RCR Wireless News articles from April 2002

RCR Wireless News archives from April 2002

Hybrid Networks to close doors in April. (Late News).
April 1, 2002... Multichannel multipoint distribution service equipment provider Hybrid Networks Inc. has failed to find a buyer and consequently is ceasing operations at the end of April, the company announced. The company said it expects revenue for the...

Leap amends vendor-financing deals. (Late News).
April 1, 2002... Leap Wireless International Inc. amended the vendor-financing agreements between its wholly owned subsidiary Cricket Communications Inc. and L.M. Ericsson, Lucent Technologies Inc. and Nortel Networks designed to provide greater flexibility to...

White House delves into spectrum reform.
April 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Bush administration--finding itself constantly caught in the middle of high-pitched spectrum fights between government and commercial interests--is hosting a summit this week to explore ideas for fixing a system severely...

Cingular floats moving public safety to 60-69.
April 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--Cingular Wireless L.L.C. is trying to form a coalition around a preliminary proposal that would move public-safety 800 MHz operations to the 700 MHz band, auction off the 800 MHz spectrum and resolve the interference problems being...

Nordic carriers merging.
April 1, 2002... HELSINKI, Finland--Whatever the ultimate outcome of Telia AB's strategic Scandinavian union with Sonera Corp., the net effect will not be a merger of equals. The boards of Telia and Sonera have conceded that Telia's takeover of Sonera has...

Cingular may offer prepaid users SMS.
April 1, 2002... Cingular Wireless plans to take another page from the European messaging play book by offering short message services to its prepaid subscribers, according to sources. Cingular is expected to launch the service sometime in the next few...

Wireless industry eager to show off 3G bag of tricks. (News).
April 1, 2002... For so long now the wireless industry has plodded toward third-generation networks and services with such relentless determination that the final destination--which now is in immediate sight--may seem like a mirage. Most U.S carriers will...

GPR companies say UWB ruling will put them out of business. (News).
April 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--In the nearly two months since approving ultra-wideband technology guidelines that have yet to be released, the Federal Communications Commission has come under pressure from a key lawmaker and companies that claim the new rule will...

Carriers mixed on auction deposit refund. (News).
April 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Federal Communications Commission said last week that it will return 85 percent of the deposits made when the FCC re-auctioned the PCS C- and F-block licenses originally won by NextWave Telecom Inc. and Urban CommNorth Carolina...

Java grows. (News).
April 1, 2002... Last week's JavaOne conference saw a majority of the wireless industry solidifying its support around Sun Microsystems Inc.'s popular technology. But while Java's future in the market seems assured, what is unclear is how the technology will...

Motorola, Siemens, Nokia pump up Java handsets. (News).
April 1, 2002... The i95c1 handset from Motorola Inc. joined the growing number of Java-enabled phones hitting the market following its debut last week at the Sun Microsystems Inc.-sponsored JavaOne Developer Conference in San Francisco. The i95c1 is the...

SavaJe backs Java-based OS. (News).
April 1, 2002... While a variety of wireless companies and carriers publicly have backed Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java technology, one brave player is going beyond mere support and is betting the farm on Java. "We actually think there would be a lot more...

DoCoMo to write off AT&T investment.
April 1, 2002... NEW YORK--To comply with new accounting regulations, NTT DoCoMo is likely to write off as much as $5.3 billion of its $9.8 billion investment in AT&T Wireless Services Inc. when the Japanese carrier's fiscal year ends March 31. "If a...

Alaskan wireless service provider ACS Wireless signed a four-year agreement valued at approximately $422 million with Nortel Networks to upgrade its network with cdma2000 1x technology. (News Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Alaskan wireless service provider ACS Wireless signed a four-year agreement valued at approximately $422 million with Nortel Networks to upgrade its network with cdma2000 1x technology. Nortel said it would provide the operator with radio,...

Wingcast L.L.C. will be the exclusive provider of telematics services for the model-year 2003 Infiniti G35 sedan, G35 coupe, M45 and Q45, the company announced. (News Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Wingcast L.L.C. will be the exclusive provider of telematics services for the model-year 2003 Infiniti G35 sedan, G35 coupe, M45 and Q45, the company announced. Wingcast and Infiniti will provide features such as automatic airbag deployment...

Siemens Mobile Acceleration announced it has invested in Swedish start-up Mediabricks AB, which provides a platform that enables mobile operators and service providers to offer interactive broadcasting applications to Java-enabled devices. (New Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Siemens Mobile Acceleration announced it has invested in Swedish start-up Mediabricks AB, which provides a platform that enables mobile operators and service providers to offer interactive broadcasting applications to Java-enabled devices. In...

