operator

BUCHAREST, Romania-The tender for the sale of a 20-percent stake in Turk Telecom, the wireline operator from Turkey, is close to ending without any offers. With the deadline of 15 September just a week away, no companies had registered for …

BUCHAREST, Romania-A new digital technology for public access mobile radio and private mobile radio users has seen interest from numerous wireless carriers in Europe and Asia since it was first presented at the CeBIT exhibition in 1998. The technology, GSM …

China and CDMA technology have attempted marriage about as many times as Elizabeth Taylor. Now it appears the Chinese government again has given the green light to China Unicom to deploy CDMA technology as quickly as possible. Naturally, vendors remain …

SEOUL, South Korea-The South Korean Ministry of Information and Communication has extended the deadline for third-generation mobile licenses until the end of October, one month later than its original deadline. The postponement is due to a dispute over technology standards, …

HELSINKI, Finland-Nokia Networks and Sonera zed have teamed together to develop platforms for mobile value-added services, working together in systems integration and sales and marketing efforts worldwide. The agreement has the companies committing staff and resources to develop a new …

PARIS-Nortel Networks announced it won business from Airtel Movil SA, Spain’s second-largest wireless carrier. Nortel will build the initial phase of Airtel’s UMTS network. The deal, subject to a definitive agreement, is valued at $100 million, according to Nortel. Airtel …

VERNON HILLS, Ill.-Telular Corp. will provide its digital Phonecell Fixed Wireless Terminals to NBC Olympics Inc. for the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, allowing NBC to provide voice communication to venue production personnel. Mobile applications and services provider …

Czech Republic Airspan Networks said it signed a contract with TES Media, a Czech telecommunications operator, to deploy a new fixed wireless network across the Czech Republic. TES Media’s network, set to deliver high-speed data services to business customers, will …

One of the largest wireless companies in Latin America is considering a technology flip for the next generation. Sources close to BellSouth International Inc. say the carrier wants to convert TDMA systems in its Latin American markets to CDMA-based 1XRTT …

NEW YORK-Speculation continued last week as to what actions AT&T Corp. and its wireless business, AT&T Wireless Group, would take to boost their lagging stock prices. AT&T reportedly will discuss how to boost share prices at a board meeting this …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Telecom joint venture Broadwave Communications, consisting of five international partners, intends to invest $1.5 billion over a 10-year period to develop a third generation open mobile network in Sweden. The partners, including Swedish broadband operator Telel Europe; U.S. mobile …

The Federal Communications Commission released its service rules for the allocation of spectrum in the 2 GHz band for nine mobile satellite service providers, including Globalstar L.P., Celsat America Inc. and ICO Services Ltd. The rules allocate 3.5 megahertz of …

ROME-Italy’s largest wireless operator Telecom Italia Mobile SpA filed a lawsuit against Italy’s Communications Authority, arguing it should not have to bid for one of the country’s Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses because a 1994 agreement with the Ministry of …

LONDON-Cable & Wireless is reported to be in talks regarding the sale of its controlling stake in Australian mobile carrier Cable & Wireless Optus, according to international press reports. The sale of the 52.5-percent stake in Australia’s second-largest wireless operator …

Another firm has emerged to help start-up companies find their place in the nascent wireless Internet space. Sprint PCS and eCompanies L.L.C., a firm that guides Internet start-ups, have formed eCompanies Wireless, an incubator dedicated to creating companies that offer …

It was no surprise. Powertel Inc., one of the last major U.S. regional carriers, will fold operations with VoiceStream Wireless Corp. Germany’s Deutsche Telekom AG, which weeks ago announced plans to buy VoiceStream, has agreed to purchase Powertel for around …

Austria Nokia Corp. will supply its MetroHopper Radio, a wireless access link antenna using the 58 GHz frequency band for transmission, for base station access to Austrian mobile operator Max.mobile. Nokia said the agreement also includes a full range of …

BOGOTA, Colombia-Celumovil BellSouth acquired 100 percent of the shares of Colombian mobile carrier Cocelco through a purchase on the Bogot stock exchange. BellSouth said the transaction creates the first nationwide mobile cellular operator in Colombia. Completion of BellSouth’s acquisition of …

SAO PAULO, Brazil-Two issues characterized the Brazilian cellular market during the first half of the year-an increase in subscriber numbers and the rollout of more advanced services. Latin America in general saw an explosion of prepaid services, but in Brazil, …

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina-Although cellular telephony client bases doubled last year in Uruguay and Paraguay, at this point it seems only Paraguay will be able to achieve this objective again in 2000. Uruguay’s strong cellular growth has slowed during the year, …

NEW DELHI, India-The Southeast Asian region is set to enter a new era of wireless data within the next two years. Many operators in the region have already introduced wireless data services, including Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) launches, in preparation …

MEXICO CITY-Since paging services started in Mexico in 1993, carriers have made large investments in advertising and marketing strategies. Biper, the country’s largest messaging company, has focused its marketing efforts on extending service to the entire Mexican population. The company …

BUCHAREST, Romania-As European wireless penetration rates increase, operators are looking to new services, including short message service (SMS) and fax and data transmissions, to increase profit margins. Another application, mobile positioning, is gaining importance across Europe. According to U.K. telecom …

HONG KONG-Hong Kong may become the Asian leader in mobile e-commerce, as network operators rush to embrace next-generation smart cards, said Claus Hansen, GSM marketing director at smart card vendor Schlumberger. “Wireless Internet and mobile e-commerce will boom in Hong …

DENVER, United States-One of the world’s most savvy and chic brand names is coming to the U.S. mobile-phone market next year. Virtual network operator (VNO) Virgin Mobile USA said it plans to ink an agreement with a carrier here and …