TelecomWeb News Digest articles from December 2004

TelecomWeb News Digest archives from December 2004

Econet Wins, Then Loses Kenya License.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Econet Wireless International of South Africa, a company jointly owned by South Africa's Altech Group and Zimbabwe's Econet Wireless Group, won a license earlier this month to become the third wireless carrier in Kenya, but that's all over now....

Huawei Plucks A Four-Leaf Clover.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Ireland's Smart Telecom has turned to China's fast-growing Huawei Technologies to provide it with broadband hardware, including network and customer-premise equipment. Smart Telecom, leveraging local loop unbundling (LLU) rules in Ireland,...

Cingular Wireless' Loss Is Alltel's, MetroPCS' Gain.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... In the aftermath of its purchase of AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless is selling several sets of 10 megahertz wireless licenses to two different carriers. First, MetroPCS Inc. is buying two of Cingular's licenses for $230 million in cash. The...

German Regulators Consider Easing VoIP Rules.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Germany's Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Posts (RegTP) has begun considering changes to current regulations that would open up the German market to "pure play" voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) providers. In a notice...

Hong Kong ISP Will Be First To Offer Gigabit-To-The-Home.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... While most people in the world can only hope for 5 Mb/s asymmetrical broadband in the near future, and just a relative handful can look forward to 20 Mb/s or faster delivered by technologies such as FTTx and ADSL2+, residents of Hong Kong are...

CLEC Lauds Court Action On 2001 ISP Remand Order.
December 2, 2004... Last June, Core Communications Inc., an Annapolis, Md.-based CLEC, filed a petition for mandamus with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, requesting that the FCC be ordered to issue a decision resolving the statutory status of...

Cable Industry Seeks Broadband Gateway Proposals.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Cable industry R&D consortium Cable Television Laboratories (CableLabs) has issued a RFP asking manufacturers to help identify a "common set of product requirements" for residential gateways that will meet the CableHome 1.1 specifications that...

Gilat Offers Satellite Solution To GSM Operators.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2004... Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. [GILTF] has added Sky-Abis, a satellite solution for GSM operators, to its SkyEdge family of products. Sky-Abis allows mobile operators to expand their network coverage by providing cellular connectivity to...

Buckle Up: It's Going To Be A Bumpy Legislative Year.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... According to panelists participating in this week's "2004 Business & Policy Conference" sponsored by the Association for Local Telecommunications Services (ALTS) in Washington, D.C., two things will be on the minds of congressmen participating...

Translating The Small Screen To The Smaller Screen.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... MobiTV , which claims to be the "first and only global television network to deliver live television programming to mobile phones," is one year old. The service, developed by Berkeley, Calif.-based Idetic Inc., is targeting some 1.3 billion...

Public Invited To ITAC World Summit Prep Meeting.(International Telecommunication Advisory Committee )
December 6, 2004... The State Department's U.S. International Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) has scheduled an open "information meeting" next Wednesday (Dec. 8) to discuss U.S. participation in Part Two of the World Summit on the Information Society...

ECI Buys A Chunk Of Chiaro.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Israel's ECI Telecom has put $6 million into Richardson, Texas-based Chiaro Networks in return for receiving an option to buy Chiaro outright at some time in the future, if it wants to do so. The most immediate result of the deal, however, is...

Cellphones Could Bring Music To Subscribers' Ears.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Hugh Panero, CEO of nationwide satellite-radio provider XM Satellite Radio, is predicting that satellite radio receivers will be integrated into upcoming models of mobile phones. Panero recently was quoted as saying, "Obviously, our core base...

European Trio Achieves Terabit-Per-Second Broadband.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Alcatel, working with France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom, says it successfully completed trials of better-than-terabit-per-second (Tb/s) transmissions over a fiber link in France Telecom's network. For the techspeakchallenged, Alcatel...

Senate Leaders Urged To Take Up Triple-Play Bill This Week.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... In a letter last Friday to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and outgoing Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), a diverse group of telecom players that includes all the major incumbents, wireless carriers, manufacturers, associations,...

