CARACAS, Venezuela—The board of directors of Venezuelan telecom company CANTV rejected the US$1.4 billion takeover plan of U.S.-based power company AES. CANTV called the offer unsatisfactory.CANTV, in which U.S.-based Verizon Wireless holds a 28.5-percent stake, owns 100 percent of Venezuelan mobile operator Movilnet.Venezuela's National...
LONDON—Vodafone Group added 2.5 million worldwide proportionate subscribers during the third quarter, bringing the wireless giant's proportionate customer base to 95.6 million subscribers. However, the number was the third decline in total new customer sign-ons this year.Vodafone said it added 713,000 subscribers in Northern...
LONDON—Vodafone Group plc added 2.5 million worldwide proportionate subscribers during the third quarter, bringing the wireless giant's proportionate customer base to 95.6 million subscribers.Vodafone said it added 713,000 subscribers in Northern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including 251,000 in the United Kingdom; 252,000...
CARACUS, Venezuela—The US$1.4 billion takeover plan of U.S.-based power company AES for Venezuelan telecom company CANTV was approved by Venezuela's National Securities Commission. CANTV, in which Verizon Wireless holds a 28.5-percent stake, owns 100 percent of Venezuelan mobile operator Movilnet.In late August, AES offered...
RALEIGH, N.C.—High Speed Net Solutions Inc. said it has demonstrated its Bluefuel Image module designed to enable image applications on mobile phones and other wireless devices, featuring full-color sports images on Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless platform."The live, over-the-air demonstration consisted of the downloading...
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Against all predictions, the government of Uruguay has decided to jointly auction licenses for personal communications services (PCS) and third generation (3G) services. The sale consists of 50 megahertz in the 1800 MHz band, another 50 megahertz in the 1900 MHz band...
OXFORD, United Kingdom—By the end of 2003, Chris Gent, the chief executive officer of Vodafone, expects 3G handsets to be available that will enable its customers to seamlessly roam between the two main 3G standards. The company is reported to have requested handset manufacturers...
WASHINGTON—Verizon Wireless lost 11 cell sites in the attacks on Tuesday in New York and at the Pentagon but service has generally been restored except in lower Manhattan by the use of temporary sites, Jim Gerace, Verizon Wireless spokesman, told RCR Wireless News.Verizon Wireless...
NEW YORK—Verizon said its wireless network experienced congestion due to heavy calling in the aftermath of yesterday's terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. During the peak of the day, Verizon said it experienced 50- to...
During the past 15 months there has been growing interest in the United States around mobile virtual network operators, best known as MVNOs. The idea behind MVNOs is that companies with strong brands, powerful distribution or compelling content/applications (ideally all three) negotiate wholesale access...
SALT LAKE CITY—Verizon Wireless celebrated the opening of its newest customer service call center in West Valley City, Utah. The $42 million facility includes more than 800 workstations and 200 training stations and will bring more than 1,000 jobs to the area.In addition, the...
BELLEVUE, Wash.—Verizon Wireless introduced an account management service for customers in Oregon and Washington allowing access to account balance information and airtime usage free of charge from their wireless handsets.The service allows subscribers to dial #BAL and then send to access their account balance...
The NextWave Telecom Inc. saga continued last week as the hopeful wireless wholesaler unveiled funding plans to roll out its network, while its potential wireless competitors/customers continued to look for ways to wrestle some control over licenses that are still waiting for a proper...
With wireless operators expected to spend billions of dollars in the next several years introducing high-speed data capabilities onto their networks, the need for a return on investment is paramount. If consumer's current uptake of wireless data is any indication, ROI may be hard...
STURGIS, S.D.-Verizon Wireless is providing the Sturgis Police Department with a dedicated system of wireless phones insuring police communications during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, expected to attract 300,000 visitors this week."Verizon Wireless provides an invaluable service to our department," said Jim Bush, chief...
A trio of wireless carriers released second-quarter results last week showing ongoing strength of the industry despite the continued slowdown in the general economy.Alltel Corp.'s reliance on its wireless operations increased during the second quarter of this year as the country's sixth-largest wireless operator's...
PRAGUE, Czech Republic-Atlantic West, a joint venture owned 51 percent by Verizon Telecommunications and 49 percent by AT&T Corp., is reportedly selling its 49-percent stake in Czech mobile operator EuroTel Praha for about $1.5 billion to Cesky Telecom. The deal would give Cesky Telecom...
NEW YORK-The disjointed approach of the diverse players involved in mobile data communications is a major hindrance to their ability to capitalize on the potential of the corporate enterprise market, which could total $29 billion worldwide by 2006, a new Ovum report concluded.Cellular and...
VANCOUVER, British Columbia-Telus Corp. completed the sale of its directory information services business to Verizon Information Services, a Yellow pages and online directory provider.Telus said it would use the $527 million in gross proceeds to pay down debt and help finance its national growth...
WASHINGTON—Bankrupt PCS carrier NextWave Telecom, in a strongly worded response, on 30 July urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deny a petition filed recently by a group of winning bidders in the re-auction of NextWave's licenses.The "petitioners—relying solely on speculation and innuendo—have fabricated...
WASHINGTON—A group of 16 House Democrats on 31 July warned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) not to grant the waiver requests of wireless carriers seeking to delay implementation of enhanced 911 (E911) Phase II services."The basic wireless E911 requirements have been in place since...
PRAGUE, Czech Republic—Atlantic West, a joint venture owned 51 percent by Verizon Telecommunications and 49 percent by AT&T, both of the United States, is reportedly selling its 49-percent stake in Czech mobile operator EuroTel Praha for about US$1.5 billion to Cesky Telecom. The deal...
BEDMINSTER, New Jersey, United States—While cdma2000 1x handsets are not expected to be available until the fourth quarter, Verizon Wireless upgraded its network in parts of New York and northern New Jersey to support the next-generation technology. The carrier said the upgrade will support...
WASHINGTON-The five largest bidders in the Federal Communications Commission's recent re-auction of PCS licenses sent a letter last week urging the agency to make a deal with bankrupt NextWave Telecom Inc. that would have NextWave relinquishing its licenses for a cash payment near NextWave's...