Telus Ventures announced it has invested $3 million in Telica Inc., provider of softswitch-based voice and data infrastructure products. (News Briefs).
April 1, 2002... Telus Ventures announced it has invested $3 million in Telica Inc., provider of softswitch-based voice and data infrastructure products. "This investment gives Telus access to Telica's best-of-breed technology as we prepare to evolve our...

VoiceStream to get priority access OK. (News).
April 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Federal Communications Commission late last week was set to give Voice Stream Wireless Corp. approval to provide wireless priority access service to state, local and federal officials in two cities hit by terrorists last...

Health registry gets 62,000 hits in week. (News).
April 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Web site for the mobile-phone health registry received more than 62,000 hits in its first week, a level of interest that director George Carlo plans to bring to the attention of federal regulators, lawmakers and others in coming...

Martin aims to penalize firms that miss E911. (News).
April 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Federal Communications Commission should consider imposing fines on wireless carriers that do not meet enhanced 911 implementation deadlines, said FCC Commissioner Kevin J. Martin on Wednesday. "To the extent that carriers...

Rural firms focus on creativity, cost consciousness and data. (Focus Rural Markets).
April 1, 2002... However confidently the big and powerful strut the wireless arena, the small will always be with us. In rural America, second-tier wireless carriers and vendors savor their small triumphs. One of the largest headaches for smaller...

Palm says it suffers from Microsoft's behavior. (News).
April 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--Palm Inc. is already suffering from what it considers anti-competitive behavior by Microsoft Corp., according to testimony filed by a Palm executive in the Microsoft antitrust case. "As Palm [operating system] handhelds have...

NTIA to gather tower-siting best practices. (News).
April 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--The National Telecommunications and Information Administration will be gathering and disseminating "best practices" on tower siting and other rights-of-way issues as a way to spur broadband deployment, said Nancy J. Victory,...

Altschul pushes FCC on CALEA rules. (News).
April 1, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Federal Communications Commission should give the telecom industry guidance on its responsibilities to law enforcement and national security in a post-Sept. 11 world. "Now is the time as the FCC is dealing with priority...

Flawed logic. (Opinion).
April 1, 2002... Stupidity lives! (Not that there were ever any indications it was dying, I must admit.) This week there were a number of news items that did not pass the common-sense test. First off, some British insurance company tested a few...

Steely dance. (Opinion).
April 1, 2002... While the Pentagon has discarded the two-theater war paradigm--a tested and time-honored military strategy made irrelevant sooner than expected by Sept. 11-President Bush has not. At least not in political terms. For Bush, the commander in...

U.K. insurer says talking/driving worse than drinking/driving. (News).
April 1, 2002... NEW YORK-Talking on a mobile phone, even when using a hands-free accessory, is more dangerous than driving with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit, according to a new study commissioned by the Direct Line Group, a British automobile...

Verizon: Biggest is best. (Carrier Profile - Verizon Wireless).
April 1, 2002... Editor's Note: In a new series, RCR Wireless News takes an in-depth look at nationwide wireless players, including their challenges and strengths in an ever-changing wireless environment. In this first installment, RCR Wireless News reporter...

Conducts completes equity placement. (News).
April 1, 2002... SUNNYVALE, Calif.--Conductus Inc. completed a $7.3 million private placement to support efforts to bring ClearSite products to market. Under the terms of the financing, investors, led by Special Situation Fund and including Palo Alto...

IBM works toward human level of voice recognition. (Business).
April 1, 2002... NEW YORK-Depending on the task chosen, today's voice-recognition technology is worse than the human ear and brain by a factor of anywhere from one to 10, but IBM Corp. plans to achieve parity between the natural and the synthetic by the end of...

Law enforcement to use facial recognition on handhelds. (Business).
April 1, 2002... The mobile phone continues to evolve before the eyes of users, so much so that some industry experts wonder if the device will be called a phone a decade from now. Voice continues to be the killer application. But with 2.5-generation...

Bermai all-in-one WLAN chip aims to please fractured vendors. (Business).
April 1, 2002... With wireless local area network technology continuing to make inroads in the enterprise market and more recently in traditional wireless carrier service offerings, the questions surrounding the technology are changing from whether it should be...

Marconi strives to assuage banks on credit problems. (Business).
April 1, 2002... The good news for Marconi last week was that it held talks with bank creditors and bondholders. About nine months ago, speculations abounded that the British telecom gear maker was holding terminal talks with potential buyers of the company....