Cogent Takes Over Verio's T1 Business.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... The Cogent Communications Group purchased the majority of NTT Communications' subsidiary Verio 's T1 Internet-access customer base, and it has immediately begun migrating the 2,400 business customers involved onto Cogent's own 80 Gb/s optical...

Luke, I'm Your Ringtone, And Wallpaper, And Screensaver.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... May the Force be with you - everywhere. THQ Wireless Inc., a subsidiary of software developer THQ Inc., inked a multi-year deal with Lucasfilm Ltd. that grants THQ Wireless worldwide rights to develop and distribute "Star Wars"-branded content...

Association Merger Surprise Could Focus Lobbying Efforts.(Telecommunications)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... Last Friday's announcement that the Association for Local Telecommunications Services (ALTS) and CompTel/ASCENT are looking into a merger was a shocker, because not even a hint of the signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) was given at ALTS'...

Telstra Ready For 3G Launch.(Telstra Corporation Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... Telstra, the largest Australian telco, signed a deal it says will boost deployment of 3G service down under. It has teamed with Hutchison 3G Australia, the country's only 3G mobile operator that's up and running, to enable it to offer services...

Branson Once Again Targets China For Wireless Partnership.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... Mainland China serves some 315 million wireless subscribers, and Sir Richard Branson is looking to expand his Virgin Mobile brand into this marketplace. He's in talks with an unnamed mainland group to set up a 50/50 joint venture, and some $300...

Hutchison, China Mobile or China Unicom.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... This is Branson's second attempt to forge a Chinese relationship. Two years ago, Virgin Mobile pulled out of China after its partnership with Singapore Telecom fizzled out. Much like its U.S. partnership with Sprint PCS, Virgin Mobile plans...

Why India's TEMA Is Pushing For Higher Investment Caps.(Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association of India)(India's Tele Management Forum)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... Figures released at India's Tele Management Forum in Bangalore yesterday say that some $70 billion will be needed to bolster that country's telecom industry if it is to meet its goal of serving 250 million subscribers by 2008. Right now, 85...

Cisco, IBM Top Corporate VoIP Study.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... Corporations are most likely to turn to IBM or Cisco for their voiceover-Internet Protocol (VoIP) needs during the next two years, based on a new study by research house The Yankee Group working with the Monitor Group's Market2Customer research...

Need Re-Banding News? Here's A Page For You.(http://www.800mhzrebanding.com)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... A new Web page, created by the Rockville, Md.-based law firm of Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker PA, has been designed to keep those who want to be kept in the 800 MHz re-banding loop informed. The site, http://www.800mhzrebanding.com,...

Eutelsat Inks Key Chinese Deal.(kylogic signed a deal with Chinese telco ChinaSatcom)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2004... Eutelsat's broadband affiliate Skylogic signed a breakthrough deal with leading Chinese telco ChinaSatcom to improve communications between China and Italy. The deal will see ChinaSatcom and Skylogic create a two-way broadband network to...

Breaking News: Vonage Goes Video.(Vonage signed a deal to market Viseon's VisiFone II)
December 13, 2004... Vonage is getting ready to launch a videophone version of its voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) voice service. The company signed a deal with video telephone maker Viseon under which it will market Viseon's forthcoming nextgeneration...

Mystery Shrouds Pending FCC Remand Order.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Washington, D.C., is beginning to quiet down, now that 108th Congress is about to adjourn and the holiday season has started. However, regulatory minds continue to mull the FCC's Triennial Review Order remand and the possible directions the FCC...

U.K. Broadcaster Looks To Interactive Wireless Gaming For New Revenue.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... ITV aims to be one of the pioneers of interactive services in the U.K. As one of the largest broadcasters in that country, its programming and channels are some of the most widely watched. As a result, its interactive services are more visible...

Like Comcast Broadband Speed This Year? Wait Until 2005.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... After attracting nearly 550,000 high-speed data subs in 3Q04, Comcast thinks it knows a little about broadband. According to our sister publication CableFAX, that's why it's going to deploy the same strategy in next year when it comes to speed...

