1999

Just as it took an unabashed California chick to do what no GOP or Democratic pol could do-outfox Bill Clinton-Naomi Wolf now has done what no pundit could ever do: explain what makes official Washington tick. It all boils down …

LAS VEGAS-L.M. Ericsson announced its first consumer product incorporating Bluetooth technology at Comdex/Fall ’99. The cellular phone headset connects to a mobile phone by a radio link instead of a cable. The product will be commercially available in mid-2000, said …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Smart card-based solution provider Schlumberger announced a wireless identity module that secures Internet transactions on mobile devices. The Wireless Application Protocol-compliant identity module allows users to pass from one application to another without losing transactions that already have …

FORT LEE, N.J.-Locus Telecommunications Inc., a provider of prepaid calling card and prepaid wireless services, announced it successfully completed the testing phase of its CallPlus prepaid wireless service in Las Vegas and Seattle. CallPlus already is offered in Philadelphia, Washington-Baltimore, …

WASHINGTON-Language that requires the National Park Service to issue permits to Bell Atlantic Mobile to site two towers in Rock Creek Park made its way into the federal budget. The provision also ensures that future antenna-siting applications will be completed …

Cue Corp., Irvine, Calif., has entered into an agreement with STMicroelectronics Inc. to develop an AM/FM decoder chip for Cue’s new SkySpeed.com network for mobile Internet applications for automotive and consumer products. “We expect that within a year the SkySpeed …

About 10 years ago Qualcomm Inc. had a goal-to ensure CDMA technology’s success by heavily promoting it, investing in companies that would deploy it and entering the equipment supplier business. Now total worldwide Code Division Multiple Access subscribers number more …

WASHINGTON-Sealing the historic U.S.-China trade pact last week-notwithstanding all the controversies, complexities, and stops and starts during the past 13 years-was the easy part. Translating it into major economic benefits for the U.S. wireless industry will be a much taller …

Leap Wireless International Inc., which has seen a run-up in stock in recent weeks, announced a new branding strategy for its Chilean operating company. Leap in April bought out its former Chilesat PCS partner, long-distance carrier Telex-Chile. Leap has since …

NEW YORK-Not unexpectedly, the multiservice telecommunications giants led the way in revenues and profits for the first half of this year. Profit leaders Bell Atlantic Corp. led in profits for the period, posting $2.315 billion, a 19.5-percent increase from the …

WASHINGTON-Federal Communications Commissioner Gloria Tristani is expected shortly to decide whether to run for Congress in 2000, a decision with the potential to dramatically shift the balance of power at the FCC and possibly mire the agency in gridlock all …

MEXICO CITY-Globalstar de Mexico S.A. de C.V. announced the Mexican Ministry for Communications and Transportation granted it a commercial license to offer satellite telephone service throughout the country, including those rural areas currently unserved by cellular or other telephone services, …

WASHINGTON-U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan plans to hold a hearing Dec. 16 on a Justice Department plan to modify a 1995 antitrust decree imposed on Nextel Communications Inc. The proposed DOJ-Nextel settlement, which is opposed by small and medium-sized dispatch …

U S West Wireless is delaying the rollout of its commercial Web-browsing service until the beginning of next year as it works to understand what its customers want from wireless Internet access. “We have the capability to do it now, …

HONG KONG-Hong Kong mobile telephone operator SmarTone Communications said it is looking to secure a wireless fixed network license. SmarTone is among 14 companies that have applied to the Hong Kong government for wireless local fixed-telephone network licenses. SmarTone is …

LONDON-ICL, a United Kingdom-based wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Corp., announced a $161.7 million electronic business expansion initiative, including a focus on wireless services. ICL will market and distribute Nokia Corp. Wireless Application Protocol server products as part of the …

NEW YORK-Even if it fails to acquire the radio-frequency licenses of NextWave Telecom Inc., Nextel Communications Inc. already owns sufficient spectrum to fulfill its 10-year business plan, according to its chief executive. Timothy M. Donahue, Nextel president and chief executive …

LAS VEGAS-OmniSky Corp., formerly OpenSky Corp., introduced its first product last week at Comdex-a wireless Internet and e-mail service solution for Palm V users that integrates hardware, software and Internet access from several partner providers. OmniSky is the venture formed …

CLINTON, Miss.-MCI WorldCom Inc. declared a three-for-two stock split to be effected as a 50-percent stock dividend. The new shares will be distributed Dec. 30 to shareholders of record as of the close of business Dec. 15. Cash will be …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week eliminated the requirement that a cost-recovery mechanism be in place before carriers must deploy wireless enhanced 911 services. But the agency still will require that costs to public safety answering points be recovered before …

Sprint Corp. is in deep negotiations with owners of Mexican wireless operator Pegaso PCS to gain a stake in the carrier, sources close to the companies say. An ownership agreement would give Sprint, which agreed to merge with MCI WorldCom …

To the Editor: While I do not choose to comment substantively on Tracy Ford’s opinion (Oct. 25), the letter from George Carlo in response thereto gives me a very negative reaction. Let me say at the outset that I have …

WASHINGTON-The Food and Drug Administration-which recently agreed with the cellular industry to replicate two studies by Wireless Technology Research L.L.C. that showed positive findings-may have rejected cooperating with industry on research when mobile-phone cancer allegations first surfaced in 1993 because …

OTTAWA, Ontario-The Federal Communications Commission gave Ottawa-based mobile satellite system operator TMI Communications the go-ahead to provide service in all 50 U.S. states via the MSAT-1 satellite, which has a coverage area of North and Central America, as well as …

ATLANTA-BellSouth Cellular Corp. and wireless-location company SigmaOne Communications Corp. announced an agreement calling for BellSouth to conduct a market trial of SigmaOne’s Sigma 5000 Advanced Mobile Phone Service/Time Division Multiple Access network-based location system. SigmaOne’s location technology combines time difference …