LONDON-Vodafone AirTouch plc acknowledged speculation circulating last week that it was interested in making a bid for Germany's Mannesmann AG and hinted that a future tie-up of the two could occur."Vodafone AirTouch and Mannesmann are long-standing partners in three of Europe's largest wireless markets...
After scoring an agreement with Vodafone AirTouch plc to deploy its location-based technology in the carrier's U.K. network, Cambridge Positioning Systems is ready to push its product in the United States."We have not done a lot of marketing in the United States on purpose,"...
WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration, bowing to industry pressure here and across the Atlantic, last week signaled for the first time a willingness to consider supporting global harmonization of third-generation mobile spectrum at next year's World Radiocommunication Conference in Turkey."We've started a process to reopen discussions...
SAN FRANCISCO-North American Global System for Mobile communications operators had an upbeat story to tell international GSM carriers this year at the GSM in North America conference last week.Last year's conference saw frustrated European and other international GSM operators that had hoped GSM technology...
NEW YORK-The astounding success of NTT DoCoMo's mobile Internet access service is a resounding note of affirmation to proponents of wireless Web services, said Crispin K. Vicars at the Yankee Group's conference Nov. 8.By the end of September, DoCoMo's wireless Internet service had 1.7...
TOKYO-DDI Corp. announced it acquired the stakes held by Nissan Motor Co. in three Tu-Ka cellular phone firms, completing a deal that was announced in August, according to The Nihon Keizai Shimbun.Japan Telecom Co. and a member of the Vodafone AirTouch plc group also...
NEW YORK-Through an underwriting syndicate led by Salomon Smith Barney, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. plans to sell up to 982,000 shares of stock, the Japan Ministry of Finance announced late last month.The sale, which is to include 131,000 shares sold in the United...
NEW YORK-For strategic and financial investors, many domestic wireless carriers possess a strong desirability quotient because they own scarce spectrum in a huge and growing market.Lehman Brothers Inc. projects that wireless penetration in the United States will reach 50 percent by 2002 and 70...
WELLINGTON, New Zealand-The cellular operators in New Zealand have released their third-quarter subscribers figures. Telecom New Zealand, owned 25-percent by Bell Atlantic Corp., reported 760,800 as of Sept. 30, while Vodafone New Zealand Ltd. had 293,000. The current cellular penetration rate in the country...
DUBLIN, Ireland-Northern Ireland is a complex country with an intriguing cellular industry. As part of the United Kingdom, it is covered by the same mobile networks (BT Cellnet, Vodafone AirTouch plc and Orange plc) as the rest of the United Kingdom. Yet those three...
American Tower Corp. reported strong third-quarter results, including improvements in net income and increases in revenues.The company said its revenues increased 121 percent to $67.5 million for the third quarter, ended Sept. 30, from revenues of $30.5 million for the same quarter last year....
American Tower Corp., the tower industry's heavyweight with nearly 10,000 towers in its portfolio, began as something of an afterthought."Our tower roots go back to my cable television days when companies like Motorola started coming to us looking to lease space on our towers,"...
The term "consolidation" is now applied continually to the wireless telecoms industry. Yet it seems inadequate to describe a situation in which European telecom companies are disappearing at a rate of up to three a week.The dynamics are clear. Europe's former state-owned PTTs and...
GreecePanafon and France Telecom announced recently they are holding discussions regarding a possible offering or an issue of an exchangeable bond by France Telecom of all or part of its remaining 20-percent equity stake in Panafon. France Telecom sold a 15-percent stake in November...
During the last five weeks, merger and acquisition announcements have flooded the telecommunications arena. Carriers in Asia, Europe and North America continue to jockey for positions in an industry that promises to exclude players without multinational footprints.Telia/TelenorThe merger of Telia of Sweden and Telenor...
VoiceStream Wireless Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Stanton said the carrier is likely to complete its mergers with Omnipoint Corp. and Aerial Communications Inc. in the first quarter as the companies wait for government approvals.Three parties have lodged protests with the Federal...
IRVING, Texas-GTE Corp. reported revenues for the third quarter ended Sept. 30 of $6.4 billion, an increase of 8 percent from the $6 billion reported for third-quarter 1998.The company recorded net earnings of $952 million, or 97 cents per share, a 14-percent increase over...
Mannesmann AG, parent of Germany's top mobile communications company, confirmed last week it made a bid to buy U.K. mobile carrier Orange plc, which Orange's largest shareholder accepted.The bid values Orange, the United Kingdom's third-largest mobile operator, at about $32 billion.Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa,...
NEW YORK-France Telecom last week proceeded toward its goal of becoming a pan-European provider of seamless mobile, wireline and Internet communications through an agreement to acquire controlling interest in E-Plus, Germany's third-largest wireless carrier.After the E-Plus acquisition, France Telecom will have about 17 million...
NEW YORK-During a quarter in which Bell Atlantic Corp. announced plans to create the largest U.S. wireless carrier via an agreement with Vodafone AirTouch plc, the company also posted favorable financial results."This was a watershed quarter for Bell Atlantic," said Ivan Seidenberg, Bell Atlantic's...
LONDON-Vodafone AirTouch plc announced Thursday its wholly owned subsidiary AirTouch Communications Inc. is acquiring a 5.5-percent stake in Polkomtel S.A. from Stalexport S.A. for $145 million.Vodafone AirTouch currently owns 19.25 percent of Polkomtel, which operates the Plus GSM network in Poland. It was awarded...
GENEVA-Globalstar officially announced at Telecom '99 a phased launch of its mobile satellite service. The phased launch begins with user trials, followed by a soft launch that will allow the company to work out quality issues. Commercial service should begin in early 2000.User trials...
INDIANAPOLIS-Brightpoint Inc. announced its subsidiaries in Australia and New Zealand entered into agreements with subsidiaries of Vodafone AirTouch plc in those markets.Under terms of the Australian agreement, Brightpoint will assist Vodafone in managing its accessories programs for its retail channel in Australia. Brightpoint also...
NEW YORK-"We've done the really easy stuff, and now the fun begins," Ivan Seidenberg, chairman and chief executive officer of Bell Atlantic Corp., said in a keynote address Oct. 7 at Fall Internet World '99.The Internet has evolved rapidly from its genesis as a...
