Reuters Group plc and Aether Systems Inc. launched their Sila Communications European wireless data joint venture, created to host, design and manage content and services for wireless customers. Headquartered in London, Sila will initially focus on financial services, providing Reuters content, Internet-based information and...
NEW YORK-Millicom International Cellular S.A. said its Argentine subsidiary launched the first phase of its service rollout in the Buenos Aires area. Millicom Argentina also will provide wireless Internet services to the country's most populated cities-Cordoba, Vendozo, Rosario and Tucuman-during 2000.The fixed wireless network...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Ericsson Inc. replaced BellSouth Mobility's existing Time Division Multiple Access infrastructure in Nashville, and Chattanooga, Tenn., and Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lafayette, La.The five markets are the first of 17 in which Ericsson will provide and install switches, base stations, software, services...
SINGAPORE-With the worst effects of the economic crisis over, telecommunications companies in countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region are likely to advance rapidly in these promising cellular markets, said research firm Frost & Sullivan.The firm's new report, "Pan-Asian Cellular Service Markets," said the region's cellular...
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-Alltel Corp. will offer customers in its Southwest region digital markets national wireless rate plans that eliminate all roaming and long-distance charges.Alltel's Total Freedom coverage area will include all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the company reported.The new plan is...
PARIS-Alcatel and Fujitsu Ltd. said they will establish a joint venture to develop and manufacture next-generation mobile communications network systems.According to Alcatel, the agreement aims to leverage the technological strengths of both companies and maximize development efficiency and economies of scale to attain a...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week officially delayed the auctions for the 700 MHz band to Sept. 6. The auctions had been originally scheduled for June.The commission plans to hold two auctions for the spectrum: one for commercial use and one for guard bands designed...
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico-Celulares Telefonica Inc., a Puerto Rican wireless carrier, implemented Amdocs' Ensemble solution for customer care and billing to support all of its cellular and paging operations.
DUBLIN, Ireland-Utility companies across Europe are entering the mobile communications business, hoping to simultaneously grab a slice of an extremely lucrative market and diversify their operations. But analysts are undecided on whether the companies have the requisite technical expertise or resources to effectively compete...
Bell Atlantic Mobile, Vodafone AirTouch plc and PrimeCo Personal Communications L.P. had a problem when they were going to merge their U.S. wireless assets into a single company. How do you combine three company names, each with strong regional appeal, into a single entity...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is becoming increasingly concerned about anecdotal stories about public-safety operations experiencing interference from commercial systems."We on a regular basis hear anecdotal stories on how radios are susceptible to interference from commercial systems and in some cases don't work at all,"...
British Telecom (BT) could challenge an Internet alliance between Vodafone AirTouch and Vivendi announced just before Vodafone AirTouch's takeover agreement with Mannesmann in February, the Financial Times reported. The deal may be incompatible with existing contracts among the involved companies. The report said the...
Throughout the world, wireless providers tend to suffer from a common myopia: Too many carriers see their customer care operations as a simple safety net for agitated customers. While this misperception currently dominates the vision of almost all wireless players, it is both wrong and...
BulgariaKPN Telecom and Greece's Ote raised their offer to US$600 million for a 51-percent stake in Bulgarian Telecommunications Co. The companies previously offered US$510 million, Reuters reported. If the purchase is successful, KPN and Ote will acquire 51 percent of Mobikom and 100 percent...
In March 1999, when Ericsson and Qualcomm ended their intellectual-property-rights deadlock over CDMA patents and jointly agreed to support approval in standards bodies of the tri-mode CDMA third-generation standard, industry observers said the technology debate, which had been contentious and heated for years, was...
DUBLIN, Ireland-After decades of tight state control, Eastern European telecommunications markets are waking up to the reality of telecommunications liberalization.But even though many of these countries accept that liberalization will have to proceed more rapidly, the process is not without frustrations for potential new...
CAIRO, Egypt-Orascom Telecom (OT), which owns stakes in Egypt's largest mobile provider, agreed to buy 80 percent of Telecel International, a pan-African telecommunications company that holds 12 GSM licenses in Sub-Saharan Africa. The deal is worth US$213 million.OT already owns a GSM license in...
BUCHAREST, Romania-Due to the analog transmission and the lack of value-added services, NMT 400 systems in Eastern Europe-which enjoyed great success during the last two decades-have suffered in recent years. A great number of NMT 400 customers have evolved to GSM systems, and NMT...
SANDTON, South Africa-Nigeria's promising telecommunications environment has been clouded by the government's failure to accelerate the licensing of GSM operators. Nigeria, with one of the lowest teledensities in the world, is one of a few countries without a digital cellular network.Ross MacDonald, MTN's group...
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina-In tone with the wave of competition that has taken Argentina by storm, Nextel has decided to extend its iDEN digital wireless services network, connecting Buenos Aires with 40 cities in four Argentine provinces: Santa Fe, Mendoza, C
BUCHAREST, Romania-The Moldova republic, a former Romanian region, is a small country with a population of 4.3 million and a small economy. The mobile market is not currently dynamic, reflecting the general situation of the country. Licensing problems are affecting growth potential for several...
OXFORD, United Kingdom-The commercialization of mobile data services continues its headlong rush as cellular operators look to differentiate themselves in the market. The heavy promotion of an ever-increasing portfolio of data services by many of Europe's leading operators is setting the trend for others...
LONDON-The wireless sector in the Middle East is still widely accepted as a vibrant and growing market, with the wireless Internet and several wireless trade shows coming on the scene.Nearly everyone who attended the GSM Gulf and Middle East Conference, a two-day event held...
IsraelRiots and injuries occurred during protests against the installation of cellular masts in a Druze Arab village in March, according to international press reports. Reports said seven police officers and members of the public were injured in the riots, which are thought to be...
