Three Chinese state ministries have created a competitor for China’s monopolistic Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to expand the nation’s telecommunications system. China United Telecommunications Corp., Unicom, initially intends to offer Global System for Mobile communications service in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Unicom said it plans to build a network to serve 100,000 customers. [...]

Channel surfing-Although most consumers still purchase cellular service through cellular carriers, the retail sales channel is creeping up in popularity, according to a survey on cellular buying last year by BIS Strategic Decisions Inc. Consumer electronics superstores lead the pack, claiming 47 percent of cellular retail spending last year, followed by office superstores, which saw [...]

DENVER-RCR Publications Inc. announced two promotions on its sales staff. Mary Gafkjen has been named western sales manager at RCR Publications Inc. Formerly, Gafkjen served as classified sales manager for the newspaper for four years. Dena Falkner, who previously was sales assistant and traffic manager for the newspaper, has been promoted to classified sales manager. [...]

DALLAS-CellStar Corp. has signed an agreement with Usha Martin Telekom Ltd. that will allow a CellStar joint venture company to sell cellular phone service in Calcutta, India. Usha Martin holds a Global System for Mobile communications cellular license for the area. The joint venture, HCL CellStar Ltd., is equally owned by CellStar and HCL Ltd., [...]

A small Colorado company has reduced the cost of an average cellular call to the price point of a soda. CellAir Saver is an alternative access service for cellular customers that charges a flat rate of 25 cents per minute for any call within the contiguous United States. The service was conceived and orchestrated by [...]

AUGUST 21-22 Cyberspace and the American Dream II, by The Progress & Freedom Foundation. Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Aspen, Colo. For information call Katherine Epler at (202) 484-2312. 22 The Telecom Act of 1995: What it Means to Wall Street and Main Street, by Kagan Seminars. The Park Lane Hotel, New York. For information call Kristen Roelofs [...]

The Intercarrier Service Bureau of GTE Telecommunications Services Inc. and Radio Shack have teamed up to offer consumers out-of-market cellular network activation, GTE announced. Retail stores previously have only activated cellular phones for customers living within the store’s market area. Radio Shack customers buying a new phone or others who want to reprogram their existing [...]

After a majority vote Aug. 2 by Metrocall Inc.’s board of directors not to reappoint Harry L. Brock Jr. as president of the company, Brock filed a lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court seeking his reinstatement. According to the Alexandria, Va.-based company, seven of nine members of the Metrocall board-including three representatives from FirstPage USA Inc., [...]

ATLANTA- GTE Mobilnet said it signed an agreement with Bell Mobility to license its Tele-Go integrated wireless technology to Bell Mobility. The technology will be introduced in Canada this month for a three-month trial in Toronto. Targeted to the residential market, Tele-Go customers will be provided with a personal communications services handset that can be [...]

SEOUL, South Korea-Under a contract valued at $540 million, AT&T Corp. said it plans to supply Korea Mobile Telecom with wireless infrastructure equipment for KMT’s nationwide cellular network. Terms of the multiyear agreement call for AT&T Network Systems to install its Autoplex wireless communications infrastructure equipment. Autoplex supports Advanced Mobile Phone Service, Code Division Multiple [...]