operator

TORONTO-The consolidation trend in the North American wireless sector is intensifying. The prevailing wisdom is that it is no longer good enough to be merely a regional or national carrier with transborder capabilities. The game plan is to be part …

Brazil’s national telecom agency Anatel said it received 35 proposed from companies, entities and individuals on the proposal of guidelines for implementation of the personal communications services (PCS), submitted to the public for consultation. All the comments are available on …

Telecom Italia is in advanced talks to buy a stake in Digitel, a wireless operator in Venezuela, according to a Reuters report. Digitel, a GSM 900 MHz operator, is the country’s third-largest wireless carrier. The report cited sources saying Telecom …

Nigeria Intercellular Nigeria awarded a US$21 million contract to Motorola for the supply and deployment of a CDMA fixed wireless local loop (WLL) network expansion. The 800 MHz system will be expanded for up to 45,000 limited mobility subscribers. South …

DUBLIN, Ireland-High license costs and fierce competition have further increased the pressure on European third-generation (3G) operators to quickly roll out their networks. But while this rush to market will create opportunities for companies other than the current dominant cellular …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-Econet Wireless is gearing up to become one of the leading cellular operators on the African continent. With Botswana and Zimbabwe cellular operations firmly under its wing, it has recently gained further momentum by winning the privatization license …

Australia Telecom New Zealand said it intends to make a takeover offer for the approximately 18 percent of shares in Australian operator AAPT that it does not already own for A$444 million (US$258 million). The company said it will offer …

BANGALORE, India-Although the Indian cellular industry is growing quite well, with the country’s cumulative cellular subscriber base at 2.18 million at the end of June, operators are still hesitant to expand coverage outside high-density population centers. When the Department of …

France France released details of its plan to award four 3G wireless phone licenses based on a beauty contest. Bidders, given a 31 January, 2001, deadline to submit proposals, will be judged on the strength of their business plans, before …

Denmark Tele2 entered an agreement with Sonofon to become a mobile virtual network operator (VNO) in Denmark. Sonofon is the first operator to open its networks to mobile VNOs, according to Tele2’s parent company, NetCom. Finland Sonera said it is …

DUBLIN, Ireland-The myth that prepaid cellular users are by definition low-value customers has been firmly discredited, and prepaid services did much to increase GSM penetration among the young and cost conscious at a time, around 1997, when European growth rates …

U.K. wireless handset manufacturer Sendo announced a global strategic partnership with Virgin Mobile. Virgin Mobile will be the first operator to offer Sendo’s phones to consumers later this year. Virgin Mobile initially plans to introduce two Sendo phones, which will …

SINGAPORE-What do you do when you have loads of cash? You go shopping. That is precisely what Singapore Telecom has done. Flushed with cash reserves of some S$6.3 billion (US$3.7 billion), the phone operator has been on an aggressive expansion …

DUBLIN, Ireland-Gaining more than 10 million Japanese subscribers within 18 months of launch, NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode wireless Internet service is a genuine industry phenomenon. But despite the Japanese company’s determination to extend the service to Europe to compete with the …

NEW DELHI, India-Ailing Indian GSM operator Koshika Telecom has decided to sell majority stakes to pay license fees to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The company operates in four contiguous telecom circles-Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West), Bihar and Orissa. …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson announced plans to work with WorldCom’s UUNET Internet communications subsidiary to develop Internet services for mobile operators. The companies plan to work together on new technology and product developments to meet Internet Protocol networking needs. Ericsson said …

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 Virgin Mobile USA said it plans to ink an agreement with a carrier in the United States and …

NEW YORK-The number of licenses awarded, not the prices paid for them, likely will lead Standard & Poor’s Corp. to downgrade the debt ratings of many winning bidders in Germany’s recent third-generation wireless auctions. “The total paid, 50.5 billion euros …

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-In a move designed to give its customers a higher level of focus, resources and services, Motorola Inc. created the Global Telecom Solutions Sector, which includes employees from the former Network Solutions Sector and the former Global Telecom …

WELLINGTON, New Zealand-Telecom Corporation of New Zealand said it intends to make a takeover offer for the approximately 20 percent of shares in Australian operator AAPT that it does not already own for $258 million. The company said it will …

New Zealand Nokia Corp. will integrate its General Packet Radio Service core network solution into Vodafone New Zealand’s network, providing mobile Internet access to Vodafone’s subscribers. Vodafone plans to launch commercial GPRS service during the fourth quarter. Taiwan Nokia will …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Three companies formed a consortium to apply for a Swedish Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service third-generation license. The companies are Swedish private equity firm Ratos; Nomura International plc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of investment bank The Nomura Securities Co. Ltd.; and …

OSLO, Norway-Seven groups plan to participate in Norway’s selective tender or “beauty contest” process to award four Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses. The licenses will be awarded by the end of October. Incumbents NetCom ASA and Telenor AS applied to …

OSLO, Norway-Tele Danmark and partner SBC Communications Inc. agreed to sell their combined 40-percent stake in Norway’s mobile operator NetCom ASA to Sweden’s Telia. In May, Tele Danmark purchased 25,000 additional shares in NetCom and attempted to take control of …

SHENZHEN, China-Chinese GSM operator China United Telecommunications Corp. launched General Packet Radio Service mobile data on its network in Shenzhen, China, enabled by the core GPRS network solution supplied by Motorola Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. “Once you turn on …