September 2003

SYDNEY, Australia-Australian mobile operators Vodafone Australia and Telstra Wholesale announced a network partnering trial that will see the operators share mobile base station infrastructure in areas where duplicate coverage exists. If the pilot project in central regional Victoria is successful, …

Citing false and unsubstantiated advertising claims, Nextel Communications Inc. filed a lawsuit in a New York federal court against Verizon Wireless seeking unspecified damages and an injunction prohibiting Verizon Wireless’ current advertising campaign touting its recently launched Push to Talk …

ULYSSES, Kan.-Rural telecommunications provider WestLink Communications signed a deal with Nokia Corp. to replace the company’s existing GSM network with Nokia’s GSM/GPRS/EDGE core and radio access network equipment and expand WestLink’s coverage footprint by as much as 70 percent. The …

WASHINGTON-Commerce Department Deputy Secretary Samuel Bodman in June was urged by government investigators to take administrative action against then-Bush telecom advisor Nancy Victory for ethics violations connected with a 2001 party thrown for her by wireless lobbyists in advance of …

Due to increasing demand for wireless service, Verizon Communications Inc. said it expects its wireless division to add more than 4.5 million customers this year, ahead of the approximately 4 million customers the company had forecast earlier this year. The …

DALLAS-Texas Instruments Inc. said it has filed a lawsuit asking the court to order Qualcomm Inc. to abide by the terms of a cross-licensing agreement between both companies. The lawsuit filed at the Delaware Chancery Court also wants an injunction …

AUSTIN, Texas-Motorola Inc. said it updated its GSM/GPRS handset platform to include additional security and software features, moves that come as more players enter the handset platform and reference design market. Motorola said the new version of its i.250 Innovative …

NIEUWEGEIN, Netherlands-German wireline carrier International Telecom Network Operation Services (ITENOS), a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, said it will offer fixed-line multimedia messaging services through a new deal with LogicaCMG. The service will allow ITENOS customers, such as application service providers …

ATLANTA-XcelleNet Inc. has launched its XcelleNet Security Framework initiative to minimize security risks mobile sales and field service workers often face. Through the initiative, XcelleNet is offering standalone security products, as well as establishing partnerships with security vendors to create …

WASHINGTON-A top official of the Federal Communications Commission Tuesday signaled a change of heart on how the FCC will deal with public-safety interference in the 800 MHz band. “The benefits of the rebanding bottom line happen to be separating these …

Cingular Wireless L.L.C. is one step closer to completing its previously announced deal to acquire 34 PCS licenses from bankrupt license holder NextWave Telecom Inc. for $1.4 billion after NextWave reported it received no qualified competing bids as of the …

TAIPEI, Taiwan-Chip designer Nvidia Corp said it has rolled out a new suite of software tools and utilities known as ForceWare for graphics, audio, video storage and security in mobile devices. “With the introduction of ForceWare, Nvidia is expanding its …

YONKERS, New York-The Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports magazine and which has been a staunch critic of the wireless industry, has launched a Web site, EscapeCellHell.org, to increase consumer power and improve wireless services, the group said. “By fighting …

BELLEVUE, Wash.-Furthering the hype surrounding Nokia Corp.’s new mobile-phone/video game device, T-Mobile USA Inc. said it will sell the N-Gage starting Oct. 7 for $300. T-Mobile said it will sell the device with free wireless game play for 30 days …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Motorola Inc. said it is offering sensors that interoperate with the ZigBee protocol in environments as diverse as a factory floor to a game console in the family room. “Wireless sensor networks should obtain real-time data on systems or …

PARIS-Nortel Networks Ltd. has won a $200 million, 15-year GSM-Railway contract with French railway operator SNCF. The new system will handle all voice and data communications for train operations within 15,000 kilometers of track and replace the existing analog radio …

ORLANDO-The military and government sectors will likely drive the demand for satellites during the next five years, while offering a boost to the commercial satellite sector, according to a new report from Northern Sky Research. An average of 60 satellites …

NEW YORK-Bear Stearns & Co. Inc. has raised its wireless tower sector rating to “market overweight,” reflecting its confidence in the industry’s ability to continue financial deleveraging. The analyst firm specifically raised its rating on Crown Castle International Inc. to …

WASHINGTON-The Nov. 24 date is firm for wireless local number portability, and the intent is for wireless-to-wireless porting to go forth on that day, said the chief of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. “The date is firm,” said John Muleta …

The mobile commerce industry saw several new announcements and partnerships in conjunction with the Mobile Commerce World Europe 2003 event in London, but the most notable event included a teaming of perhaps the biggest names in the wireless and commerce …

SAN FRANCISCO-U.S. supplier Telespree Communications said it received a contract with Romanian CDMA 450 MHz operator Zapp to deploy Telespree’s automated activation and acquisition solution. Zapp will deploy the technology for first-time activation of new wireless devices, as well as …

WASHINGTON-The merger of the Competitive Telecommunications Association (CompTel) and the Association for Communications Enterprises (Ascent) was approved Sept. 22 by the membership of both organizations. “In addition to having many members in common, CompTel and Ascent have long shared similar …

SINGAPORE-MobileOne said it would terminate its six-year-old paging service at the end of the year. Singapore’s M1 will offer its 22,000 paging customers the option to switch to its GSM network with “attractive” handset prices and subscription plans. Customers who …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Wireless networking equipment provider Proxim Corp. has chosen Wavelink as network management partner for its ORiNOCO line of wireless local area network solutions for the enterprise. Through the partnership, Wavelink’s Mobile Manager wireless LAN management software will be used …

Intel Corp. wants the world to know that it is not about cell phones, or personal digital assistants or wireless notebooks. It is about all of them. Working its vision under what it describes as adaptive communication technologies, the chipmaker …