AT&T

NEW YORK-A panel of three federal judges heard arguments April 5 in an appeal of Federal Communications Commission siting and safety requirements for the placement of microwave cell sites for wireless telecommunications. The judges questioned attorneys for both sides critically …

Amid speculation that it could be a takeover target by MCI WorldCom Inc., SkyTel Communications Inc. announced a new pricing plan and a major strategic alliance last week, both designed to better position it for the wireless messaging battle ahead. …

While many of their counterparts in the high-flying build-to-suit industry are prospering, tower manufacturers are finding the road ahead may be a difficult one. Likewise, recent siting decisions do not bode well for carriers trying to build their networks. Late …

GTE Corp. last week announced plans to purchase 20 Ameritech Corp. wireless properties in the Midwest, ending months of speculation about who would acquire the lucrative Chicago and St. Louis markets that became available when SBC Communications Inc. and Ameritech …

WASHINGTON-By the end of nearly three weeks of bidding, action has all but stopped on the major markets left in the re-auction of personal communications services licenses. The only major market to receive any activity as of the end of …

Unwired Planet Inc. last week filed a registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of common stock in June, and also announced the first commercial launch of its technology by a Global System for …

MURRAY HILL, N.J.-Lucent Technologies Inc. announced it signed a four-year agreement with AT&T Wireless Services Inc. to provide an expected $1 billion in equipment and services for the next phase of its Time Division Multiple Access DigitalPCS network buildout in …

While many major cities are supporting up to seven mobile phone operators, cellular carriers operating in small markets aren’t expected to face much competition for many years to come, say analysts. According to Chris Larsen, senior wireless analyst with Prudential …

Sprint PCS Sprint PCS named Steve Geldmacher president of its new north central region. Prior to this position, Geldmacher was area vice president for north Texas and Oklahoma. He joined Sprint PCS as the company’s first area vice president in …

WASHINGTON-Nextel Communications Inc., already up against strong opposition from the Justice Department and dispatch radio operators, faces a heavy legal burden in convincing a federal judge here to vacate a 1995 antitrust consent decree designed to protect competition in the …

The battle continues at the Federal Communications Commission over whether a waiver of the airborne cellular rule granted to AirCell Inc. is proper. Louisville, Colo.-based AirCell has proposed an air-to-ground communications system for use in general and commercial aviation markets …

NEW YORK-Because of strong demand for its debt, AT&T Corp. increased to a record-setting $8 billion the size of its global bond offering before selling the issue March 23. The transaction broke the record set last August by the $6.1 …

WASHINGTON-Telecom mergers are not just about mergers anymore. Multibillion-dollar deals have become the jumping-off-point for activism on labor rights, civil rights, regulatory reform, consumer protection, globalism, politics and a slew of other special-interest issues. So many and so big have …

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J.-International Wireless Technologies L.L.C. has developed a single-chip solution that permits wireless device manufacturers to use one platform for multiple mobile and fixed voice and data standards. By mid-year, IWT said it expects to beta test with two …

WASHINGTON-Rural America may be left out of the re-auction of personal communications services licenses. At the end of round six on Thursday, 37 percent of the C-block licenses had not received any bids. Information provided by the Federal Communications Commission …

AT&T Wireless Services Inc. is expected to award Lucent Technologies Inc. a Time Division Multiple Access contract valued at more than $1 billion during the next three years, sources close to the companies say. Joseph Bellace, analyst with Merrill Lynch, …

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a hamburger and French fries? Probably McDonalds. Think of a pair of tennis shoes, and you probably picture the Nike swoosh. Or a pair of jeans, and …

A story in the March 8 issue indicated there were no personal communications service provid-ers in Las Vegas. Las Vegas was included in the Metropolitan Trading Area for Los Angeles-San Diego for the A- and B-side PCS licenses. Those licenses …

Omnipoint Corp. said last week it has received proposals from potential strategic equity investors and will be evaluating them shortly. The company in January began a second round of serious discussions with potential investors. Discussions have revolved around selling an …

WASHINGTON-Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.), in the latest effort to strengthen state and local oversight of antenna siting, has introduced legislation to shift the burden to wireless carriers to ensure transmission towers meet with approval of local residents. The Local Zoning …

Frontier Corp., one of the parents of Frontier Cellular, announced plans to merge with Global Crossing Ltd., an independent global fiber-optic network operator. The transaction is valued at about $11.2 billion. Frontier Cellular is a equally owned joint venture between …

A new pricing study released by Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. indicates U.S. mobile phone carriers battled it out for high-end wireless customers in 1998. Prices did not fall as quickly in 1998 as they did the previous year, indicated …

NEW YORK-As wireless telecommunications heads into the new frontier of electronic commerce, service providers must answer a question posed by an old British rock song: “I really want to know, who are you?” Toronto-based Diversinet Corp. is in business to …

NEW YORK-The promises of wireless voice communications as a landline replacement and of mobile data as a significant wireless revenue generator are moving closer to fulfillment but remain a few years away, chief technology officers of three carriers said at …

NEW YORK-AT&T and Tele-Communications Inc. announced the completion of their merger, making TCI AT&T’s newest business unit-AT&T Broadband & Internet Services. The unit will continue to be headquartered in the Denver area, and will be responsible for the company’s cable …