Xacct, Megisto billing lets users understand data service charges. (Business).
April 1, 2002... NEW YORK-Xacct Technologies, Santa Clara, Calif., and Megisto Systems, Germantown, Md., said March 25 they have joined forces to provide wireless carriers with a system for "real-time, service-aware charging for prepaid and postpaid mobile data...

Wireless stock watch.
April 1, 2002... Wireless Stock Watch March 20-March 27 GAINS CLOSING CLOSING PERCENT EXCH COMPANY 3/27/02 3/20/02 CHANGE NAS ADC Telecommunications ...

France Telecom ends feud over MobilCom. (Global Wireless).
April 1, 2002... PARIS--France Telecom and Gerhard Schmid, chief executive of German company MobilGom, entered a conditional agreement, finally resolving the feud between the two groups. Schmid and his associates will sell their shareholdings in MobilCom to a...

KPN reacts to EC charges of excessive termination fees. (Global Wireless).
April 1, 2002... THE HAGUE, The Netherlands--KPN Telecom said the charges made against it by the European Commission regarding mobile call termination fees do not "take full account of the complexities of the call termination issue." The EC formally charged KPN...

Ireland receives 3G interest from 3 operators. (Global Wireless).
April 1, 2002... DUBLIN, Ireland--Ireland's Office of the Director of Telecom Regulations received bids from three wireless operators for its four third-generation mobile licenses up for sale, including one "A" license covering 80 percent of the country's...

Bell Mobility launches lx service in Montreal. (Global Wireless).
April 1, 2002... MONTREAL-Canadian wireless operator Bell Mobility launched its cdma2000 1x network in Montreal with plans to extend coverage in major urban centers across Quebec this summer and in its national coverage area throughout this year. The carrier...

Moody's downgrades DT, VoiceStream. (News).
April 1, 2002... LONDON--Moody's Investor Service downgraded its credit rating on Deutsche Telekom and its VoiceStream Wireless Corp. subsidiary citing doubt DT would achieve its previous forecast of net debt of $43.5 billion by the end of this year and...

Alltel files shelf registration statement. (News).
April 1, 2002... LITTLE ROCK, Ark.--Alltel Corp. filed a shelf registration statement with the SEC enabling the company to offer up to $5 billion in the aggregate of debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, forward purchase contracts, warrants,...

HP director files Compaq merger vote lawsuit. (News).
April 1, 2002... PALO ALTO, Calif--Hewlett-Packard Co. director Walter Hewlett filed a lawsuit Thursday in Delaware Chancery Court against HP claiming that the company improperly garnered shareholder votes in favor of a merger with Compaq Computer Corp. ...

Ex-Lucent employees sue over severance. (News).
April 1, 2002... NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.--Two employees of the Lucent Technologies Inc. factory in North Andover, Mass, have charged the equipment maker and their union, Communications Workers of America Local 1365, with depriving them and about 450 other workers...

Bundling class-action refiled by WCA. (Late News).
April 8, 2002... A class-action antitrust lawsuit filed against the mobile-phone industry in early January and promptly withdrawn two weeks later was refiled Friday in Manhattan federal court, according to a lawyer familiar with the case. The lead...

Spectrum summit: No new answers, same old politics.
April 8, 2002... WASHINGTON--Maybe it was by design that the first day of last week's spectrum summit did not seem to move the spectrum ball much. "The second day is supposed to come up with the solutions," said Frederick R. Wentland, acting associate...

Carrier compensation dark side of text messaging interoperability.
April 8, 2002... With Verizon Wireless Inc.'s announcement that it would open its network to text messages from subscribers of rival carriers, the stage is almost set for uninhibited, nationwide SMS messaging--and the extra revenues most agree are inevitable....

Qualcomm chip glitch damages Audiovox, others.
April 8, 2002... Early shipments of Qualcomm Inc.'s MSM5100 and MSM5105 CDMA chipsets contained defects that ultimately caused deployment delays for Audiovox Corp. and several other handset providers. Audiovox said the faulty chipsets contributed to the...

Baucus bill aims to increase rural telcos' presence in wireless. (News).
April 8, 2002... WASHINGTON--While Bush administration policy-makers wrestle with heady ideas to improve a spectrum policy in disarray, House and Senate lawmakers want changes now to help rural telecom businesses obtain wireless licenses and to enable consumers...

RIM's reference design plans may compete with Microsoft.
April 8, 2002... No one wants to cross swords with Microsoft Corp. Those who do would rather break lances in silence. That is because many telecom players dread the name Microsoft like an ambush in the dark. Yet, the Bellevue, Wash.-based software giant...

