MAINZ, Germany-Bidding for 12 blocks of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System spectrum picked up speed last week with the total bid amount nearing $4 billion. The amount is still substantially less than projections that the auction will bring in around $32 billion for the German...
CINCINNATI-Convergys Corp. signed a five-year contract for billing and customer-care systems with Verizon Wireless.Convergys, which has pre-existing relationships with Bell Atlantic Corp., Vodafone AirTouch plc and GTE Corp., said it will provide its client/server billing solution, which performs real-time rating and supports customer care...
It's Rummage Sale season.If one man's junk is another man's treasure, the insurance, health-care and financial industries should find some great bargains in today's wireless world-basically used names and logos.For the most part, wireless companies do it right. When two companies get together, they...
LONDON-U.K. wireless operator Orange plc announced a $752 million wireless Internet strategy, including numerous acquisitions, investments, partnerships and content agreements.Dubbed OrangeWorld, the initiative aims to take "wirefree communications beyond two-dimensional voice and data and into intelligent interactive response to individual customer requests and the...
Let the bidding frenzy begin. Possibilities are blowing open now that Sprint Corp. and WorldCom Inc. ended their $115 billion merger plans and reports of suitors for VoiceStream Wireless Corp. circulated last week.Germany's Deutsche Telekom AG and a partnership of Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo...
Sunday CommunicationsSunday Communications Ltd. announced that Craig Ehrlich, currently group managing director and chief executive officer, will give up his CEO duties. He will continue as group managing director, focusing on the company's regional expansion program. Ehrlich also will continue as the company's principal...
NEW YORK-Telstra Corp., Australia's dominant telecommunications provider, "hates to be considered an incumbent because we transitioned to a New Age company years ago," said Philip Wise, managing director of its Mobile Consumer Division.To provide a full suite of services, the company is involved in...
Due to an anticipated decrease in domestic South Korean sales related to the elimination of phone subsidies, Qualcomm Inc. expects lower order levels for its Code Division Multiple Access chipsets in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2000. Qualcomm said it did not expect the...
SANDTON, South Africa-The wave of liberalization and privatization that has been sweeping the African economic markets has spread to communications, revealing rich untapped potential for future investment.Cellular markets have been the area's most dynamic telecoms sectors, with extraordinarily high growth rates and numerous new...
DUBLIN, Ireland-The massive sums being invested in third-generation (3G) licenses, network development and acquisitions have placed the major European operators firmly under the financial spotlight. While observers agree there is no significant cause for concern yet, it is also clear operators are being forced...
Alcatel.Benin. With Office des Postes et Telecommunications (OPT) for a GSM network, along with fiber-optic and switching equipment.Value: US$32.8 millionKenya. With KenCell for a 50,000-subscriber capacity GSM network.Value: UndisclosedMorocco. With Maroc Telecom for mobile switching centers.Value: UndisclosedPortugal. With Portugal Telecom's TMN for a GPRS network.Value: UndisclosedQatar. With Q-Tel...
HELSINKI, Finland-Finnish mobile operator Sonera said it has had discussions with several companies regarding a merger and serious talks are expected by the end of the year, according to international press reports.Speculation centered around possible deals with Telefonica, France Telecom, KPN Telecom and Vodafone...
PARIS-SnapTrack Inc. said an international consortium of Global System for Mobile communications wireless carriers and equipment manufacturers are preparing to evaluate SnapTrack's Wireless Assisted Global Positioning System technology, which provides services such as location-based billing, mobile directory and roadside assistance and vehicle fleet management.France...
Europe is embarking on a third-generation license auction frenzy the rest of this year, and operators are not happy about it.Since the United Kingdom raked in a whopping $35 billion earlier this year, other countries are moving away from the traditional method of granting...
AT&T Wireless Group announced it entered agreements with Verizon Wireless to acquire wireless systems in San Diego, San Francisco and Houston for approximately $3.3 billion."This is a critical move that gives us three systems ... which cover a population of approximately 15 million. These...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission late Friday approved the transfer of GTE Corp.'s communications licenses to Bell Atlantic Corp. contingent on 25 conditions, including putting some wireless properties into a trust until they can be sold so as to not violate cellular cross-ownership rules."There will...
MADRID-British Telecommunications plc and Vodafone AirTouch plc ended their ongoing struggle for control of Spain's wireless carrier Airtel, with BT agreeing to support Vodafone in acquiring further stakes in Airtel. Both companies currently are Airtel shareholders.In return, if Vodafone AirTouch's holding exceeds 55 percent,...
OpenGridWireless Internet solutions provider OpenGrid Inc. appointed Gary Rhea to the position of chief financial officer. Rhea will oversee the company's financial activities, including treasury, accounting, business planning and investor relations. Rhea was CFO for Versant Corp., a provider of enterprise-level database management systems...
NEW YORK-In a move that, ironically, furthers consolidation in Europe's deregulated telecommunications market, France Telecom said May 30 it would buy Orange plc from Vodafone AirTouch plc for $38 billion plus the assumption of $2.7 billion in outstanding Orange debt.The acquisition gives the French...
Time will tell if new prepaid plans offered by U.S. nationwide operators this year spur more growth in the wireless industry.Verizon Wireless plans to introduce a new nationwide prepaid pricing strategy in the third quarter. Though it won't release the details, Verizon said the...
LONDON-France Telecom is expected to make a $45 billion cash and stock bid for Orange plc early next week, according to international press reports. The French telecom company is reported to have secured a $29.7 billion bank loan to acquire the United Kingdom's third-largest...
Nortel Networks increased its presence in the European mobile-phone market last week, garnering a $700 million third-generation equipment contract with BT Cellnet in the United Kingdom and displacing several of the carrier's traditional European manufacturers.Nortel will provide an end-to-end Universal Mobile Telecommunications System network,...
MELBOURNE, Australia-The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) announced that beginning Sept. 25, 2001, mobile-phone carriers must allow customers to keep their number when changing phone companies. The date is six months later than the date suggested in the ACA's preliminary report released in March.ACA considers...
CanadaNewbridge Networks Corp. said the holders of its common shares, options and warrants have approved the plan of arrangement involving its merger with Alcatel S.A. Before the merger can close, it must be approved by Alcatel shareholders as well as receive a final order...
