BRAZILTranscrypt International Inc.'s subsidiary, EFJohnson Co., has been awarded a $2 million contract to supply its LTR-Net communication system to the State of Santa Catarina Police Department in Brazil, linking the majority of Brazil's large metropolitan areas.IRELANDThe offer that UBS Warburg Ltd. made on...
In a dramatic move to bolster its value and trim debt, British Telecom said last week it would spin off its wireless unit, BT Wireless, as a separately traded company, and temporarily suspend dividend payments. The telecom giant said it expects the moves to...
If teens remain `talkaholics' and have fun doing it, Voyant Technologies wants to provide the fuel.With an instant voice-messaging solution in a next-generation environment, the company thinks it is ready to bring new spice to voice communications when it launches the product by the...
LONDON-Vodafone Group said it agreed to sell its 100-percent equity stake in Austrian telecommunications company tele.ring for an undisclosed amount to U.S.-based Western Wireless International. Vodafone said the value of the net assets being disposed represents less than 1 percent of Vodafone's net assets.The...
LONDON-Vodafone Group plc has agreed to pay $6.9 billion total for British Telecommunications plc's interests in Japan and Spain.The sale includes BT's 20-percent stake in Japan Telecom and its 20-percent stake in J-Phone Communications, JT's mobile subsidiary, making Vodafone the largest shareholder of JT...
TOKYO-Vodafone Group, the largest mobile carrier in the world, announced in May it will acquire British Telecommunications' (BT) entire stake in Japan Telecom Group (JT) for 652.3 billion yen (US$5.4 billion). Following the deal, Vodafone Group will hold a 45-percent stake in Japan Telecom...
GENEVA-How the mighty have fallen. British Telecommunications (BT), once ranked among the world's most powerful carriers, is finding itself buckling under a crippling mountain of debt in a climate where raising equity in the telecom/information technology (IT) sector has hit an all-time low. In...
OXFORD, United Kingdom-The announcement by NTT DoCoMo of a five-month delay to its wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) launch must have been music to the ears of Irwin Jacobs, the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Qualcomm. While the major wireless operators in Europe have remained...
In Beijing, it is uncivilized for a lady to talk on a mobile phone while walking, according to a report on the Beijing Evening News. It seems cultural rules of society can be seamlessly translated to the mobile industry and should be given adequate...
AustraliaAustralia's third-generation (3G) spectrum auction fell well short of the federal government's budget forecasts of A$2.6 billion (US$1.3 billion). Six bidders paid a total of almost A$1.17 billion (US$577 million) for spectrum in the 2 GHz band. The auction felt an early blow when...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Dutch operator Libertel Vodafone selected Ericsson as its sole supplier for a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System network through a $45 million contract. The contract includes hardware, software and services.The carrier plans to begin commercially offering 3G services by the end of 2002.
NEW YORK-Not surprisingly, the number and size of mergers and acquisitions for which a dollar value was made public declined markedly in all industries when compared to the same period a year ago, Los Angeles-based Mergerstat reported.Announced transactions involving U.S. companies totaled 2,224, down...
FREMONT, Calif.-Vodafone Global Platform and Internet Services (VGP), a division of Vodafone Group plc, has launched Vizzavi, a wireless Web portal based on software infrastructure provider Clickmarks' software platform.The portal allows Vodafone wireless subscribers to received personalized content and information on their wireless phones....
NEW YORK-Vodafone UK said it successfully conducted a live call over its third-generation network in the Thames Valley."Our announcement of the first 3G voice call marks yet another significant milestone in the development of our multimedia services and forms part of our rollout plans...
TOKYO-Toyota Motor Corp. sold its stakes in three regional wireless companies to Japan Telecom for an undisclosed amount, international press reports said. J-Phone Communications is Japan's second-largest mobile carrier and is owned 54 percent by Japan Telecom.Toyota held 1.97 percent of J-Phone East, 1.98...
LONDON-Vodafone Group plc confirmed the content and technology partners chosen for its Global Platform and Internet Services Group. The partnerships will add design, custom content, advanced search technology, content integration and location-based services to the Vodafone Global Platform, which designs, builds and maintains Vodafone's...
JAPANJapanese electronics giant Sony Corp. has decided to upgrade its cellular phone handset operations into a full division with emphasis on mobile computing products. Sony also wants to delve into broadband access.Matsushita Communications Industrial Co. Ltd. has signed a CDMA patent licensing agreement with...
LONDON-Vodafone Group announced it added more than 4.4 million customers during the quarter ended March 2001, showing growth in its worldwide registered proportionate customer base.This quarter's additions bring Vodafone's total customers gained for the year to 30.1 million, of which 5 million have been...
LONDON-Vodafone U.K. launched Vizzavi Find & Seek location services on its network. The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) service allows users to identify where they are on a map.The service also offers a range of location-based information, such as locations of restaurants, banks, sporting events...
In addition to being headquarters to a slew of businesses that have become known worldwide, including Microsoft Corp. and Starbucks, Seattle last week was ground zero for GSM technology as VoiceStream Wireless Corp. hosted the GSM Association's 45th Plenary Meeting.While the meeting is only...
Two U.S. companies are taking their respective technologies to the Australian market, following third-generation spectrum purchases in the country last month.Qualcomm Inc. paid $79 million for 10 megahertz of paired spectrum in all capital cities through a company called 3G Investments (Australia) Pty. Ltd....
LONDON-Britain's mobile carriers are beginning to do away with handset subsidies, with both Vodafone U.K. and One 2 One announcing plans to sharply increase the cost of their cheapest phones.Both of the carriers' cheapest prepaid handsets are increasing to about $100 from about $56....
SYDNEY, Australia-Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. has won the bidding war for Australian mobile operator Cable & Wireless Optus Ltd. with a cash and share offer for the company of up to $2.30 per share, valuing Optus' equity at nearly $8.6 billion.Optus announced it was for...
