1999

Dear Editor: What planet is Morgan O’Brien from? One can assume from Mr. O’Brien’s comments made to the Radio Club of America about Nextel’s virtues that he is either one-brain dead and delusional, two-a liar, or three-from another planet or …

NEW YORK-Stratos Global Corp., Toronto, has begun obtaining presale purchase agreements from customers for its new Inmarsat-M4 service, which will provide Integrated Services Digital Network communications by satellite. Stratos said M4 will fill a gap in existing Inmarsat services, whose …

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 …

IRVINE, Calif.-Go2 Systems Inc. has created 300 individual Web sites that allow portable communications devices to access more than 11 million Yellow Page records, one topic and one neighborhood at a time, the company announced. Go2 is the product name …

LOUISVILLE, Colo.-AirCell Inc. said it signed a contract with Cellular One of Northeast Arizona to provide air-to-ground communications to its aviation customers in the Four Corners region and the White Mountains of Arizona. “Cellular One of Northeast Arizona is pleased …

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. said it reached an agreement with the world’s largest chip maker, Intel Corp., to continue licensing Code Division Multiple Access technology to DSP Communications Inc., which Intel agreed to purchase in October. Qualcomm granted DSPC a cross …

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.-Siemens AG and Phone.com Inc. announced that Spain’s Airtel Movil selected Siemens to provide a commercial Wireless Application Protocol platform for wireless Internet-based services. Airtel, the second-largest wireless operator in Spain, plans to begin providing wireless Internet services …

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 …

FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani said last week that she will remain at the Federal Communications Commission rather than run for Congress. “I viewed the U.S. Congress as an opportunity to serve the people of New Mexico every day. However, the …

Sprint PCS signed a seven-year master service agreement with Ericsson Inc. for Code Division Multiple Access equipment, though the nationwide carrier has not committed to buying any infrastructure from the vendor. “We have not committed to buying any equipment,” said …

WASHINGTON-Gregory Rohde, President Clinton’s new telecom adviser, last week said the top international telecom issue next year will be finding more spectrum for third-generation mobile telephone systems. “This is going to be the big issue next spring-probably the biggest international …

Adicom Wireless Inc., a Silicon Valley-based provider of wireless access equipment, plans to enter the U.S. market in the beginning of the new year, according to company President and CEO Adel Ghanem. The vendor already is scheduled to begin voice …

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners has asked to join an appeals case arguing that rules on how telecom carriers use information about their customers be reinstated. The Federal Communications Commission last month asked for a review of an …

HOUSTON-Crown Castle International Corp. announced it is soliciting consents from the holders of its 10.63-percent senior discount notes due 2007 and its 12.75-percent senior exchangeable preferred stock due 2010 to certain amendments to the instruments governing these securities to conform …

MURRAY HILL, N.J.-Lucent Technologies Inc. has taken a page from Ericsson Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc., each of which now dominate in certain areas of telecommunications infrastructure provision, said Richard A. McGinn, Lucent’s chairman and chief executive officer. “In the …

PARSIPPANY, N.J.-Aquis Communications Group Inc. announced John Adiletta, founder and president, has left the company. A special committee of Aquis’ board of directors consisting of Chairman Patrick Egan, Michael Salerno and John Frieling will oversee management until a new president …

Arch Communications Group Inc. said it will offer weather updates to paging customers through a strategic marketing relationship with The Weather Channel’s weather.com Internet site. The weather.com site offers a Wireless Weather service to customers using a text-enabled messaging device. …

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-Furthering its goal of becoming a complete communications provider, Metrocall Inc. announced an alliance with Covad Communications as the first step in providing high-speed Internet services through the newly formed Metrocall.net division. Through Covad, Metrocall will provide digital line …

WASHINGTON-MCI WorldCom Inc. and Sprint Corp. jointly filed with the Federal Communications Commission an application for approval of their merger. MCI WorldCom and Sprint announced their agreement to merge last month. The application includes a brief and several affidavits by …

VIENNA, Austria-The first mobile data transfer trials over General Packet Radio Service in Austria have been completed by Motorola Inc.’s Network Solutions Sector and Mobilkom, Austria’s largest mobile communications network operator, Motorola said. “The introduction of GPRS will allow mobile …

WASHINGTON-Nextel Communications Inc. late last month quietly settled a lawsuit with Charles Dascal, an ex-Miami dispatch operator who claimed Nextel Vice Chairman Morgan O’Brien stole his idea for a nationwide wireless system when O’Brien represented him as a communications lawyer …

WASHINGTON-In the continuing saga that is the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, telecom and privacy groups have appealed the technical standards the Federal Communications Commission set out in August claiming the rules are “contrary to law.” The Cellular Telecommunications …

LONDON-Vodafone AirTouch plc is pushing forward with details to secure its takeover efforts of Mannesmann AG, while Mannesmann is making its own preparations to ward off the bid. Vodafone launched a $128 billion hostile takeover bid-the largest takeover bid in …

Research In Motion Ltd. announced Dell Computer Corp. will begin reselling its BlackBerry wireless e-mail solution at the end of the month. BlackBerry allows users to remotely send and receive e-mail from the Inter@ctive Pager wireless device. Dell integrates and …

WASHINGTON-In a stunning turnabout, a federal appeals court in New York last week sided with the Federal Communications Commission and reversed a lower court ruling that had approved a bankruptcy judge’s decision to lower NextWave Telecom Inc.’s payment for personal …