Motorola pins 3G phone hopes on top 1 percent of users. (News).
April 8, 2002... NEW YORK--Motorola Inc. is banking on adoption by the most lucrative 1 percent of end users to provide a worthwhile return on investment for device manufacturers and mobile operators. Working under a contract with Hong Kong-based Hutchison...

Focus on profits key to rural carrier success. (News).
April 8, 2002... LAS VEGAS--With the bright lights of Sin City as its backdrop, the Rural Cellular Association celebrated its 10th anniversary during its annual convention and exhibition held at the MGM Grand Hotel. Following two days of experiencing Las...

Abernathy: FCC should consider dismissing re-auction results. (News).
April 8, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Federal Communications Commission should consider dismissing the results of the re-auction of the PCS C- and F-block licenses of NextWave Telecom Inc. if the saga drags out too long, FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy told...

Wireless reacts to soft money ban. (News).
April 8, 2002... WASHINGTON--High-tech firms are scrambling to figure out how to deal with the uncertain loss of soft money, arguably the most influential lobbying tool during a three-decade period that has seen the meteoric rise of wireless and Internet...

Abernathy leaves door open to 700 MHz auction delay. (News).
April 8, 2002... WASHINGTON--FCC Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy last week left the door open for delaying the 700 MHz auction currently set to begin on June 19. "It is still currently scheduled, but stay tuned," Abernathy told reporters a day after...

Sprint PCS launches in Ithaca. (News).
April 8, 2002... ITHACA, N.Y.--Sprint PCS launched wireless service in Ithaca, N.Y., completing the major portions of a $31.4 million network expansion project connecting the cities and thoroughfares of New York's Southern Tier. Sprint PCS affiliate US Unwired...

U.S. wireless firms face trade barriers. (News).
April 8, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Bush administration last week said foreign governments continue to sanction trade barriers to U.S wireless exports, a claim likely to further fuel trade friction in the aftermath of recent White House decisions to impose tariffs...

VoiceStream can provide priority access.
April 8, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Federal Communications Commission last week granted a waiver to VoiceStream Wireless Corp. to provide wireless priority access service to local, state and federal officials in the nation's capital and New York. The waiver...

Leap wheels, deals on spectrum with AT&T, Skagit. (News).
April 8, 2002... In another move to solidify its financial and spectrum position, Leap Wireless International Inc. signed a definitive agreement with AT&T Wireless Services Inc. to exchange licenses and reported an agreement to sell four licenses to Skagit...

Auction delay makes sense. (Opinion).
April 8, 2002... As this column went to press, the Bush administration was beginning to take the first steps to develop a comprehensive spectrum policy for the nation. Although I can't imagine anything this complex being decided anytime soon, the administration...

West coast offense. (Opinion).
April 8, 2002... Last month, Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.) blasted Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell for promoting a business-friendly, deregulatory telecom agenda. Getting roughed up on Capitol Hill this time of year is a spring ritual...

Driving/dialing debate centers on laws, education, hands-free and handhelds. (Focus Hands-free).
April 8, 2002... Lawmakers around the country continue to push driving-and-dialing legislation as mobile phones increasingly are being blamed for auto accidents, but a concurrent push by the wireless industry toward better driver education, as well as new...

PacketVideo cuts jobs. (News).
April 8, 2002... SAN DIEGO--Wireless streaming media company PacketVideo Corp. said it will cut an unspecified number of jobs in order to realign itself with the sluggish economy. Fernando Corona, the company's senior vice president of marketing, said...

Hardell study to be published. (News).
April 8, 2002... WASHINGTON--Lawyers representing Christopher Newman in an $800 million brain-cancer lawsuit against the mobile-phone industry notified the court last week that an unpublished study that defendants attacked at a February hearing has been...

Vodafone ups Airtel stake. (News).
April 8, 2002... LONDON--Vodafone Group plc acquired an additional 2.2-percent stake in Spanish wireless partner Airtel Movil S.A. following the exercise of a put option held by Torreal S.A. The purchase increases Vodafone's interest in Airtel to 93.8 percent....

Soma contracts for broadband trials. (News).
April 8, 2002... SAN FRANCISCO--Soma Networks said it signed a contract with NTT Communications Corp. to conduct market trials of its wireless broadband voice and data solution in Japan. The trials should begin in early summer, pending approval of the trial...

Adelphia files Chapter 11. (News).
April 8, 2002... COUDERSPORT, Pa.--Adelphia Business Solutions Inc., the largest holder of 31 GHz local multipoint distribution services spectrum in the United States, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New...

