2003

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency plan to create a tower location database though a memorandum of understanding that requires them to exchange unclassified database information on tower locations on a quarterly basis. The FCC …

WASHINGTON-The Telecommunications Industry Association voiced support Wednesday for new legislation to foster funding of high-speed Internet access for distance learning, telemedicine and other programs in rural America. The Rural Renaissance Act is sponsored by Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.). “This legislation …

HONG KONG-Hutchison 3G HK Ltd. and Nokia have been working together to deploy the core network equipment for Hutchison’s 3G W-CDMA network in Hong Kong. Nokia said it is supplying equipment for both the circuit and packet core networks as …

SANTA CLARA, Calif.-Intel Corp. said it has introduced its wireless local area network chipset, which adds higher-speed 802.11a capability to its Centrino mobile technology for notebooks. The product combines a and b capabilities to the technology. “The addition of 802.11a …

DALLAS-In what both companies see as a signal of future collaboration, Sun Microsystems Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc. are working together to deliver optimized end-to-end wireless solutions for 2.5- and third-generation networks. In the deal, TI licensed Sun’s Connected Limited …

WASHINGTON-Five national mobile-phone carriers want California state regulators to adopt a plan to resolve the critical shortage of telephone numbers in the state’s 909 area code. Cingular Wireless L.L.C, Nextel Communications Inc., T-Mobile USA, Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless told …

VERNON HILLS, Ill.-Telular Corp. has released its Phonecell SX4T CDMA2000 1X fixed cellular terminal. The new product launch follows the introduction of its Phonecell SX4P CDMA2000 1X fixed cellular phone, which began shipping in August. By plugging standard telephones, faxes …

BOSTON-American Tower Corp. reported strong third-quarter results, including increased revenues and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and decreased net losses. Total operating revenues were $186.9 million, up from $174.9 million in the third quarter of 2002, and net …

The optimistic beat goes on for wireless infrastructure vendors as Alcatel Corp. and L.M. Ericsson both reported profits and significant drops in losses for the third quarter respectively. Alcatel said it slashed its net loss to $332 million from $1.57 …

A new report shows the mobile-phone industry could hit almost 500 million shipments this year, a number driven by demand in emerging markets in Asia and Latin America and sales of color- and camera-enabled devices. “We see positive signs from …

WASHINGTON-It ain’t over ’til it’s over, and state regulators are not giving up until they are sure the wireless industry cannot succeed in delaying the Nov. 24 mandate to implement local number portability. “The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners …

WASHINGTON-The State Department’s top telecom official Wednesday said decisions have yet to be made on who will lead the U.S. delegation and represent the Bush administration at December’s World Summit on Information Society in Geneva. Ambassador David Gross, deputy assistant …

WASHINGTON-With just over three weeks before the scheduled implementation of wireless local number portability, the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association released a number of consumer tips that it said would help smooth the porting process. The recommendations include not canceling …

TOKYO-Japanese operators NTT DoCoMo Inc. and KDDI Corp. posted first-half results, with both operators achieving strong results boosted by third-generation services. NTT DoCoMo posted an operating profit of $5.5 billion in the first half of its fiscal year, although its …

LUBBOCK, Texas-Sprint PCS affiliate Alamosa Holdings Inc. extended the expiration date of its offers for its public debt from Oct. 29 until Nov. 4. Alamosa reported that as of Oct. 29 it had received approximately $221 million in principal amount …

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.-South Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom announced it will offer over-the-air software upgrades to its customers through a new deal with OTA technology company Bitfone Corp. SK Telecom said it will use Bitfone’s mProve product to remotely update …

WASHINGTON-A federal appeals court has rejected a mobile-phone industry request to consolidate challenges to Federal Communications Commission decisions regarding awarding licenses to mobile satellite service applicants and allowing them to use satellite frequencies for land-based communications that could compete with …

WASHINGTON-An aide to California Public Utilities Commissioner Susan Kennedy said the regulator will offer an alternative bill of rights for telecom consumers that likely will exempt state mobile-phone carriers from new rules, raising the stakes in a controversy with national …

LOS ANGELES-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. reported less than 1 percent of its cell sites in the San Diego and Los Angeles areas are currently being impacted by the region’s wildfires, and service restoration efforts have brought almost 80 percent of impacted …

Crown Castle International Corp. reported a slight year-over-year increase in total revenues during the third quarter from $227.4 million last year to $235.6 million in total revenues during the third quarter of 2003. The increase included a dramatic drop in …

Telefonica Moviles Espana launched a pre-commercial UMTS service in Spain for its corporate customers. The carrier will distribute UMTS PCMCIA cards to its enterprise clients, enabling them to access all UMTS Oficina MoviStar data services from laptops at speeds of …

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif.-SurfControl announced Project Nomad, a pilot program that will allow SurfControl’s enterprise customers to field test the company’s new Follow Me Filtering technology for wireless Web access. “For the first time, businesses will have the ability to filter …

BOSIE, Idaho-Public broadband service provider Wayport Inc. launched Wi-Fi service in a dozen McDonald’s restaurants in the Boise, Idaho, area, providing customers with high-speed wireless Internet access. The launch is one of six U.S. Wi-Fi tests McDonald’s is conducting this …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-AirMagnet Inc. unveiled a wireless local area network product for security and performance management in laptops and handheld devices. The product is known as Mobile 3.0. The company said the product adds 22 new features, which includes support for …

HELSINKI, Finland-Nokia Corp, through its local reseller, will supply a GSM/EDGE W-CDMA network for MTC-Vodafone in Bahrain. In addition, MTC Vodafone recently conducted the first EDGE call in the Middle East, Nokia said. Under the agreement, Future Communications Co. will …