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...
While the big names in the wireless industry usually get most of the credit for providing wireless coverage across the country, it is the smaller players who often make up the backbone of the much larger beast.Affiliations between large, national carriers and small, local...
TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced it signed a memorandum of understanding with KPN Telecom, acquiring 15 percent of the voting rights in a newly formed holding company called KPN Mobile N.V. for about $4.5 billion. The announcement follows KPN's failed merger talks with Spain's Telefonica...
They may be working closer these days, but make no mistake about it, the GSM Association, the CDMA Development Group and the Universal Wireless Communications Consortium remain strong competitors.All three associations will convene this week in Las Vegas at the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association's...
LONDON-Vodafone AirTouch plc announced it is testing an international Wireless Application Protocol system that would allow users to access WAP-based information when roaming between the United States, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.Participating in the pilot program are carriers Vodafone UK, Verizon Wireless and...
SAN FRANCISCO-When people in Atlanta think of the top two wireless service providers, BellSouth Wireless Services and Sprint PCS come to mind. In Minneapolis, the top two are AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and Sprint PCS. And in San Diego, it's Sprint PCS and Vodafone...
KPN Telecom is said to be in discussions with Spain's Telefonica regarding a possible US$54 billion merger. At press time, international reports said the companies had agreed in principle to a deal that would evenly split control of the two entities. Such a merger...
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-Alltel Corp. will offer customers in its Southwest region digital markets national wireless rate plans that eliminate all roaming and long-distance charges.Alltel's Total Freedom coverage area will include all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the company reported.The new plan is...
Bell Atlantic Mobile, Vodafone AirTouch plc and PrimeCo Personal Communications L.P. had a problem when they were going to merge their U.S. wireless assets into a single company. How do you combine three company names, each with strong regional appeal, into a single entity...
