operator

VIENNA, Austria-The Austrian auction of third-generation licenses began today, amid investigations into illegal activities among some of the already-completed European 3G auctions. In Austria, six bidders are competing for 12 licenses. Companies are expected to acquire up to three licenses. …

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-In a deal with GSM operator Telsim that Motorola estimates at $2 billion, the company will supply and deploy a third-generation mobile network capable of advanced multimedia services in Turkey’s capital and largest city. Telsim, which has 5 …

TURIN, Italy-The shareholders of Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) voted to assign Telecom Italia’s shareholding in Stet Mobile Holding to TIM. After the restructuring, TIM will detain 100 percent of the share capital of Stet Mobile Holding, while Telecom Italia will …

LISBON, Portugal-Portugal Telecom increased its economic interests in Brazilian mobile operator Telesp Celular Participacoes from 29.92 percent to 41.23 percent. Telesp Celular completed a public auction at the Sao Paulo, Brazil, stock exchange, issuing about 27 million preferred shares and …

PARIS-SkyPoint, a Spanish telecom operator with a wireless access license in the 26 GHz band, selected Alcatel to supply its local multipoint distribution service equipment. The initial phase of the project is valued at $84 million. SkyPoint’s network is currently …

MOSCOW-The major Russian Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) carrier decided to expand eastward and launched a GSM 900 MHz service in the Urals republic of Udmurtia in November. Udmurtia, which has numerous industrial and manufacturing enterprises, became the 21st of 89 Russian …

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The satellite-based telecommunications market made headlines again last week as Globalstar Telecommunications Ltd. released disappointing financial results and bankrupt provider Iridium L.L.C. endorsed a $25 million buyout bid from former airline executive Dan Colussy. Globalstar’s results were based on what …

WASHINGTON-As the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau prepared to celebrate its one-year anniversary, the agency fined Qualcomm Inc. $25,000 for not complying with the 911 strongest-signal rules. The fine, which was agreed to as part of a consent decree, was the second …

HONG KONG-The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is generally regarded with something between scorn and indifference in Hong Kong among industry sources, and mobile operators will not even reveal subscriber numbers for the service. This contrasts with the bullish claims of …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-Operators in the Middle East are focusing on extending coverage and considering networks upgrades. The region offers enormous potential, considering the cellular penetration is only 3.5 percent-very low in comparison with world standards. However, penetration rates in some …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-Israel is determined not to be shaken from its pristine position of having one of the highest cellular penetration rates in the Middle East by the current unrest in the region. “Penetration in Israel is growing steadily at …

NEW DELHI, India-India is set to witness an explosion in wireless services during the next few months, with the decision to end the duopoly of GSM operators and to allow fixed telephony companies to offer “limited mobility” services using wireless …

Africa Stratos Global completed its Mount Kilimanjaro educational expedition using its remote communications network. Stratos provided the expedition team with an Inmarsat-M4 terminal, allowing the team to send and receive voice, high-speed data, video conferencing and Web streaming communication services …

SINGAPORE-The once sleepy telecommunications market in technology-centric Taiwan is finally stirring from its slumber. Having taken a back seat to the country’s more well-known semiconductor industry until now, Taiwan’s mobile-phone industry has now become one of the fastest-growing sectors in …

Mobile satellite services will shortly be available across the Middle East via the Thuraya network. United Arab Emirates-based Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications has announced the launch of its Thuraya-1 satellite. The turnkey mobile satellite communications system was provided by Boeing Satellite …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-Unlike the hype that surrounded the launch of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) services, European mobile operators are taking a conservative approach to how General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) will be commercially deployed. This time, no TV advertisements proclaim …

The satellite-based telecommunications market made headlines again as Globalstar Telecommunications released disappointing financial results and bankrupt provider Iridium endorsed a US$25 million buyout bid from former airline executive Dan Colussy. Globalstar’s results were based on what it called “unacceptably slow” …

WASHINGTON-The chief wireless regulator in the United States has been spreading the message of auctions as a key licensing tool in various overseas trips during the last year. “You are struck when you travel that people are interested in the …

PRAGUE, Czech Republic-Cesky Mobil, the Czech Republic’s third mobile telephone operator, is seeking to differentiate itself from its competition by offering low start-up costs and emphasizing ease of use. The formula has paid quick dividends. In its first four operational …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-Pay phones may not be the panacea to Africa’s need of extending telephony, but in rural areas where there is little or no fixed infrastructure, wireless-and specifically GSM-pay phones provide a viable option. Wireless pay phones can be …

MOSCOW-Russian wireless carriers, which this year considerably expanded their client bases thanks to radically decreased prices, registered a major average revenue per user (ARPU) decrease from more than US$215 two years ago to US$36 for one Russian carrier this year. …

Nigeria The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) released a technical consultative document for the four new national licenses to offer second-generation (2G) cellular systems in Nigeria. Four licenses are to be issued to access Nigeria’s 120 million population market. The NCC …

BELFAST, United Kingdom-With a mobile penetration of just 1.4 percent, less than that of many third-world countries, the Russian mobile segment appears to offer little excitement. At closer glance, however, most factors that contribute to investor satisfaction are securely in …

DENVER, United States-U.S. paging operator WebLink Wireless is making plans to implement a narrowband PCS (NPCS) network in Central America using a first-ever infrastructure-sharing arrangement that would enable low-volume providers in the seven-nation region to cost effectively begin providing two-way …