The strategic alliance announced between NTT DoCoMo and AT&T Wireless Inc. is fairly simple on the surface, but may have long-term implications for the global wireless industry.DoCoMo will invest about $9.8 billion in AT&T preferred stock for a 16-percent equity share in the company....
CHELMSFORD, Mass.-In a US$40 million deal, Vodafone Group will use Sycamore Networks' intelligent optical switching and transport products and services.Sycamore will supply its SN 16000 optical core switch, SN 3000 optical access switch, SN 8000 optical transport platform and its optical network management system,...
NEW YORK-The major players' rankings reflect the dynamic environment of telecommunications as some stalwarts held their ground, some newcomers joined the group, while still others showed substantial rises or falls in various categories.AT&T Wireless Group, listed this year as an entity distinct from its...
A week after announcing plans to eliminate as much as $14 billion in debt, British Telecommunications plc said it was selling its 34-percent stake in Swiss joint venture Sunrise to TeleDanmark, a partner in the deal, for $659 million. BT said the sale netted...
London-based mobile phone giant Vodafone Group plc reported strong interim results for the six months ended Sept. 30, including a 55-percent increase in proportionate customer additions compared with the same period last year, bringing the company's proportionate customer base to 65.5 million subscribers.Proportionate earnings...
Attempting to slash its debt load by as much as $14 billion and boost sales, which have fallen by as much as 50 percent this year, British Telecommunications plc announced a companywide restructuring plan that includes plans to sell off up to 25 percent...
LONDON-Vodafone Group plc and France Telecom's Orange both acquired stakes in the Swiss wireless market ahead of the country's Universal Mobile Telecommunications System auction, set to begin next week.Vodafone Group acquired 25 percent of the equity of Swisscom Mobile for $2.6 billion from Swisscom....
BERNE, Switzerland-Only five bidders will compete for four Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses in Switzerland, as three contenders dropped out late last week, down from an original 10 interested companies.The licenses could bring a much lower amount than originally anticipated, with only one more...
VIENNA, Austria-Europe's fifth auction of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses ended after less than two days of bidding. All six participants gained licenses to operate UMTS systems in Austria, drawing about $728 million, much less than anticipated.The auction came to a halt for five...
WASHINGTON-Qwest Communications International Corp. was able to emerge from the union negotiating table without agreeing to allow the Communications Workers of America to have access to its wireless employees, something that neither Verizon Communications nor SBC Communications Inc. were able to do.Qwest announced Oct....
VIENNA, Austria-The Austrian auction of third-generation licenses began today, amid investigations into illegal activities among some of the already-completed European 3G auctions.In Austria, six bidders are competing for 12 licenses. Companies are expected to acquire up to three licenses.After six rounds of bidding, bid...
ZURICH, Switzerland-Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone Group are competing to buy a minority stake in Swisscom's wireless operations, according to international press reports. The Swiss company has been has reportedly been seeking a partner for its mobile operations.Swisscom owns 75 percent of German mobile reseller...
AUCKLAND, New Zealand-Clear Communications, has entered New Zealand's auction of third-generation and second-generation wireless spectrum.The auction has been going on since mid July. As of round 208, the total bid amounts in the auction were $42.7 million.Clear's bids totaled $8.4 million for four separate...
Mobile satellite services will shortly be available across the Middle East via the Thuraya network. United Arab Emirates-based Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications has announced the launch of its Thuraya-1 satellite. The turnkey mobile satellite communications system was provided by Boeing Satellite Systems as part of...
WASHINGTON-The chief wireless regulator in the United States has been spreading the message of auctions as a key licensing tool in various overseas trips during the last year."You are struck when you travel that people are interested in the perspective of the U.S. government....
TOKYO-The third-generation (3G) business plans and service strategies of three Japanese cellular carriers are becoming more concrete. NTT DoCoMo and J-Phone Group, the mobile business of Japan Telecom, are going to launch 3G services based on wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) technology in 2001, and the country's...
BUCHAREST, Romania-Although most of the third-generation (3G) licensing attention in Europe is focused on Western Europe, Eastern European countries are also moving forward with licensing plans. The region, with lower wireless penetration rates than many Western European countries and improving economies, promises to hold...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-Orascom Telecom (OT) is emerging as the winning titan in the conquest of cellular operations in Africa and the Middle East. With GSM cellular licenses firmly secured in the last few weeks in the Cameroon and Niger, Orascom now boasts more than...
Hong KongHong Kong's Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) will use a "hybrid" method-a prequalification followed by an auction-to allocate four third-generation (3G) mobile services licenses early next year. New market entrants must compete with Hong Kong's six incumbent operators. Hutchison Telecom, Pacific Century...
ROME-The results of the Italian third-generation license auction are unfortunate for the Italian government and British Telecommunications plc, while most opportune for the five companies that have unofficially won licenses at prices much lower than anticipated.After just two days of bidding among six mobile...
ROME-The Italian auction for five Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses began last Thursday. Italy is Europe's largest cell-phone market, with six groups participating in the auction process, which is expected to raise around $21 billion.The German UMTS auction, which ended in August, drew nearly...
SAO PAULO, Brazil-Vodafone Group and British Telecommunications announced committees focused on the auction of new-generation cellular telephony licenses in Brazil in the C, D and E bands.William Kiever, president of Vodafone for America and Asia, said the company does not rule out an eventual...
FORT WORTH, Texas-Travelocity.com launched a mobile flight-booking tool with rebooking capabilities for customers using various types of wireless devices.The service allows travelers to buy airline tickets via their devices, as well as rebook previously purchased tickets if necessary. The service is available to subscribers...
LONDON-Irish telecom company Eircom confirmed it is in preliminary discussions regarding the sale of all or part of its mobile subsidiary, Eircell. International press reports said Eircom is talking with Vodafone Group plc about a possible sale.Eircell, Ireland's largest mobile operator, has more than...
