Qualcomm Inc. signed a royalty bearing license agreement giving Kokusai Electric Co. Ltd. of Japan a patent and technical license to manufacture and sell Code Division Multiple Access subscriber equipment. “Kokusai will help meet the demand for CDMA products that will result from Japan’s adoption of CDMA as the next generation of digital wireless communications technology,” said Steve Altman, senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm’s Technology Transfer Division. Based in Tokyo, Kokusai Electric manufactures and markets mobile and wireless communications equipment and semiconductor-related products including memory chips and electronic components.
Telenor Mobil, a subsidiary of Norway’s Telenor AS, selected Siebel Systems Inc.’s sales product to manage the sales activities of its distribution and dealer network following deregulation in Europe. Siebel Sales Enterprise also will provide lead handling and tracking, the company said. “This not only includes new leads, but cross-selling opportunities from existing customers,” said Ase Schiefloe, project director at Telenor. “The Siebel Sales Enterprise will enable us to make sure we follow up on every lead and successfully penetrate emerging geographies.”
Asia is one of the largest potential markets for wireless local loop technology, according to a report published by International Technology Consultants. However, WLL network operators will have to reach an enormous number of households to justify the cost of the network, the report concluded. The study, Wireless Local Loop: Prospects for Profits, said one in three Asian households could afford $150 for WLL service per year, but only one in 10 could afford $1,000 per year. In Latin America, half of the households could afford $150 per year, while a third could afford $1,000 per year for WLL service, said ITC.
L.M. Ericsson signed an agreement to expand the Global System for Mobile communications network of Liaoning Mobile Co. in the Liaoning province of China. Ericsson values the contract at $51 million. The expansion, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, will increase network capacity to 1 million subscribers.
Lucent Technologies Inc. signed contracts to supply Digital Cellular System 1800 infrastructure equipment to KG Telecom and Tuntex Telecom, two of Taiwan’s six licensed wireless operators. Lucent values the agreements at $140 million. According to the agreements, Lucent will supply its 5ESS-200 mobile switching center for personal communications services, its BTS-2000/2C base transceiver station and the BCF-2000 base station controller. The projects are scheduled to be completed within two years. The first phase includes installing more than 400 base stations and four mobile switching centers.
