The America's Intelligence Wire articles from October 2007

The America's Intelligence Wire archives from October 2007

Alaska Seeking P3s for Toll Bridge.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Rich Saskal A unit of the Alaska government is pursuing a public-private partnership to construct a bridge over an arm of the ocean next to the state's largest city, Anchorage. In December, the Knik...

In Brief: CEO Confidence Rises To 50 From 44 in 4Q.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Gary E. Siegel Chief executives' confidence in the nation's economy rebounded in the fourth quarter of 2006, after hitting its weakest level in nearly five years during the third quarter, according to...

In Brief: Pima Co. IDA, Ariz., Cut to BB by S&P.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Gary E. Siegel Standard & Poor's said it lowered its rating on Pima County Industrial Development Authority, Ariz.'s Series 2003A and 2006 education revenue bonds, supported by Paragon Management Inc....

Munis Unchanged Amid Quiet Secondary.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Michael Scarchilli & Matthew Posner Municipals were unchanged yesterday with a quiet secondary market and a focus on an influx of primary supply. "It is very quiet. As far as the Street goes, I see...

With No '05 Audit, Fort Worth Privately Places $61M Deal.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Elizabeth Albanese Fort Worth on Monday privately placed $61.1 million of certificates of obligation with Bank of America -- a deal that skipped the public market largely because the city has not finished...

Disclosure: Moody's Report: OPEB Liabilities Growing Faster Than Inflation.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Elizabeth Albanese A special comment released by Moody's Investors Service late last month indicates that the cost of providing other post-employment benefits for retired employees will continue to be...

Florida Stadium Deal Focuses on Public Site, TIFs.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Shelly Sigo Negotiators trying to hammer out a deal to build the Florida Marlins a 38,000-seat retractable-domed baseball stadium said on Monday that they are focusing on publicly owned land in downtown...

Competitive Bond Offerings.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Shelly Sigo Letter F next to the issuer's name signifies the Official Notice of Sale is available on the internet! Go to www.bondbuyer.com A letter "P" signifies that a link to the POS is on the Bond...

Competitive Note Offerings.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Shelly Sigo Tentative dates for negotiated sales of $1 million or more. Letter F next to the issuer's name signifies the Official Notice of Sale is available on the internet! Go to www.bondbuyer.com A...

Results of Negotiated Sales.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Shelly Sigo GEORGIA Clay County School District Jan 4, 2007 $1,200,000 General Obligation Sales Tax Bonds, Series 2007 (bank qualified) (book entry) Dated Jan 25, 2007. Due Oct 1, 2008 to 2012. ...

Results of Competitive Sales.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Shelly Sigo CONNECTICUT Connecticut Regional School District No. 8 Jan 9, 2007 $475,000 General Obligation Bond Anticipation Notes (book entry). Dated Jan 18, 2007. Due May 15, 2007. ...

Plain/Insured GO Yield Curves for Jan. 8, 2007*.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Shelly Sigo State Ratings One-Year Five-Year 10-Year 30-Year Missouri Aaa/AAA/AAA 3.51 / 3.52 3.57 / 3.60 3.71 / 3.76 4.05 / 4.11 Minnesota Aa1/AAA/AAA 3.51 / 3.56 3.56 / 3.63 3.71 / 3.77 4.07 / 4.10...

ILLINOIS: Advocate for Change.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Yvette Shields Advocate Health Care officials last week said they hope to build a new $239 million hospital in a fast-growing area in Lake County, north of Chicago. If built, the facility would...

MINNESOTA: Stadium Revision OK'd.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Yvette Shields The University of Minnesota Board of Regents last week approved a revised Big 10 football stadium plan that tacks on an additional $40 million to its original $249 million price tag. ...

OHIO: Health System Gets Positive.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Elizabeth Carvlin Standard & Poor's last week revised its outlook to positive from stable for A-rated bonds issued on behalf of the University Hospitals Health System Inc. as it embarks on the first part...

OHIO: CHP Gets New CFO.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Elizabeth Carvlin The Catholic Healthcare Partners announced last week that it hired James Gravell as its new chief financial officer this year to replace retiring CFO William Shuttleworth. The shift...

