2001

Wireless and politics Dear Editor: Correct me if I am wrong, but is your publication a trade tabloid directed to the needs of those involved in the wireless communications business? If so, why is it being used as a political …

VANCOUVER, Canada-The consequences of Metricom Inc.’s bankruptcy continue to ripple through the wireless industry, most recently forcing a serious drop in revenues for wireless modem maker Sierra Wireless Inc. The company announced its second-quarter results, ended June 30, showing revenues …

PARIS-Alcatel SA said it plans to cut 300 more jobs in the United Kingdom to allow it to concentrate on profitable areas. “These initiatives are designed to deliver immediate cost efficiencies in Alcatel’s U.K. business and better focus the business …

Amid mounting layoffs and company bankruptcies across the entire telecommunications sector, a little start-up out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, is making its debut, hoping to capitalize on the growing voice-enabled applications market. OkamLogic Inc. is beta testing its Wireless Voice …

HONG KONG-Hong Kong’s Office of the Telecommunications Authority released an information memorandum regarding its upcoming third-generation licensing and invited applications for the licenses. The memorandum sets the reserve price for the first phase auction at 5 percent of network turnover, …

SANTA CLARA, Calif.-The slump in the chip business was reflected in Intel Corp.’s second-quarter report as both sales and earnings dropped and little expected to cheer in the company’s anticipated third quarter results. Sales in the second quarter fell 24 …

Add Mitch Daniels to the highest office in the land, President of the United States by Committee. Daniels, director of the Office of Management and Budget, joins Vice President Cheney, senior adviser Karl Rove and a handful of others in …

As a counterfoil to a slackening economy, chip makers are striking up alliances, shrinking their product sizes and paring down prices to differentiate themselves in the face of layoffs, reduced spending and plant shutdowns. Some of the alliances are between …

The headline on the wireless emergency alert story in the July 16 issue of RCR Wireless News on page 3 was incorrect. Cingular Wireless phones were used in the July 11 test in Austin, Texas, but the carrier has not …

WASHINGTON-Lawyers representing scores of brain-cancer patients are considering filing a nationwide class-action lawsuit against the mobile-phone industry and a public-interest lawsuit against several federal agencies later this year, a potentially monumental and unprecedented legal move that could prove devastating to …

SAN MATEO, Calif.-Wireless software companies AvantGo Inc. and Handango announced a partnership to sell a range of applications over the wired Internet. Thousands of handheld applications are available on the Web site, ranging from productivity to entertainment to travel software.

WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association announced the keynote speakers for the opening day of its Wireless I.T. & Internet 2001 show, to take place in San Diego in September. Jacob Christfort, Oracle’s chief technology officer and vice president …

Even with more than 100 million customers across numerous carriers and a handful of technology choices, wireless subscribers in the United States hold and complete a conversation of acceptable audio quality more than 95 percent of the time, according to …

WASHINGTON-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last week told lawmakers no decision has been reached on future military spectrum requirements, a response starkly at odds with top brass and one that comes as Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) moves closer to introducing legislation …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Yahoo! Inc. released a new phone service the company said will allow users to call a toll-free number to access their e-mail and voicemail messages. Users will also be able to set up voicemail alerts and receive notifications by …

Vodafone to delay 3G plans due to handset shortage Vodafone Group plc said it might delay the launch of its third-generation network until 2003 due to a shortage of handsets. Vodafone confirmed its was cutting back the deployment of 3G …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Netro Corp. reported revenues for the second quarter ended June 30 of $2.1 million, drastically less than the $15.5 million reported for second-quarter 2000. The company had a net loss of $29.8 million, or 57 cents per share, …

Motient Corp. posted another slow quarter last week, showing total revenue of $23.7 million on a net loss of $65.5 million, and warned that the current economic slowdown has begun to affect the company’s subscriber totals and could continue to …

While Japan’s largest wireless operator, NTT DoCoMo Inc., continues to trial its 3G network in select portions of Tokyo, speculation continues to circulate that the planned October launch of commercial services, already pushed back from May, may not be met. …

WASHINGTON-The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association again last week pressured the public-safety community to make firm commitments as to the deployment of enhanced 911 service. With a looming Oct. 1 deadline that requires wireless carriers to be prepared to implement …

Popularity is not without problems. Approximately 3.5 million of the cellular phones manufactured every year end up in landfills across the country, according to industry estimates. The Environmental Protection Agency believes that only a federal law will stop cell-phone users …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-No. 2 personal digital assistant maker Handspring Inc. reported fourth quarter earnings in line with company expectations but severely impacted by the slow economy, inventory problems and pricing wars. Handspring also announced it would cut 9 percent of …

WASHINGTON-Three wireless carriers-all of which won licenses in the PCS re-auction-petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to re-evaluate the ownership structure of bankrupt NextWave Telecom Inc. “This investigation should include an inquiry as to whether the company, based on the totality …

While lawyers have spent the past four years wrangling over the fate of Nextwave Telecom Inc.’s 93 C- and F-block licenses, the wanna-be telecom company has been moving ahead with its plans to build out and launch its network. With …

“Yo, Dog, two-way me.” It’s quickly becoming the hip new thing in hip-hop, and it’s also quickly becoming a major market segment in two-way messaging sales for WebLink Wireless Inc. Eighteen-to-24 year-old black men-what WebLink calls the “urban” crowd-make up …