Mobile Phones

WASHINGTON-As industry opposition to Pentagon spectrum bills mounts, the Federal Communications Commission confirmed last week it is prepared to suspend the normal regulatory process for deciding how to auction 36 megahertz from TV channels 60-69 if Congress votes to hold …

WASHINGTON-In reaching an out-of-court antitrust settlement with Nextel Communications Inc. last week, the Department of Justice found itself defending a deal on grounds that its own antitrust lawyers shot down just months earlier. The proposed settlement would halt Nextel’s purchase …

HONG KONG-China United Telecommunications Corp.’s plan to deploy Code Division Multiple Access technology ensures its survival into the next generation and creates momentum for cdmaOne technology throughout the Asia-Pacific region, cdmaOne proponents indicated at the CDMA Development Group’s fourth annual …

WASHINGTON-The GOP-led Congress, squeezed by tight spending limits and determined not to lose another embarrassing budget battle to Democrats, is once again banking on spectrum to bail it out. And in doing so, lawmakers are headed down two divergent paths …

NCR NCR Corp. introduced a software product that allows carriers to perform event-driven marketing by analyzing customer behavior and predicting a customer’s readiness to respond to particular marketing efforts. Called MarketingAgent, the software is part of NCR’s Customer Relationship Management …

NEW YORK-Wavecom S.A., a French provider of digital wireless standard modules, went public June 9 with a 3.3 million share offering at 13.50 euro per share and $14 per American Depository Receipt. Credit Suisse First Boston was lead underwriter for …

WASHINGTON-An International Telecommunication Union task group in Beijing last week approved a carrier-crafted plan to harmonize competing U.S. and European Code Division Multiple Access technologies for Internet-friendly third-generation mobile phones, paving the way for the compromise to be translated into …

WASHINGTON-The close of the six-year, $27 million Wireless Technology Research L.L.C. program has re-energized a public debate about whether mobile telephones cause cancer or pose other health problems to the nation’s 70 million wireless subscribers. Indeed, WTR Chairman George Carlo …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Datalink.net announced the release of InfoXtra II, a new wireless information service that delivers news, financial updates, lifestyle information and other information services to pagers, digital mobile phones and wirelessly enabled personal digital assistants. InfoXtra II is a …

The Operators Harmonization Group, an ad hoc assembly of mobile phone operators from around the world, sent its third-generation technology harmonization proposal to the International Telecommunication Union, which meets in Beijing this week. As RCR reported, the agreement defines a …

Another U.S. mobile phone carrier has announced definitive plans to commercially launch Internet access during the fourth quarter. Code Division Multiple Access operator Sprint PCS said it has signed an agreement with Yahoo! Inc. to deliver Web content and services …

As Telephone and Data Systems Inc. pursues a spinoff of personal communications services operator Aerial Communications Inc., it is dealing with sticky issues involving Sonera Ltd.’s investment in Aerial. Aerial announced last week Finland-based Sonera’s right of first negotiation to …

WASHINGTON-“Roaming is not yet dead, but it is traveling,” said Gary Bowman, network marketing program director for Bell Mobility Canada, on Wednesday, to a conference on international mobile roaming. In the current environment of one-rate plans and large buckets of …

Industry executives in February hailed the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue agreement as a major breakthrough in the 3G debate, but today it appears standards bodies have made little progress to pursue this framework, and political infighting among the 3G players remains. …

WASHINGTON-A new report by Canada’s most prestigious scientific body concludes that country’s radio-frequency exposure guidelines provide adequate protection for workers and the general public, but it recommended further research to assess potential health risks in the future to both groups. …

SINGAPORE-Nokia Inc. entered into a partnership agreement with Bridge Information Systems to provide BridgeConnect, a financial information service for digital mobile phone users, said Nokia. Using the Wireless Application Protocol, BridgeConnect enables mobile phone users to access real-time financial information, …

One invention can boost customer satisfaction, make mobile phones more powerful and create higher revenue for carriers, a Norcross, Ga., company believes. Enrev Corp., formerly called Advanced Charger Technology Inc., has created and patented a battery operating system that charges …

As deregulation slowly takes hold of the U.S. electric utility industry, many companies are beginning to take a look at wireless telecommunications as a way to hold on to their customers. With strong brand names, customer bases and billing capability, …

Microsoft Corp. gave some legitimacy to the wireless Internet access arena last week with its $600 million investment in Nextel Communications Inc. and an agreement that gives Nextel customers access to customized Internet-based services via the Microsoft Network portal. Analysts …

Latin America According to The Strategis Group, privatization in Latin America is driving fixed-line growth as privatized operators build out networks to meet license requirements, while competition is propelling even higher rates of growth in cellular and personal communications services. …

WASHINGTON-Paging Network Inc., the nation’s top paging carrier, said the Federal Communications Commission should condition any approval of the $57 billion merger between SBC Communications Inc. and Ameritech Corp. on SBC immediately entering into interconnection agreements with wireless operators. “Neither …

NEW YORK-For status-conscious Americans, Nokia Corp. plans to debut by late summer its Nokia 8800 series phone, carrying a suggested retail price of “under $1,000,” the company said May 10. The Nokia 8800 series includes the 8860 tri-mode phone that …

The U.K. government now plans to auction five third-generation mobile phone licenses early next year, explaining that more competition will drive down prices and spur innovative services. Last year, the United Kingdom plans to auction four 3G licenses by mid-1999, …

WASHINGTON-AT&T Wireless Services Inc., despite winning a California appeals court ruling last summer that capped liability at $5,000 for failing to connect a 911 cell phone call from carjack victim Marcia Spielholz, has decided to quietly settle the personal injury …

JACKSON, Miss.-SkyTel Communications Inc. announced it has joined forces with online trading company eBay to create a wireless person-to-person online trading service that will extend auction updates and bids to wireless devices. The solution will allow eBay users to receive …