1999

While most of the recent attention surrounding specialized mobile radio services has circulated around enhanced SMR provider Nextel Communications Inc., some smaller dispatch providers have been quietly finding creative ways …

ARLINGTON, Va.-U.S. factory sales of telecommunications products in the first half of the year rose to nearly $41.6 billion, an 18-percent increase from last year’s first-half sales of $35.2 billion, …

PITTSBURGH-Schlumberger Resource Management Services Inc. won a contract to supply an advanced meter reading solution to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. The product will provide fixed-network automated meter reading …

JACKSON, Miss.-SkyTel Communications Inc. introduced a unified messaging service, called SkyTel Message Center, which notifies users on their two-way pagers when they receive voice mail, e-mail or faxes at their …

KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Sprint Corp. last week announced it created a new organization that will be responsible for building a broadband fixed wireless network in markets where Sprint has acquired licenses. …

The economy is rolling along, wireless subscriber additions are climbing and merger and acquisition activity is heating up. This is good news for the personal communications services industry, which last …

WASHINGTON-Whether the spectrum cap should stay or go-one issue that distinguishes incumbent cellular operators and upstart personal communications services operators-“will hopefully” be decided by the Federal Communications Commission at its …

Sprint PCS’s awaited introduction of nationwide commercial Internet-access services will begin in late September, announced the company. Targeting business users and a wide range of consumer customers that are heavy …

NEW YORK-Sun Microsystems Inc. and Frontier Communications, a unit of Frontier Corp., announced they have joined forces to provide “sophisticated, outsourced [Internet Protocol] messaging software for carrier class, hosted e-mail …

NEW YORK-In a war of words following delivery of a judicial verdict, both sides claimed victory last week after the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled …

NEW YORK-Citigroup and Sonera Ltd. announced last week they are taking an undisclosed ownership stake in 724 Solutions, a Canadian software company that is hardly a household name but could …

CAMBRIDGE, England-Element 14, a U.K. developer of digital signal processor chips, said it has raised $13 million in first-round financing led by Atlas Venture. “Element 14’s management has brought together …

WASHINGTON-One of the core goals of the Federal Communications Commission in the 21st century is to effectively manage radio-frequency spectrum, the FCC said last week in a draft strategic report …

News that Nextel Communications Inc. received government approval to pursue 95 personal communications services licenses held by bankrupt designated entity NextWave Telecom Inc. dumbfounded and angered several large carriers last …

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. announced its participation in high-speed packet data trials on Korea Telecom Freetel’s Interim Standard-95B Code Division Multiple Access technology network. Qualcomm’s MSM3000-based CDMA handsets will transfer data …

WETHERSFIELD, Conn.-Shared Technologies Cellular Inc. announced its shares began trading Aug. 10 on the Nasdaq National Market. The company’s shares previously traded on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market. STC said its …

HELSINKI-Finnish telecommunications operator Sonera posted profits before taxes and extraordinary items of $238.9 million (EUR224 million), a 19-percent increase over the same period in 1998. Its earnings per share were …

Spotcast Communications Inc., Silver Spring, Md., is billing itself as the world’s first provider of localized, advertisement-sponsored mobile communications. The company recently completed a beta test with its first carrier …

MEXICO CITY-Telefonos de Mexico reported significant subscriber gains in its second-quarter earnings results. The company said the subscriber base for cellular subsidiary Telcel had increased to 3.25 million, up 113.3 …

STOCKHOLM-Ericsson Inc. said Turkish telecommunications operator Turkcell signed an agreement for Ericsson’s WISE high-speed Internet solution, a five-component system designed to provide fast connections from a Global System for Mobile …

The U.K. government is determined to keep its third-generation licensing time frame despite a ruling from a London High Court judge, who said the government could not force existing wireless …

LONDON-Virgin Group and Britain’s One2One reportedly have confirmed plans to form a joint venture to sell Virgin-branded cellular phones, according to a Reuters report. The companies said the 50/50 venture …

SAN DIEGO-Wireless Knowledge L.L.C. and Razorfish Inc. have joined joined the Wireless Application Protocol Forum. Wireless Knowledge said it also intends to support all existing and future computing and Internet-based …

ATLANTA-Alltel Corp. said it implemented its electronic bill presentment and payment application with Frontier Cellular of Rochester, N.Y. The system allows Frontier Cellular customers to view and analyze their wireless …