While the short-term forecast for wireless operators in financially troubled parts of the world could be turbulent, carriers remain optimistic the wireless industry will weather the current financial crisis without many lasting repercussions.Stock markets around the globe-in Europe, Japan, Latin America and the United...
Wireless operators, especially those in emerging markets, will have to operate leaner to survive the second stage of a financial crisis that originated in Asia a year ago, spread to Russia more recently-and within a matter of days fanned out like wildfire to markets...
Across most of the world's regions, carriers and analysts are claiming prepaid cellular a resounding success. Along with calling party pays, it is considered one of the leading contributors to current subscriber growth.Some carriers now are getting more than half of new subscribers through...
SINGAPORE-If there's one good thing that has come out of the current economic crisis in Southeast Asia, it's the added push it has given to the long-talked-about and much-needed shakeout in the regional telecommunications market.Already, there have been rumblings of cash-strapped companies in Indonesia,...
The highly competitive wireless market in the Republic of the Philippines-with five carriers serving some 70 million people-is perhaps the most ripe for consolidation compared with all Southeast Asian countries.With cellular companies burdened with the devaluation of the Philippine peso against the dollar, mandatory...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-High on the agenda of issues raised by African ministers at Africa Telecom '98 held here in May was using satellite technology for boosting African economies and low telephone-penetration rates.Africa presents an ideal candidate for Mobile Satellite Services (MSS). The continent is...
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-Although the Asian currency crisis likely will result in making both handsets and financing more difficult and costly to obtain, wireless subscriber growth and revenues will continually expand until 2002, according to a new study examining the Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India markets...
SAO PAULO, Brazil-The pace of liberalization in the Brazilian wireless markets has taken on new speed in the past two weeks following a judicial ruling grant-ing the region 2 B-band license to the Telia-led Tess consortium and swift movement by the Ministry of Communications...
MOSCOW-The Radio Paging Group of Metromedia International Telecommunications Inc. agreed to become a co-owner of Russian paging company ZAO Mobile TeleCom by acquiring shares held by the company's western partner.Mobile TeleCom holds the largest share of the Russian paging marketplace, according to Pyramid Research...
In the early 1990s, many industry observers enthusiastically predicted that wireless local loop (WLL) deployments would spread fast and furiously throughout the international telecommunications arena. Given emerging economies' pent-up demand for basic phone service, the introduction of local-exchange competition within industrialized nations and major...
SINGAPORE-Lost accounts, lost jobs, lost profits, lost confidence: These words have been used to describe Indonesia's wireless industry, but they may not necessarily be true.Although it is undeniable that wireless telecommunications operators, such as Telkomsel and Satelindo, have been slapped with problems, including falling revenues,...
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-Main lines in Mexico and Central America will nearly double from a base of 11.5 million at year-end 1997 to 21 million at the end of 2002, at an annual growth rate of 13 percent, according to "Telecoms Markets and Strategies in Mexico/Central...
Despite protests from the country's current cellular operators, the Colombian Ministry of Communications is working on plans to auction personal communications services licenses by this spring.Fabiola Montealegre, analyst with ATC ConsulTel Americas in Cali, Colombia, said the ministry is reviewing a working document that...
HAIFA, Israel-Elbit Ltd., a communications company in Israel, announced it has formed a joint company with Hutchison Telecommunications Ltd. and Matav-Cable Systems Media Ltd. to bid on a cellular license tender in Israel.The country's Ministry of Communications issued the tender to attract a third...
Groups led by AT&T Corp. and Telia of Sweden are among those that recently purchased bidding packages from the Argentine government, which plans to award two 1900 MHz personal communications services licenses this fall.Interested companies must present initial offers, including technology plans, by Aug....
AirTouch Cellular launched Caller ID service in the Puget Sound area of western Washington. The service is available using Motorola Inc., Audiovox Corp. and Nokia Corp. narrowband Advanced Mobile Phone Service `MegaPhones,' said the company. The service is available for $4 per month.Northern Telecom...
WASHINGTON-Commerce Secretary William Daley next month will lead a trade mission to Latin America, a hotbed for the wireless telecommunications business that the Clinton administration does not want to lose to foreign competitors.The trip to Brazil, Argentina and Chile, May 11-19, will be the...
Brazil is in the wireless spotlight. Demand is high, penetration is low and growth in all sectors is being fueled by deregulation and a stronger economy.Brazil's current annual cellular growth rate is about 70 percent. The number of subscribers totaled 2.7 million last year,...
NEW YORK-The Economist Intelligence Unit acquired Pyramid Research Inc., a Massachusetts-based telecommunications market research company. EIU is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Economist Group, a global business information and analysis company.Pyramid Research provides market data, strategic analysis, competitive intelligence, industry and market forecasts,...
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-The Asia/Pacific region has experienced cellular subscriber growth rates of around 70 percent, according to a report compiled by Pyramid Research Inc."Growth rates have been pushed up by extremely fast subscriber uptake in a few countries," said Alexandra Rehak, director of Asia/Pacific research....
Israel's two cellular operators are working hard to sign up as many customers as possible while the government continues to ponder details for licensing a third cellular operator."The (technology) standard of the third license hasn't been determined yet. The ministry has had a lot...
The Palestine Telecommunications Co. is looking for a turnkey provider to design and supply a Global System for Mobile communications network in the areas of Palestinian Authority.Paltel is a private, one-year-old company with headquarters in Nablus. Paltel signed a 20-year license agreement with the...
NEW YORK-After many delays, Brazil's B-band cellular license auctions, which will be open to foreign bidders, are likely to begin early next year.The Brazil Senate last month ratified telecommunications deregulation legislation already approved by the House, thereby opening satellite and cellular services to outside...
