Voice services are a tricky subject for wireless operators. While voice is regarded as the one true killer application for wireless carriers, many are forced to nearly give away voice service to keep up with the ultra-competitive wireless market.
While carriers try to differentiate their...
Players throughout the wireless industry are waiting for the Federal Communication Commission to determine the fate of the current spectrum-cap rules.If the caps are kept in place-an idea favored by most of the small wireless operators-the wireless industry landscape is expected to remain the...
MURRAY HILL, N.J.-Lucent Technologies Inc. and U.S. Cellular Corp. signed a contract that calls for Lucent to supply digital wireless systems, engineering and installation services for the existing U.S. Cellular network in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.Lucent has already begun installing...
Leap Wireless International Inc. launched its Cricket Comfortable Wireless service in Wichita, Kan., where consumers can take advantage of Leap's unlimited local calling plans for $30 per month. AT&T Wireless Services Inc. began offering service to customers on the island of Hawaii, expanding its...
In an attempt to expand their customer bases, some wireless operators have taken to rolling out wireless local loop-type services allowing customers to pay a pre-set amount for unlimited wireless calls in their local area. These services are being touted as "super cordless phones"...
Wireless service providers offering analog phone service to their subscribers are forced to walk a fine line between alienating established customers who rely on analog service and the increased profitability possible from value-added services offered on digital networks.As carriers acknowledge, analog service is still...
It has been less than 20 years since the first commercial cellular phone call was completed in the United States.The date was Oct. 13, 1983. Bob Barnett, then president of Ameritech Mobile Communications Inc., placed a call from a Chrysler convertible at Soldier Field...
NEW YORK-Domestic wireless operators have begun to take prepaid services seriously, although it will be awhile before they approach the successful benchmark set by their European counterparts.Comfort with credit is a key distinction between American consumers and those abroad, where cash is king. Prepaid...
The hunt for spectrum by wireless carriers continued last week as Verizon Wireless, the country's largest operator, offered more than $2 billion for Price Communications Wireless, a wholly owned subsidiary of Price Communications.While the purchase was not surprising-Price has been looking for a buyer...
Deutsche Telekom expects to obtain approval of its proposed purchase of VoiceStream Wireless Corp. by the first quarter of next year, according to a report in German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The deal, valued at $37 billion, still requires U.S. regulatory approval.Lucent Technologies...
WASHINGTON-The U.S. Supreme Court, confronted with four appeals challenging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mobile-phone radiation standard and congressional intervention, in October granted the government's request for more time to respond to lawsuits seeking to have the high court hear their cases.Petitions for certiorari,...
CHICAGO-When Bridget Glavaz touched down in Los Angeles recently, she pulled out her handheld computer, a Palm VII, and started addressing two critical issues. She needed directions to her appointment downtown, so she logged onto Mapquest.com. Equally important, she wanted a hot hazelnut mocha,...
NEW YORK-Telecommunications carriers worldwide are under significant pressure due to the bandwidth explosion, rising capital expenditures, competition from new players and delays in commercial rollout of new technologies."I take a cautious view of the telecommunications services world at the moment, although I believe there...
BOSTON-Very-small-office employees will generate $20 billion in annual service revenues for wireless companies this year, according to a report by Strategy Analytics.The report, "Very Small Office Wireless Opportunities," noted that 29 percent of U.S. cellular subscribers are employed in VSOs, and that these 30...
MURRAY HILL, N.J.-Lucent Technologies Inc. signed a $15 million contract with U.S. Cellular Corp. to supply wireless intelligent networking hardware and software for the rapid deployment and delivery of enhanced services to U.S. Cellular's mobile customers.Under the contract, Lucent is providing its Stand-Alone Home...
One of the knocks against conventional wireless service plans is that customers are charged the same amount for airtime whether they are calling across the street or across their service area.Two wireless companies are trying to alleviate the local pricing discrepancies by offering unlimited...
WASHINGTON-Nearly a week after the Federal Communications Commission ruled that wireless carriers can be subject to damages awarded in civil lawsuits, consumers and the industry are reading the ruling differently. Meanwhile, interest in wireless consumer issues on Capitol Hill is picking up momentum.To the...
Sirf Technology Inc., a developer of global positioning system technology, said it closed a mezzanine round of financing of $24.7 million, bringing the company's total funding to $47.3 million. Some of the company's new investors include Hitachi Ltd., Mitsubishi International Corp. and Hikari Tsushin...
DENVER, United States-The United States' official position going into the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) supports designating three frequency bands-1710 MHz to 1885 MHz, 2500 MHz to 2690 MHz and 698 MHz to 960 MHz-from which to allocate additional third-generation spectrum for terrestrial services. It...
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...
NEW YORK-United States Cellular Corp. and Aerial Communications, the two wireless subsidiaries of Telephone and Data Systems Inc., Chicago, reported strong growth during the first quarter.U.S. Cellular reported net income of $47.14 million, an increase of more than 69 percent from the same period...
CHICAGO-U.S. Cellular and the Wisconsin Center District announced a six-year, $2 million "title sponsorship" agreement renaming the former Milwaukee Arena the U.S. Cellular Arena.The company's name will appear on the 50-year-old venue's exterior, on the new basketball floor and scoreboard, on interior signage, in...
CHICAGO-The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has designated U.S. Cellular as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier for rural areas, making the company eligible for the same federal universal service funds landline companies receive in the rural service areas of Washington.In its order granting U.S. Cellular...
With the Federal Communications Commission's Phase II enhanced 911 compliance deadline quickly approaching, U.S. cellular and personal communications services carriers actively are evaluating systems for locating 911 callers. Because they also need to increase customer loyalty and revenue per subscriber, carriers are assessing whether...
