1999

CUPERTINO, Calif.-DSP Communications Inc. said Denso, a manufacturer of wireless communications products, implemented DSPC’s Code Division Multiple Access data stack software in its CDMA Touchpoint handset supporting Internet browser applications. Volume shipments of the CDMA Touchpoint phones featuring DSPC’s data …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week asked a federal appeals court in Denver for a rehearing of a recent decision that vacated agency rules on consumer privacy rights. “The majority decision expands the reach of the First Amendment to protect …

The convergence of the Internet and wireless networks was punctuated last week as Internet heavy hitters Amazon.com Inc., America Online Inc. and Oracle Corp. made announcements extending their services further into the wireless realm. Perhaps the strongest statement made was …

NEW YORK-Wireless devices and the services they deliver in the Internet age represent an opportunity so large it is nearly unfathomable and dwarfs any second-place possibilities, according to Bill Joy, chief scientist of Sun Microsystems Inc. Nevertheless, the United States, …

MONTREAL-Bell Canada has offered to purchase for cash up to 15.8 million of the outstanding common shares of Aliant, the largest telecommunications company in Atlantic Canada, at a price of $18.40 per share. Such an acquisition would give Bell Canada, …

A story on page 3 of the Oct. 4 RCR should have stated that the American Mobile Telecommunications Association is asking the Federal Communications Commission to earmark 2 megahertz in the 450-470 MHz band for shared, private wireless use and …

MONTREAL-Microcell Connexions, Telesystem International Wireless and Ericsson Canada said they completed a multimedia call using Ericsson’s wideband Code Division Multiple Access solution for the North American 1900 MHz environment. Ericsson said while it already had established multimedia calls based on …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-The first official mobile call on the Global System for Mobile communications 400 frequency band was made during a GSM 400 conference in Budapest, Hungary, according to L.M. Ericsson. The equipment used to perform the call was Ericsson prototype …

WASHINGTON-Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) on Friday introduced legislation to foster ownership diversity in the telecommunications industry. The bill would offer tax deferrals to firms that sell telecommunications properties to small businesses and then reinvest the proceeds …

Wireless middleware and software provider Aether Systems Inc. filed an initial public offering prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last week with the intention of selling 6.9 million shares at $15 a share by next year. The offering …

NEW YORK-AT&T Corp. and British Telecommunications plc announced their new global venture will be called “Concert.” “Initially, Concert-which was the name of BT’s wholly-owned business-was just one of hundreds we considered,” said David Dorman, chief executive officer of the planned …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Bell Atlantic Mobile said its customers can pay their wireless phone bills online through the company’s Web site. The new service gives customers two options in paying their bills. Customers can choose to view their monthly bill statements via …

WASHINGTON-Negotiations that led to a tentative agreement among the Department of Justice, the Federal Communications Commission and Nextel Communications Inc. allowing Nextel to buy licenses held by the bankrupt NextWave Telecom Inc. were both proper and normal in bankruptcy proceedings, …

WASHINGTON-The merger train rolled through the Federal Communications Commission last week as the FCC reacted to a number of telecommunications industry-changing mergers. The FCC does not officially review mergers but has to review the transfer of licenses, considered to be …

NEW YORK-Standard & Poors warned of a possible downgrade on its rating of financially struggling Paging Network Inc., while Moody’s went ahead and lowered its ratings on the company’s debt issues. S&P placed it ratings on PageNet on CreditWatch with …

VAIL, Colo.-Gearworks.com, a strategic Internet services consultant group, said it has dedicated a team to create enterprise-wide applications for wireless devices such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants. Gearworks.com already has data warehousing capabilities. The new wireless applications group …

LOS GATOS, Calif.-Metricom Inc. said it signed contracts with three construction companies for the physical deployment of its Ricochet 128 kilobit-per-second mobile data network. Wireless Facilities Inc., General Dynamics Worldwide Telecommunications Systems and Whalen & Co. will work simultaneously in …

NEW YORK-In a market environment Wall Street bankers view as difficult for companies wishing to go public, at least two firms serving the wireless industry have cleared that hurdle so far this month. Illuminet Holdings Inc., which calls itself the …

Wireless Application Protocol pioneer Phone.com Inc. introduced a WAP 1.1 compliant UP.Link Server, and announced a major strategic agreement with Motorola Inc. for both its server and microbrowser products. Release 4 of the UP.Link Server is fully WAP 1.1 compliant, …

PARIS-Microsoft Corp. expanded its Windows for Smart Cards platform to include support for the Global System for Mobile communications technology, said the company. GSM operators and mobile equipment manufacturers soon will have access to extensive Windows-based tools, which will enable …

The Big Three handset manufacturers-Nokia Corp., L.M. Ericsson and Motorola Inc.-continue their reign over the global wireless handset arena, together controlling more than two-thirds of the market. Nokia has emerged as the clear leader of the three. Analyst firm Herschel …

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-Alltel said it is offering free unlimited incoming calls for its Jacksonville, Fla., personal communications services customers, adding four new wireless plans that range from $46 per month for 400 minutes, to $150 per month for 2,000 minutes. “This …

While carriers publicly push ahead with their third-generation technology migration plans, behind the scenes, some may be evaluating technology conversions that could be more cost effective in the long run. Sources close to AT&T Corp. say the nationwide telecommunications carrier …

The Edge Consultants, an affiliate of agency.com, released a Wireless Application Protocol browser for handheld computers running either Palm Computing or Windows CE operating systems, called WAPman. Lucent Technologies Inc. said it completed the first call on a prototype wideband …

NEW YORK-China Telecom (Hong Kong), which provides cellular service in three Chinese provinces, plans to raise $500 million in a global bond offering, according to Standard & Poor’s Corp. The debt issue, a planned $1.65 billion stock sale and a …