Editor's Note: RCR Wireless News Editor Sylvie Barak delved deep into the Russian wireless landscape during a recent trip to the country. She delivered a feature report for RCR Wireless News that was included in our November Special Edition. Click here ...
LONDON—United Kingdom cable operator NTL said it reached a deal to acquire Virgin Mobile Holdings (UK) plc for $1.68 billion. The news ends months-long negotiations between the two companies. Virgin initially turned down an offer from NTL in early December, saying that the offer...
LONDON-United Kingdom cable operator NTL has reportedly upped its offer for Virgin Mobile Holdings (UK) plc, and Virgin Group plc's governing board has confirmed that it is in "preliminary discussions" with NTL, which "may or may not lead to a formal offer being made...
LONDON-The board of Virgin Mobile Holdings plc rejected a $1.4 billion takeover offer from U.K. cable operator NTL Inc. "The board has concluded that the potential offer materially undervalues Virgin Mobile," the company said in a statement.NTL announced that it had made the offer...
LONDON-The board of Virgin Mobile Holdings plc has rejected a $1.4 billion takeover offer from U.K. cable operator NTL Inc. "The Board has concluded that the potential offer materially undervalues Virgin Mobile," the company said in a statement.Virgin Mobile Holdings currently operates Virgin Mobile...
LONDON-U.K.-based cable company NTL Inc. has bid $1.4 billion for U.K. mobile virtual network operator Virgin Mobile, according to published reports. Virgin Mobile confirmed in a statement today that it had received an offer from NTL "that may or may not lead to a...
A flurry of announcements Friday brought European mobile users one step closer to watching video broadcasts on their handsets. In three separate announcements: Handset manufacturers Nokia Corp., Motorola Inc., Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and NEC Corp. will cooperate to create a standard that will...
NEW YORK-Former Nextel Communications Inc. chief operating officer James Mooney was named chairman of Britain's largest cable television operator NTL Inc., which recently emerged from Chapter 11-bankruptcy protection.Mooney, who served as COO at Nextel for 18 months, was reportedly set to receive $2.5 million...
OXFORD, United Kingdom—A joint venture between Orange and U.K.-based cable operator NTL should soon enable Orange cell-phone users to order digital content and have it downloaded via NTL's broadband connection to their homes. NTL said it is also planning to leverage its relationships with...
OXFORD, United Kingdom—Having run up debts of US$17 billion, the United Kingdom-based cable operator NTL has denied that money problems are behind its decision to cancel launch plans for a high-speed wireless network. The company, which is rumored to be a prospect for topping...
HELSINKI, Finland—PTS, Sweden's telecom regulatory organization, has warned telecom companies that secured third-generation (3G) network licenses that they risk losing these licenses in the event that they stall development plans any further. Twelve months after PTL allocated four 3G licenses, licensees have only applied...
LONDON-U.K. cable company NTL and France Telecom's Orange announced a partnership, whereby Orange will provide mobile-phone services to NTL's 3 million residential customers. A contract is due to be signed by the end of May, the companies said.The deal will provide Orange with access...
GENEVA-Despite a subdued initial public offering (IPO) that saw the company reap a modest US$9 per share-near the bottom end of an already hastily reduced US$8.7 to US$10 range-the future is looking good for Orange, the former U.K. operator that now forms the cornerstone...
BulgariaOte Telecom won Bulgaria's third mobile-phone license for US$135 million, beating out Telecom Italia Mobile through an auction. Ote plans to partner with Bulgarian Telecommunications Co. (BTC), the country's fixed-line provider, to build out the GSM network.FranceMartin Bouygues, chairman of Bouygues Telecom, called on...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden-In a surprise announcement, the Swedish government awarded four Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses on Dec. 16, dismissing a proposal from Telia, the country's current mobile leader. Sweden's other two incumbent operators, NetCom and Europolitan, won licenses through a "beauty contest," along with...
The Netherlands opened its auction for five third-generation Universal Mobile Telecommunications Services mobile-phone licenses Thursday, and immediately two of the eight bidding companies bowed out. Hutchison 3G Netherlands and Nogenta Swedish Acquisitions withdrew from the auction just as it was getting under way. The...
WASHINGTON-Andrew Sukawaty, president and chief operating officer of Sprint PCS and recently installed chairman of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, said Friday he is leaving the nationwide mobile-phone carrier to pursue a new, unnamed opportunity."This is the fourth start-up venture in which I've been...
LONDON-Cable & Wireless plc formally launched Cable & Wireless Global, incorporating operations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and Japan.C&W said revenues for the year ending March 31 for the businesses that now make up C&W Global totaled $5.5 billion, and it...
LONDON-France Telecom is expected to make a $45 billion cash and stock bid for Orange plc early next week, according to international press reports. The French telecom company is reported to have secured a $29.7 billion bank loan to acquire the United Kingdom's third-largest...
LONDON-NTL Inc. reported the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in England approved France Telecom S.A.'s investment in NTL without a reference to the Competition Commission.NTL noted that all necessary conditions to the Cable & Wireless Communications plc scheme of arrangement that form...
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...
After eight weeks and 150 rounds, NTL Mobile said enough and dropped out of the U.K. government auction for five Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses. The withdrawal left only five bidders for the licenses, ending the auction that generated more than $35 billion for...
Bidders in the U.K. third-generation license auction appeared to exceed their budgets last week. Bidding for the five licenses totaled an eye-popping $35 billion, and the auction will linger on into this week.The auction seems eerily reminiscent of the U.S. personal communications services C-block...
Skyrocketing bids forced five companies to drop out of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System auction last week, leaving eight companies to scramble for five licenses that now have a combined value of more than $22 billion.By the time round 106 was over, 3GUK, Crescent...
