BelgiumKPN Mobile will acquire 50 percent of Belgian operator KPN Orange Belgium from France Telecom for US$443.5 million, giving KPN 100-percent ownership. France Telecom had to divest its KPN Orange ownership, which it acquired through its acquisition of Orange plc earlier this year, to...
At the end of each year, the RCR Wireless News editorial staff looks back on the new events that made RCR headlines and decides which were the most significant, industry-impacting stories of the past 12 months. Here are our picks for 2000 in chronological...
WASHINGTON-The Bush administration and a Republican-majority Federal Communications Commission likely will put their stamp on wireless issues in 2001, even though telecom issues are largely nonpartisan."Understand a lot of these issues are not Republican/ Democrat. They are not liberal/conservative. They are not in many...
As wireless operators enjoyed their holiday break from the Federal Communications Commission's re-auction of 422 personal communications services licenses, a fair share of pre-auction predictions made by analysts were being discarded along with the holiday wrapping paper.Some of those early forecasts included predictions of...
Band-XStephen Beynon was hired as Band-X's new chief executive officer. He was previously in a management position in the data and business services division of Cable & Wireless Optus.ElectrofuelPatrick R. McCool was appointed the vice president of sales for Electrofuel Inc. He was previously...
A federal district judge in Baltimore dismissed on Thursday a radio-frequency health lawsuit against Verizon Communications, formerly Bell Atlantic Corp., and SBC Communications Inc., and it told the plaintiff, Christopher J. Newman, that he had until Jan. 16 to refile his claim of fraud...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission suspended its re-auction of 422 personal communications services licenses on Thursday with bid amounts nearing $12 billion.The re-auction will resume on Jan. 5 after taking a holiday break.The FCC doubled the bidding rounds last week from two per day to...
WASHINGTON-A leading congressional telecommunications policy maker said Congress should pass legislation that would allow a "national tower-siting policy to ensure complete coverage and universal service."Rep. Michael Oxley (R-Ohio), vice chairman of the House telecommunications subcommittee, made his comments to telecom lawyers gathered for the...
Chris Gent has had quite a year.For the chief executive of Vodafone Group plc, 2000 began with a hostile takeover of Mannesmann AG, parent of its rival Orange plc, and continued with a spending spree for third-generation licenses across Europe. The year also marked...
OWING MILLS, Md.-Aether Systems Inc. announced it will acquire RTS wireless Inc, a developer of software systems connecting the Internet to wireless devices. Specifically, RTS builds the interface software between computer systems, wireless networks and end-user devices.RTS' products include wireless messaging services such as...
BEDMINSTER, N.J.-While Verizon Wireless prepaid customers are topping off their Big Gulps they can top off their calling cards under an agreement between the country's largest wireless carrier and 7-Eleven Inc.The agreement calls for participating 7-Eleven stores to sell replenishment cards for Verizon Wireless'...
WASHINGTON-The C-block auction isn't a cheap date.Bids topped more than $1 billion in early rounds of an auction taking place largely because a previous winner was unable to pay the steep amounts it pledged.The Federal Communications Commission began auctioning 422 personal communications services licenses...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission made good on its plans to require wireless carriers to have the ability to pool telephone numbers as of November 2002-a move the wireless industry finds disconcerting.The commission also said it would seek comment on whether market-based mechanisms should be...
The frenzy to find more spectrum for encroaching third-generation services is mostly unwarranted if wireless technology keeps progressing as it has, according to Marty Cooper, chief technology officer of ArrayComm Inc.Spurred by an Oct. 13 directive from President Clinton, wireless industry officials and players...
WASHINGTON-As the Federal Communications Commission frantically prepared to re-auction 422 C- and F-block personal communications services licenses beginning tomorrow, the agency on Dec. 1 released the names of those planning to participate in the auction and those that had been rejected.Of the large companies...
LOS ANGELES, Calif.-SalesMountain, a wireless advertising network, scored an agreement with AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and Sprint PCS to have the carriers offer its Find the Sales service over their mobile Internet networks.The two new separate agreements add to SalesMountain's list of partnerships, which...
WASHINGTON-The mobile-phone industry last week raised serious questions about data and methodology used by government to determine whether the 1700 MHz band can be shared by third-generation wireless systems and the Pentagon users, a concern that has led some to worry whether the Clinton...
BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless reported it will roll out two-way mobile messaging services to its customers in the Los Angeles area this week, with plans for nationwide availability by early next year.Verizon said the mobile messaging service, similar to short message service, which has proven...
Imagine for a moment the 3G spectrum bands-698-960 MHz, 1710-1885 MHz and 2500-2690 MHz-are the three Florida counties of Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Nassau.If you think South Florida is a mess, wait until President Clinton's third-generation wireless initiative plays out. It could turn into...
MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill.-Illinois Superconductor Corp. announced it shipped eight ATP Classic systems to Verizon Wireless, which will be deployed in selected analog cell sites in Verizon's Indiana Region.The shipment is part of an initial order, the company said.
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission may propose charging carriers for telephone numbers.Also at its open meeting on Thursday, the FCC is expected to tell the wireless industry that in addition to being ready to convert to local number portability by Nov. 24, 2002, the industry...
WASHINGTON-A French court's decision to regulate the Internet could have repercussions for the wireless Web in the United States at a time when carriers are excited mobile commerce will help them increase revenues.A French court recently told Yahoo! Inc. it has three months to...
SAN DIEGO-Verizon Wireless formed another strategic alliance, but this time it's not with another business-it's with the City of San Diego.Verizon is the city's official wireless partner, and will lead volunteer efforts and citizen technology tutoring sessions. Also, and more importantly for Verizon, the...
LittlefeetLittlefeet Inc., a wireless network infrastructure developer, appointed Kai Cheong Chan as the general manager and sales director for the company's new regional office, which will serve Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region.Chan will be responsible for developing business relationships and managing distribution channels for...
