Western Wireless

WASHINGTON-The personal communications services re-auction of C-, D-, E-, and F-block licenses picked up speed last week as rural markets, ignored during the first week, started gaining some attention. At …

NEW YORK-A subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., which holds a minority stake in both Orange plc and Western Wireless Corp., plans to issue $547 million in Euro-denominated bonds …

U.S. Global System for Mobile communications carriers took a financial beating in 1998, but analysts expect 1999 to look brighter for these carriers as they look to butter up their …

NEW ORLEANS-The Universal Wireless Communications Consortium and the GSM North American Alliance announced plans to work to achieve interoperability between TDMA and GSM technology, a move that could facilitate national …

Credit-card processing firm Paymentech Inc. announced it has been chosen to process the automatic payment programs for recurring billing by Paging Network Inc., Western Wireless Corp. and AccessLine Inc. The …

WASHINGTON-A computer model by Western Wireless Corp. to determine the amount of subsidy each customer in a rural, high-cost or low-income area could help wireless carriers in the universal-service debate …

WASHINGTON-Support continued to mount last week for flexible rules that would give wireless carriers options for contributing to the federal Universal Service Fund and a fair chance at replacing monopoly …

MONROE, La.-Century Telephone Enterprises Inc. announced it has signed a definitive asset purchase agreement to sell all of its cellular operations in Brownsville and McAllen, Texas, to Western Wireless Corp. …

The reauction of C-block personal communications services spectrum is expected to be a dismal affair in March, and most small entrepreneurial businesses-which the auction was designed for-are likely to forgo …

A clash between cellular operator Western Wireless Corp. and a rural telephone company in North Dakota could set a precedent with the Federal Communications Commission concerning wireless competition with landline …

The clock is ticking away for Leap Wireless International Inc. as it awaits Federal Communications Commission approval to bid in the reauction of C-block personal communications services spectrum. Five entities …

The nation’s largest independent cellular carrier last week entertained bids from two potential acquirers in what could become a global bidding war. AirTouch Communications Inc. last week confirmed it was …

NEW YORK-As 1999 debuts, wireless companies seeking to raise money should be encouraged by news the venture capital market is flush with cash and ripe for picking. “On the private-equity …

LONDON-The Baltic region covers an area of 174,000 square kilometers, with approximately 8 million people generating US$13 billion in gross domestic product (GDP). But while Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania may …

NEW YORK-Denmark-based Bosch Telecom Inc., which introduced the World 718 phone in June, has decided to close its Dallas office for U.S. sales and marketing, although it will continue selling …

CINCINNATI-Harris Corp. announced it acquired Intraplex Inc., which Harris plans to integrate into its Broadcast Systems Division. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Intraplex develops integrated digital network …

Western Wireless Corp. said it is considering spinning off its 80.1-percent ownership interest in its personal communications business VoiceStream Wireless Corp. to its shareholders on a tax-free basis. The company, …

INTERDIGITAL Gerard Pepenella was hired by InterDigital Communications Corp. as vice president and general manager of broadband Code Division Multiple Access technology. He will collaborate with Gary Lomp, chief technology …

WASHINGTON-A Kansas state law creating the Kansas Universal Service Fund discriminates against wireless carriers and should be pre-empted, the wireless industry told the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month. For …

Wireless operators seem to be reacting to AT&T Wireless Services Inc.’s Digital One Rate plan, but have fallen short of offering plans that mimic AT&T’s. As reported by RCR Aug. …

The first half of this year has produced several landscape-changing events in the wireless industry. If completed, the proposed mergers between SBC Communications Inc. and Ameritech Corp. and Bell Atlantic …

NEW YORK-Citing U.S. Supreme Court precedent begun with publishing industry-related cases dating back to 1926, the Internal Revenue Service has determined a cellular provider must amortize, or spread out over …

NEW YORK-When it comes to American pure-play personal communications services IPOs, the million-dollar question is, “Where did they go?” Sprint Corp. may hold the answer with its planned initial public …

WASHINGTON-A proposal from Western Wireless Corp. to receive universal-service support payments for providing telephone service to rural areas seems to have gotten a lukewarm response from the Federal Communications Commission. …

DUBLIN, Ireland-Contrary to most industry predictions, Meteor Mobile Communications has secured the third mobile license in the Republic of Ireland. Orange plc of the United Kingdom strongly was fancied to …