April 1998

WOODBURY, N.Y.-Societe Francaise du Radiotelephone selected Comverse Network Systems to supply a voice/text messaging system for the SFR network in France, announced Comverse. The N.J.-based company completed an initial phase of installations in the SFR network, with systems now providing …

ROME-Three consortia have submitted bids for Italy’s third mobile phone license, due to be awarded mid-year. Two of the bids were expected for some time. Picienne-a consortium led by the Italian TV broadcasting company Mediaset and British Telecommunications plc-and Wind-comprised …

Signaling the beginning of a global partnership, Telecom Italia said it will pay $2 billion for minority interests in Cable & Wireless plc’s international businesses. “I am pleased to welcome Telecom Italia as our global partner in building scale in …

NEW YORK-SCC Communications Corp., a Boulder, Colo., provider of emergency call services to wireline and wireless carriers, has registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission its intention to go public. According to its document, filed April 9, SCC plans to …

LONDON-Vodafone Data Network Ltd. announced an expansion to extend its data communications service to several areas of the United Kingdom. The company has made a significant investment in new base-station equipment that has already brought services to areas in Belfast, …

TEL AVIV, Israel-Nexus Telocation Systems Ltd. announced it issued 450,000 ordinary shares of Nexus stock-representing 3.7 percent of the issued share capital of the company-for $5.50 each to Clal Industries and Investments Ltd. The entire transaction is valued at $2.48 …

PETAH TIKVA, Israel-Team Telecom International and its Brazilian representative, Construtel Projetos e Contrucoes Ltda., have been selected to provide a B-band operator in Brazil with its network management solution for wireless networks. TTI’s Netrac suite of applications, which includes advanced …

WASHINGTON-House Commerce Committee Chairman Thomas Bliley (R-Va.) said the privatization of the International Maritime Satellite Organization and the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization being negotiated by the Clinton administration may be inconsistent with U.S. law and could complicate an international satellite-reform …

A California software company has introduced an object-based server that captures, processes and manages distributed events and transactions across disparate computer and network systems. Softwire Corp. of Larkspur, Calif., already has installed the server, called ObjectSwitch, into Caribbean operator France …

IRVINE, Calif.-Subscriber Computing Inc. installed a fraud detection system for Canadian personal communications services provider Microcell Telecommunications Inc., announced the company. Subscriber Computing said Microcell is the first North American operator to implement its new FraudWatch Pro system, which combats …

IRVING, Texas-NEC America Inc.’s Communications Terminals Division and United States Cellular Corp. announced they will work together in an advertising program to promote a prepaid wireless service called TalkTracker. U S Cellular’s TalkTracker program offers an NEC cellular phone and …

Robinson-Humphrey Co. L.L.C’s latest quarterly survey of U.S. mobile phone prices indicates the pricing wars may be over. The Atlanta-based company said pricing decreased since December just .8 percent to 1.6 percent on average, the smallest price decrease the company …

LONFON-Orange plc, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Orange Communications Ltd., said it submitted a bid for the third mobile phone license in the Republic of Ireland. The United Kingdom-based operator is not in partnership with any other companies at this …

NEW YORK-Cellnet, a U.K. mobile phone network operator, has placed a contract with Nokia Telecommunications to expand its Global System for Mobile communications network. Nokia will supply equipment to cover both GSM 900 and GSM 1800 systems. Nokia will begin …

NEW YORK-NEC Corp. announced it signed an agreement with ERA Technology Ltd. of the United Kingdom that established a joint-venture company to design and develop the next generation of European mobile communications infrastructure systems. The new company, called Telecom Modus …

This year’s financial outlook appears gloomy for Motorola Inc., which released poor first-quarter results last week and told analysts this quarter’s results won’t look much better. “The primary factors likely to prevent sequential earnings improvement include further gross-margin pressure from …

STOCKHOLM-Millicom International Cellular S.A. announced it will merge its combined Global System for Mobile communications 900 MHz and digital cellular system 1800 MHz license in Luxembourg and its nationwide prefix license in France with certain operations contributed by Industriforvaltning A.B. …

COLUMBUS, Ohio-SmarTalk TeleServices Inc. estimated first-quarter revenues will be about $40 million, and earnings per fully diluted share are anticipated to reflect a loss of 5 cents. The company plans to release its operating results for the first quarter on …

Northern Telecom Ltd. and Matra Communication launched a joint-venture subsidiary in France. Matra Nortel Communications will provide French customers with one-stop access to a range of integrated solutions, including multimedia products, said the companies. The company is expected to begin …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-General Magic Inc. introduced MagicTalk, the intelligent voice user interface platform for its integrated voice and data network, code named “Serengeti.” Based on a distributed VUI (voice user interface) model, MagicTalk is the foundation technology for Serengeti-a second-generation virtual …

Magellan Systems Corp., a maker of consumer-oriented Global Positioning System and navigation devices, said it will release its Global Satellite Communicator 100 late next month. The GSC 100 provides global two-way e-mail capability using satellite service provided by Orbcomm. The …

FORT LEE, N.J.-MobileMedia Corp., dba MobileComm, announced it is building a new paging network in North and South Carolina. MobileComm said the new system is running in North Carolina and will be fully built in South Carolina by the end …

WASHINGTON-Wireless and wireline carriers last week tabled a plan to sue the FBI over implementation of the 1994 digital wiretap law, just as Rep. Bill McCollum (R-Fla.) was putting the final touches on draft legislation that is not expected to …

In February, at CTIA’s Wireless ’98 convention and exposition in Atlanta, I talked with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) about many of the policy issues facing the U.S. wireless industry. We discussed the fact that despite government’s mandate on telecommunications companies …

NEW YORK-Cellular and personal communications services carrier Western Wireless Corp., Issaquah, Wash., announced that its two largest investors planned to sell 10 million shares of their stock in a public offering. Hellman & Friedman L.L.C., San Francisco, a manager of …