Vodafone

HOUSTON-Crown Castle International Corp.’s Australian subsidiary will purchase 669 wireless communications towers for about $130 million from Vodafone Australia. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of next year, will bring Crown Castle’s number of towers in the …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-In a surprise announcement, the Swedish government awarded four Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses on Dec. 16, dismissing a proposal from Telia, the country’s current mobile leader. Sweden’s other two incumbent operators, NetCom and Europolitan, won licenses through a …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-Vodafone Group plc and Ireland’s Eircom plc reached an agreement calling for Vodafone to acquire the business of Eircell, Eircom’s mobile operator, for about $4.1 billion in stock. According to the deal, Eircell will be demerged from Eircom into …

Chris Gent has had quite a year. For the chief executive of Vodafone Group plc, 2000 began with a hostile takeover of Mannesmann AG, parent of its rival Orange plc, and continued with a spending spree for third-generation licenses across …

Extolling them as “wings of light,” Nortel Networks hopes to illumine the wireless Internet space with four new initiatives. Basking in a 55-percent third-quarter growth, the Internet and communications company identifies the four-pronged blitz as optical infrastructure, wireless access, Internet …

TOKYO-British Telecommunications plc is in the process of increasing its current 15-percent stake in Japan Telecom Co. Ltd., according to Reuters. The move comes at the same time BT rival Vodafone Group is also trying to gain a larger share …

SOFIA, Bulgaria-Five companies have submitted applications to bid for a 15-year GSM license in Bulgaria. The minimum price for the license, to be awarded Dec. 15, is $40 million. Vodafone Bulgaria, a partnership between Vodafone Group plc and United Bulgarian …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-SnapTrack Inc., a Qualcomm Inc. subsidiary, announced a year-long test of its position-location technology is over and the results are positive. The tests of SnapTrack’s Wireless Assisted global positioning system solution, conducted by a consortium of various industry …

The strategic alliance announced between NTT DoCoMo and AT&T Wireless Inc. is fairly simple on the surface, but may have long-term implications for the global wireless industry. DoCoMo will invest about $9.8 billion in AT&T preferred stock for a 16-percent …

CHELMSFORD, Mass.-In a US$40 million deal, Vodafone Group will use Sycamore Networks’ intelligent optical switching and transport products and services. Sycamore will supply its SN 16000 optical core switch, SN 3000 optical access switch, SN 8000 optical transport platform and …

NEW YORK-The major players’ rankings reflect the dynamic environment of telecommunications as some stalwarts held their ground, some newcomers joined the group, while still others showed substantial rises or falls in various categories. AT&T Wireless Group, listed this year as …

A week after announcing plans to eliminate as much as $14 billion in debt, British Telecommunications plc said it was selling its 34-percent stake in Swiss joint venture Sunrise to TeleDanmark, a partner in the deal, for $659 million. BT …

London-based mobile phone giant Vodafone Group plc reported strong interim results for the six months ended Sept. 30, including a 55-percent increase in proportionate customer additions compared with the same period last year, bringing the company’s proportionate customer base to …

Attempting to slash its debt load by as much as $14 billion and boost sales, which have fallen by as much as 50 percent this year, British Telecommunications plc announced a companywide restructuring plan that includes plans to sell off …

LONDON-Vodafone Group plc and France Telecom’s Orange both acquired stakes in the Swiss wireless market ahead of the country’s Universal Mobile Telecommunications System auction, set to begin next week. Vodafone Group acquired 25 percent of the equity of Swisscom Mobile …

BERNE, Switzerland-Only five bidders will compete for four Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses in Switzerland, as three contenders dropped out late last week, down from an original 10 interested companies. The licenses could bring a much lower amount than originally …

VIENNA, Austria-Europe’s fifth auction of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System licenses ended after less than two days of bidding. All six participants gained licenses to operate UMTS systems in Austria, drawing about $728 million, much less than anticipated. The auction came …

WASHINGTON-Qwest Communications International Corp. was able to emerge from the union negotiating table without agreeing to allow the Communications Workers of America to have access to its wireless employees, something that neither Verizon Communications nor SBC Communications Inc. were able …

VIENNA, Austria-The Austrian auction of third-generation licenses began today, amid investigations into illegal activities among some of the already-completed European 3G auctions. In Austria, six bidders are competing for 12 licenses. Companies are expected to acquire up to three licenses. …

ZURICH, Switzerland-Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone Group are competing to buy a minority stake in Swisscom’s wireless operations, according to international press reports. The Swiss company has been has reportedly been seeking a partner for its mobile operations. Swisscom owns 75 …

AUCKLAND, New Zealand-Clear Communications, has entered New Zealand’s auction of third-generation and second-generation wireless spectrum. The auction has been going on since mid July. As of round 208, the total bid amounts in the auction were $42.7 million. Clear’s bids …

Mobile satellite services will shortly be available across the Middle East via the Thuraya network. United Arab Emirates-based Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications has announced the launch of its Thuraya-1 satellite. The turnkey mobile satellite communications system was provided by Boeing Satellite …

WASHINGTON-The chief wireless regulator in the United States has been spreading the message of auctions as a key licensing tool in various overseas trips during the last year. “You are struck when you travel that people are interested in the …

TOKYO-The third-generation (3G) business plans and service strategies of three Japanese cellular carriers are becoming more concrete. NTT DoCoMo and J-Phone Group, the mobile business of Japan Telecom, are going to launch 3G services based on wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) technology in …

BUCHAREST, Romania-Although most of the third-generation (3G) licensing attention in Europe is focused on Western Europe, Eastern European countries are also moving forward with licensing plans. The region, with lower wireless penetration rates than many Western European countries and improving …