WISCONSIN: Milwaukee School Upgrade.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Yvette Shields Moody's Investors Service last week upgraded to A1 from A2 the Milwaukee Redevelopment Authority's $112 million issue for the Milwaukee Public Schools neighborhood schools initiative. ...

U.S. Securities Prices.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Yvette Shields Prices as of 3 p.m. ET. Source: GovPx Inc. Treasury Bills Yesterday's Prev. Day's Yesterday's (in percent of discount) Bid/Offer Bid/Offer Bid Yield 1M -- 2/1/2007 4.810/790 4.735/725 4.891...

Short-Term Tax-Exempt Yields.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Yvette Shields Jan 9, 2007 Jan 8, 2007 Jan 10, 2006 Selected MIG-1/SP-1+ Notes California Rans 4 1/2s (June 07) 3.43 3.45 3.15 Los Angeles Co Trans 4 1/2s (June 07) 3.43 3.45 3.15 Michigan GO 4 1/4s (Sept...

Market Indicators.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Yvette Shields Dollar amounts are in millions Day's 2007 2007 Daily Yesterday Change High Date Low Date Municipal Bond Index 116-20 +7/32 116-26 (1/4) 116-08 (1/2) 40 Average Dollar Price 100.80 +0.18...

Merrill Lynch Corporate Bond Indexes.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Yvette Shields Performance Comparisons for Jan. 8, 2007 Aaa-Baa Rated Corporates Index Avg. Pct. of Total Return % Close Yield Market Prior Wk. Y-T-D ML Corporate Master 1622.51 5.64 100.00 n.a. +0.52...

Municipal Bond Prices.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Yvette Shields These 40 Bonds are evaluated and priced daily by Standard & Poor's Securities Evaluations Inc. All figures are rounded to the nearest eighth when reported in this table. "Change in...

N.Y. State, City, and Agencies to Sell $6.1B in 1Q.
October 1, 2007... (From The Bond Buyer) Byline: Ted Phillips New York State, New York City, and some of their borrowing authorities plan to sell up to $6.1 billion of new-money debt in the first quarter of 2007, according to the bond sale schedule...

US - Boost adds Motorola W385 to handset range.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Boost Mobile, a division of Sprint Nextel, has added the Motorola W385 to its Unlimited by Boost mobile phone offerings. The Motorola W385 features bluetooth, GPS, 4x digital zoom VGA camera, text and...

Canada - CRTC consults on complaints watchdog powers.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has issued a public notice asking for input on the nature, governance, structure and mandate of the Commissioner for Complaints for...

US - Boost Mobile unveils mobile GPS navigation service.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Boost Mobile has launched an exclusive mobile GPS navigation service called Boost Navigator powered by Telmap. The service provides Boost Mobile customers audible turn-by-turn walking and driving directions...

US - MLB and Joost team up for baseball games broadcast.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Joost has entered into an exclusive partnership with MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), the interactive media and internet company of Major League Baseball. The agreement grants Joost the rights to make on-demand game...

US - KDDI Mobile adds additional lines to Family Plans.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) US MVNO KDDI Mobile is now offering its Family Plans for USD 9.99 per month for each additional line. Customers can add up to nine lines to one contract and share the Anytime Minutes with others. The Family...

Panama - PlusMovil launches 'call me' service for prepaid customers.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) PlusMovil customers in Panama without any call credit will be able to text friends and family for free asking them to call them, thanks to a new service. The Cable & Wireless-owned operator said customers will...

Uruguay - Ancel runs SMS short story competition.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Uruguay-based mobile operator Ancel is running a short-story competition especially for mobile phones. Customers are being invited to write a short story of up to 160 characters and to send it to Ancel via...

US - AT&T to deploy Nortel all-IP product line for GSM, UMTS.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) AT&T will deploy selected elements of a new all-IP product line from Nortel for GSM and UMTS mobile networks. The new product line is designed to help service providers easily evolve to an all-IP network....

US - Cricket launches Kyocera Lingo handset.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) US mobile operator Cricket has introduced the Lingo handset from Kyocera Wireless. The clamshell CDMA mobile phone opens lengthwise to reveal a qwerty keypad. Other features include Bluetooth,a 1.3 megapixel...

