Cost

WEST MELBOURNE, Fla.—Relm Wireless Corp. announced it is now taking orders for its EarthLoc Tracking Systems, which monitor the location of individual radio users and assets. “Vehicle location devices have …

SAN DIEGO—Leap Wireless International Inc. said it is eliminating approximately 50 positions, or roughly 3 percent of its current work force, in keeping with its cost reductions and shift in …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.—Verizon Wireless introduced Summus Inc.’s Exego suite of multimedia applications for its BREW-enabled handsets, allowing users to send photos, multimedia messaging, e-mail, and image and file sharing from their …

WASHINGTON—American University in Washington, D.C., is implementing a campus-wide wireless system to handle voice, data and messaging via cell phones, personal digital assistants and laptop computers. KPMG Consulting is implementing …

NEW DELHI, India—Hutchison Essar, a GSM service provider in New Delhi, has introduced reduced off-peak charges on prepaid cards. Airtime charges will be reduced to half for both incoming and …

BELLEVUE, Wash.—VoiceStream Wireless Corp. reported positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the first time during the first quarter of $75 million, a feat the company attributed to …

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—Alltel Corp. reported 80,250 net wireless subscriber additions for the first quarter compared with 108,787 net subscriber additions for the first quarter of 2001. Alltel, which ended the …

HELSINKI, Finland—Finnish vendor Comptel said Telecom Italia Mobile Peru has acquired its cost and credit control software. The value of the agreement was not disclosed. Comptel Balance Management will provide …

OTTAWA, Ontario—Atsana Semiconductor Corp. said it has introduced a programmable media processor for video camera-enabled phones and WiFi Web cameras. “Atsana’s unique technology enables handset designers to deliver a low …

SAN DIEGO—Leap Wireless International Inc. reported 268,000 net customer additions for the first quarter of this year, ahead of estimates of around 240,000 net additions. The carrier, which markets its …

TOKYO—KDDI, the second-largest telecom operator in Japan, on 1 April launched its third-generation (3G) service based on cdma2000 1x technology, entering the highly competitive Japanese high-speed data market. In Japan, …

NEW YORK—Verizon Wireless reported 186,000 net customer additions for the first quarter of this year compared with 518,000 subscriber additions for the first quarter of last year. The carrier noted …

OTTAWA, Calif.—Atsana Semiconductor Corp. and Omnivision have agreed to jointly develop reference design to improve the performance of mobile video and imaging devices like wireless cameras and video-enabled phones. “Our …

AUSTIN, Texas—SchlumbergerSema and Compaq Computer Corp. jointly launched a customer care and billing solution that integrates advanced Storage Area Networks (SAN) technology, which offers mobile operators higher storage capacity and …

BOULDER, Colo.—SignalSoft Corp. axed approximately 80 employees, bringing its work force down to 150. The company said three weeks ago it would be reducing headcount due to lower-than-expected sales. “These …

NEW DELHI, India—It will cost less to make calls over mobile networks in Pakistan beginning 1 May. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reduced the airtime ceiling from 6.50 rupees (US$0.11) …

NEW YORK—British wireless operator MmO2 launched two initiatives in a move to provide mobile data and products to customers in Western Europe. The carrier said it plans to build a …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint PCS reported first-quarter results at the high end of company and analysts expectations and provided hope that the industry could meet reduced targets for the quarter. The …

TOKYO—KDDI, the second-largest operator in Japan, on 11 April launched an m-commerce mall on its EZ Web sites. EZ Web is KDDI’s version of NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode wireless Internet access …

MOSCOW—Russia is planning to issue a maximum of four third-generation (3G) Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) licenses, but that will not happen earlier than 2003. “From the point of view …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—Econet Nigeria has announced that it reduced the fee of its monthly contract package called Business Parta from US$35 to US$21. Bolaji Balogum, chief marketing officer for the …

LONDON—Inmarsat Ltd., a mobile satellite communications provider, began offering to corporate jet passengers April 10 its new “Swift64” service, which provides data speeds of up to 64 kilobits per second …

DENVER—Digital Reliance Inc., provider of applications for managing business wireless and optimizing cellular rates, announced it has finalized agreements with three new customers: Agilera Inc., DaVita Inc. and Fountain View …

DUBLIN, Ireland—The debate about the possible health risks from mobile antennae in Ireland could be about to take a fresh twist with rumors that two government departments, the operators and …

DUBLIN, Ireland—A joint survey conducted by the U.K. telecom regulator OFTEL and its Irish counterpart ODTR has found that consumers are still largely unaware of the potentially high cost of …