SBC Communications

More and more, I find myself agreeing with FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth. However, even as I write that, I’m not necessarily comfortable with the claim. It generally has been my experience that political mavericks like Mr. Furchtgott-Roth are disruptive to …

LONDON-The main trends in the Middle East wireless industry for the current year were highlighted back in March with calls from senior industry professionals for greater private-sector participation and the introduction of competition in this steadily expanding market. Speaking at …

LISLE, Ill.-As recently as a year ago, investors feared Tellabs Inc.’s flagship telephone network-management system-long considered the industry Cadillac-was on its way to becoming an Edsel. Instead, Tellabs’ flagship Titan line today looks more like a hot rod than a …

After MCI WorldCom Inc. made news with its plans to acquire paging carrier SkyTel Communications Inc., the first question on everyone’s mind was, “Why?” In a recently released update, Strategy Analytics said it believes “the acquisition … represents an attempt …

WASHINGTON-Paging Network Inc., the nation’s top paging carrier, said the Federal Communications Commission should condition any approval of the $57 billion merger between SBC Communications Inc. and Ameritech Corp. on SBC immediately entering into interconnection agreements with wireless operators. “Neither …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is crafting conditions by which the merger between SBC Communications Inc. and Ameritech Corp. can be approved. “Some problems cannot simply be solved by conditions but … conditions can mitigate some of the public-interest harms, conditions …

NEW YORK-Telefonos de Mexico S.A. de C.V. and SBC Communications Inc. announced May 3 they would jointly purchase Cellular Communications of Puerto Rico Inc. for $814 million from CoreComm Inc., New York. Under terms of the transaction SBC and Telmex …

MCI WorldCom seems to be signaling it is not interested in acquiring trunked radio giant Nextel Communications anytime soon, if ever, despite recent speculation. “We don’t think it’s imperative we do something in wireless right now, but in the next …

BAL HARBOUR, Fla.-Let the lobbying wars begin. The Universal Wireless Communications Consortium is stepping up efforts to promote Time Division Multiple Access technology around the world following the CDMA Development Group’s success in working to open up the Chinese market …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission needs a “shot clock” when reviewing mergers, said Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) Kohl, who owns NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, has sponsored a bill with Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) to require the FCC to make a decision on …

WASHINGTON-The chief executive officers of Ameritech Corp. and SBC Communications Inc. agreed last week to FCC Chairman William Kennard’s request for a 90-day negotiation period to craft Federal Communications Commission conditions for the approval of their merger. The negotiations may …

GTE Corp. last week announced plans to purchase 20 Ameritech Corp. wireless properties in the Midwest, ending months of speculation about who would acquire the lucrative Chicago and St. Louis markets that became available when SBC Communications Inc. and Ameritech …

WASHINGTON-Two telecommunications mega-mergers hit snags last week as the Federal Communications Commission said it had serious concerns about the SBC/Ameritech combination and the Virginia State Corporation Commission disapproved of the marriage between Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp., saying it …

WASHINGTON-Telecom mergers are not just about mergers anymore. Multibillion-dollar deals have become the jumping-off-point for activism on labor rights, civil rights, regulatory reform, consumer protection, globalism, politics and a slew of other special-interest issues. So many and so big have …

The announcement last week that Comcast Corp. and MediaOne Group signed an agreement to merge in a $60 billion deal driven by broadband cable networks could affect the wireless industry halfway around the world. MediaOne’s international wireless interests, which cover …

Aether Technologies announced it is joining BellSouth Wireless Data L.P. and Research in Motion Ltd. to bring financial market data via wirelessly connected handheld and laptop computers to the Atlanta, Los Angeles and New Orleans markets. Datalink.net announced it can …

WASHINGTON-When children squabble about whether one is being nice to the other, a parent often must render a judgment about the situation. When members of the Federal Communications Commission squabble, it is left for Congress to arbitrate. FCC Commissioner Harold …

WASHINGTON-Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), chairman of the Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, has introduced legislation to speed up Federal Communications Commission review of telecom mergers. Two deals before the FCC-the proposed $53 billion Bell Atlantic Corp.-GTE Corp. merger and $61 billion SBC …

U.S. Global System for Mobile communications carriers took a financial beating in 1998, but analysts expect 1999 to look brighter for these carriers as they look to butter up their bottom lines and find strategic partners. Tight financing, high churn …

Iridium L.L.C. announced that Kyocera Corp. has completed its handset testing process and has been approved to begin volume distribution of its single-mode satellite phones and dual-mode adapters, as well as terrestrial cellular phones. Kyocera had reported several problems with …

NEW ORLEANS-The Universal Wireless Communications Consortium and the GSM North American Alliance announced plans to work to achieve interoperability between TDMA and GSM technology, a move that could facilitate national and global consolidation among carriers with incompatible technologies and in …

WASHINGTON-In an embarrassing political blunder that lends insight into the tricky third-generation wireless debate, Sen. Chuck Robb (D-Va.) last week joined two fellow Finance Committee members in urging the Clinton administration to use renewed Super 301 trade authority to make …

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-Several leading voice messaging companies in North America have formed the TeleMessaging Industry Association, aimed at better educating the public about the benefits of voice mail and messaging services, and thereby increasing their use. Founding members include Ameritech Corp., …

As the end of the millennium approaches, it is worth pondering whether the recent bout of mergers and acquisitions are precedents to some colossal event of biblical proportions or merely defensive strategies of companies safeguarding themselves against falling commodity prices, …

WASHINGTON-President Clinton’s renewal last week of a potent trade weapon-known as Super 301-could become a vehicle for prying open markets closed to U.S. wireless technologies. Super 301, a multistep process that calls for bilateral negotiations on trade disputes but can …