ACA Report Judges Telecom Performance.(Australian Communications Authority )(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) released its Telecommunications Performance Report 2003-04, which analyses the performance of the Australian telecom market between June 2003 and June 2004. Australia continues to be a strong...

NTCA Takes ICC Bull By The Horns With Rural Request.(National Telecommunications Cooperative Association)(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... With intercarrier compensation (ICC) very much on the front burner for telecom carriers, the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA) filed an ex parte "blueprint" unified ICC plan with the Federal Communications Commission in...

VimpelCom Slapped With Back-Taxes Bill, Fines.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Russian wireless carrier VimpelCom, owned in part by Norway's Telenor, has been asked to write a hefty check for $90 million in 2001 back taxes and another $67 million in penalties and fines. Reports say the Number Two Russian carrier paid a...

Happy 20th Birthday, Cisco.(Brief Article)
December 13, 2004... Cisco celebrated its 20th birthday last Friday. The company, which these days has 35,000 employees at locations in 259 cities around the world, started out life on Dec. 10, 1984, with just the two Stanford University scientists who founded the...

Commission Votes New Unbundling Rules; Facilities-Based Carriers Favored.(incumbent local exchange carriers)(Federal Communications Commission)
December 16, 2004... According to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell, no one will be completely happy with today's adoption of new rules concerning incumbent local exchange carriers' (ILECs') obligations to make elements of their network...

It's Official: Sprint Nextel, Not Verizon Sprint.(Verizon Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2004... Despite some rumored saber rattling by Verizon, which has been pulling every marketing trick it can think of out of its hat to regain wireless market share post-Cingular/AT&T Wireless, as we alluded to yesterday, the next big thing on the...

SEC Rules No Perp Walk For Ex-Global Crossing Exec.(United States. Securities and Exchange Commission, Global Crossing Ltd.)(Gary Winnick)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2004... Global Crossing founder Gary Winnick dodged both jail time and fines stemming from some questionable accounting at the company (which culminated in bankruptcy and more than $12 billion in debt) that has been under U.S. Securities and Exchange...

ConEd Pulls The Plug On Broadband.(Consolidated Edison, Con Edison Communications)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2004... New York's giant Consolidated Edison power company is exiting the broadband industry, selling off its Con Edison Communications (CEC) subsidiary to FiberNet for $37 million in cash. ConEd is one of the last major, and believed to be the...

Spacelink Purchase Bolsters ESS Military Wireless Capabilities.(Engineered Support Systems Inc., Spacelink International L.L.C.)(United States. Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2004... Beefing up its satellite communications support business, Engineered Support Systems Inc. (ESS) agreed to acquire Spacelink International, a private company that designs, integrates, operates and maintains deployed wireless and satellite...

Powerline Broadband Heads For Iraq.(Telkonet Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2004... Powerline broadband specialist Telkonet has been tapped to provide a powerline network for the Baghdad Media Center in Iraq. The installation is believed to be the first of its type in the war-torn country. The Media Center, a U.S. State...

Nortel Wins Huge Danish FTTx Contract.(EnergiMidt, Northern Telecom Ltd.)(passive optical network)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2004... Nortel bagged an order from Danish utility EnergiMidt to install a FTTx network that will eventually string fiber to all of the utility's 162,000 customers in the mid-Jutland region of Denmark, including both residences and businesses....

Joint Venture Promises India Wireless Broadband.(WebSky, World Wide Wireless)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2004... Wireless broadband startup WebSky and India telecom house World Wide Wireless signed a joint venture deal to launch wireless broadband services in New Delhi, Mumbai and Ludhiana. The venture, to be called WebSky (India) Ltd, is promising...

Commission Votes New Unbundling Rules; Facilities-Based Carriers Favored.
December 20, 2004... According to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell, no one will be completely happy with today's adoption of new rules concerning incumbent local exchange carriers' (ILECs') obligations to make elements of their network...

Why Marketers View Branded Content The Same As Branded Clothing.(mobile data services)(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... In a wild flurry of announcements over the past few weeks, major media have lined up to secure places on phone decks in an effort to make mobile data services look a lot like the Web, the newsstand, and even your cable TV grid. What's the...

