Orange

LONDON-France Telecom and Orange said they will delay the initial public offering of Orange until early 2001. The Orange IPO originally was scheduled to launch by the end of the year. “The process of combining the mobile assets of France …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-The developers of third-generation (3G) infrastructure technology are complaining that mobile operators, which have spent billions acquiring licenses, are demanding heavy discounts on equipment deals. The major manufacturers are saying big pan-European operators are running parallel negotiations with …

CAMBRIDGE, England-Interest group Cambridge3G was launched to establish Cambridge, England, as a leading test bed in Europe for the early rollout of third-generation mobile services. The initiative is backed by Cambridge-based telecommunications companies including Analysys, 3G LAB, Cambridge Positioning Systems, …

LOS ANGELES-AT&T Wireless Services Inc. kicked off its Safe School Program in Orange County, Calif., by donating wireless phones, airtime and school supplies to Edison Elementary School in Santa Ana, Calif., as part of a partnership with the Orange County …

Until you have actually bought a good or service using a mobile device, it is difficult to comprehend the sheer power of the phone as an electronic wallet. In Europe, recent initiatives by innovative carriers such as Sonera allow users …

MELBOURNE, Australia-Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) had more than 18 months to sweat on its marketing. That is how long it took the wireless carrier, with Samsung, to develop a “revolutionary” wireless local loop (WLL) technology using CDMA mobile-phone infrastructure. Claimed by …

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 …

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 …

NEW YORK-At the suggestion of a franchise owner-operator, McDonald’s Corp., Oak Brook, Ill., has decided to add wireless electronic payment to its menu at several restaurant drive-up windows in Southern California. The trial should be encouraging to wireless industry observers …

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 …

HELSINKI, Finland-The Finnish government said it is in negotiations to sell its 52.9-percent stake in Sonera, the former state telecom monopoly, which operates the country’s largest mobile-phone network. Speculation has circulated for months that Sonera must take a partner to …

LONDON-U.K. wireless operator Orange plc announced a $752 million wireless Internet strategy, including numerous acquisitions, investments, partnerships and content agreements. Dubbed OrangeWorld, the initiative aims to take “wirefree communications beyond two-dimensional voice and data and into intelligent interactive response to …

LONDON-British mobile carrier Orange plc said it bought Ananova Ltd., a new media division that includes an animated Internet newscaster, for $142.5 million in cash from the U.K. Press Association. Orange said Ananova provides access to innovative, digital news and …

LAFAYETTE, La.-Nextel Partners Inc. launched its digital wireless network in southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas including the cities of Lafayette, New Iberia and Lake Charles, La.; and Port Arthur, Orange and Beaumont, Texas. Nextel said the new coverage area also …

FRANKFURT, Germany-WorldCom Inc. formally pulled out of the German auction for third-generation licenses. The company is the third bidder to withdraw from the process before the auction officially begins July 31. France’s Vivendi and Talkline, an SBC Communications Inc. and …

Germany WorldCom, Vivendi and Talkline, an SBC Communications and Tele Danmark joint venture, formally pulled out of the German auction for third-generation licenses, scheduled to begin 31 July. U.K. operator Orange also backed out of the Group 3G consortium, which …

DUBLIN, Ireland-The massive sums being invested in third-generation (3G) licenses, network development and acquisitions have placed the major European operators firmly under the financial spotlight. While observers agree there is no significant cause for concern yet, it is also clear …

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.-AirFlash Inc. announced Orange PCS Ltd. of the United Kingdom has deployed its location-based information services to customers as part of a service trial there. The test revolves around AirFlash’s SmartZone technology, which matches a user’s location with …

BIEL, Switzerland-Ten companies submitted applications to bid for four third-generation licenses in Switzerland in November. Switzerland’s Federal Office of Communications will decide by the end of August which of the applicants can participate in the auction. The regulator said a …

NEW YORK-In a move that, ironically, furthers consolidation in Europe’s deregulated telecommunications market, France Telecom said May 30 it would buy Orange plc from Vodafone AirTouch plc for $38 billion plus the assumption of $2.7 billion in outstanding Orange debt. …

FRANKFURT, Germany-The German telecommunication regulator approved 11 bidders to participate in its Universal Mobile Telecommunications System auction, set to begin in July. The regulator excluded only one company from bidding in the auction. Germany plans to sell 12 frequencies of …

MUNICH, Germany-German utilities Viag and Veba are said to be in talks to sell their stakes in telecommunications interests to British Telecom. British Telecom currently holds 45 percent of Viag Interkom, Germany’s fourth-largest wireless operator. Viag holds 20 percent of …

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 …

DUBLIN, Ireland-A Supreme Court decision ended a two-year-old dispute over Ireland’s third cellular license. U.S.-Irish consortium Meteor can now establish Ireland’s third wireless network to compete with established operators Esat Digifone and Eircell. In June 1998, the Office of the …

MELBOURNE, Fla.-Harris Corp. said Tekelec, a supplier of signaling and control systems, selected Harris to provide its network management platform, called HNM, as part of a total Internet Protocol SS7 signaling transport solution in the United Kingdom. As part of …