1999

GREENSBORO, N.C.-The inspections division of the Greensboro Engineering & Inspections Department and BellSouth Mobility DCS have teamed to develop Mobile Inspector, a technology that allows inspectors to work entirely in the field, BellSouth said. Mobile Inspector combines a handheld computer …

LONDON-BT Cellnet, Britain’s second-largest mobile phone operator, teamed with Freeserve, the United Kingdom’s largest Internet service provider, to develop information services for wireless Internet access. The two companies signed a strategic agreement to collaborate on developing sports, entertainment and financial …

NEW YORK-Protecting trade secrets may seem impossible in a marketplace characterized by the simultaneous increase in the amount of privileged information and the frequency of employees with access to it changing jobs. Although state statutes and the way they are …

More spectrum, better call quality and expanded coverage are the battle cries of the wireless industry as of late, and ScoreBoard Inc. in Herndon, Va., said it is offering carriers a new way to “get more bang for their buck.” …

TeleCommunications Systems Inc. launched a free wireless portal service called Data4Me, aimed directly at end users with the goal of increasing awareness of wireless e-mail services across multiple networks. The portal allows users to send and receive messages to and …

In what is perhaps the most concrete example to date of its commitment to extend Internet services to mobile devices, America Online Inc. last week acquired Tegic Communications Inc. for an undisclosed sum. AOL said it made the purchase to …

KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Sprint PCS and Motorola Inc.’s Network Solutions Sector signed an agreement to begin a third-generation trial of Code Division Multiple Access digital wireless technology in the third quarter of next year, the companies announced. The trial is meant …

SAN FRANCISCO-Telstra Corp. Ltd. and KPN of the Netherlands said they may merge their global mobile satellite businesses to form a joint venture aimed at being a major player in the global satellite industry. The companies would contribute approximately a …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Adaptive Broadband Corp. said it signed a $15 million contract to provide AB-Access broadband wireless networking equipment to United Online, a Colorado-based carrier delivering high-speed wireless Internet access to businesses. Following the deployment of AB-Access, United Online will be …

Latin America Millicom International Cellular S.A. said MIC Latin America recently commenced offering dial-up Internet and e-mail services to its mobile telephony customers in Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Paraguay. “In Colombia and Guatemala, we have already secured market …

DUBLIN, Ireland-Newtel AB, the newly formed company resulting from the merger of Telia AB of Sweden and Telenor AS of Norway, has launched a hostile bid for Ireland’s Esat Telecom, offering $1.59 billion in cash. Telenor already owns 49.5 percent …

STOCKHOLM-L.M. Ericsson announced a contract valued at about $100 million with China’s Sichuan Mobile Communications Co. to expand its Global System for Mobile communications network in the Sichuan province. Under terms of the contract, Ericsson will expand the carrier’s network …

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Supreme Court said last week a class-action securities-fraud lawsuit against battery maker Valence Technology Inc. can go forward. Shareholders became upset when Valence Technology’s stock fell after the company said it could not make batteries to Motorola Inc.’s …

PARIS-French cellular operator Cegetel will work with Nortel Networks to develop third-generation services based on the Universal Mobile Telecommunications Services standard, according to the equipment maker. The deal is subject to Cegetel’s success in obtaining a license for UMTS radio …

SpectraSite Holdings Inc. last week signed a definitive agreement to acquire property management firm Apex Site Management Inc. The stock-for-stock transaction, which is expected to close by the end of the year, is valued at $60 million. Terms of the …

WASHINGTON-The coming of the new millennium may bring with it new products using spread-spectrum technology. The Federal Communications Commission has proposed rules that would increase the width of channels used in spectrum hopping, which would allow ground-breaking applications and increased …

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.-Phone.com Inc. announced Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. has agreed to license the UP.Browser Wireless Application Protocol compatible microbrowser for its Code Division Multiple Access phones. HEI said it initially will market its WAP CDMA phones in South …

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands-KPN Telecom of the Netherlands and Telia of Sweden announced they will sell their stakes in Eircom, the Irish telecom operator that owns Eircell, Ireland’s largest wireless operator. The decision follows the European Commission’s requirement that the …

The Operators Harmonization Group began work more than a year ago as a loosely tied group of four operators trying to end the world’s heated battle over third-generation technology standards. Today this ad hoc group, which now numbers 40 operators …

WASHINGTON-On one level, the wireless campaign on Capitol Hill this year was not unlike that of Congress as a whole. In the end, when it came time for Congress to adjourn for the year, lawmakers belatedly passed a handful of …

The spirit of collaboration among leaders in the paging industry continues to grow as paging carriers and manufacturers have joined in several marketing and technological efforts designed to increase the awareness and robustness of paging technology. The Personal Communications Industry …

NEW YORK-Internet retailer barnesandnoble.com launched a wireless e-commerce initiative called bn.com On the Go, which is designed to allow customers to search for and buy its products from wireless devices. The service will allow users to find Barnes & Noble …

TORONTO-Wysdom Inc., a developer of wireless Internet applications, has received a $7 million private equity investment from The VenGrowth Investment Fund Inc., a Canadian venture capital firm. Proceeds will permit Wysdom to accelerate new product development and aggressively pursue the …

Lucent Technologies Inc. and Motorola Inc., through their StarCore Joint Design Center, announced the availability of a digital signal processor core optimized for next-generation wireless systems. Founded in 1998, the StarCore Joint Design Center is a cooperative research and development …

NEW YORK-NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc., Japan’s largest mobile carrier, said Dec. 2 it plans to buy a 19-percent interest in Hutchison Telephone Co. Ltd., Hong Kong’s biggest wireless provider, for $410 million. Under terms of the agreement, reached with …