North America - RIM releases CDMA version of BlackBerry Pearl.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Research In Motion has unveiled a CDMA version of the BlackBerry Pearl. The new handset will be available from November with North American carriers. It includes support for high-speed EV-DO networks, a new...

US - Verizon to deploy satellite network for US Postal Service.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Verizon Business will provide a custom satellite network to the US Postal Service (USPS). Verizon Business is deploying the postal service's satellite network under a new two-year contract valued at USD 25...

US - Mobile payment to reach 21.3 million US users - study.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) In 2010 almost 21.3 million Americans are expected to use mobile payment and banking services, according to Frost & Sullivan. The forecast is based on recent activity around mobile payments and banking....

US - Verizon, Motorola to launch Motorizr Z6tv handset.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Verizon Wireless and Motorola will launch the Motorizr Z6tv on 5 October. This sleek phone comes with a slider design and is equipped with V CAST Mobile TV, V CAST Music and Video. The Motorizr Z6tv is also...

Dominican Republic - Dominican Republic regulator opens digital centres.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) The telecoms regulator in the Dominican Republic said it now has 437 digital centres in the country and aims to count 653 by December. Indotel recently teamed with the Catholic church and local authorities to...

US - Samsung unveils music-centric phone.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Samsung Telecommunications America is offering the Samsung Beat (SGH-t539) phone. The Beat is a slick black flip phone and is available exclusively from T-Mobile USA. The Beat features enhanced music...

US - Optasite secures USD 85 million in financing round.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Telecommunications tower company Optasite has secured USD 85 million in new financing. The financing included a Series D round of equity led by Citi and a USD 50 million subordinated debt facility from Morgan...

US - IntelePeer picks Sonus gear.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Communications company IntelePeer (formerly known as VoEX) has selected Sonus' IMS-based architecture as the foundation for its next-generation voice network. The IntelePeer network is used to deliver IP-based...

US - Zipit partners Wayport for free Wi-Fi service.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Consumer electronics developer Zipit Wireless has tied up with Wayport, design and integration specialist for applications and software over wired and wireless carrier grade networks. The agreement allows Zipit...

US - ROK Mobile to acquire Xero Mobile.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) US-based Xero Mobile has entered into exclusive talks to be acquired by ROK Mobile, a UK-based mobile company. The negotiations are taking place as both companies focus on deploying advertising services for...

Canada - Canadian telecoms revenue up 4.5% in 2006 - regulator.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has released its 7th annual Telecom Monitoring Report. Total telecommunications revenue reached CAD 36.1 billion in 2006, up 4.5 percent...

US - Apple iPhone update disrupts unlocked phones.
October 1, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) A software update from Apple for its iPhone mobile phone has caused problems for users who had unlocked the phone. Prior to the update, Apple issued a statement warning users the phone may become inoperable if...

Japan - KDDI to launch fresh mobile plan with lower call charges.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) In November, Japanese operator KDDI plans to offer a new mobile phone plan which reduces call charges by about 30 percent but increases handset prices by approximately JPY 20,000, the Nikkei writes. The new...

Australia - Austar adds Setanta to line-up from 1 November.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Ireland-based sports broadcaster Setanta Sports will join Australian subscription television service provider Austar's line-up from 1 November. Setanta Sports will enhance Austar's offering by showing live and...

Australia - ReelTime launches online music store.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Australian online film rental specialist ReelTime Media has launched an online music store to complement its EzyDVD alliance and the existing download-to-rent and download-to-own movie, TV and games services....

Viet Nam - France Telecom, VNPT to develop joint training programmes.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) France Telecom has signed a co-operation agreement with Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications (VNPT) to develop joint training programmes. France Telecom's Orange Research Associates Programme will welcome PhD...

India - DoT considers lock-in period for mobile licences.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) India's department of telecommunications (DoT) is planning to introduce a lock-in period to weed out non-serious applicants for mobile licences, writes the Economic Times. Such a lock-in is likely to apply on...

