Sprint and WorldCom defended their proposed $115B merger to the European Commission, and Palm targets enterprise with HotSync Server … 16 years ago this week
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!
WorldCom, Sprint defend merger to EC
WorldCom Inc. and Sprint Corp. lawyers were in Brussels, Belgium, last week defending their proposed $115 billion merger to the European Commission. The EC issued a statement of objections to the merger late last month. A decision is expected by July 12, said Sprint spokesman Mark Bonavia. The commission in February extended its investigation of the deal by an additional four months because of potential problems. The EC primarily is concerned the combined entity would control too much access to the Internet. WorldCom and Sprint last fall agreed to merge in a deal that will combine the second- and third-largest U.S. long-distance carriers and give WorldCom a much-needed nationwide wireless presence. … Read More
Palm builds offerings to attack enterprise market
In an effort to encourage businesses to use palmtop personal computers as mobile access tools to enterprise systems, Palm Inc. released its HotSync Server and Microsoft Exchange Conduit solution. The company said the products will allow large businesses to incorporate handheld computers into their mainstream information management systems. The HotSync Server is based on the ScoutWare technology from Aether Systems Inc.’s Aether Software division. The Microsoft Exchange Conduit solution was developed by Chapura Inc. and provides integration of Microsoft’s Exchange e-mail and calendar functions with the date-book and mail applications of handheld computers running the Palm operating system. … Read More
New FCC rules could cost wireless carriers
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission last week rejected the notion that new rules designed to reduce the amount consumers pay for long-distance service transfers a portion of the obligation for universal service to wireless carriers. “I do not necessarily accept your premise that wireless carriers will have to pay more. What we have done is we have taken some of the universal-service funding and made it explicit. That doesn’t mean that wireless carriers will have to pay more,” said FCC Chairman William Kennard. This was disputed by another commissioner, who said wireless carriers would end up paying for a subsidy that they cannot obtain. … Read More
FCC opens re-auction to big firms
The Federal Communications Commission will delay the re-auction of C-and F-block licenses to give the wireless industry time to digest rules that allow large carriers to bid, said Ari Fitzgerald, legal adviser to FCC Chairman William Kennard. The FCC said it has tentatively concluded it is in the public interest to allow large companies to bid for the personal communications services licenses, most of which once belonged to bankrupt NextWave Telecom Inc. … Read More
U.S. triumphs at WRC-2000
When fanfare over the American delegation’s victory in securing global frequency bands for third-generation mobile-phone service subsides, the United States and the wireless industry will face implementation challenges at home even greater than the fierce spectrum battles at the now-completed World Radiocommunication Conference. If U.S. mobile-phone firms are to ever see the new 3G spectrum, telecom policy-makers will have to overcome technical, political, national security and economic challenges that lie ahead. It won’t be easy, or cheap. Indeed, there is no guarantee mobile-phone carriers will even get access to two of the three new 3G bands. … Read More
Telecom/wireless venture capital breaking records
Venture capital investments in American telecom/wireless companies during the first quarter reached $4.3 billion, an amount equal to the total raised in all industries during the same period a year ago, according to the latest PricewaterhouseCoopers MoneyTree Survey. Across the board, venture-backed investments hit $17.22 billion, breaking the previous record of $14.68 billion set during the last quarter of 1999. This comprised a 400-percent increase from the first three months of last year, whereas the telecom/wireless sector’s total represented a 480-percent increase. … Read More
China Unicom confusion continues
The wireless industry shouldn’t be surprised about the confusion surrounding China Unicom’s cdmaOne technology deployment plans in China. After all, the prospect of widespread cdmaOne technology deployments have been uncertain for at least two years, resulting in a continuing political saga. One thing is for sure: The longer cdmaOne deployments are delayed, the stronger a foothold Global System for Mobile communications technology gains. “The longer the issue takes to be resolved, the more dominant GSM becomes and less of a case can be made for any 800 MHz frequency deployments (of cdmaOne technology),” said Herschel Shosteck, chief executive officer and president of Herschel Shosteck Associates Ltd. … Read More
Lucent premieres next-generation DSPs
Lucent Technologies Inc.’s Microelectronics Group plans to unveil today a digital signal processor system-on-a-chip family for next-generation wireless and Internet networks that provides significant channel density improvements. The product family, called StarPro, is based on the StarCore SC140 DSP core architecture developed jointly by Lucent and Motorola Inc. Lucent said the StarPro product family offers more than four times today’s typical voice and data channels per chip for wireless switches, voice over Internet Protocol gateways and remote access servers. The SC140 can process up to 64 wideband Code Division Multiple Access base station voice or data channels, speech coding and echo cancellation of 64 wireless voice channels or V.90 data channels, said the company. … Read More
Certicom product extends VPN to wireless devices
Certicom, an encryption technology company specializing in solutions for the mobile computing and wireless data markets, has introduced a virtual private network software solution for handheld mobile devices. The Certicom VPN solution is interoperable with a range of VPN systems, allowing organizations to incorporate mobile and wireless devices into their corporate VPNs, Certicom said. “A remote worker will use a VPN client to access their corporate network. It’s a very security protocol-intensive application … it allows you to get through the corporate firewall,” said Jennifer Vancini, director of strategic marketing for Certicom. … Read More
Vendors focus on wireless Internet
Wireless infrastructure vendors made their wireless Internet plans a major priority at SuperComm here last week, introducing network solutions portfolios that, while different in makeup, have the same goal-to help wireless carriers avoid commoditization when converging with the Internet. Lucent Technologies Inc. and L.M. Ericsson made major wireless Internet announcements at the show. Lucent unleashed a global network solution suite for the mobile Internet, made up of a new router designed by Bell Labs, Internet Protocol server technology from Sun Microsystems and a base station platform optimized for all major third-generation standards. … Read More
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