WASHINGTON-A critical European Parliament vote last week, which could effectively mandate a third-generation mobile phone standard dominated by Sweden's L.M. Ericsson and Finland's Nokia Corp. and lock out American technology, will ratchet up the stakes in upcoming negotiations here among U.S., European Union and...
Nextel Communications Inc. is testing nationwide pricing plans that fall in line with high-end one-rate plans offered by national mobile phone competitors.Analysts say the company quietly is rolling out the plans, which eliminate long-distance fees, to test the market's demand for nationwide pricing."This is...
LOS ANGELES-Bell Atlantic Mobile announced it will begin phased introduction of high-speed wireless data capabilities over its existing cdmaOne network in 1999.The next-generation wireless services are based on cdma2000 third-generation enhancements provided by Lucent Technologies Inc."With Lucent as our technology partner, we intend to...
This holiday season will see an unprecedented number of mobile phone competitors in the market, but carriers still seem unwilling to compete with break-neck pricing as they aim to keep average revenue per user at high levels.It's a "digital Christmas" this year, said Miles...
This year's holiday season promises to be an interesting one for wireless carriers and vendors offering their products to online buyers.Jupiter Communications, a new media research firm, predicts holiday shoppers will spend $2.3 billion online this season, up from $1.1 billion in 1997. According...
SEATTLE-Qualcomm Inc. and Microsoft Corp. made good on their promise to converge the computing and wireless industries when they announced the formation of WirelessKnowledge L.L.C. last week, a joint venture many say will revolutionize the wireless data industry.WirelessKnowledge aims to provide an airlink-independent end-to-end...
BOSTON-The North American GSM Alliance L.L.C. announced more than 2.3 million Global System for Mobile communications customers exist in the United States and Canada."GSM's growth continues to outpace rival digital personal communications services technologies," said GSM Alliance Chairman Don Warkentin, president and chief executive...
BEIJING-Six wireless operators with 11 networks is the daunting choice offered to Hong Kong's techno-savvy consumers.The mobile phone scene here is a lot brighter than one would have expected just one-and-a-half years ago, with the territory's hand-over to the People's Republic of China on...
KIRKLAND, Wash.-AT&T Wireless Services Inc. said it plans to brand the AT&T name in Los Angeles by next year.The company recently gained management control of Los Angeles Cellular under an agreement with BellSouth Cellular Corp. to consolidate ownership of their jointly owned cellular properties...
KIRKLAND, Wash.-AT&T Wireless Services Inc. said it plans to brand the AT&T name in Los Angeles by next year.The company recently gained management control of Los Angeles Cellular under an agreement with BellSouth Cellular Corp. to consolidate ownership of their jointly owned cellular properties...
Cellular carriers have made significant progress in their efforts to upgrade their 800 MHz analog networks to digital technology.Consumers' appetite for digital features is demonstrated by the success of digital pricing plans such as AT&T Wireless Services Inc.'s Digital One Rate plan, said industry...
Motorola Inc. announced a partnership with BMW North America Inc. to create a new telematics cellular phone system expected to be available on all BMW models by late this year.The BMW Mayday Cellular Phone combines cellular telephony with global positioning system satellite location technology...
KIRKLAND, Wash.-AT&T Wireless Services Inc. said it opened an automated online store on its Web site.Consumers and small businesses can get help assessing their wireless needs and service availability, shop for the right wireless service plan, try out wireless phones, place their order and...
The main goal for the American Mobile Telecommunications Association is regulatory flexibility or more accurately-one-size-does-not-fit-all. AMTA President Alan Shark has been fighting the good fight with the Federal Communications Commission to convince it traditional specialized mobile radio is not the same thing as commercial...
TORONTO-Nortel Networks said it delivered its digital intelligent network prepaid personal communications services solution to wireless network wholesaler Microcell Connexions Inc. of Canada.Prepaid PCS, recently launched by Microcell Solutions Inc. under the brand name Fidomatic, is the first of many value-added IN services Microcell...
Paging Network Inc. announced it signed an agreement with SmartRoute Systems to offer SmartRoute's real-time personalized traffic information system to paging subscribers. PageNet said it initially will roll out the SmartRoute service in eight markets, expanding to additional markets throughout next year.Comverse Network Systems,...
Metrocall Inc. and PageMart Wireless Inc. have entered a five-year strategic alliance that is part resale agreement, part shared network buildout relationship.In the first phase of the alliance, to begin immediately, Metrocall plans to resell PageMart's advanced messaging services in areas where PageMart's narrowband...
NEW YORK-Propelled by its Digital One Rate plan, AT&T Corp. said total revenue from wireless services increased 19.4 percent for the third quarter compared with last year.AT&T Corp.'s third-quarter earnings were $1 per share on a diluted basis. Earnings increased 67 percent on the...
MELBOURNE, Australia-The Australian communications industry has applauded Telstra Corp.'s decision to build its second national mobile phone network using CDMA technology.Industry groups, including the Australian Telecommunications Users Group and the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, have openly welcomed Telstra's move, hailing it as progressive and...
WASHINGTON-The old adage maintains it's all about location, that the success of an investment depends on locale. And Latin America has been the locale of choice for investors looking for incredible growth rates and high demand for service. With several countries in the region...
At a rate of nearly 400,000 new subscriber additions each quarter, U.S.-based Nextel Communications Inc. has been attracting a lot of attention, including from traditional wireless carriers that may try to imitate Nextel's unique Direct Connect dispatch feature.Wireless carriers in the United States have...
WASHINGTON-This year's midterm election has monumental implications for the political landscape in terms of telecom policy and the balance of power in America-however, not in the conventional sense.The Republicans, whose revolution took back the House and Senate from Democrats in the 1994 midterm election,...
AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and BellSouth Cellular Corp. have agreed to consolidate ownership of their jointly owned cellular properties in Los Angeles, Houston and Galveston, Texas, and have created a new management structure that will streamline operations, said the companies.The new agreement calls for...
NEW YORK-Earlier this month, Charles E. Hoffman, president and chief executive officer of Rogers Cantel Inc., temporarily assumed a new identity as a retail sales clerk to gain first-hand understanding of his wireless customers.After four hours on the job, the CEO concluded, "It's obvious...
