Wireless Services

The announced merger of SBC Communications Inc. and Ameritech Corp. has raised speculation there may be another paging unit on the sale block sometime soon. SBC will be the controlling …

SBC Communications Inc. and Ameritech Corp. last week announced a stock-for-stock merger agreement valued at about $62 billion that would give the combined company a local and wireless presence in …

The number of digital wireless subscribers is expected to increase rapidly this year as more cellular carriers begin to push digital service aggressively. While many cellular carriers last year offered …

SBC Communications Inc.’s impending plans to add Ameritech to its growing stable of telecom acquisitions brings to the front burner the significance of the 45 megahertz cap on wireless spectrum. …

The wireless telecommunications industry has grown up more quickly than many other industries in the United States. The industry likes to boast of its relatively quick acceptance in the marketplace, …

Pricing has stabilized in the majority of U.S. markets, say analysts. While the name of the game last summer was to get the phone in the hand of the user …

NEW YORK-“A lot of what you’re hearing about voice over the Internet, about having actual, real-time conversations, is hype,” said Ralph Tomeoni, president and chief executive officer of TekNow, Phoenix. …

MALVERN, Pa.-Triton PCS Inc. announced it received gross proceeds of about $300 million from its recently completed sale of 11-percent senior subordinated discount notes due 2008. The company plans to …

AT&T Wireless Services Inc. last week introduced an aggressive national rate system that eliminates long-distance and roaming charges. The AT&T Digital One Rate plan includes three pricing options: 600 minutes …

CINCINNATI-Cincinnati Bell Wireless said it has launched personal communications services based on Time Division Multiple Access technology in the Cincinnati/Dayton/northern Kentucky market. The launch is coordinated through a management agreement …

DALLAS-“It’s an exciting time in the industry. It’s a time of growth and rebirth.” So said Konstantin Zsigo, president of Zsigo Wireless Data Inc., at the opening session of Wireless …

Conductus Inc. announced two agreements providing up to $4.5 million in financing to support the commercialization of its new ClearSite wireless products next year. Conductus also said it concluded the …

Midway through this year’s legislative session, many states have considered and passed bills to provide a cost-recovery mechanism for wireless carriers deploying enhanced 911 systems. Phase I of the Federal …

NEW YORK-Cue Data Corp. formed a strategic alliance with ZipLink L.L.C. of Lowell, Mass., to provide nationwide Internet connectivity featuring seamless integration with Cue Corp.’s nationwide wireless messaging network. Cue …

Cincinnati Bell Inc. said it will separate its billing and customer-management businesses into a new subsidiary and then spin it off in a tax-free distribution to Cincinnati Bell shareholders after …

NEW YORK-The California State Board of Equalization decided April 30 to postpone voting until at least late June on a permanent extension of the state sales taxes to wireless devices …

WASHINGTON-The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association and the Personal Communications Industry Association, unable to get wireline carriers and manufacturers on board, moved forward on their own last week with a lawsuit …

HONG KONG Hong Kong’s SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings Ltd. announced agreements with Star Telecom International Holdings Ltd. and Telecom Service Ltd. to acquire P Plus Communications Ltd., a PCS operator, for …

NEW YORK-Standard & Poor’s Corp., an international debt rating agency based in New York, estimates there will be US$1 trillion in wireline and wireless telecommunications capital needs before the new …

TOKYO-The number of Personal Handy Phone System (PHS) subscribers in Japan has decreased for six straight months since last October. Suffering from a total of 590 billion yen (US$4.42 billion) …

GlobalStar Telecommunications Ltd. announced that China Telecom Group Ltd. has agreed to invest $37.5 million to become a full partner in Globalstar L.P. China Telecom, which provides fixed and wireless …

Just as analysts had predicted, dual-mode/dual-band handsets are an important strategy for most U.S. personal communications services operators as they build out their networks. Yet some carriers are not actively …

NEW YORK-Triton PCS Inc., a startup Time Division Multiple Access carrier based in Malvern, Pa., was expected to sell privately late last week its first debt issue, which comprises $300 …

FALLS CHURCH, Va.-Spectrum Resources Towers L.P. announced it has acquired the tower assets of Tower Industrial Park, which is based in the Cleveland area. Major tenants include Ameritech Corp., AT&T …

Switzerland last week awarded national licenses to two of five rival consortia-diAx mobile and Orange Communications SA-to operate wireless networks in competition with the country’s single operator, Swisscom. The winning …