Hutchison

NEW YORK-To simulate third-generation wireless before its deployment, Finland’s Sonera has just embarked on a new program, Sonera Mspace, said Kaj-Erik Relander, the company’s executive vice president. In partnership with content, service and technology providers, Mspace will conduct in Finland …

MONTREAL-Telesystem International Wireless Inc. said Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. and Chase Capital Partners will make a $300 million investment in TIW under terms of an agreement signed last week by the companies. Hutchison and Chase Capital each will purchase …

MELBOURNE, Australia-The explosive growth in mobile telephony and the last chance to buy personal communications services (PCS) spectrum in the 1.8 GHz band have led to a fierce bidding war among Australian carriers. The auction for spectrum in all mainland …

SINGAPORE-Singapore has fast-forwarded its liberalization plans for the telecommunications sector by a staggering two years, effectively throwing the industry wide open almost immediately. The move, which comes into effect on 1 April this year, is the island state’s boldest move …

The Federal Communications Commission approved the merger of VoiceStream Wireless Corp. and Omnipoint Corp. last week and noted the Department of Justice and the FBI delayed its decision, a problem that may grow as U.S. operators hook up with international …

VoiceStream Wireless Corp. announced plans to invest in Canadian Global System for Mobile communications operator Microcell Telecommunications Inc., a move that sets the stage for a seamless North American footprint. VoiceStream will invest $275 million to purchase 9.59 million newly …

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.-Hong Kong’s mobile operator, Hutchison Telecommunications Ltd., selected Siemens Information and Communication Networks Group to implement its Wireless Application Protocol platform for wireless Internet-based services. The deal calls for Siemens to provide Hutchison with a complete WAP solution …

SYDNEY, Australia-After four rounds and two days of bidding for Australia’s 1800 MHz wireless phone licenses, the total of standing high bids was $64.4 million. The licenses will provide extra network capacity in the country’s five largest cities. According to …

ROSH HA’AYIN, Israel-Partner Communications Co., an Israeli Global System for Mobile communications operator, announced it gained 13 percent of the Israeli cellular market after one year of operation. The company began full commercial operations in January 1999 and had 355,000 …

Australia Telecom New Zealand acquired an 80-percent stake in AAPT, Australia’s third-largest phone company. AAPT is building LMDS and CDMA networks and resells GSM service. News Corp. said it agreed to invest a further US$127.2 million in One.Tel, increasing its …

NEW YORK-Wholly owned subsidiaries of VoiceStream Wireless Corp. and Omnipoint Corp., whose merger is expected to close by spring, have secured a $3 billion bank loan, Standard & Poor’s Corp. said last week. VoiceStream also is in the process of …

NEW YORK-NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc., Japan’s largest mobile carrier, said Dec. 2 it plans to buy a 19-percent interest in Hutchison Telephone Co. Ltd., Hong Kong’s biggest wireless provider, for $410 million. Under terms of the agreement, reached with …

TEL AVIV, Israel-Just as the cellular fight in Israel intensified with the latest marketing campaigns, the Ministry of Communications announced it may license a fourth and maybe a fifth provider by the end of next year. Deputy Prime Minister and …

During the last five weeks, merger and acquisition announcements have flooded the telecommunications arena. Carriers in Asia, Europe and North America continue to jockey for positions in an industry that promises to exclude players without multinational footprints. Telia/Telenor The merger …

VoiceStream Wireless Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Stanton said the carrier is likely to complete its mergers with Omnipoint Corp. and Aerial Communications Inc. in the first quarter as the companies wait for government approvals. Three parties have …

Mannesmann AG, parent of Germany’s top mobile communications company, confirmed last week it made a bid to buy U.K. mobile carrier Orange plc, which Orange’s largest shareholder accepted. The bid values Orange, the United Kingdom’s third-largest mobile operator, at about …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) were thwarted last week in their attempts to attach language to the FCC spending bill that would allow the government to take back licenses from bankrupt operators. The conference committee charged …

NEW ORLEANS-GTE Telecommunication Services Inc., Tampa, Fla., announced at PCS ’99 it has developed a universal roaming services agreement to help wireless carriers simplify and expedite their launch of international roaming. GTE TSI said its offering is unique in that …

Alcatel Argentina. With Telecom Argentina for a fixed wireless access network. Value: US$99.6 million Ericsson Argentina. With Unif

BANGALORE, India-Paging operators in India are optimistic. Optimistic they have always been. However, having burnt their fingers once, this time around they are not expected to make wrong predictions, especially in terms of subscriber growth. The Indian paging industry plunged …

LONDON-Orange plc in its results for the first half of 1999, ended June 30, said its loss before tax dropped 35 percent to $52.2 million (

HONG KONG-The CDMA Development Group announced it expanded automatic roaming services throughout Asia. Code Division Multiple Access operators Hutchison Telecom in Hong Kong, Japan’s DDI Corp. and IDO and Shinsegi Telecomm in South Korea have signed agreements to provide comprehensive …

MELBOURNE, Australia-New mobile operator Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) unveiled plans to release next year a CDMA mobile phone that charges users for calls made within a “local zone,” usually bounded by the home, at the flat-rate cost of a local call …

Australia The Australian government will auction a further 30 megahertz of paired spectrum in the 1.8 GHz band early next year. The auction, which will be conducted by the Australian Communications Authority (ACA), is expected to reap up to $200 …

WASHINGTON-The wireless industry scored on public safety, liability protection, federal-land antenna siting and sales commissions in Congress last week, while fending off a Pentagon assault on federal spectrum management and a pro-state challenge to federal numbering policy. Wireless gains on …