operator

An old Chinese saying may be relevant to the commercialization of CDMA mobile phone networks in China-“Those who know don’t talk, and those who talk don’t know”-at least on the record. When will Code Division Multiple Access networks be launched …

WASHINGTON-The Mexican government will auction new frequencies for paging, narrowband PCS (two-way paging), trunking and point-to-point microwave. The auctions are scheduled for late 1998 and early 1999, depending on the service, according to the Comision Federal de Telecomunicaciones (Cofetel), Mexico’s …

Chances are slim to none that U.S. mobile phone operators will agree on one standard for the next generation of mobile phone services. Already fragmented with three different digital standards-cdmaOne, TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) and GSM (Global System for …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-Conferences are an integral part of the mobile communications scene, an ideal platform for catching up with the latest developments and a chance to meet old friends and make new ones. But such networking opportunities have one inevitable …

What does the acronym MoU mean? MoU stands for Memorandum of Understanding, of course-as in the GSM MoU Association. Any European cellular operator could tell you that. Except today, some cellular operators may give a different explanation. MoU stands for …

WASHINGTON-Almost 500 years after Columbus visited, Portugal and Spain are back on Latin American shores; this time, it isn’t sugar cane or gold they are after, but rather the potentially lucrative telecom sector. Telefonica de Espana and Portugal Telecom were …

SINGAPORE-Given that Singapore’s paging market is close to saturation with a 43-percent penetration rate, it comes as no surprise that paging operators in the market constantly are on the lookout for innovative ways to serve up new offerings to their …

The Australian Communications Authority has invited applications for an auction of previously unsold 800 MHz and 1.8 GHz PCS spectrum. Bids closed on 31 August for the partial privatization of Telekom Austria. The Austrian government is looking to sell a …

COPENHAGEN, Denmark-Danish telecommunications services group Tele Danmark A/S announced it sold for about US$160 million approximately 70 percent of its 23.2-percent interest in Hungarian cellular operator Pannon GSM Tavkozlesi Rt. The Pannon shares were acquired by three co-owners of the …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-The licensing of two additional cellular carriers in South Africa will represent the biggest opportunity for black empowerment in Africa-and for some, the last chance to become involved in the vibrant telecommunications market here. When the Department of …

Wireless operators, especially those in emerging markets, will have to operate leaner to survive the second stage of a financial crisis that originated in Asia a year ago, spread to Russia more recently-and within a matter of days fanned out …

TOKYO-Astel Kansai Corp., a regional operator of Astel Group’s PHS (Personal Handyphone Service) operations, has become a subsidiary of Kansai Electric Power Co., an Astel Kansai spokesman said. The Astel company will try to revitalize its troubled PHS business under …

Chile’s Undersecretary of Telecommunications Juanita Gana announced mobile phone carriers no longer can force subscribers to sign long-term contracts, according to an article in El Diario. Until now carrier contracts have been for between 12 and 24 months. Ericsson Radio …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-Unseemly and ongoing disputes over intellectual property rights seem to have hijacked the current debate about third-generation (3G) cellular. Posturing by radio manufacturers continues to dominate the news in the air-interface standards-selection process. But the real issues lie …

DUBLIN, Ireland-The number of new phone manufacturers and the introduction of GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) handset design packages have lead to a proliferation of new handsets. However, there already have been casualties, and it seems inevitable that other …

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-The long-awaited launch of cellular service in Botswana is expected to have a huge impact on the country’s communications and business sector. Botswana’s small population of 1.47 million people was seen as a main reason for the delay. …

Across most of the world’s regions, carriers and analysts are claiming prepaid cellular a resounding success. Along with calling party pays, it is considered one of the leading contributors to current subscriber growth. Some carriers now are getting more than …

Omnipoint offers new rate plans CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J.-Personal communications services operator Omnipoint Communications Inc. will announce today new service offerings that include bundled-minute rate plans. The company has long avoided offering bundled-minute plans. Omnipoint introduced what it calls Custom-Tailored Wireless …

In Chicago, where the mobile phone penetration rate is one of the highest among the nation’s most populous markets, cellular carriers Ameritech Cellular Services Inc. and SBC Wireless have made aggressive moves to match offers coming primarily from their PCS …

If the promise of enhanced wireless services was a hot-fudge sundae with lots of toppings, about the only thing wireless customers have been served so far is vanilla ice cream sprinkled with nuts. That according to Larry Swasey, senior wireless …

The race is on for local multipoint distribution service carriers to launch service, but many players remain confused about which services to offer and which markets to target. “One of the most influential factors in delaying the LMDS market is …

The CDMA Development Group formed an interest group within the CDG that will focus on Latin America. The CDG said the interest group builds on the success of similar organizations within the CDG. Other interest groups focus on the Asia …

Bell Canada International Inc. and New York-based insurance and financial services firm American International Group Inc. agreed to invest a combined $265 million to purchase a 39.4-percent interest in South Korean personal communications services operator Hansol PCS Co. Ltd. The …

COPENHAGEN, Denmark-The Danish telecommunications services group Tele Danmark A/S said it sold some of its stake in Hungarian cellular operator Pannon GSM Tavkozlesi Rt. Tele Danmark sold 70 percent of its 23.2-percent interest in the Hungarian carrier for about $160 …

JACKSON, Miss.-SkyTel Communications Inc. announced it is offering a prepaid alphanumeric paging package in addition to its prepaid numeric paging product launched last fall. Prepaid alpha paging allows subscribers to pay for a set number of messages beforehand and renew …