Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Sprint encouraged by wireless data growth
Sprint PCS gave analysts some guidance on how much wireless data contributed to its overall second-quarter financial results, which improved significantly from the first three months of the year. Customers on data plans generate higher minutes of use than Sprint PCS’ average customer, which helped drive average minutes of use to 400 minutes per month, Ronald LeMay, the carrier’s new president, told analysts during the company’s quarterly conference call. Sprint PCS launched its Wireless Web offering nationwide nearly one year ago. … Read More
Tower construction enjoys growth spurt
Wireless carriers spend billions of dollars on spectrum to support the latest high-speed wireless applications that are designed to change the way the world communicates. Knowing they can’t provide that potential to end users without the proper infrastructure, companies are also spending a little extra on the towers needed to support that spectrum. Riding the wave of the booming wireless market, tower construction companies are scrambling to meet the demand of existing wireless services. At the same time they are planning for the coming deployment of third-generation and data services. … Read More
Standards group to include GSM work
The Third Generation Partnership Project, a standards body initially established by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to work on W-CDMA technology, last week agreed to include standards work on GSM technology as well. The organizational partners, which consist of standards-development bodies from the United States, China, Europe, Japan and Korea, agreed to create a new Technical Specification Group to accommodate the additional work. ETSI has now transferred work on GSM technology to 3GPP. … Read More
Nextel open to future partnerships
Nextel Communications Inc. added more than 677,000 new proportionate subscribers during the second quarter, giving the company approximately 6.2 million global subscribers, the company said. The company’s growing subscriber base is a reflection of industrywide growth and demand. As such, Nextel President and Chief Executive Officer Tim Donahue said the company is considering future partnership opportunities. Nextel unsuccessfully tried to merge with WorldCom Inc. last year. … Read More
AT&T, BT prepare to roll out WorldConnect
AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and BT Wireless announced the first phase of their strategic alliance designed to create seamless mobile communications services worldwide for global travelers and multinational companies. The carriers nine months ago announced the alliance called Advance, which complements the companies’ cooperation in the Internet and landline international markets. The two wireless companies aim to grow roaming revenues by directing as much traffic as possible onto their networks around the world, develop more simple roaming packages to stimulate usage and negotiate with other operators on the basis of pooled roaming volumes. … Read More
Wireless the wild card in M&As
Let the bidding frenzy begin. Possibilities are blowing open now that Sprint Corp. and WorldCom Inc. ended their $115 billion merger plans and reports of suitors for VoiceStream Wireless Corp. circulated last week. Germany’s Deutsche Telekom AG and a partnership of Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo and Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. are said to be making separate bids for VoiceStream Wireless Corp. But a new wild card-national security concerns-suddenly casts a cloud over possible telecom takeovers by overseas firms, particularly those indirectly owned by foreign governments. Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.), ranking minority member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and other lawmakers are stepping up pressure-through legislation and brow-beating letters to federal regulators-to block purchases of U.S. telecom carriers by foreign-government-owned telecom firms. … Read More
AT&T extends Project Angel internationally
AT&T Wireless Group is collaborating with Motorola Inc. to supply equipment for AT&T Wireless’ “Project Angel” fixed wireless broadband technology abroad. Under terms of the agreement, AT&T Wireless said it will provide Motorola with a temporary license for a year to supply equipment to local service providers outside the United States. “They (Motorola) will be manufacturing everything that’s required for a network,” said Ken Woo, spokesman for AT&T Wireless. “Our intent is to do like an `Intel Inside’ operation with them. They will manufacture and sell it … but it will be AT&T Wireless Broadband in the box.” … Read More
Tower company builds business by filling in the gaps
As the bigger tower companies gobble up tower sites across the country, TrinTel Communications Inc. is building its business on filling in the gaps and constructing new sites to lease back or sell to carriers. Founded in July 1998, TrinTel is comprised of three subsidiaries, including SDS Wireless Inc., which delivers site acquisition, entitlement and construction management services; Trinity Wireless Services Inc., which offers site construction and maintenance; and Trinity Wireless Towers Inc., a build-to-suit tower ownership and management services company. TrinTel’s niche markets are in the Midwest, Texas, Louisiana and the Pacific Northwest, said John W. Day, chairman and chief executive officer of TrinTel. … Read More
Court refuses to stay re-auction, sends appeal to FCC
A federal appeals court last month refused to stay the scheduled re-auction of bankrupt NextWave Telecom Inc.’s personal communications services licenses or hear an appeal on their cancellation. “A petition filed after a bureau decision but before resolution by the full Federal Communications Commission is subject to dismissal as incurably premature,” said the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. NextWave last week appealed the decision, claiming the court’s one-page order is based on an incorrect premise. … Read More
Motorola regroups around Internet
Any industry that converges with the Internet has seen its entire model be destroyed and rebuilt. Like a tidal wave, it crashes and levels the playing field. For many, this tsunami of change is a disaster, destroying those caught unprepared. But this so-called disruptive technology also serves to rise otherwise sinking ships, setting them in a new body of water in which their struggling vessels may thrive. This latter scenario has proved beneficial to the many upstarts challenging the incumbents in the wireless industry. It also has been valuable to one once-struggling stalwart of the wireless industry-Motorola Inc. Once upon a time, Motorola was on top of the world. It was the undisputed leader in wireless equipment, both infrastructure and handsets. But like Humpty Dumpty, Motorola had a big fall. It got caught unprepared for the digital phone revolution and lost much of its handset market share to rivals Nokia Corp. and L.M. Ericsson, from 51 percent in 1996, to 17 percent last year. … Read More
Check out RCR Wireless News’ Archives for more stories from the past.
