Telefonica

NEW YORK-Millicom International Cellular S.A. said it is underwriting a $10 million capital increase in Celcaribe S.A., its cellular operator in the northern region of Colombia, and purchasing an additional …

CARROLLTON, Texas-CellStar Corp. said it received contracts from Telefonica Del Peru S.A. and BCP Telecomunicacoes of Brazil to distribute prepaid cellular cards. In Brazil, CellStar will be the primary distributor …

NEW YORK-The Federal Communications Commission announced it has permitted the takeover of Puerto Rico’s government-run “principal local exchange service provider by a well-financed and experienced company,” GTE Holdings L.L.C. In …

Japan Tu-Ka Phone Kansai Inc., based in Osaka, Japan, said it selected Brite Voice Systems and Marubeni, a large Japanese trading company, to launch an intelligent network-based version of BriteDebit, …

Companies already are feeling the pinch from Brazil’s falling currency, which, at RCR press time, had lost about 20 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar since Brazil’s central …

MADRID, Spain-Telefonica and Lucent Technologies Inc. announced they signed a memorandum of understanding that strengthens their relationship by recognizing Lucent as a preferred global supplier of telecommunications systems to Telefonica. …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-Last July the European Commission identified 14 cases of excessive or discriminatory pricing of interconnect rates between fixed and mobile operators. In-depth investigations were launched, and half of …

NEW YORK-The recent privatization of Telecomunicaciones de Guatemala S.A., doing business as Telgua, was the largest such transaction in Central America to date and offers encouragement for similar plans contemplated …

SAO PAULO, Brazil-Despite its drive for a competitive and liberalized market, Brazilian regulatory agency Anatel finally succumbed to market pressures and postponed to Jan. 15, the tender of licenses to …

Poland Poland may call tenders for three new mobile phone licenses for Global System for Mobile communications 900 MHz and 1800 MHz systems during the first half of next year. …

AirTouch Communications Inc. reportedly is close to awarding a new contract to Nortel Telecom Inc. to replace existing Motorola Inc. Code Division Multiple Access equipment in Los Angeles. Industry sources …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-The “Year 2000” problem has become a priority item on the agenda of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), reflecting the reality that the global network is only as …

The Argentine government, in an attempt to proceed with the PCS auctions currently in judicial limbo, is considering selling two PCS licenses each for the northern and southern regions of …

WASHINGTON-The old adage maintains it’s all about location, that the success of an investment depends on locale. And Latin America has been the locale of choice for investors looking for …

NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. and Japanese trading group Itochu have readjusted their ownership schemes in a consortium led by Spain’s Telefonica, which successfully bid for Brazilian A-band cellular operator …

L.M. Ericsson Argentina. With Telecom Personal to expand its D-AMPS/AMPS network. Value: up to US$77 million Argentina. With Telefonica Comunicaciones Personales to expand its D-AMPS IS-136/AMPS network. Value: US$45 million …

WASHINGTON-Almost 500 years after Columbus visited, Portugal and Spain are back on Latin American shores; this time, it isn’t sugar cane or gold they are after, but rather the potentially …

The Australian Communications Authority has invited applications for an auction of previously unsold 800 MHz and 1.8 GHz PCS spectrum. Bids closed on 31 August for the partial privatization of …

SAO PAULO-Telefonica del Peru ordered the first phase of a digital cellular network expansion from Motorola Inc.’s Cellular Infrastructure Group designed to extend service beyond the capital city of Lima …

The government of Peru and telecommunications company Telefonica del Peru earlier this month agreed to end the company’s monopoly on conventional telephone service, according to published reports. Telefonica del Peru …

The high bids placed for Brazil’s eight A-band cellular companies late last month may cause some consortia members to rethink their positions. Reports already indicate Japan’s NTT DoCoMo and Japanese …

TAMPA, Fla.-GTE Telecommunication Services Inc. said it agreed to provide its Access clearinghouse services to Telefonica del Peru. Prior to the agreement, Telefonica del Peru offered its customers one-way, manual …

The government of Puerto Rico last week elected to stay with a bid made by a GTE Corp.-led consortium for Puerto Rico Telephone Co., after receiving a competing bid from …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson announced it won a $45 million order to expand the digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service network operated by Telefonica Comunicaciones Personales in central and southern Argentina. This …

WASHINGTON-After a three-day delay due to legal challenges, the government of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, sold a controlling 50.1-percent voting stake in the Companhia Riograndense de …