WASHINGTON-Despite uneven progress of fixed wireless broadband carriers in recent years, the ability of newcomers to the local market-small and large alike-to offer voice, data, video and Internet services competitively hinges on key policy decisions confronting regulators, the courts and the Bush administration.2001 will...
High-speed wireless data access provider Metricom Inc. posted a fourth-quarter loss and said it will postpone the introduction of its Ricochet data network in some markets until it secures additional financing. The company noted it had just over $525 million in cash and investments...
NEW YORK-WorldCom Inc., the nation's largest wireless reseller, could lay off up to 15 percent of its 77,000 work force, according to media reports late last week.A spokesperson for WorldCom said the company wouldn't comment on rumors or speculation.WorldCom, which has been struggling with...
SAN JOSE, Calif.-Top executives from several multichannel multipoint distribution services operators throughout Latin America helped kick off the Wireless Communications Association International's 7th Annual Technical Symposium last Wednesday by announcing the creation of Latin American Networking, an alliance formed to advance MMDS networks and...
NEW YORK-Debt downgrades for telecommunications carriers last year outnumbered upgrades by a two-to-one margin, setting the stage for increased pressure on ratings this year, analysts for Standard & Poor's Corp. said.The freewheeling initial public offering market of the late 1990s gave new players unrealistic...
WASHINGTON-In a move being watched closely by the wireless industry, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration proposed rules to reimburse the Pentagon and other federal agencies relocated to other frequencies to free up spectrum for third-generation mobile-phone systems.The initiative, announced by NTIA chief Gregory...
NEW YORK-Prospects for accelerated deployment of multichannel multipoint distribution services here and abroad look promising this year, Michael Greenbaum, chief executive officer of Hybrid Networks Inc., told securities analysts last week.The company, based in San Jose, Calif., is a major supplier of network infrastructure...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week proposed earmarking a slew of spectrum bands for third-generation mobile-phone systems, while rejecting a petition to set aside some 3G-designated frequencies for mobile satellite service.The FCC missed the Clinton administration's Dec. 31 deadline for issuing the 3G proposal,...
The Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies, whose members often provide wireless as well as wireline service to rural America, is calling for the 107th Congress to repeal the estate tax. The estate-or death-tax was made a permanent part of...
WASHINGTON-The Bush administration and a Republican-majority Federal Communications Commission likely will put their stamp on wireless issues in 2001, even though telecom issues are largely nonpartisan."Understand a lot of these issues are not Republican/ Democrat. They are not liberal/conservative. They are not in many...
Sprint Corp.'s planned merger with WorldCom Inc. earlier this year was a "scheme" by executives at Sprint to milk the company out of hundreds of millions of dollars in stock options, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of The Amalgamated Bank's Longview Collective...
A major contract from multichannel multipoint distribution services provider WorldCom Inc. boosted the bottom line of network equipment manufacturer Vyyo Inc. amid speculation the wireless broadband market is slipping slightly.WorldCom selected Vyyo to provide hubs and modems for its soon-to-be nationwide MMDS network. The...
WASHINGTON-The mobile-phone industry last week raised serious questions about data and methodology used by government to determine whether the 1700 MHz band can be shared by third-generation wireless systems and the Pentagon users, a concern that has led some to worry whether the Clinton...
LittlefeetLittlefeet Inc., a wireless network infrastructure developer, appointed Kai Cheong Chan as the general manager and sales director for the company's new regional office, which will serve Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region.Chan will be responsible for developing business relationships and managing distribution channels for...
NEW YORK-The major players' rankings reflect the dynamic environment of telecommunications as some stalwarts held their ground, some newcomers joined the group, while still others showed substantial rises or falls in various categories.AT&T Wireless Group, listed this year as an entity distinct from its...
WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration last week cast doubt on large-scale sharing of spectrum designated for third-generation mobile systems, a development likely to shift the government's focus to broadcast spectrum and to clearing military, educational, religious and broadband Internet licensees off the 1700 MHz and 2500...
RESTON, Va.-XO Communications Inc. named Wayne Rehberger chief financial officer. Rehberger formally was senior vice president of finance at MCI WorldCom Inc., where he managed network costs, local interconnection and global procurement organizations.
Attempting to slash its debt load by as much as $14 billion and boost sales, which have fallen by as much as 50 percent this year, British Telecommunications plc announced a companywide restructuring plan that includes plans to sell off up to 25 percent...
Sprint Corp. is planning to rely more heavily on its wireless segment and Internet backbone to balance out its faltering long-distance business.The company warned late last week its 2000 and 2001 earnings would be below Wall Street expectations, an announcement that followed similar but...
NEW YORK-MCI WorldCom Inc. sees an opportunity to transform its wireless resale business into one of full-fledged virtual network operation, said Bernard J. Ebbers, president and chief executive officer.Resale for the three nationwide wireless carriers would become part of WorldCom under a plan the...
Following a trend set recently by rival AT&T Corp., WorldCom Inc. last Wednesday announced plans to realign its businesses with the customer bases they serve in an attempt to bolster its sagging stock price, which has fallen from its 52-week high of $61 per...
WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration last week officially began the process of trying to secure spectrum from military, commercial, educational and religious users for third-generation mobile-phone systems, a high-priority objective the administration admits will be difficult to achieve in light of incumbent rights and conflicting policy...
"No wires, no waiting" is the mantra of Air2Lan, a young wireless broadband company headed by industry leader and mainstay Jai Bhagat.Bhagat, former chief executive officer of SkyTel Communications before it merged with WorldCom Inc., and several others formed the company last year in...
ST. LOUIS-Both leading presidential candidates in last Tuesday's debate here reiterated plans to beef up the military with next-generation technology, positions that could conflict with President Clinton's directive to force the Pentagon and others to surrender radio spectrum to third-generation mobile-phone carriers.In a post-Cold...