India - Tata Teleservices unveils Samsung Flo in India.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Indian mobile operator Tata Teleservices has launched the Samsung Flo handset in India. The handset features a large 262K TFT screen, 1.3 megapixel camera with flash and video recording, 43 MB inbuilt user...

Thailand - LSI sells Thailand semiconductor facility to Stats ChipPAC.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Chipmaker LSI has completed the sale of its semiconductor assembly and test operation in Pathumthani, Thailand, to Stats ChipPAC. Under the terms of a definitive agreement announced on 25 July, Stats ChipPAC has...

India - IBM, UTStarcom begin work on BSNL networking contract.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) IBM, in collaboration with UTStarcom, has commenced work for Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) to provide networking solutions and services for the deployment of 2.8 million lines of DSLAM (digital subscriber line...

India - DoT considers national licencing, spectrum auction - report.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) The rush of mobile licence applications is likely to impact the expansion plans of Vodafone Essar, Idea Cellular and Spice, as well as the plans of Reliance Communications, all of whom have applied for 2G...

Saudi Arabia - Al Jawal launches local roaming number service.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Saudi Arabia's Al Jawal has launched the local roaming number (LRN) service. The LRN service enables visitors to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia with mobile phones from any service provider to obtain a local...

Saudi Arabia - Souq.com launches in Saudi Arabia.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Marketplace Souq.com has launched a website for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The site, with an all-Arabic interface, will boast features customised to users in Saudi Arabia and will showcase numerous...

India - BSNL to expand CDMA services to cities.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Indian state-owned operator BSNL has announced its plans to offer CDMA mobile services in class A cities, starting with Kolkata, according to a report from the Economic Times. Before its recently announced INR 9...

India - Samsung plans to treble India market share to 18% by 2008.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Samsung has set an ambitious target of trebling its market share to 18 percent by 2008 to become the number two player in India, reports the Economic Times. Samsung plans to open more than 500 retail outlets to...

India - Indian govt to set up autonomous body for spectrum.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) The Indian government is setting up an autonomous body to handle spectrum planning and allocation, writes the Business Standard. The department of telecommunications (DoT) plans to set up the Centre for...

India - Reliance plans retail venture over mobile network.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group has drawn up plans to foray into multi-product retailing using its mobile phone network, writes the Business Standard. Branded Mobi-Retail, this service will be offered...

India - Indian minister to discuss spectrum policy with operators.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Indian telecommunications minister A Raja has called for a meeting with all operators to discuss policy issues in the wake of the sudden rush for mobile licences. According to a report from the Economic Times,...

India - BSNL launches anniversary promotions.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Indian state-owned operator BSNL has announced a package of sops for the customers to mark its week-long celebration of the foundation of the organisation, beginning 1 October. According to a report from the...

Taiwan - FET launches FET G5 device, traffic info service.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Taiwan-based mobile operator Far EasTone (FET) has launched a road information service called FET GPS Info Go and the FET G5 which integrates several services in one device. The FET G5 is a locally made device...

India - MTNL raises planned investment in Delhi.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) State-owned Indian operator MTNL has raised its planned investment in Delhi by 60 percent to INR 12.8 billion for the current fiscal year, to expand its mobile, landline and broadband services. According to a...

India - Indian govt to set up national WiMAX group.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) The Indian government is planning to set up a national working group on WiMAX, reports the Times of India. The group will consist of all stakeholders including government, service providers, equipment...

South Africa - Cell-Life plans mobile HIV information services.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) South African not-for-profit organisation Cell-Life plans to use mobile phone technology to provide South Africans with information on HIV, writes Business Day. It has already developed mobile phone technology...

Israel - Cellcom Israel announces results of debentures offering.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Cellcom Israel has concluded the public tenders for its debentures previously announced on 23 September and 1 October. The company accepted orders for ILS 245 million principal amount of Series C debentures and...

Rwanda - MTN chooses Cambridge for multi-service network in Rwanda.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) African mobile operator MTN Group has selected the VectaStar platform from Cambridge Broadband Networks for its multi-service wireless network in Rwanda. MTN is using VectaStar to backhaul traffic from its GSM...

