Western Wireless

In the first step of his reform of the Federal Communications Commission, Chairman Michael K. Powell last week named Mary Beth Richards as special counsel in charge of FCC reform …

A variety of wireless operators released fourth quarter results last week, including national carrier VoiceStream Wireless Corp., regional operator Western Wireless Corp. and flat rate, local calling provider Leap Wireless …

NEW YORK-Borrowing the vernacular of a traffic engineer, a financier compared the current capital market conditions for telecommunications companies to rush-hour congestion, but observed that the tie-up looks like it …

Bulgaria Ote Telecom won Bulgaria’s third mobile-phone license for US$135 million, beating out Telecom Italia Mobile through an auction. Ote plans to partner with Bulgarian Telecommunications Co. (BTC), the country’s …

Lawyers for AT&T Corp. rang in the new year with a class-action lawsuit brought against it and AT&T Wireless Services Inc. by New York City area customers, and a federal …

Freedom Wireless Inc., Las Vegas, has been granted an additional patent, entitled “Security Cellular Telecommunication System,” covering 59 claims directed at methods for completing inbound and outbound prepaid wireless calls. …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission, in separate rulings, last week said Western Wireless Corp. and Verizon Wireless can receive universal-service funds to help them provide wireless telco service in Wyoming and …

From left FCC Commissioner Susan Ness, FCC Chairman William Kennard and FCC Commissioner Michael Powell look on as Mikel Thomsen, president and chief operating officer of Western Wireless Corp., and …

OSLO, Norway-The Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications announced the winners of the country’s four Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses, which were awarded through a beauty contest. The license winners …

WASHINGTON-CellularOne Group, one of the nation’s top mobile-phone service brands, has created a firestorm of controversy by refusing to pull a TV commercial that has offended opponents of capital punishment. …

NEW YORK-Centennial Communications Corp. closed the sale of its Southwest properties to Western Wireless Corp. for $202.5 million in cash. The properties include areas around Yuma, Ariz., and Imperial, Calif., …

The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, Motorola Inc. and others convinced the Illinois Supreme Court to stay the publication in USA Today last week of a notice of class-action litigation …

Africa Stratos Global completed its Mount Kilimanjaro educational expedition using its remote communications network. Stratos provided the expedition team with an Inmarsat-M4 terminal, allowing the team to send and receive …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission said it has signed up 29 co-sponsors for the Indian Telecom Training Initiative (ITTI 2000) to be held Sept. 25-28 in St. Paul, Minn. Co-sponsors include …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Telecom joint venture Broadwave Communications, consisting of five international partners, intends to invest $1.5 billion over a 10-year period to develop a third generation open mobile network in Sweden. …

OSLO, Norway-Seven groups plan to participate in Norway’s selective tender or “beauty contest” process to award four Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses. The licenses will be awarded by the end …

WASHINGTON-Wireless carriers wishing to receive universal-service support do not have to provide service in order to receive eligible telecommunications carrier status. ETC status is necessary for carriers to receive universal-service …

WASHINGTON-Sprint PCS last month became the first wireless carrier to ask a state commission to base the amount BellSouth Corp. pays Sprint PCS for connecting calls on the costs Sprint …

BOSTON-Western Wireless Corp. and Nortel Networks will conduct a rural fixed wireless access trial using cdma2000 third-generation digital radio technology. The trial, scheduled to take place in Minnesota and South …

WASHINGTON-John Stanton, chairman and chief executive officer of VoiceStream Wireless Corp. and Western Wireless Corp., was named chairman of the board of directors of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. Stanton …

Alcatel. Benin. With Office des Postes et Telecommunications (OPT) for a GSM network, along with fiber-optic and switching equipment. Value: US$32.8 million Kenya. With KenCell for a 50,000-subscriber capacity GSM …

Fires, floods, avalanches, carjackings. Disaster at every turn. This is everyday Americana? Yes, according to CTIA head Tom Wheeler at last week’s CTIA’s Wireless Foundation Awards dinner honoring 51 VITA …

DALLAS-Western Wireless Corp., a provider of wireless communications services, signed a three-year, $200 million supply agreement with Nortel Networks Corp. to support subscriber growth in existing markets, service deployment in …

BELLEVUE, Wash.-Western Wireless Corp. unveiled a competitive local telephone service in several rural communities in Kansas and Minnesota after receiving Eligible Telecommunications Carriers status for purposes of federal and state …

DUBLIN, Ireland-A Supreme Court decision ended a two-year-old dispute over Ireland’s third cellular license. U.S.-Irish consortium Meteor can now establish Ireland’s third wireless network to compete with established operators Esat …