SBC Communications

PORTLAND, Ore.-Metro One Telecommunications Inc. will continue providing enhanced directory assistance and other services to subscribers of Pacific Bell Wireless and Nevada Bell Wireless for one year, which could be extended by SBC Wireless, a subsidiary of SBC Communications Inc. …

WASHINGTON-The Communications Workers of America will make unionization of wireless workers a priority when negotiations begin in two weeks on a new collective bargaining agreement with Bell Atlantic Corp., a strategy by organized labor that appears designed to take advantage …

DALLAS-SBC Wireless, a division of SBC Communications Inc., introduced Digital Edge USA, its nationwide, flat-rate wireless calling plan. The new offering includes six nationwide plans ranging from $25 for 75 minutes to $150 for 1,500 minutes per month. “Research shows …

WASHINGTON-A Federal Communications Commission ruling on liability could be issued within weeks, with the completion of a staff proposal that is expected to steer clear of specific litigation issues and instead provide general guidance for state courts evaluating consumer claims …

WASHINGTON-The importance public image holds for competitive wireless carriers was highlighted last week when a major daily newspaper here-pointing to the lack of mobile-phone service in underground subways that run through some poor black and Latino neighborhoods-questioned whether Verizon Wireless …

The prospect of calling party pays looks like a dying one in the United States, as the Federal Communications Commission appears to be backing away from the issue, and many wonder if the service is needed in light of nationwide …

WASHINGTON-The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission last week rejected the notion that new rules designed to reduce the amount consumers pay for long-distance service transfers a portion of the obligation for universal service to wireless carriers. “I do not …

PARSIPPANY, N.J.-Third-generation wireless revenue will increase from $4.3 billion in 2002 to $63 billion in 2007, while wireless infrastructure purchases will grow from $4 billion to $34 billion during the same five-year period, according to a new study from The …

LONDON-Sema Group plc, a worldwide Internet technology and consulting company, recently announced that Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems, a subsidiary of SBC Communications Inc., has selected both Sema Group’s Short Message Service Center and Over-the-Air Activation and Programming solution. Sema Group’s …

WASHINGTON-The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association kicked off Wireless Safety Week last week with an emphasis on driver safety. The association focused on different wireless safety aspects each day of the week. CTIA and its member companies launched a national drive-time …

WASHINGTON-The wireless industry received a stinging rebuke Thursday about its lack of action on a Federal Communications Commission item that could increase the amount of money wireless customers pay into the universal-service fund. “I have been shocked at how timid …

OSLO, Norway-NetCom ASA’s board of directors rejected a takeover attempt by Tele Danmark in a $1.6 billion bid. The Danish telecommunications company purchased 25,000 shares of NetCom for $33.38 per share. Because Tele Danmark, together with U.S. partner SBC Communications …

The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association likes to talk about safety. And why not? Thousands of 911 calls from mobile phones are made every day, millions each year. No doubt countless lives have been saved and serious injury averted by a …

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 …

STUTTGART, Germany-Debitel AG, which is 74-percent owned by Swisscom, reported robust 1999 earnings, and international press reports said it is in talks with potential partners for third-generation license bids. U.S.-based SBC Communications Inc. and Japan’s NTT are both reported to …

ISTANBUL, Turkey-All four consortia vying for Turkey’s fourth Global System for Mobile communications license withdrew from the auction without bidding. A company owned by Telecom Italia and Turkey’s Isbank grabbed the third license for US$2.52 billion last week. The third …

The Federal Communications Commission should lift the spectrum cap placed on companies bidding in the 700 MHz auction and the C- and F-block re-auction of PCS spectrum. It pains me to say that. From its infancy in the early 90s, …

ANKARA, Turkey-Italy’s Telecom Italia SpA and a leading Turkish bank, Turkiye Is Bankasi AS, won a license to operate Turkey’s third mobile telephone network with a bid of more than $2.5 billion. Turkey’s current 7 million wireless customers are split …

The Federal Communications Commission has approved 35 bidders to participate in this Wednesday’s auction of licenses for the 39 GHz band. The 39 GHz band is located at 38.6-40 GHz. Some of the prominent bidders and their up front payments …

A corporate merger is not unlike a marriage. Two separate parties enter the union with two individual identities, and emerge from the ceremony as one entity, committed to achieving common goals and bearing a common name. The wireless industry witnessed …

WASHINGTON-NextWave Telecom Inc. appears to have gotten the attention of the House Judiciary Committee with a letter sent to its chairman last week complaining that the Federal Communications Commission is knowingly conducting a misinformation campaign. “The March 23rd letter is …

The flurry of consolidation in the wireless industry leads the industry observer to believe a nationwide presence is a necessity to compete in this market going forward. AT&T Wireless Services Inc. raised the bar in 1998 offering its nationwide plan, …

It is a match made in heaven. BellSouth Corp. 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 …

ATLANTA-Speculation again surfaced that BellSouth Corp. and SBC Communications Inc. will announce the merger of their U.S. wireless assets as early as this week, creating a competitive wireless footprint with more than 16.5 million customers. The possible merger deal comes …

WASHINGTON-Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that controls the Federal Communications Commission’s purse strings, last week signaled he would like the FCC to waive spectrum cap and small business eligibility rules for the re-auction of bankrupt NextWave …