operator

MILAN, Italy-Italian wireless operator Omnitel launched its 2000 Shop Center, an e-commerce site offering products from more than 100 companies. The new online site is accessible to customers through the company’s portal, with future plans for Wireless Application Protocol-enabled phone …

Web sites that offer comparison shopping for wireless phones and services appear to be a dime a dozen these days. Consumers go to these sites because they promise to be objective. But what happens when wireless companies invest in the …

CANCUN, Mexico-The big push to interoperate GSM and TDMA standards is well under way, allowing customers using either standard to roam around the world and giving U.S. TDMA operators a breath of life in their ongoing struggle with CDMA carriers …

Dear Editor, In writing in the April 24 issue on the absurdly high bids for U.K. 3G licenses, “U.K. Prices: Up, up and away,” RCR states: “But the United Kingdom’s four incumbents must [each] win a [3G] license at any …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is becoming increasingly concerned about anecdotal stories about public-safety operations experiencing interference from commercial systems. “We on a regular basis hear anecdotal stories on how radios are susceptible to interference from commercial systems and in some …

British Telecom (BT) could challenge an Internet alliance between Vodafone AirTouch and Vivendi announced just before Vodafone AirTouch’s takeover agreement with Mannesmann in February, the Financial Times reported. The deal may be incompatible with existing contracts among the involved companies. …

Bulgaria KPN Telecom and Greece’s Ote raised their offer to US$600 million for a 51-percent stake in Bulgarian Telecommunications Co. The companies previously offered US$510 million, Reuters reported. If the purchase is successful, KPN and Ote will acquire 51 percent …

DUBLIN, Ireland-After decades of tight state control, Eastern European telecommunications markets are waking up to the reality of telecommunications liberalization. But even though many of these countries accept that liberalization will have to proceed more rapidly, the process is not …

BUCHAREST, Romania-Due to the analog transmission and the lack of value-added services, NMT 400 systems in Eastern Europe-which enjoyed great success during the last two decades-have suffered in recent years. A great number of NMT 400 customers have evolved to …

BUCHAREST, Romania-The Moldova republic, a former Romanian region, is a small country with a population of 4.3 million and a small economy. The mobile market is not currently dynamic, reflecting the general situation of the country. Licensing problems are affecting …

LONDON-The wireless sector in the Middle East is still widely accepted as a vibrant and growing market, with the wireless Internet and several wireless trade shows coming on the scene. Nearly everyone who attended the GSM Gulf and Middle East …

Israel Riots and injuries occurred during protests against the installation of cellular masts in a Druze Arab village in March, according to international press reports. Reports said seven police officers and members of the public were injured in the riots, …

SAO PAULO, Brazil-In early January, by starting operations as a “mirror” company of fixed-line carriers Telefonica and Telemar, Vesper faced a challenge in the Brazilian market. The company planned to compete with operators installed in 17 states, with an objective …

The U.K. auction brought in a resounding 22.5 billion (US$35.45 billion), far exceeding predictions prior to the auction’s start. The question now is whether these prices are based on a sound business case or the most optimistic scenarios for the …

A consortium comprised of Telefonica, Orange and Sonera will join U.S.-based MCI WorldCom and 10 other groups in bidding for third-generation (3G) licenses in Germany. The auction is set to begin in early July. The German regulator will sell 12 …

DENVER, United States- BellSouth and SBC Communications finally ended weeks of speculation, announcing plans to create a wireless joint venture that will become the second-largest wireless operator in the United States, serving 16.2 million subscribers and reaching 175 million potential …

Although GSM technology has scant market share in Latin America, the 2000 GSM Association Plenary in Santiago, Chile, in late April was the stage for several Latin American GSM announcements. Juan Carlos Jil, chairman of GSM Association South America, said …

SINGAPORE-Falling margins, cheaper alternatives and technological obsolescence have combined to deal a major blow to Singapore’s four paging operators. From an all-time high of 1.36 million subscribers in June 1998-representing a penetration of more than 40 percent, the world’s highest-the …

If someone wants to kill you, chances are they will be able to, given enough time and venom. It is naive to think that any tool, least of all, a four-inch wireless phone, can stand up against the evil that …

Verizon Wireless, now the country’s largest operator, said it will begin field trials of cdma2000 1XRTT technology with Lucent Technologies Inc. in June, and follow with a rollout of the technology next year. Verizon is the second U.S. Code Division …

SANTIAGO, Chile-The Global System for Mobile communications Association launched a new security initiative that it hopes will further enhance the integrity of its operator members’ networks. The Security Accreditation Scheme will standardize the level of security compliance throughout the industry, …

NEW YORK-Bolstered by their respective strengths in network infrastructure and mobile handsets, the Scandinavian giants, Ericsson Inc. of Sweden and Nokia Corp. of Finland, reported strong quarterly results last week. Nokia, which released its earnings April 27, reported profits of …

NEW YORK-Clariti Wireless Messaging, Fort Washington, Pa., said it plans to introduce commercially a voice-mail service delivered over FM subcarrier channels by the end of this year. In the United States, the company will be the exclusive operator of its …

Personal communications services operator Powertel Inc. reached positive operating cash flow in the first quarter and added a company-record 110,000 subscribers. The Southeast PCS company, which analysts suspect soon may be gobbled up by VoiceStream Wireless Corp., said its growth …

Third-generation technology has become a sensitive issue in Japan as the U.S. government pushes for free technology choices there and Qualcomm Inc. possibly ponders applying for a Japanese 3G license. The sensitivity stems from a plethora of Japanese newspaper reports …