BROWSING: UMTS

HandsetsPhilipsPhilips introduced several new handsets. The Ozeo GSM dual-band mobile phone offers a new user interface and a large LCD display with five text lines. The carousel icon screen feature simultaneously displays up to five visual icons representing the phone's functions and features. The...

The U.K. government in March began the auction of five licenses, with one license exclusively reserved for a player currently not represented in the U.K. market. The 13 bidders each submitted the required deposit of about US$82.3 million.More than US$1 billion was bid during...

The UMTS Forum said it welcomed proposals by the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Conference Preparatory Group (APG) for adoption of the 2520-2670 MHz band to support the terrestrial component of IMT-2000. APG proposed that administrations make up to 160 megahertz of additional spectrum available for IMT-2000.AustraliaVirgin...

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 for the auction beginning in...

ROME-NEC Corp. announced an agreement with Telecom Italia Group to work together in technical trials for Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems.NEC, which supplies handsets to Telecom Italia Group, will provide both infrastructure systems and handsets to help understand UMTS capability, with the aim to offer...

Public skirmishes over third-generation technology died last year when the wireless industry embraced a harmonized CDMA-based standard, but old feelings between camps die hard it seems.The CDMA Development Group, the interest group that represents Interim Standard-95 carriers, said it is testing just how much...

CANNES, France-As European governments craft plans to grant third-generation licenses, some GSM and future UMTS carriers fear a few of the stipulations regulators are putting on potential 3G licensees.Representatives from the GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) Association as well as the UMTS (Universal...

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. Each bidder was required to...

Siemens and NEC announced a joint venture to develop infrastructure equipment for third-generation systems. The joint venture, in which Siemens will hold 51 percent and NEC will hold 49 percent, is called Mobisphere Ltd. The Reading, United Kingdom-based venture will conduct research and development...

Competition in the wireless personal digital assistant space will be heating up soon, as Casio Computer Co. Ltd. and Siemens' Communication Devices division have announced a strategic alliance to jointly develop a new line of palmtop personal computers with wireless Internet capabilities.Of particular note...

Latin AmericaMillicom International Cellular S.A. said MIC Latin America recently commenced offering dial-up Internet and e-mail services to its mobile telephony customers in Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Paraguay. "In Colombia and Guatemala, we have already secured market shares for dial-up Internet access...

PARIS-French cellular operator Cegetel will work with Nortel Networks to develop third-generation services based on the Universal Mobile Telecommunications Services standard, according to the equipment maker. The deal is subject to Cegetel's success in obtaining a license for UMTS radio spectrum in France.Nortel Networks...

MURRAY HILL, N.J.-Lucent Technologies Inc. has taken a page from Ericsson Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc., each of which now dominate in certain areas of telecommunications infrastructure provision, said Richard A. McGinn, Lucent's chairman and chief executive officer."In the communications networking market for service...

BERLIN-Siemens AG and NEC Corp. announced a joint venture to develop infrastructure equipment for third-generation systems. The joint venture, in which Siemens will hold 51 percent and NEC will hold 49 percent, is called Mobisphere Ltd.The Reading, United Kingdom-based venture will conduct research and...

Global System for Mobile communications providers met last week in Montreal for the 42nd plenary meeting of the GSM Association to discuss the technology's evolution and products and services, though by press time the group did not make any specific announcements on the topics."We...

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 provision of voice and...

AustriaThe Austrian telecom control and licensing authority has started consultations with telecom providers on introducing third-generation systems. Austria must license at least one 3G standard to the UMTS specifications, according to an EU directive. The authority has not decided on the number of licenses...

The Austrian Telecom Control and Licensing Authority is seeking comments from operators on how to award third-generation licenses.The Austrian government said it has not yet decided on how many licenses it will award or whether licensees will be allowed to choose other standards besides...

WASHINGTON-The European Commission said it supports industry efforts to harmonize third-generation mobile phone standards, but refused to retreat from plans to deploy home-grown technology for a pan-European 3G network and suggested U.S. policy will discriminate against foreign manufacturers seeking to sell advanced wireless products...

Third-generation technology standards groups say they accept the tri-mode Code Division Multiple Access standard recommended by mobile-phone operators worldwide.The 3G Partnership Project 2, a standards group established in North America, last week said it agreed to accept the recommendations of the Operators Harmonization Group...

AUSTRALIATelstra will extend its CDMA network in Australia to include country locations currently covered by its GSM network but lacking in analog coverage, said the company.Hutchison Telecoms in Australia announced it will adopt the brand name Orange, the global communications brand of the Hutchison...

MONTE CARLO, Monaco-Seemingly lost in the breakneck expansion of the cellular industry is a largely forgotten fact-it was cellular operators wanting a common digital voice standard that drove the rapid adoption of GSM, not the technology developers.This market pull appears to be missing from...

SWINDON, U.K.-Lucent Technologies Inc. and Vodafone Group plc announced they made their first third-generation over-the-air trial calls using Lucent's Global Third Generation Code Division Multiple Access technology at Vodafone's headquarters in Newbury, England."These trials, together with Lucent's public demonstrations of over-the-air performance up to...

MONTE CARLO, France-Nine global wireless communications companies formed a focus group to promote an Internet protocol-based wireless system for third-generation mobile communications technology.The group, called 3G.IP, consists of AT&T Wireless Services Inc., British Telecommunications plc, Rogers Cantel Inc., L.M. Ericsson, Lucent Technologies Inc., Nokia...