May 2002

DUBLIN, Ireland—The imminent launch of the XDA, an O2-branded mobile device manufactured specifically for that operator, is clear evidence that European operators are demanding more input into handset development. However, …

NEW YORK—A new alliance with Korea Digital Satellite Broadcasting is part of an overall plan for LG Telecom to compete successfully with South Korea’s two larger wireless operators, said Yong …

MANKATO, Minn.—Rural telecommunications provider HickoryTech Corp. appointed John Duffy to succeed Robert Alton, Jr., as president and chief executive officer of the company effective July 1. Alton announced his retirement …

WASHINGTON—The Bush administration and Japan made little progress last week in talks on interconnection fees charged by NTT DoCoMo, putting on hold a relatively minor dispute with potentially enormous trade …

TOKYO—NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it will begin selling its PDC-based mova SO504i handset next week that is compatible with the carrier’s enhanced i-mode service offering packet data transmission speeds of …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.—Verizon Wireless installed a number of new cell sites to enhance network quality in parts of Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. The Illinois upgrades involved the installation of two cell …

DUBLIN, Ireland—Ireland’s telecom regulator ODTR said it is introducing new licensing regimes for fixed wireless access (FWA). The regulators plans to provide a system for local and regional licensing in …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Swefour AB was awarded the fourth GSM license in Sweden by the Swedish National Post and Telecom Agency. Swefour plans to set up a network and offer capacity to …

WASHINGTON—The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association last month urged Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, to include the Rural Electromagnetic Spectrum Act in spectrum management legislation he …

NEW YORK—Moody’s Investor Services cut its long-term credit rating for Qwest Communications International Inc. citing concerns about the telecommunications company’s liquidity position, cash drain at its long-distance operating subsidiary, slowing …

SEOUL, Korea—Pacific CSI, a Korean wireless Internet service provider, and Solectek announced a partnership to create a wireless Internet service in downtown Seoul. The partnership includes a US$1 million order …

OXFORD, United Kingdom—Peter Erskine, chief executive officer (CEO) of MmO2, stated that mobile data is essential to the growth of the cell-phone industry and claims that from 2005, it will …

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Harris Corp. RF Communications Division, Rochester, N.Y., has demonstrated a software-defined radio that complies with the Joint Tactical Radio System architecture, which the U.S. Department of Defense has named …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Columbitech announced that Kongsberg Finans, the financial division of Norwegian technology and defense contractor Kongsberg Group, has bought the Columbitech Wireless Suite to ensure security on its corporate IT …

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TORONTO—Wireless carriers Telus Mobility and Rogers Wireless Communications plan to charge new cell-phone users by the minute instead of by the second. This change in billing is expected to help …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—South Africa’s third mobile cellular operator Cell C has reported that it has broken through the 500,000 subscriber mark and is on track to meet its revised target …

WATERLOO, Ontario, Canada—BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) announced a partnership with Australian carrier Telstra Mobile to sell wireless e-mail and voice-capable BlackBerrys to the carrier’s corporate customers. Telstra is …

JAKARTA, Indonesia—After offering free General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) services since last November, Indonesia’s IM3 finally decided to release its GPRS price plan commencing in June. At first, IM3 decided …

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Paging and messaging carrier Metrocall Inc. said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing it dismissed its auditor, Arthur Andersen, and will replace it with Ernst & Young. The …

PARIS—Alcatel said it was awarded a contract from Kenya’s KenCell for local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) equipment. Alcatel will provide the mobile backhaul for KenCell’s GSM 900 MHz mobile network. …

NASHUA, N.H.—Octave Communications said Vodafone New Zealand is performing market and technical trials with its instant group conversation platform, Octave Improv. “Our trials indicate that there is strong demand for …

SANTA CLARA, Calif.-Just after the close of trading on Wall Street, Palm Inc. dropped its revenue expectations for the quarter by about $70 million and said it would not turn …

BALTIMORE—MDanywhere Technologies Inc., provider of health care enterprise point-of-care solutions, was recently recognized for two of its IT solutions at this year’s TEPR (Toward an Electronic Patient Record) Annual World …

MANILA, The Philippines—Smart Communications, considered the Philippines’ leading mobile-phone service provider, plans to go public next year and list one-third of its outstanding shares in the local stock exchange. A …