operator

OXFORD, United Kingdom-Despite the promotional efforts of developers and mobile operators, the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) was roundly condemned by industry observers as being “unfit for purpose” during most of last year. The technology suffered from all the ills associated …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Under a new three-year agreement, Ericsson will supply its third-generation UMTS radio access network equipment and services to Finnish operator Sonera. The services will run on top of the optical high-speed Internet protocol backbone network Ericsson put in for …

CHINA China Mobile Communications Corp. awarded Motorola Inc. a GPRS network supply contract to cover an estimated 110,000 subscribers in four Chinese cities. China Mobile, a GSM operator, will use the “always on, always connected” GPRS feature with data applications …

OSLO, Norway-Telenor said it would exercise its option to sell its 10-percent stake in German operator Viag Interkom GmbH to British Telecommunications plc. The transaction, expected to be completed in January 2001, is worth more than $2.26 billion. Telenor said …

Belgium KPN Mobile will acquire 50 percent of Belgian operator KPN Orange Belgium from France Telecom for US$443.5 million, giving KPN 100-percent ownership. France Telecom had to divest its KPN Orange ownership, which it acquired through its acquisition of Orange …

The talk throughout 2000 centered on third-generation (3G) technology-its high costs, functionality, risks and mostly its promise. But 3G has different meanings in different circles. Because 3G is something that is not yet officially tangible, a concrete definition is not …

BEIJING-China’s mobile communications market made big strides forward during 2000. The number of GSM subscribers leapt to more than 70 million, with a penetration rate of 5.5 percent. China Unicom debuted on the stock market and reconfirmed its intention to …

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.-Wireless operator UbiquiTel Inc., a Sprint PCS Network Partner, expanded its coverage area along the Interstate 90 corridor from Spokane, Wash., to east of Moses Lake, Wash., and Sandpoint, Idaho. UbiquiTel currently serves midsize and smaller markets in the …

At the end of each year, the RCR Wireless News editorial staff looks back on the new events that made RCR headlines and decides which were the most significant, industry-impacting stories of the past 12 months. Here are our picks …

As wireless operators enjoyed their holiday break from the Federal Communications Commission’s re-auction of 422 personal communications services licenses, a fair share of pre-auction predictions made by analysts were being discarded along with the holiday wrapping paper. Some of those …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-In a surprise announcement, the Swedish government awarded four Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses on Dec. 16, dismissing a proposal from Telia, the country’s current mobile leader. Sweden’s other two incumbent operators, NetCom and Europolitan, won licenses through a …

BRUSSELS, Belgium-KPN Mobile will acquire 50 percent of Belgium operator KPN Orange Belgium from France Telecom for $443.5 million, giving KPN 100-percent ownership. France Telecom had to divest its KPN Orange ownership, which it acquired through its acquisition of Orange …

Chris Gent has had quite a year. For the chief executive of Vodafone Group plc, 2000 began with a hostile takeover of Mannesmann AG, parent of its rival Orange plc, and continued with a spending spree for third-generation licenses across …

BRAZIL ADC Telecommunications Inc. announced it signed a $16 million contract to supply GVT Brazil with a broadband access bundled solution for the southern and central regions of Brazil. ADC said the solution is based on the BroadAccess Multiservice Access …

NEW YORK-A U.S. class action lawsuit was filed last week against Turkish cell-phone operator Turkcell. The lawsuit was commenced on behalf of all persons or entities purchasing Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetler A.S. American Depository Shares from July 10 to Sept. 21. …

DUBLIN, Ireland-The Irish telecom regulator outlined the license framework for third-generation licenses in the country, following a public consultation period. The regulator, which previously announced the licenses will be awarded by a “beauty contest,” said four licenses of equal spectrum …

OSLO, Norway-British Telecom and Telenor agreed to extend Telenor’s put option on Irish mobile operator Esat Digifone from Dec. 7 to Feb. 7, 2001. Under an agreement between BT and Telenor reached earlier this year, Telenor has the right to …

Every day another vendor announces it has won a contract to provide third-generation services. And with each 3G announcement is the implication that 3G services will soon be here. And they will. But one only has to look back at …

SOFIA, Bulgaria-Five companies have submitted applications to bid for a 15-year GSM license in Bulgaria. The minimum price for the license, to be awarded Dec. 15, is $40 million. Vodafone Bulgaria, a partnership between Vodafone Group plc and United Bulgarian …

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil-Telecom Italia Mobile said it agreed to acquire the 19.43-percent and 18.53-percent stakes held by UGB S.A. and Vicunha S.A. in Brazilian operator Maxitel S.A. TIM will pay $240.4 million for the total 37.96-percent stake. TIM already …

HELSINKI, Finland-European mobile operator Telefonica Moviles Espana chose Nokia Corp. to supply its third-generation core radio network in Spain. Telefonica said it plans to launch the commercial service in August. The company has about 12 million subscribers in Spain. Earlier …

JAMAICA After a successful field demonstration of Finline Technologies’ multichannel multipoint distribution system, N5 Systems Ltd. plans to deploy the company’s system in Jamaica. The companies hope the joint deployment will provide interactive digital video and data services to the …

HELSINKI, Finland-Sonera Corp. said it will be the first operator in the Nordic countries to launch a GPRS network when its commercial service begins Dec. 11. Initial service will be in the Helsinki area, as well as Turku, Tampere and …

GENEVA-The Financial Times reported the Swiss government will resume its auction of four Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses on Dec. 6. The report said the decision was made after the government found no evidence a move by Tele Danmark to …

OSLO, Norway-The Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications announced the winners of the country’s four Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses, which were awarded through a beauty contest. The license winners are Broadband Mobile, an Enitel ASA and Sonera Corp. consortium; …