OXFORD, United Kingdom-Looking to gain market share in an increasingly saturated market has seen the Dutch arm of cell-phone operator MmO2 scrap all handset subsidies and cut mobile call charges by up to 50 percent. The company claimed it is the first European cell-phone...
BEIJING-Motorola Inc. said a variety of carriers have signed contracts valued at more than $30 million for its customized Network Support Program, which allows customers to maximize the use of their networks for specific needs.Some of the customers include Hutchison Telecom in Hong Kong,...
LONDON-As the tech sector continues a shaky recovery and telecom companies in Europe and the United States offer nothing much to write home about, the Middle East continues its love affair with the mobile phone unabated, and its operators continue to see strong increases...
MELBOURNE, Australia-Mobile operator Orange announced this week it is on course to record a profit by the fourth quarter of 2002. A subsidiary of Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia), Orange also declared that it is on target with its plans for the rollout of its third-generation...
LONDON-Text messaging company Scan Mobile scored a major new outlet for its applications, announcing a partnership with European carrier Orange to offer a variety of messaging applications.Among its portfolio, Scan Mobile will offer Orange subscribers its ticketing and shopping applications, which allow users to...
DUBLIN, Ireland-The four U.K. mobile network operators received reprimands from the country's Competition Commission, which claimed they are charging their customers too much for receiving calls made from other wireless and fixed-line networks.The operators, MmO2, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile, objected to proposals indicating they...
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-Orange Ventures named Mike Dolbec and Bill Wiberg as general partners of the venture capital fund.Dolbec, who will focus on investing and providing strategic guidance to portfolio companies in the wireless infrastructure and data services markets, was co-founder and senior vice president of...
Portugal-Portuguese company Sonae.com has approached EDP regarding an acquisition of its telecom subsidiary Oni Group, which owns a third-generation license in Portugal. Sonae owns 45 percent of Portuguese mobile operator Optimus, and Oni operates a fixed-line network in Portugal as well.Utility EDP held a...
FRANKFURT, Germany-Gerhard Schmid, former chief executive of German company MobilCom, is likely to lower the price at which he would agree to sell his MobilCom shares, paving the way for a takeover by France Telecom's Orange subsidiary.International press reports said Schmid could be willing...
CINCINNATI-Convergys Corp. announced it has acquired the business and assets of bankrupt TelesensKSCL Ltd. of Edinburgh, Scotland, a subsidiary of TelesensKSCL AG of Cologne, Germany.TelesensKSCL, which was a developer and licenser of billing systems for voice and data services to 19 million telecommunications customers...
DUBLIN, Ireland-While other European countries wrestle with the dilemma of how to accommodate the new base stations and masts required for third-generation (3G) networks when objections to such developments have never been more vociferous, it seems the Swedes may have found an answer.Vodafone, Orange...
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia- The Telecommunications Office of the Slovak Republic awarded two of three available third-generation (3G) licenses to the country's two current mobile operators, Orange and EuroTel Bratislava. Each operator will pay $33.8 million for the 20-year licenses.The only other bidder, local company Profinet.sk,...
HELSINKI, Finland-Finnish supplier Tecnomen said it will begin multimedia messaging service trials in two countries, The Dominican Republic and Indonesia.The Dominican Republic trial will be with France Telecom Dominicana. The Orange operator has deployed Tecnomen's integrated push feature."The trials will give France Telecom Dominicana...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-M-Cell, the listed telecommunications group that owns 100 percent of MTN, announced that turnover for the last 12 months has risen by 49 percent to US$1.24 billion. Contributions from operations outside of South Africa have risen to 19 percent of group revenue....
VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Sierra Wireless, M499.com Ltd. and Hutchison Telecommunications Ltd. announced the launch of Sierra Wireless's AirCard 750 GSM/GPRS wireless PC Card in Hong Kong.M499.com will distribute the AirCard 750 to Hong Kong mobile operator Hutchison Telecommunications, who in turn will offer the card...
HELSINKI, Finland—The uphill battle to meet Sweden's December 2003 national rollout deadline for third-generation (3G) networks has taken a significant new twist, after Sweden's leading mobile operators assigned Stockholm-based telecom consulting firm Teleca to deliver a technical solution and a macro-economic costing that will...
LONDON—Orange SA said it accepted a UMTS license in Luxembourg following the country's "beauty contest" for licenses, making Orange a new entrant in the market when it launches a UMTS network.Last month, Tele2 said it also won a UMTS license in Luxembourg from the...
PARIS—France Telecom and its mobile subsidiary Orange said they terminated the cooperation framework agreement with MobilCom and Gerhard Schmid, which the companies entered in March 2000. France Telecom said the termination follows a series of breaches by Schmid and MobilCom.France Telecom said Schmid and...
Permit issues could delay operator rolloutsHELSINKI, Finland-PTS, Sweden's telecom regulatory authority, appears to have accepted the general position adopted by operators that meeting the 2002 deadline for rollout of third-generation (3G) services will not be feasible. The position taken by PTS is significant, as...
DUBLIN, Ireland—The imminent launch of the XDA, an O2-branded mobile device manufactured specifically for that operator, is clear evidence that European operators are demanding more input into handset development. However, it is more likely to be an extreme but isolated example of operator control...
BOSTON—Netonomy announced a software supply and implementation agreement with Orange UK that will allow Orange to use the MyNetonomy Channel Activator to create a self-service portal for Orange retail staff and independent retailers.According to Netonomy, with the product, Orange can improve the customer support...
