U S West Inc.'s and Global Crossing Ltd.'s marriage announcement last week leaves BellSouth Corp. the only Baby Bell not betrothed in the telecommunications industry."There no longer is a need for a regional Bell operating company or a local exchange carrier because today, we...
Sprint PCS believes it has a strong enough wireless footprint to begin aggressively targeting business users.Analysts didn't expect the company to heavily pursue this segment until next year, but Sprint PCS cites a national network that is well positioned to accommodate demanding users and...
Industry executives in February hailed the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue agreement as a major breakthrough in the 3G debate, but today it appears standards bodies have made little progress to pursue this framework, and political infighting among the 3G players remains.Executives in February agreed to...
LUTON, United Kingdom-A new report compiled by Strategy Analytics shows low-spending customers and the introduction of prepaid services in Europe are causing average revenue per user rates to progressively decline for many cellular providers."While cellular ARPU levels are now showing signs of bottoming out...
NEW YORK-All eyes are on Omnipoint Corp., which one investment banker has likened to a poster child for personal communications services.What will be the final chapter in Omnipoint's search for a strategic partner, and how soon will it be written? How might this conclusion...
MONTEREY, Calif.-Wireless data industry leaders met in Monterey, Calif., earlier this month to discuss further actions needed to capitalize on the momentum the long-fledgling market has been able to create recently.At a welcoming reception, Starfish Software President and Chief Executive Officer Philippe Kahn was...
NEW YORK-U S West Inc. reportedly is in merger talks with Global Crossing Ltd., the independent global fiber-optic network operator that recently announced plans to purchase Frontier Corp.Published reports indicate any deal between U S West and Global Crossing could face regulatory hurdles because...
DEVON, Pa.-Transport International Pool announced it will launch a satellite-based trailer tracking system developed by Vantage Tracking Solutions, a division of low-earth-orbit satellite operator Orbcomm Global L.P.The system will be designed to track TIP's trailers, as well as collect data such as trailer-tractor connection,...
WASHINGTON-MCI WorldCom Inc. last week halted talks to buy Nextel Communications Inc. after succumbing to differences over price, putting shares of the No. 2 long-distance telephone company and the last independent national wireless operator on a wild roller-coaster ride for weeks.Some Wall Street analysts...
AT&T Corp. last week signed a definitive merger agreement with cable company MediaOne Group after cutting a deal with rival bidder Comcast Corp., which agreed not to try to outbid AT&T's offer.Comcast and AT&T agreed to exchange various cable systems, giving Comcast about 750,000...
Western Wireless Corp. appears to have a long struggle ahead as it attempts to offer fixed wireless service in rural America.The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission denied Western's application requesting eligible telecommunications carrier status in the state. ETC status allows telephone carriers in states...
Leveraging its parent company's strength as a landline and Internet service provider, U S West Wireless said it expects to roll out commercial mobile text-based Internet access during the fourth quarter."Our service will be different than what our wireless competitors are deploying," said Jamey...
The Operators Harmonization Group, an assembly of mobile phone operators from around the world, said they agreed last month in Tokyo to a baseline proposal to harmonize ITU CDMA-based third-generation technology proposals.The proposal needs further refinement, a process that should be completed in the...
RESTON, Va.-Orbcomm Global L.P. hosted its 1999 Global Solutions Conference last month, during which the low-earth-orbit satellite data and messaging services network operator and its partners made several announcements.First, Orbcomm said it signed a service license agreement with an affiliate to extend low-earth-orbit data...
WASHINGTON-MCI WorldCom Inc. chief Bernard Ebbers, basking in glow of first-quarter earnings that surpassed forecasts, last week did not indicate whether the No. 2 long-distance telephone company is seriously interested in acquiring national wireless operator Nextel Communications Inc. any time soon.In a conference call...
Telecommunications companies are offering some of the largest bond sales ever.Sprint Capital Corp. on Thursday expanded its $3 billion global bond sale to $3.5 billion. The proceeds will cover negative cash flow associated with building out Sprint PCS's personal communications services markets. During last...
Carriers are keeping quiet about events that transpired during a third-generation harmonization meeting two weeks ago in Japan, but an independent study commissioned by Vodafone plc is seen by cdmaOne players as a smoking gun in favor of their technical parameters.Major carriers from around...
Two of the largest challenges facing today's telecom carriers are their existing IT systems and their employees. And both need to become more flexible if companies plan to prosper in today's changing-at-the-speed-of-light market, according to telecom execs who spoke at Andersen Consulting's recent Global...
The U.S. Commerce Department says it provided support to CDMA vendors wanting to sell their products in China, but did not discriminate against Time Division Multiple Access technology when it encouraged China to expand Code Division Multiple Access networks during visits there in March."We've...
NEW YORK-Amid good news about resurging American investments in Latin American mutual funds and the gradual rebound of Brazil's economy, Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette International announced it has started covering the region's wireless telecommunications carriers."In order to initiate coverage on the Latin American cellular...
GENEVA-Late in the evening of 21 April, fax machines on the desks of night editors at Europe's major dailies suddenly began to hum in unison, roused by a simple, one-page press statement. That single page would, within hours, rock the foundations of the telecom...
Lucent Technologies announced three technical initiatives designed to increase capacity in TDMA equipment. The company announced a series of software enhancements developed by Bell Laboratories to increase frequency re-use; as well as new PCS Minicell growth hardware designed to provide higher capacity for traffic-intensive...
The government of India in March revealed a new telecommunications policy that aims, among other things, to rectify issues surrounding licensees of basic and cellular services, to redefine the competitive nature of the country's telecom industry and to strengthen its independent telecom regulator, the...
BANGALORE, India-Although cellular operators in India fear revenue losses of as much as 25 percent due to a sharp increase in the monthly rental, or service charge, from US$3.90 to US$15, many in the industry hope the new tariff structure will expand cellular usage...
