MADRID-Telefonica SA announced two new global businesses, further developing the business model it launched two years ago.With the new businesses-Telefonica Moviles and Telefonica DataCorp-Telefonica hopes to capture the full value creation potential from each one by globalizing these high growth businesses.Telefonica Moviles will group...
SAO PAULO, Brazil-One year after the privatization of A-band cellular operators in Brazil and just shortly following the auctions that defined the B-band operators, the Brazilian wireless market is going through a period of consolidation. At this point, it is already possible to identify...
U.S.-based BellSouth has grandiose plans for its future in Latin America. Despite its recent moves in Europe with wireless operator E-Plus, BellSouth remains committed to Latin America as its primary international investment target.Currently a wireless service provider or licensee in 10 countries in Central...
BUCHAREST, Romania-Telemobil, Romania's NMT 450 operator, is facing stiff competition from three GSM operators, each of which have both strong financial backing and national coverage. Similar to the experience of other NMT 450 operators in Europe, whether Telemobil will survive depends on how it...
LISBON, Portugal-Portugal Telecom announced that PT Inovacao S.A., a research and development company in Portugal, signed a $6.1 million contract to provide Moroccan mobile telecommunications consortium Meditelecom with a prepaid card solution for use in its Global System for Mobile communications network in Morocco.Meditelecom...
MANAGUA, Nicaragua-Privatization of state-owned telephone companies is moving ahead in the two Central American countries hit hardest by last year's Hurricane Mitch.Reuters reported three applications have been submitted for the sale of a 40-percent stake the Nicaraguan Telecommunications Co. (Enitel), and six companies are...
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.-Phone.com Inc. announced last Tuesday the public offering of 6.6 million shares of common stock at $135 per share in conjunction with a two-for-one stock split.As a result of the announcement, the price of the company's shares closed at $135.06 last Wednesday,...
HELSINKI-Telefonica Moviles of Spain, with approximately 8 million cellular subscribers, signed an agreement with Nokia Corp. for the deployment of a General Packet Radio Services core network.Also, Nokia and the Shanghai branch of China United Telecommunications Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding to supply...
VeloCom Inc., which recently won "mirror" licenses to operate competitive telecommunications networks in Brazil, said it has acquired the Latin American assets of Argentina-based SLI Wireless S.A. and Brazil-based Taquari Participacoes S.A., in return for stock. The move gives VeloCom interests in telecommunications companies...
DENVER-VeloCom Inc., which recently won mirror licenses to operate competitive telecommunications networks in Brazil, said today it has acquired the Latin American assets of Argentina-based SLI Wireless S.A. and Brazil-based Taquari Participacoes S.A. in return for stock. The move gives VeloCom interests in telecommunications...
DENVER-VeloCom Inc. announced its consortia in Brazil, Canbra Telefonica and Megatel do Brasil, will market their telecommunications systems under the name Vesper, effective Oct. 1.In January, Canbra was awarded a "mirror" license to provide fixed telecommunications services in 16 states in northern Brazil, including...
SANDTON, South Africa-A wave of liberalization and privatization is transforming the cellular market in Africa. Countries riding high on this tide include South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Mauritius, C"te d'Ivoire, Kenya and Uganda.Pyramid Research predicts that only Angola, Burundi, Libya and Gambia will have...
United KingdomBulletIN.net Ltd., a TWS Inc. subsidiary, formed a strategic partnership with Project Telecom, a U.K. wireless service provider, that will allow users to transform their phones into handheld mobile offices, according to BulletIN.net. Project Telecom will market the service to its high-end corporate...
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-ReadyCom Inc. said it introduced its two-way, advanced voice messaging technology with cellular carriers in Puerto Rico and Chile, and confirmed the technology is meeting unserved needs in the marketplaces."Early indications are that business customers are indeed looking for advanced messaging features,...
FranceFrance Telecom said it signed a partnership agreement with the Sonae group in Portugal. The two already have a working relationship as stakeholders in Optimus, the third mobile operator in Portugal. The new partnership would be held 43.33 percent by France Telecom and 56.67...
Portugal Telecom announced the consortium, Medi Telecom, won the second Global System for Mobile communications license in Morocco.The Medi Telecom consortium, led by Telefonica and including Portugal Telecom, the Moroccan groups Banque Marrocaine du Commerce Exterieur and Afriquia, offered $902 million for the license,...
U S West Wireless recently completed field tests of Qualcomm Inc.'s High Data Rate product, saying it was impressed with the solution, but didn't indicate plans to deploy the technology commercially.
"We were able to show proof of the concept and that it does provide...
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-Motorola Inc.'s Network Solutions Sector was awarded an $18 million contract to expand Telefonica del Peru's Code Division Multiple Access cellular network, said the company.Expansion of the network will begin immediately and is slated to be completed in November, said Motorola. Motorola...
After nearly two years of fits and starts, the government of Argentina finally awarded six personal communications services licenses for a total consideration of about $850 million.The government awarded two PCS licenses each in the northern and southern regions of Argentina, as well as...
DALLAS-Nokia Corp. received a $165 million order from Telefonica Celular in Brazil to supply Nokia's 6180 and 5180 Code Division Multiple Access cellular handsets.Deliveries are expected to begin this month, according to the Dallas-based Nokia division.
MADRID, Spain-Telefonica Moviles, part of the Telefonica Group S.A., Madrid, Spain, announced it gained 822,487 new customers during the first quarter of this year, more than triple the net additions posted during the same period a year ago.The Spanish wireless carrier had 5.72 million...
Telefonica Internacional announced plans to launch public tender offers to buy 100 percent of the preferred and common stock of two Brazilian mobile wireless phone companies: Telerj Celular, in Rio de Janeiro, and Telest Celular, in Espiritu Santo.At the same time, Telefonica and its partner,...
BrazilTelemig Celular said it plans to invest R$200 million-R$220 million (US$118 million-US$130 million) during 1999 to expand its services in the state of Minas Gerais, according to the Jornal do Comercio. Telemig is owned by Telesystem International Wireless and local partners, the same group...
MCI WorldCom seems to be signaling it is not interested in acquiring trunked radio giant Nextel Communications anytime soon, if ever, despite recent speculation. "We don't think it's imperative we do something in wireless right now, but in the next couple of years, we...