Hong Kong - Hong Kong ends July with 9.7 mln mobile users.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Hong Kong ended July with 9.67 million mobile users, up from 9.57 million in June, according to figures from communications regulator OFTA. The number of 3G users went up to 1.67 million and the number of 2G...

Venezuela - Movilnet picks Comverse billing system.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Venezuelan mobile operator Telecomunicaciones Movilnet will expand its use of Comverse Billing Solutions by deploying Comverse's Real-Time Billing Solution (RTBS). Comverse's Real-Time Billing Solution provides...

US - Increase in US homes sharing mobile service plans - study.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) The number of US households with multiple members sharing mobile service plan minutes is increasing, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty rates, according to Volume 2 of the 2007 US Wireless Contract...

Panama - Cable & Wireless Panama interconnects with iBasis network.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Cable & Wireless Panama has interconnected with the iBasis network for international voice services. The interconnection with iBasis enables Cable & Wireless Panama to route international voice traffic over the...

Latin America - RIM unveils BlackBerry Curve 8310 in Latin America.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Research In Motion (RIM) has introduced the GPS-enabled BlackBerry Curve 8310 in Latin America. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 features web browsing, advanced multimedia capabilities and a 2 megapixel camera. The...

Brazil - Hughes implements DVB-S2 / IPoS hub in Brazil.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Hughes Network Systems' Brazilian operating subsidiary has implemented the DVB-S2 / IPoS satellite hub. The new Hughes HN System optimises link performance, even in networks with geographically diverse...

Canada - Sierra Wireless closes bought deal common share offering.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Mobile data products developer Sierra Wireless has closed its bought deal common share offering of 3.5 million common shares at a price of USD 22.40 per share. Under the offering, which included 300,000 shares...

US - Sipera secures USD 10 million in Series C funding.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) VoIP and unified communications security specialist Sipera Systems has secured Series C funding of USD 10 million. The round was led by Duchossois Technology Partners (DTEC) and includes full participation by...

US - AT&T to invest USD 1.25 billion in Texas.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) AT&T has announced a total planned investment of nearly USD 1.25 billion in the Texas network in 2007. This will bring AT&T's two-year investment in Texas to nearly USD 3 billion. The investment will support...

US - Ceragon files registration statement for follow-on offering.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Wireless backhaul equipment group Ceragon Networks has filed a registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed follow-on offering of 6 million ordinary shares. In addition,...

Canada - Rogers Wireless introduces Windows Mobile devices.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Canadian operator Rogers Wireless has unveiled two Windows Mobile powered devices, the Palm Treo 750 smartphone and the Moto Q 9h, as well as a free online Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for the HTC S621. The Palm...

US - Verizon debuts holiday handset line-up.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) US mobile operator Verizon Wireless has unveiled a range of new phones for the holiday season. Top of the line is the Voyager from LG, exclusive to Verizon. The shiny black Voyager boasts a large external touch...

Latin America - Nortel signs distribution agreement with Brightstar.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Nortel has selected mobile phone distributor Brightstar as a reseller of its mobile WiMAX equipment in the Caribbean and Latin America. Under the terms of this agreement, Brightstar will leverage its customer...

Brazil - Brazil reaches 19.3 million internet users in August.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) The number of domestic internet users in Brazil reached 19.3 million in August, an increase of 800,000 users compared to July and a new access record, according to data published by Ibope//NetRatings. During...

Brazil - Motorola launches RAZR2 V8, Motorokr Z6 in Brazil.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Motorola has launched in Brazil the new RAZR2 V8 and Motorokr Z6 mobile phones. The new RAZR2 features the company's CrystalTalk technology, an internal memory of 2 GB to store music, photos and videos,...

Brazil - Motorola wins Canopy equipment order from RNTW.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Motorola has has won a contract to provide its equipment from its wireless range Canopy to RNTW, a new regional fixed telephony operator in Maringa and Londrina, located in the southern Brazilian state of...

US - US data centres to face disruption over next 5 years - study.
October 3, 2007... (From Telecompaper Americas) Over 70 percent of US enterprise data centres will face tangible disruptions by 2011 related to energy consumption, floor space and/or costs, according to a new Gartner study. Over the next five years, most US...