Mobile Phones

ATLANTA-Sema Group, a systems integration, consulting and outsourcing company, launched a customer care and billing service bureau for wireless network operators in the United States. The system provides pay-as-you-go service based on subscriber growth, said Sema. The service bureau will …

WASHINGTON-The Senate last week approved legislation to curb illegal cloning of wireless phones, setting the stage for passage next year of a bill that could stop hackers from stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from carriers each year. “It’s illegal …

DENVER-U S West Communications Inc., with Lucent Technologies Inc.’s Octel Messaging Division, announced it will offer a consolidated wireline and wireless voice mailbox, called U S West’s Access 2 Voice Messaging Link. Customers in Denver may use the same voice …

The Dutch government most likely will auction two mobile phone licenses in the spring, rather than the end of this year, because the European Commission blocked the government’s plan to charge existing mobile phone operators for their licenses. The Ministry …

WASHINGTON-For the second time, the law enforcement community has nixed an industry-crafted digital wiretap standard by taking advantage of liberal voting procedures in a way that wireless companies believe amounts to stuffing the ballot box. Last week’s setback is expected …

DALLAS-DSC Communications Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire all of the outstanding stock of Celcore Inc., a Memphis, Tenn.-based manufacturer of Global System for Mobile communications and Advanced Mobile Phone Service mobile switches. “The acquisition of Celcore represents a …

CALGARY, Alberta-Cell-Loc Inc., a provider of cellular telephone location technology, announced that a trial will begin Nov. 3 in Calgary. The company will test its Cellocate-Analog Mobile Phone Services product in a standard matrix configuration typically found in any urban …

CAMBRIDGE, England-The Technology Partnership plc and STNC Enterprises Ltd. announced a strategic alliance to create smart phones for Internet and World Wide Web browsing capability in cellular phones. The companies define current such smart phones as bulky and say that …

Business finally is taking off for some of the players with nationwide coverage plans in the enhanced specialized mobile radio arena. With technology bugs worked out, marketing and distribution strategies set and coverage areas improved, digital SMR companies are seeing …

The National Telecommunications Commission in the Philippines announced it will issue one nationwide and four regional permits for new mobile phone operators there. Kari Roe, analyst for Asia and the Pacific Rim for International Technology Consultants in Bethesda, Md., said …

Astronet Corp. announced the promotions and additions of several employees. Dave Segbers was promoted to vice president of sales and marketing, from director of the same division. Max Ohyama was hired as his assistant vice president. Randy Terman was promoted …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Motorola Inc. announced the forthcoming availability of a small Personal Handyphone System handset. Motorola said the phone will be available in Japan through NTT Personal Communications Network Inc. under the name 32K Paldio 311M. Release of the phone is …

HAIFA, Israel-Elbit Ltd., a communications company in Israel, announced it has formed a joint company with Hutchison Telecommunications Ltd. and Matav-Cable Systems Media Ltd. to bid on a cellular license tender in Israel. The country’s Ministry of Communications issued the …

It is unclear whether the wireless communications industry will be recession proof in the Asia-Pacific region if certain currencies there continue to fall taking economic growth with them. Beginning with the devaluation of the Thai baht in July, currency values …

Following intense negotiations with the United Kingdom’s mobile phone operators, the country’s telecommunications regulator extended to Jan. 1, 1999, its number portability requirement for the mobile phone industry. In August, the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) announced U.K. mobile phone operators …

SEOUL, Korea-Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced it signed a contract with Intermediate Circular Orbit Global Communications of the United Kingdom to supply 2 million Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite terminals. Under the terms of the contract, Samsung will be …

NEW YORK-The Wireless Alliance L.L.C. is testing a dual-mode service that would allow callers to dial one phone number to reach customers on either their cellular or personal communications services handsets. Under the plan, incoming calls will “group ring” both …

NEW YORK-QuickPhone, a subsidiary of Florida-based UC’NWIN, said it won a contract to supply prepaid wireless products to Genovese Pharmacies throughout the northeastern United States. QuickPhone and strategic partners Mobile Phone Center Wireless and Wholesale Paging Inc. plan to supply …

SEOUL-In a city where a mobile phone is as common as kimchi and coffee shops must provide a landline phone at every table in order to draw in customers, Seoul, one of the largest cities in the world, seems to …

CARROLLTON, Texas-Wireless phone distributor CellStar Corp. completed a $135 million multiple currency revolving credit facility, giving it the ability to borrow in various currencies for meeting capital needs and growth plans, the company said. The new facility, arranged by Chase …

NEW YORK-Changing things inside a network is about to get easier by orders of magnitude, according to NEO Networks Inc. and Lucent Technologies Inc. NEO Networks, Minnetonka, Minn., will integrate Lucent’s Inferno, a distributed inter-networking operating system, into its StreamProcessor, …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson announced plans to expand its existing production plant in Brazil to manufacture base stations for analog and digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service networks. The $11 million investment is for a new 5,000-square-meter plant on the company’s existing …

Telecom Personal, a cellular service provider in northern Argentina, announced a consortium it is part of has been granted the B-band license to provide cellular service in Paraguay. On Oct. 14, one day after the bidding deadline, Paraguay’s Telecommunications National …

CALGARY, Alberta, Canada-Telus Mobility-a subsidiary of Canada’s Telus Corp.-announced plans to expand its cellular, paging and private radio systems business by offering advanced digital personal communications services in Alberta sometime next year. The Calgary-based company said it will use a …

WASHINGTON-As he winds down the cellular industry-funded cancer research project with little to show for the $28 million that will have been spent by mid-1999 when he leaves, Wireless Research Technology L.L.C.’s Dr. George Carlo is quietly ramping up a …