March 2001

HELSINKI, Finland-Nokia has been chosen by several companies to provide its third-generation network solution. Nokia said its 3G infrastructure is based on open standards, platforms and interfaces critical for evolution to commercial 3G services in a multivendor network. Nokia will …

WASHINGTON-The wireless industry last week received the strongest indication to date that securing third-generation mobile-phone spectrum will be difficult if not impossible, as an eclectic mix of military, educational, religious and fixed wireless licensees voiced serious reservations about leaving their …

Controversy is brewing in the Texas state House of Representatives over a far-reaching bill that could give individual counties the authority to regulate tower siting, even requiring those with whip antennas on their cars or a home satellite dish to …

WASHINGTON-The Bush administration last week proposed to delay key spectrum auctions and to phase out programs designed to bridge the Digital Divide, components of the president’s $1.96 trillion budget that signals the White House’s desire to improve spectrum management and …

LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz.-Amid the scorched desert ground abutting the lush greens of golf courses, the future of the wireless Internet was the topic of discussion in the small community of Litchfield Park, Ariz., where industry consultant Andrew Seybold held his …

In a marriage of convenience, carriers are signing temporary dotted lines to outsource their network management to vendors as they migrate to the next generation of wireless technology. The trend, which concedes to vendors a pivotal role in positioning carriers …

NEW YORK-Some recent developments have brightened the longer-term prospects for smart cards in North American wireless communications, although the picture gets cloudier when framed as an immediate prospect. Opportunity is knocking for expansion of their use in provisioning of telecommunications …

INDIANAPOLIS-Brightpoint Inc., a provider of outsourced services, said it completed its plan to repurchase 130,000 of its convertible, subordinated, zero-coupon bonds due 2018. As of December 31, 2000, the bonds had an accreted book value of approximately $506 per bond …

PHOENIX-Fixed-wireless service provider Kite Networks officially launched its broadband services in Phoenix last week following a four-month beta trial with businesses in Tempe and Phoenix. “We are confident we can meet the needs of our customers for fast and reliable …

In the first step of his reform of the Federal Communications Commission, Chairman Michael K. Powell last week named Mary Beth Richards as special counsel in charge of FCC reform efforts. “I am committed to making the FCC more efficient, …

WASHINGTON-Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) told state regulators last week that the answer to how to get broadband services to rural American might be wireless. “We can’t wire rural America. … We have a lot of dirt between light bulbs. We …

According to MicroOptical Corp.’s vision of the future, a person could watch a movie while on a train journey and the passenger on the next seat would not know. The key, said the company, is its set of products called …

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia-The St.Petersburg-based RadioTel carrier concluded an agreement with the Russian Transport Ministry regarding the construction of the first Trans European Trunked Radio (TETRA) network along the Moscow-St. Petersburg-Vyborg-Finnish border highway. TETRA was designed by the European Telecommunication Standards …

Practically everything you ever wanted to know about a specific stock is now accessible through a Palm, Research in Motion Inc. Blackberry or Microsoft Corp. Pocket PC handheld device courtesy of iphrase Technologies Inc.’s One Step Research for Wireless software. …

NEW YORK-With its announcement March 5 of commercial product availability, RadioFrame Networks Inc. officially threw its hat into the ring of players competing to improve indoor coverage, an important step toward landline replacement. In late 1999, Rob Mechaley founded the …

MOSCOW-The Russian Agency for Radio Frequencies (GKRCh) decided to allow the creation of 3G trial zones in Moscow and St. Petersburg. GKRCh passed the decision after the Russian 3G Association submitted its research on 3G trial network creation. The applications …

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. says it has resolved the class-action lawsuit filed against it by former employees, and $11 million will be distributed to all the 800 employees involved. Qualcomm will not allocate the money, which excludes attorneys’ fees and costs, …

AT&T Wireless Group jumped into the very active debt capital market last week selling off $6.5 billion worth of senior unsecured notes, the largest private bond sale ever by a U.S. company. The bond sale followed Qwest Communications International Inc., …

The results of a wireless advertising study released today show consumers are extremely open to receiving advertisements on their wireless devices, and that wireless marketing may be so effective it will drive the adoption of mobile commerce and the usage …

NEW DELHI, India-HFCL, a leading Indian telecom equipment manufacturer, has bagged a contract in Nepal to supply 5000 wireless local loop (WLL) lines. The contract, part of a World Bank-aided project in the Himalayan kingdom, is said to be worth …

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.-The Westchester County Legislature voted unanimously last Monday to prohibit drivers from talking on handheld cellular phones. The measure authorizes fines of up to $150 for an offense in the county unless the driver is using a hands-free …

If professionals need to be productive on the go, vVault thinks it has a platform on which they can walk. A mobile productivity applications provider, the company sets out to provide a technology platform to power network operators, ISPs, telecom …

WASHINGTON-BellSouth Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Duane Ackerman told reporters at the Precursor Group annual conference that the country’s third-largest local telephone company had no plans to cut its work force, in light of recent cuts made by telecom …

WASHINGTON-The Cellular Tele-communication & Internet Association launched its new Wireless Internet Caucus (WIC), a forum addressing development of the wireless Internet. An inaugural meeting of WIC will take place in Las Vegas Monday, March 19, just before CTIA’s WIRELESS 2001 …

SAN DIEGO-Wireless Facilities Inc., a provider of wireless telecommunications systems, said it received notice of contract suspension and termination from Metricom Inc. with regard to remaining RF engineering and deployment services for Metricom’s data network build-out. Wireless Facilities expects the …