Consolidation hit the European wireless market as Spanish telecommunications provider Telefonica said it plans to acquire U.K.-based 02 plc, and Swedish operator Telenor announced plans to acquire rival Vodafone Sweden. Telefonica said it reached an agreement to acquire 02 for approximately $31.3 billion in...
Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to launch a full-track music download service by the holidays, an executive from the newly merged carrier said last week. The operator looks to be the first U.S. carrier to deploy full-track offerings, which have gained steady traction among wireless...
LONDON-Revenue-assurance company Azure Solutions announced it scored $15 million in venture funding. Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures led the round, with Intel Capital, New Venture Partners, AG Edwards and Hexagon Investments participating."To attract funding from companies of the caliber of Doughty Hanson and Intel Capital...
OSLO, Norway-Telenor Mobile introduced a filter designed to limit mobile users' access to child pornography Internet sites.The child-porn filter expands on an offering the wireless and fixed-network operator launched for Internet users last October. The software contains a list of Web sites used to...
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan-Telenor Pakistan opened its GSM mobile network for commercial service this week.Telenor won a license to build and operate a mobile network in Pakistan in April 2004. The network is Telenor's only sole-owner mobile operation outside Norway.The network initially covers close to 20...
ANDOVER, Mass.-Mobile music provider Chaoticom said it is changing its name to Groove Mobile.The company provides more than 1 million tracks of fully downloadable over-the-air mobile music. It recently launched its Tell-A-Friend service, which allows users to recommend their favorite tracks to friends via...
CANNES, France-Revenue assurance company Azure Solutions Ltd. today released the first part of its next-generation platform, which the company said will protect wireless carriers against gaps in their systems that could be costing them hundreds of millions of dollars. "When you add it all...
Two international carriers announced plans for a roaming agreement for Wi-Fi hot spots. Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. signed a public wireless local area network inter-roaming agreement with Swedish mobile operator TeliaSonera AB. The agreement includes more than 570 locations between the two carriers...
FORNEBU, Norway-Norwegian carrier Telenor said it will restructure its organization and management. The restructuring will concentrate Telenor's mobile and fixed activities in the Nordic region under one management.Morten Karlsen Sorby has been named to oversee the carrier's mobile and fixed communications in the Nordic...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden-In its second W-CDMA contract announcement in a week, L.M. Ericsson said Connex, a wireless operator in Romania, has selected the Swedish vendor to supply gear for its W-CDMA rollout. The network will be the first to offer third-generation services to mobile users...
ANDOVER, Mass.-Mobile music company Chaoticom unveiled a deal to distribute full-length audio tracks from EMI Music to mobile handsets through its European carrier partners.Under terms of the partnership, Chaoticom has access to 200,000 tracks in EMI's library and will make them available through four...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson was selected as a supplier to build the first phase of Telenor Hungarian wireless subsidiary Pannon GSM's third-generation mobile network. The value of the UMTS contract was not disclosed. Ericsson said Pannon customers in Budapest will have access to the 3G...
Wireless has been mobilized in a variety of critical and innovative ways in reaction to the December tsunami disaster. The wall of water that struck parts of Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and elsewhere served to severely disrupt some telecommunications networks. According to company statements...
FORNEBU, Norway-Telenor said it began commercial UMTS services in Norway, with a focus on selling its mobile television service using the new network.Telenor said the UMTS network covers more than 2 million people in 70 cities. By March, 132 cities will be covered, and...
LONDON-Norwegian operator Telenor and U.S. transportation communications provider Arinc Inc. hosted a simulated flight Thursday to demonstrate an onboard aircraft GSM mobile-phone network.During the event, European journalists placed and received calls from their phones to test the new service, which uses a "picocell" installed...
LONDON-A global alliance of wireless carriers that is working to define mobile-phone interface standards said it has added new members and outlined its work to date. The Open Mobile Terminal Platform Ltd. group, which includes heavyweights such as Vodafone Group plc, NTT DoCoMo Inc.,...
LONDON-A global alliance of wireless carriers that is working to define mobile-phone interface standards said it has added new members and outlined its work to date. The Open Mobile Terminal Platform Ltd. group, which includes heavyweights such as Vodafone Group plc, NTT DoCoMo Inc.,...
Nortel Networks said it has appointed Clent Richardson to the post of chief marketing officer. Richardson will lead the company's newly formed global marketing organization responsible for brand development and management, online presence, solutions marketing, advertising, public relations, sponsorships, promotions, community relations, employee communications...
OSLO, Norway—Norwegian wireless carrier Telenor said it will have its EDGE upgrade in place by end-2005. The carrier decided to upgrade to EDGE technology earlier this year."The upgrade has now reached a state where we feel that we can give our customers a sample...
OSLO, Norway-The Starmap Mobile Alliance, an alliance of small European operators aimed at gaining more equipment-buying and roaming power, said Czech mobile carrier Eurotel Praha has joined the group, increasing its membership to 11 operators with more than 53 million subscribers."We look forward to...
Wireless phone use aboard commercial aircraft is moving a step closer to reality at an airline industry trade show this week.OnAir, a collaborative effort by airline manufacturer Airbus SAS, vendor SITA Inc. and Tenzing Communications Inc., was unveiled at the World Airline Entertainment Association’s...
OSLO, Norway-Norwegian operator Telenor said it completed the acquisition of an additional 55.9 percent of Montenegrin mobile operator ProMonte, giving Telenor full ownership. The transaction price was $79 million.Telenor said ProMonte is the leading wireless carrier in Montenegro with 273,000 subscribers and 56-percent market...
Lucent Technologies Inc. said it will begin production and systems integration capabilities for CDMA2000 base stations for the 450 MHz band at its facility in Poland. Lucent said it will improve cycle and delivery times to its Eastern European customers by up to six...
Internet dating sites have proven to be one of the most popular aspects of the Web, and as with the gaming, adult-content and music businesses, many matchmaking companies are eager to transfer their wired successes to the wireless venue.Webdate Inc. is launching its Webdate...
