1999

TORONTO-Diversinet Corp., a provider of security software for wireless e-commerce applications, announced it signed an agreement to acquire the operating assets of Ubiq Communications Inc. for $1 million. The deal, which will be completed through a stock transaction, includes Ubiq’s …

Palm Computing Inc. introduced the Palm VII wireless organizer nationwide last week, featuring a sale price of $500, $100 less than originally expected. The Palm VII-first available in May in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut-features many of the same …

Motorola Inc. released a new communications platform last week called Mobile Internet Exchange, or MIX, with the goal of giving users the ability to access Internet information by either voice or data on a mobile basis. “Motorola expects that by …

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 …

American Mobile Satellite Corp. began offering its eLink wireless e-mail service commercially last week, featuring two-way wireless extension of desktop Internet e-mail to handheld devices and personal information management functions. The solution uses AMSC’s Ardis packet data network and Research …

PARIS-France Telecom said it reached an agreement to buy Vodafone AirTouch plc’s 17.24-percent interest in E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH, Germany’s third-largest mobile carrier, for $1.86 billion. Vodafone was required to sell its stake in E-Plus as part of its agreement to …

Rural cellular operators are reaping generous roaming revenues from nationwide operators. As such, larger players have become willing to pay top dollar to acquire these companies and eliminate the high roaming fees they pay to them. AT&T Corp. and rural …

NEW YORK-Ericsson Inc.’s CyberLab NY introduced a program designed to speed growth of the wireless Internet industry by providing market and technical information, development and testing tools and on-site expertise and seminars to help developers build new wireless Internet applications …

Dear Bernie, Congratulations on your promotion into the wireless industry. While I admired your foray into wireless with MCI WorldCom’s acquisition of SkyTel, I admit I was surprised at your company’s coup in picking up Sprint’s PCS licenses. You obviously …

WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration may have misled American telecom firms by suggesting that problems created by Beijing’s ouster of wireless and wireline investors in China Unicom could be ironed out by year’s end as part of negotiations over China’s membership in …

GENEVA-The Wireless Application Protocol Forum announced it has reached 200 members, which it calls a significant milestone in the organization’s growth. The forum has more than doubled its membership in the last four months. The organization credited its new Associate …

NEW YORK-Nuance of Menlo Park, Calif., announced Oct. 5 it is in preliminary testing stages with 25 telecommunications and Internet companies for Voyager, its new speech interface software. Company officials said they see Voyager, which uses open standards, as heralding …

Now that small and rural cellular operators have become an integral piece of large operators’ nationwide calling plans and consumers demand more advanced services, many small carriers could feel pressure to move to third-generation-type technologies faster than anticipated. Smaller carriers …

Microsoft Corp. teamed with Socket Communications Inc. to introduce the Microsoft Communications Kit-a carrier-independent solution designed to wirelessly enable laptop or palmtop computers running Windows or Windows CE using data-enabled wireless phones as modems. Using either a cable attachment or …

Qualcomm Inc. said it tried to purchase Interim Standard-661 handsets from Omnipoint Corp.’s stores in New York, but was told the carrier only offered Global System for Mobile communications service phones. This evidence should show the Federal Communications Commission that …

WASHINGTON-A top wireless safety expert has taken umbrage at Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association President Thomas Wheeler’s call for speedier work on the development of a standard to measure mobile-phone radiation absorbed by the head. “We know that the committee has …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week received approval for the first step in Chairman William Kennard’s plan to reform the agency for the 21st century. Kennard announced at an FCC-sponsored event at the Georgetown Law Center that the FCC has …

NEW YORK-Exide Corp., a Reading, Pa., battery maker well-known as an automotive industry supplier, announced a tentative acquisition agreement that offers it an entree into the wireless electronic device marketplace. Exide said it is negotiating to buy from the Michigan …

The popularity of wireless may be contributing to an industrywide shortage of some components used in mobile devices, although device manufacturers may not be feeling the effects just yet. After suffering through a slump during the last several years that …

ST. LOUIS-Sun Microsystems Inc. and Amdocs announced a global alliance reseller agreement under which Amdocs will resell and support the Sun platform. Under terms of the agreement, Amdocs’ Ensemble customer-care and billing system will be deployed in the Sun environment …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-APiON Ltd., a Wireless Application Protocol infrastructure provider, and Symmetry Communications Inc., which provides General Packet Radio System equipment, announced that have cooperated to demonstrate WAP-GPRS interworking. The two tested using WAP over GPRS with such applications as …

WASHINGTON-The Association of American Railroads again urged federal regulators to lift the licensing freeze on private multiple address system applications and not auction fixed wireless frequencies internally used by railroads, pipelines, utilities and other industries that support critical U.S. infrastructure. …

AirTouch Cellular plans to unveil a new version of its calling party pays service later this month. AirTouch will launch the new service first in Colorado, followed by rollouts in all of its service areas. The product will address several …

PHOENIX-AG Communication Systems and AT&T Wireless Services Inc. announced the general availability of the Roameo Time Division Multiple Access 850 MHz to 1900 MHz-based digital wireless office phone system. The companies will jointly market Roameo as part of the AT&T …

SAN DIEGO-Sprint PCS said it selected Qualcomm CDMA Technologies to provide infrastructure for trials of third-generation wireless technology based on the 3G Code Division Multiple Access 1x multicarrier mode of the IS-2000 Release 0 published standard. The technical trials, scheduled …