Orange

LONDON-The U.K. government said it qualified all 13 applicants for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses to bid in a March auction. “I am delighted that we have been able to qualify all the applicants and that we are on track …

While Vodafone AirTouch plc last week advanced its merger with Germany’s Mannesmann AG, the company indicated it may look to fill in its footprint with smaller acquisitions. In particular, the company has been closing in on a bid for a …

BellSouth Corp. said last week it could issue a tracking stock for its highly successful Latin American operations by late April or early May, a move that will allow investors to more accurately value the company’s international assets. BellSouth’s Latin …

After resisting a hostile takeover attempt by Vodafone AirTouch plc for more than two months, Germany’s Mannesmann AG last week agreed to a revised friendly offer just days shy of the Feb. 7 deadline for Mannesmann shareholders to vote on …

ROSH HA’AYIN, Israel-Partner Communications Co., an Israeli Global System for Mobile communications operator, announced it gained 13 percent of the Israeli cellular market after one year of operation. The company began full commercial operations in January 1999 and had 355,000 …

Thirteen groups have applied to bid in the United Kingdom’s auction of third-generation mobile-phone licenses. The U.K. government by March plans to auction five licenses, with one license exclusively reserved for a player currently not represented in the U.K. market. …

LONDON-London-based telecommunication companies are riding the wave of increased demand for wireless communications with three companies reporting strong growth in new mobile phone customers during the fourth quarter of 1999. Vodafone AirTouch plc announced it received a record 3.98 million …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-While the use of mobile communications in Europe continues to grow beyond everyone’s wildest expectations, the latest bid of $140 billion by Vodafone AirTouch plc for the Mannesmann empire has caused many a jaw to drop in stunned …

Mergers and acquisitions are proliferating worldwide, with the strongest mark being made in Western Europe. Carriers are scrambling to maintain their footholds, while looking to the next potential market investment. Vodafone/Mannesmann The battle between Vodafone AirTouch and Mannesmann continues, as …

At the end of each year, the RCR editorial staff looks back on the news events that made RCR headlines and decides which were the most significant, industry-impacting stories of the past 12 months. Here are our picks for 1999 …

LONDON-BT Cellnet, Britain’s second-largest mobile phone operator, teamed with Freeserve, the United Kingdom’s largest Internet service provider, to develop information services for wireless Internet access. The two companies signed a strategic agreement to collaborate on developing sports, entertainment and financial …

LONDON-Standard & Poor’s said it lowered its long-term ratings on Mannesmann AG from A to BBB, and its short-term ratings from A-1 to A-2, following Mannesmann’s announcement that it has received acceptances in respect to 75 percent of Orange plc’s …

Vodafone AirTouch plc Friday launched a hostile takeover bid for Mannesmann AG after the German company flatly rejected an earlier all-stock bid of about $106 billion. “We made a friendly approach to Mannesmann last Sunday,” said Chris Gent, Vodafone AirTouch’s …

LONDON-Vodafone AirTouch plc acknowledged speculation circulating last week that it was interested in making a bid for Germany’s Mannesmann AG and hinted that a future tie-up of the two could occur. “Vodafone AirTouch and Mannesmann are long-standing partners in three …

United Kingdom British Telecommunications plc is close to a deal with Viag, the German utility, that would give it access to the Austrian telecom market and more control in Switzerland, the Financial Times reported. BT will take a 50-percent stake …

Following Orange’s launch of a $15.5 million promotional campaign in July of the Wildfire voice-activated personal assistant, the carrier said 20,000 subscribers have signed onto the service. Orange, the United Kingdom’s third-largest carrier with nearly 3 million customers, expects between …

DUBLIN, Ireland-Northern Ireland is a complex country with an intriguing cellular industry. As part of the United Kingdom, it is covered by the same mobile networks (BT Cellnet, Vodafone AirTouch plc and Orange plc) as the rest of the United …

LONDON-Orange, the United Kingdom’s third-largest mobile operator, announced just prior to Global Wireless press time that it is offering a new prepaid package, called Just Talk, that makes clear all conditions and charges upfront and offers existing prepaid subscribers the …

During the last five weeks, merger and acquisition announcements have flooded the telecommunications arena. Carriers in Asia, Europe and North America continue to jockey for positions in an industry that promises to exclude players without multinational footprints. Telia/Telenor The merger …

LONDON-Orange, the United Kingdom’s third-largest mobile operator, announced it is offering a new prepaid package, called Just Talk, that makes clear all conditions and charges upfront and offers existing prepaid subscribers the option of switching to a contract tariff, while …

Mannesmann AG, parent of Germany’s top mobile communications company, confirmed last week it made a bid to buy U.K. mobile carrier Orange plc, which Orange’s largest shareholder accepted. The bid values Orange, the United Kingdom’s third-largest mobile operator, at about …

United Kingdom British Telecommunications plc announced it licensed PocketScience Inc.’s PocketMail mobile e-mail service via a revenue sharing agreement that allows BT’s Internet and Multimedia Services Division to exclusively license and market PocketMail in the United Kingdom. PocketMail is a …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-Most cellular operators now recognize that to ensure their businesses continue to experience breakneck growth, they must compete more directly with fixed operators. According to industry analysts, this battle for the telephone user will take place over the …

Contrary to what many equipment developers proclaim, Hans Snook, chief executive officer of U.K.-based cell phone operator Orange, says that things were not simpler in 1995. He claims that it was not easy to build the networks or sell the …

OXFORD, United Kingdom-The phrase on everyone’s lips within the cellular industry at Telecom ’99 will be value-added services, a world apart from the talk at the 1995 exhibition. This simple dictate is being touted as the only way for operators …