceased manufacturing, sales and marketing all mobile phones in the United States.Suwanee, Ga.-based Oki was a pioneer in the cellular handset industry. Involved with...
LONDON-The European Commission approved the formation of Symbian, a joint venture launched in June between Psion Software plc, L.M. Ericsson, Nokia Corp. and, eventually, Motorola Inc.Symbian plans to promote wireless standards for mobile wireless operating systems based on the EPOC standard. The company said...
EuroTel Praha awarded Nokia Corp. a three-year frame agreement valued at almost $200 million to continue as the sole supplier to expand its 900 MHz Global System for Mobile communications network. Nokia said it will supply base stations, base station controllers and high-capacity mobile...
NEW YORK-Sirf Technology Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif., company established in 1995, announced agreements last week with Ericsson Inc., Hitachi America Ltd. and Nokia Corp. designed to propel the use of global positioning system technology in wireless devices, including cellular phones."Sirf's objective has always...
WASHINGTON-The head of the Federal Communications Commission told RCR last week he believed assurances he received from Europeans that they would not discriminate against American companies on third-generation wireless standards were lacking.FCC Chairman William Kennard said the assurances were not "sufficient because basically what...
ESPOO, Finland-Nokia Corp. said it was selected to continue as the sole equipment supplier for the expansion of North-West GSM's 900 MHz Global System for Mobile communications network in St. Petersburg, Russia, which was built by Nokia and launched in 1995.Nokia plans to deliver...
WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration, encouraged but apparently not swayed by assurances in Brussels that Europe will be open to multiple third-generation wireless standards, is growing increasingly worried that American mobile phone technology will be locked out of the 15-nation European Union in the next century."We...
Mobile phone sales during the second quarter gave Nokia Corp. a boost when it released its second-quarter earnings July 24, while its Swedish rival L.M. Ericsson suffered a plunge in its stock prices and several ratings downgrades on news its mobile phone sales were...
Safety and security may be becoming a smaller factor for wireless subscribers. Fewer than half of respondents to an IDC/Link survey of current users reported they used their phone primarily for security or safety.Last year, 54 percent of respondents said safety and security was...
LOS GATOS, Calif.-ARM Ltd. announced it will support the newly formed Symbian joint venture recently created by L.M. Ericsson, Nokia Corp., Motorola Inc. and Psion.Symbian was established to create new products and license software to drive open standards for wireless information devices. ARM creates...
NEW YORK-Orange Communications SA said it awarded a contract, valued at $460 million, to a partnership of Nokia Corp. and Ascom AG to deliver a Global System for Mobile Communications 1800 cellular network in Switzerland.In May, the Swiss Federal Communications Commission awarded Orange a...
At a somewhat lavish press event at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Motorola Inc. announced it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Starfish Software Inc., a leading supplier of customized solutions for the Connected Information Device market.Terms of the transaction were not...
NEW YORK-A Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association group is developing recommendations for handset manufacturers that would reduce fraud potential and facilitate over-the-air customer activations for non-Global System for Mobile Communications carriers.The CTIA Fraud Technology Assessment Group, charged with evaluating and recommending new fraud-prevention measures, has...
Global System for Mobile communications operators in Europe soon could face a formidable opponent for commercial business accounts if Canada's Telesystem International Wireless Inc. follows through with its plans.The company has emerged not only as the dominant specialized mobile radio service provider in Europe,...
AustraliaThe Australian Communications Authority said it prepared a recommendation to the Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, for a nationwide reallocation of spectrum in the 3.410 GHz to 3.6 GHz band. The intent of the proposal is to support the government's...
As the digital revolution begins to move at a substantial pace, mobile phone manufacturers have some tough decisions to make.The demand for digital handsets is growing, especially in the CDMA arena, where carriers are screaming for more handsets. More cellular carriers aggressively are pushing...
NEW YORK-Managistics Group Inc., Rockville, Md., announced Nokia Corp. selected it to optimize Nokia's global supply chain operations.Nokia's goal is to increase customer service while gaining significant efficiencies along the supply chain in the areas of manufacturing planning and scheduling, supply planning, inventory management...
