MELBOURNE, Australia-In a part of the world that still relies on word of mouth as a means to keep in touch, cellular communications-both digital and analog-is continuing to spread through the Pacific Islands as greater numbers of people in the region adjust to using...
Approximately 318.6 million new cellular connections will be added in Europe by 2007, of which 160 million will be Global System for Mobile communications connections, according to The Strategis Group's report, "Western European Cellular/3G Markets 2000-2007."As a result of these new customers, the average...
The U.S. General Accounting Office said it is precluded from investigating the Federal Communications Commission's procedures in granting Nextel Communications Inc. enhanced specialized mobile radio licenses in the last decade because of a pending lawsuit regarding the 800 MHz auction.Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.) asked...
WASHINGTON-Yet another federal appeals court has been brought into the debacle known as the personal communications services C-block.Bankrupt PCS operator NextWave Telecom Inc. filed on Feb. 11 a petition for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit "for protective purposes."...
BOULDER, Colo.-SCC Communications Corp. announced an aggressive deployment schedule for its Phase I wireless 911 service with more than 1,000 public safety answering points scheduled for deployment in 18 states throughout the year.Denver and Colorado Springs, Colo.; Atlanta; Indianapolis; Minneapolis; Chicago; Houston; and Portland,...
Most conversations regarding the wireless Internet in the industry today revolve around Wireless Application Protocol technology, but several companies are bucking this trend-aiming to extend Internet content to wireless phones using alternative means to WAP.Providing them the opportunity to do so is WAP itself....
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week expanded its rules regarding telecommunications relay services to include speech-to-speech services, Spanish language service and quality of service rules.TRS is a telephone transmission service where a person with hearing difficulties calls a center using a text telephone device....
The Federal Communications Commission approved the merger of VoiceStream Wireless Corp. and Omnipoint Corp. last week and noted the Department of Justice and the FBI delayed its decision, a problem that may grow as U.S. operators hook up with international carriers.The DOJ and the...
WASHINGTON-There is a split at the Federal Communications Commission regarding whether the agency should be lobbying for changes in the law that would protect radio-frequency licenses from bankruptcy.I "do not support the statements made by in his testimony before the Budget Committee...
ESPOO, Finland-Nokia Oy announced the early availability of its open Iu Interface for third-generation mobile networks.Nokia said it will provide full compatibility to the Iu Interface-according to the 3G Partnership Program standards-when the first service launches next year. This will enable multivendor interconnection between...
VoiceStream Wireless Corp. announced plans to invest in Canadian Global System for Mobile communications operator Microcell Telecommunications Inc., a move that sets the stage for a seamless North American footprint.VoiceStream will invest $275 million to purchase 9.59 million newly issued Class A shares of...
Globalstar L.P.'s worldwide service rollout took another step last week, bolstering its presence in Mexico where Globalstar de Mexico and Mexican cellular operator Iusacell formed a marketing agreement.According to the deal, Iusacell, Mexico's second-largest carrier, will sell Globalstar satellite phone services to its customers-on...
HONG KONG-An Asian Internet company is looking to block the proposed merger between Cable & Wireless HKT Ltd. and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., Reuters reported. Pacific Century CyberWorks Ltd. hinted that it could launch a competing bid for Cable & Wireless HKT, one of six...
ScandinaviaMillicom International Cellular S.A., a worldwide cellular telephone and telecommunications company, said it sold 900,000 class B shares from a total of almost 6 million class A and class B shares held in NetCom AB, a provider of telecommunication services in Scandinavia, the Baltics...
WASHINGTON-Last Thursday was a bad day for bankrupt personal communications services operator NextWave Telecom Inc. Not only did a federal appeals court deny its petition for rehearing but a United States senator took the opportunity of a Senate Budget Committee hearing to skewer the...
OSAKA, Japan-KansaiTele-Message became the latest victim in Japan's declining paging industry by filing for liquidation with $183 million in debts, according to a Kyodo News Service report. The filing came five months after the paging company announced it was no longer accepting new subscriptions.The...
General Packet Radio Service technology is a powerful proposition for Global System for Mobile communications operators anxious to comb in the huge revenues packetized wireless Internet access promises. That's why they want GPRS handsets this year.Product delays have been part of the wireless industry...
While Vodafone AirTouch plc last week advanced its merger with Germany's Mannesmann AG, the company indicated it may look to fill in its footprint with smaller acquisitions.In particular, the company has been closing in on a bid for a stake in Spain's second-largest mobile...
CANNES, France-Motorola Inc. and Turkish Global System for Mobile communications operator Telsim announced they signed a $1.5 billion contract calling for Motorola to provide infrastructure, handsets and associated services to expand the countrywide GSM network in Turkey.The contract also calls for Motorola to implement...
BOULDER, Colo.-SignalSoft Corp., a software developer focused on the wireless location industry, completed $33 million in private equity financing from existing investors as well as new financial and strategic investors in the United States, Europe and Japan.Salomon Smith Barney managed the private placement. New...
CANNES, France-The GSM Association, encompassing 400 wireless operators from 143 countries, awarded Czech wireless operator EuroTel Praha the "GSM in the Community" humanitarian award at the GSM World Congress in Cannes, France.EuroTel was honored for coming to the aid of refugees from Kosovo being...
SAN DIEGO-China United Telecommunications Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. announced an agreement outlining guidelines for Chinese manufacturers to license Qualcomm's intellectual property to manufacture and sell Code Division Multiple Access wireless equipment.The deal stipulates that Chinese manufacturers that enter into such licenses with Qualcomm will...
NEW ORLEANS-As a New Orleans appeals court heard arguments on whether Metro PCS can keep its 14 personal communications services licenses, other developments in the continuing saga of the C-block auction further confused what ultimately will happen to certain C-block spectrum and the value...
United KingdomBritain-based Marconi plc announced it has sold its Network Components & Services business in Europe and China to Viasystems Group Inc. for $115 million in cash. The sale of NC&S, a component manufacturer for the telecommunications industry, is part of Marconi's strategy to...
