HELSINKI, Finland-The Finnish government said it is in negotiations to sell its 52.9-percent stake in Sonera, the former state telecom monopoly, which operates the country's largest mobile-phone network.Speculation has circulated for months that Sonera must take a partner to compete in the increasingly competitive...
LONDON-U.K. wireless operator Orange plc announced a $752 million wireless Internet strategy, including numerous acquisitions, investments, partnerships and content agreements.Dubbed OrangeWorld, the initiative aims to take "wirefree communications beyond two-dimensional voice and data and into intelligent interactive response to individual customer requests and the...
LONDON-British mobile carrier Orange plc said it bought Ananova Ltd., a new media division that includes an animated Internet newscaster, for $142.5 million in cash from the U.K. Press Association. Orange said Ananova provides access to innovative, digital news and entertainment services.The company, formerly...
FRANKFURT, Germany-WorldCom Inc. formally pulled out of the German auction for third-generation licenses. The company is the third bidder to withdraw from the process before the auction officially begins July 31.France's Vivendi and Talkline, an SBC Communications Inc. and Tele Danmark joint venture, dropped...
LAFAYETTE, La.-Nextel Partners Inc. launched its digital wireless network in southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas including the cities of Lafayette, New Iberia and Lake Charles, La.; and Port Arthur, Orange and Beaumont, Texas.Nextel said the new coverage area also includes the Interstate 10 corridor...
GermanyWorldCom, Vivendi and Talkline, an SBC Communications and Tele Danmark joint venture, formally pulled out of the German auction for third-generation licenses, scheduled to begin 31 July. U.K. operator Orange also backed out of the Group 3G consortium, which also includes Telefonica and Sonera,...
DUBLIN, Ireland-The massive sums being invested in third-generation (3G) licenses, network development and acquisitions have placed the major European operators firmly under the financial spotlight. While observers agree there is no significant cause for concern yet, it is also clear operators are being forced...
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.-AirFlash Inc. announced Orange PCS Ltd. of the United Kingdom has deployed its location-based information services to customers as part of a service trial there.The test revolves around AirFlash's SmartZone technology, which matches a user's location with relevant content.In addition, the company...
BIEL, Switzerland-Ten companies submitted applications to bid for four third-generation licenses in Switzerland in November. Switzerland's Federal Office of Communications will decide by the end of August which of the applicants can participate in the auction.The regulator said a candidate must prove that granting...
NEW YORK-In a move that, ironically, furthers consolidation in Europe's deregulated telecommunications market, France Telecom said May 30 it would buy Orange plc from Vodafone AirTouch plc for $38 billion plus the assumption of $2.7 billion in outstanding Orange debt.The acquisition gives the French...
FRANKFURT, Germany-The German telecommunication regulator approved 11 bidders to participate in its Universal Mobile Telecommunications System auction, set to begin in July. The regulator excluded only one company from bidding in the auction.Germany plans to sell 12 frequencies of radio spectrum, which could yield...
MUNICH, Germany-German utilities Viag and Veba are said to be in talks to sell their stakes in telecommunications interests to British Telecom.British Telecom currently holds 45 percent of Viag Interkom, Germany's fourth-largest wireless operator. Viag holds 20 percent of Connect Austria and 42.5 percent...
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...
DUBLIN, Ireland-A Supreme Court decision ended a two-year-old dispute over Ireland's third cellular license. U.S.-Irish consortium Meteor can now establish Ireland's third wireless network to compete with established operators Esat Digifone and Eircell.In June 1998, the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation (ODTR),...
MELBOURNE, Fla.-Harris Corp. said Tekelec, a supplier of signaling and control systems, selected Harris to provide its network management platform, called HNM, as part of a total Internet Protocol SS7 signaling transport solution in the United Kingdom.As part of Orange Personal Communications Services Ltd.,...
TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced it signed a memorandum of understanding with KPN Telecom, acquiring 15 percent of the voting rights in a newly formed holding company called KPN Mobile N.V. for about $4.5 billion. The announcement follows KPN's failed merger talks with Spain's Telefonica...
BERLIN-A consortium comprised of Telefonica, Orange and Sonera will join U.S.-based MCI WorldCom and 10 other groups in bidding for third-generation licenses in Germany. The auction is set to begin in early July.The German regulator will sell 12 frequencies of radio spectrum to support...
KPN Telecom is said to be in discussions with Spain's Telefonica regarding a possible US$54 billion merger. At press time, international reports said the companies had agreed in principle to a deal that would evenly split control of the two entities. Such a merger...
British Telecom (BT) could challenge an Internet alliance between Vodafone AirTouch and Vivendi announced just before Vodafone AirTouch's takeover agreement with Mannesmann in February, the Financial Times reported. The deal may be incompatible with existing contracts among the involved companies. The report said the...
GENEVA-With auction prices of the United Kingdom's five third-generation licenses beating even the most inflated analyst forecasts, all eyes are now on Italy, which is set to allocate five 15-year Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) licenses in a few months.Europe's largest mobile market with...
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...
MADRID, Spain-Telefonica reported reaching an agreement with Orange plc and Sonera Corp. to apply for the Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service license in Germany through a consortium in which Telefonica InterContinental S.A. will hold a 40-percent stake, with Orange and Sonera sharing the remaining 60...
DUBLIN, Ireland-Utility companies across Europe are entering the mobile communications business, hoping to simultaneously grab a slice of an extremely lucrative market and diversify their operations. But analysts are undecided on whether the companies have the requisite technical expertise or resources to effectively compete...