TIA Prez Counsels White House On National Telecom Strategy.(Telecommunications Industry Association)(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... Despite the fact Congress passed a spate of telecom-related legislation last week as the 108th Session wound down, and the Federal Communications Commission continues to get the larger pending items off its plate, there continue to be...

It's Official: Sprint Nextel, Not Verizon Sprint.(Orca Interactive Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... Despite some rumored saber rattling by Verizon, which has been pulling every marketing trick it can think of out of its hat to regain wireless market share post-Cingular/AT&T Wireless, as we alluded to yesterday, the next big thing on the...

Orca Claims Record-Breaking IP Video Benchmark.(Orca Interactive Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... Orca Interactive is claiming a benchmark record of 500,000 users for its RiGHTv 4.2 IP video server. The number, it says, eclipses the last published benchmark of 100,000, a record set back in 2003. The Orca benchmark was in a simulated...

British Regulators Tell BT To Cut Local-Loop Charges.(Federal Communications Commission)(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... Ofcom, the Federal Communications Commission's counterpart in the U.K., is slashing the price - reportedly by as much as 70 percent -- giant carrier BT charges competitors to transfer one of its customers to another company's equipment....

Lone Star State Parks' Wi-Fi Free, For Now.(TengoInternet)(wireless internet)(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is launching a pilot program, starting Jan. 1, 2005, in five of its parks. Wi-Fi ISP TengoInternet landed the contract to unwire the Choke Canyon, Blanco, Balmorhea, Goose Island and Ray Roberts state...

SK Telecom Gets Mobile Satellite Television License.(Brief Article)
December 20, 2004... According to Yonhap News, South Korea granted a license to provide mobile satellite television services to TU Media, a venture company partially owned by wireless carrier SK Telecom Co. Specific details on the service were not immediately...

Maybe A Tree Grows In Brooklyn - But Where's The Broadband?(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... The New York City Council's Committee on Technology in Government has scheduled an open hearing on the state of broadband in Brooklyn. The hearing follows a report on broadband in Big Apple, The New York Broadband Gap, published earlier this...

New Research: Despite Problems, MMS Revenues To Double.(mobile multimedia messaging)(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... According to a new study from U.K.-based Jupiter Research, mobile multimedia messaging (MMS) revenues are slated to jump to $42.5 billion worldwide next year - more than double the current revenues -- despite continuing problems with failure...

A Small But Qualified Line Forms For NextWave Licenses.(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission perused some 49 applications to play in its upcoming auction for PCS spectrum (Auction No. 58), scheduled to kick off Jan. 26, 2005. Of those, 22 were accepted, and 27 were kicked back to the applicants for...

Buy, Sell Spectrum And Towers Globally, And No Names, If You Choose.(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... New York City-based Cantor Fitzgerald Telecom Services LLC, a developer of "more efficient marketplaces for the trading of wireless spectrum and towers" and a service provider in its own right, unveiled its Cantor Spectrum Marketplace....

McLeod, Skype & Vonage Up The VoIP Ante.(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... Competitive telecom carrier McLeodUSA has become the latest "traditional" phone company to enter the increasingly crowded VoIP arena. McLeod says it has completed customer trials in four of its markets -- Denver, Dallas, Detroit and Chicago --...

White House Gives The Nod To National GPS Policy.(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... President George W. Bush recently authorized a new national policy that establishes guidance and implementation actions for space-based positioning, navigation and timing programs, augmentations and activities for U.S. national and homeland...

You Can Get Everything - Even VoIP - At Wal-Mart.(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... Wal-Mart has agreed to sell the Soyo Group's VoIP telephone handsets, pre-loaded with 150 minutes of calling time, over its e-commerce Web site. The phones will come ready to use, with no setup required other than plugging them into a DSL or...

Intellon Plans CES Debut For 200 Mb/s BPL Prototype.(Consumer Electronics Show)(Brief Article)
December 23, 2004... Broadband over powerline (BPL) semiconductor house Intellon is brewing up a prototype HomePlug-compliant chipset that will extend in-home BPL technology to 200 Mb/s. The company also has plans to have its first silicon ready to show off at...