operator

SEOUL, South Korea-Korean operator SK Telecom said it will launch commercial cdma2000 1X service in the fourth-quarter, using equipment from Samsung Electronics. Samsung and SK Telecom said the 1X system can be linked with a video-on-demand server to provide movies, …

Hong Kong Cable & Wireless HKT Mobile Services and Nokia Corp. successfully completed their third-generation trials and the provision of a commercially available 43.2 kbps high-speed circuit switched data service in Hong Kong. Nokia noted that the recently completed second …

HELSINKI, Finland-Sonofon became the first operator in Denmark to complete a General Packet Radio Service data call in its live Global System for Mobile communications network using Nokia Corp.’s GPRS technology. “Sonofon is proud to get the network up and …

HELSINKI, Finland-A unit of Finish operator Sonera reportedly was awarded the third Global System for Mobile communications license in the Moscow metropolitan area for $25 million. Sonic Duo, held 35 percent by Sonera and 65 percent by Central Telegraph Mobile, …

Time will tell if new prepaid plans offered by U.S. nationwide operators this year spur more growth in the wireless industry. Verizon Wireless plans to introduce a new nationwide prepaid pricing strategy in the third quarter. Though it won’t release …

LONDON-France Telecom is expected to make a $45 billion cash and stock bid for Orange plc early next week, according to international press reports. The French telecom company is reported to have secured a $29.7 billion bank loan to acquire …

Nortel Networks increased its presence in the European mobile-phone market last week, garnering a $700 million third-generation equipment contract with BT Cellnet in the United Kingdom and displacing several of the carrier’s traditional European manufacturers. Nortel will provide an end-to-end …

MOSCOW-Mobile Telesystems, a leading Russian wireless carrier, said it is planning an initial public offering in the United States in late June. Analysts said the offering signals a recovery in Russia’s economy and renewed interest from international investors. MTS said …

MOROCCO-Motorola Inc. won a Global System for Mobile communications network expansion contract valued at $46 million from Moroccan operator Maroc Telecom covering the carrier’s evolution to a GSM 900 network. Motorola’s Network Solutions Sector will install its Horizonsystems portfolio of …

CAMPINAS, Brazil-Lucent Technologies Inc. provided Internet capabilities to the wireless companies owned by Telefonica S.A. in Brazil and Telesp Celular, a wireless operator covering the state of Sao Paulo. According to Lucent, the Wireless Application Protocol-based service will allow subscribers …

Bad news hit the cdmaOne community last week as the South Korean government put a stop to cdmaOne handset subsidies and uncertainty lingered about China Unicom’s plans to deploy the technology. Though technology stocks across the board took a hit …

Qualcomm Inc. garnered more support for its High Data Rate solution, announcing Samsung Electronics Ltd.’s support for the technology and technical trials with Japanese operator Nippon Idou Tsushin Corp. (IDO) HDR technology is a likely solution for many Code Division …

WOODBURY, N.Y.-European Global System for Mobile communications wireless operator Telecom Italia Group selected Comverse Network Systems to provide systems enabling messaging services throughout TIM’s nationwide digital wireless network. Financial details were not released.

NEW YORK-As a consultant, Phone.com Inc. is building a portal that British Telecommunications plc intends to offer by the end of June, and this arrangement points to an expanding suite of product and service offerings, said Alan Black, chief financial …

Nextlink Communications Inc. said it is beginning field trials in Boston and Dallas of consecutive-point broadband wireless access technology that is expected to be used to extend Nextlink’s local fiber networks. Consecutive-point technology essentially forms wireless sub-rings within the 20- …

Wireless high-speed solutions didn’t garner much thought just a year ago. Qualcomm Inc. seemed to be the only company in the industry touting a high-speed megabit solution for the cdmaOne operator community called High Data Rate. But today, the high-speed …

Canada Newbridge Networks Corp. said the holders of its common shares, options and warrants have approved the plan of arrangement involving its merger with Alcatel S.A. Before the merger can close, it must be approved by Alcatel shareholders as well …

SAO PAULO, Brazil-BellSouth Corp. said it acquired 16.5 percent of the total capital of Brazilian cellular operator Tele Centro Oeste Cellular for $229 million, bringing the number of its Brazilian wireless investments to three. Through a two-phase acquisition, BellSouth first …

TOKYO-NTT DoCoMo Inc. announced it signed a memorandum of understanding with KPN Telecom, acquiring 15 percent of the voting rights in a newly formed holding company called KPN Mobile N.V. for about $4.5 billion. The announcement follows KPN’s failed merger …

VIENNA, Austria-Motorola Inc. and Mobilkom Austria, a Global System for Mobile communications operator in Austria, signed a contract to implement a mobile data General Packet Radio Service network. According to the contract, Motorola will install the Network Solutions Sector’s GPRS …

BOSTON-Radio spectrum is scarce and becoming concentrated in the hands of fewer and more powerful players, according to a new report by Ovum, an independent research and consulting company. In “Virtual Mobile Services: Strategies for Fixed and Mobile Operators,” Ovum …

Leap Wireless International Inc. is finding that selling off its international properties has become more beneficial to shareholders than operating them. Last week, Leap made a surprise announcement that it would sell its Chilean operator, Smartcom PCS, to Spanish utility …

TOKYO-As expected, Japanese Code Division Multiple Access operator DDI Corp. plans to use cdma2000 technology in its third-generation network, several Japanese newspapers reported. DDI plans to launch third-generation services in two years in Japan. The company plans to merge with …

They may be working closer these days, but make no mistake about it, the GSM Association, the CDMA Development Group and the Universal Wireless Communications Consortium remain strong competitors. All three associations will convene this week in Las Vegas at …

VoiceStream Wireless Corp. pronounced itself the fastest growing wireless company in the nation last week as it detailed its strategy for tying together former Omnipoint Corp. and Aerial Communications Inc. properties and its plans for wireless data service to analysts …