SEOUL, Korea—Pacific CSI, a Korean wireless Internet service provider, and Solectek announced a partnership to create a wireless Internet service in downtown Seoul. The partnership includes a US$1 million order for base stations, customer premise equipment and network services. Pacific CSI said it is offering wireless Internet services ranging from 128 kilobits per second (kbps) [...]

BEDMINSTER, N.J.—Verizon Wireless installed a number of new cell sites to enhance network quality in parts of Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. The Illinois upgrades involved the installation of two cell sites in Mattoon and Kinmundy, which are expected to improve digital and analog coverage along Interstate-57 and State Route 16. Verizon Wireless also increased digital [...]

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Swefour AB was awarded the fourth GSM license in Sweden by the Swedish National Post and Telecom Agency. Swefour plans to set up a network and offer capacity to companies and operators that lack their own mobile networks. The company said will not become a new operator servicing its own mobile subscribers. Other companies [...]

WASHINGTON—The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association last month urged Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, to include the Rural Electromagnetic Spectrum Act in spectrum management legislation he is drafting. “It is vital to address rural carriers’ access to spectrum in any legislation developed to address our national spectrum-management policy,” said Michael Brunner, [...]

TOKYO—NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it will begin selling its PDC-based mova SO504i handset next week that is compatible with the carrier’s enhanced i-mode service offering packet data transmission speeds of up to 28.8 kilobits per second. The handset also includes support for Java Archive applications of up to 30 Kb and associated data of up [...]

DUBLIN, Ireland—Ireland’s telecom regulator ODTR said it is introducing new licensing regimes for fixed wireless access (FWA). The regulators plans to provide a system for local and regional licensing in the 10.5 GHz band and make available additional spectrum for license-exempt wireless local area networks in the 5.8 GHz band. The initiatives are aimed at [...]

MANKATO, Minn.—Rural telecommunications provider HickoryTech Corp. appointed John Duffy to succeed Robert Alton, Jr., as president and chief executive officer of the company effective July 1. Alton announced his retirement in early April. Prior to joining HickoryTech, Duffy held a variety of executive positions at Verizon Communications and GTE Corp.

NEW YORK—Moody’s Investor Services cut its long-term credit rating for Qwest Communications International Inc. citing concerns about the telecommunications company’s liquidity position, cash drain at its long-distance operating subsidiary, slowing growth in its local telephone service, continued high debt levels, ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission investigation and general corporate governance. Qwest said it was disappointed [...]

NEW YORK—A new alliance with Korea Digital Satellite Broadcasting is part of an overall plan for LG Telecom to compete successfully with South Korea’s two larger wireless operators, said Yong Nam, president and chief executive officer. In late April, Martin Lee, chief financial officer, told attendees of an investor-relations meeting that LG expected to sign [...]

WASHINGTON—The Bush administration and Japan made little progress last week in talks on interconnection fees charged by NTT DoCoMo, putting on hold a relatively minor dispute with potentially enormous trade implications as phone traffic steadily migrates to wireless systems around the world. Working-level talks between the two sides were held here last Monday. While U.S. [...]