2002 shapes up as year of next generation. (Business).
April 8, 2002... Verizon Wireless Inc. continued to roll out its Express Network high-speed data service, launching 13 additional markets in the Midwest, South, Northeast and Pacific Northwest. The carrier now covers approximately 72 million potential customers...

Interoperability success requires cooperating with the competition. (Business).
April 8, 2002... MobileSpring Inc. and InphoMatch Inc., rival vendors for short message service interoperability solutions, have been working together during the past few months to ensure their cross-carrier messaging systems are themselves interoperable. ...

Metawave inks antenna deal with Crown Castle. (Business).
April 8, 2002... REDMOND, Wash.--Metawave Communications Corp. signed a $15 million agreement with Crown Castle International Corp. to supply the tower company with etawave's SmartShare antennas. The news comes shortly after Metawave announced it stopped making...

VoiceStream cuts jobs as part of Powertel consolidation. (Business).
April 8, 2002... BELLEVUE, Wash.--VoiceStream Wireless will cut about 260 jobs from offices in Atlanta; Memphis, Tenn.; and Louisville, Ky., as part of the ongoing incorporation of Powertel Inc., which Deutsche Telekom acquired along with VoiceStream last year....

US Unwired, IWO complete merger. (Business).
April 8, 2002... LAKE CHARLES, La.--US Unwired Inc. completed its previously reported all-stock acquisition of fellow Sprint PCS affiliate IWO Holdings Inc. US Unwired issued about 39 million shares of its common stock to IWO shareholders and reserved 6.9...

NMS integrates Oracle server, Sun platform for HearSay solution. (Business).
April 8, 2002... FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--NMS Communications said it has integrated the wireless functionality of Oracle Corp.'s Orade9i application server and Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Sparc Solaris platform into its HearSay solution. HearSay consists of several...

VoiceStream buys D&E stake in PCS venture. (Business).
April 8, 2002... EPHRATA, Pa.--VoicecStream Wireless Corp. closed its buy of D&E Communications Inc.'s 50-percent interest in the two companies' PCS One joint venture. D&E received about $75 million m cash considerations for its interests and plans to use...

Airtuit, TCS integrate technologies. (Business).
April 8, 2002... KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--Airtuit and TeleCommunications Systems said they will integrate their technologies to create a wireless messaging solution for the enterprise. TCS' Commercial Messaging Service will be combined with Airtuit's BlueMoon...

Palm server supports Microsoft OS. (Business).
April 8, 2002... In a week filled with news surrounding wireless access to corporate information, Palm Inc. managed to make the most interesting announcement with a product release that supports software from the company's archrival Microsoft Corp. Palm's...

Tahoe Networks teams for mobile data. (Business).
April 8, 2002... SAN JOSE, Calif.--Network infrastructure firm Tahoe Networks Inc. announced partnerships with Kabira Technologies Inc. and Xacct Technologies to provide mobile data services for wireless operators. The Kabira-Tahoe partnership will "enable...

U.S. teens may see Virgin Mobile launch this summer. (Business).
April 8, 2002... Nearly six months after United Kingdom-based Virgin Group and Sprint PCS announced they formed Virgin Mobile USA, the U.S. wireless industry continues to wait for the launch of the highly touted mobile virtual network operator venture. ...

Apps clearinghouses sprout. (Business).
April 8, 2002... NEW YORK--Although application developers at the recent New York Software Industry Association meeting lamented the difficulty of getting screened and heard by wireless carriers, their opportunities for show and tell and sell are, in fact,...

IBM's WebSphere accesses corporate data over any device. (Business).
April 8, 2002... IBM Corp. seems to want to be everything to everybody in the enterprise space from software infrastructure to using the devices on the market. Its WebSphere software family is an offering it often tweaks and expands. Last week, it...

Wireless StockWatch.
April 8, 2002... Wireless StockWatch March 27-April 3 GAINS CLOSING CLOSING PERCENT 52-WK EXCH COMPANY 4/3/02 3/27/02 CHANGE HIGH NAS ADC Telecommunications ...

Motorola shareowners criticize auditing/consulting methods. (Business).
April 8, 2002... NEW YORK--At its annual meeting May 6, Motorola Inc.'s board of directors are expected to ask shareholders to vote against a proposal that would bar the company from hiring the same firm to provide both its auditing and consulting services. ...

Japan becomes 3G battle ground: J-Phone threatens KDDI's No. 2 position. (Global Wireless).
April 8, 2002... The first light of third-generation morning is flickering in Japan like in no other country, and the rest of the world is owl-eyed and watching. The two dueling technologies, cdma2000 and wideband-CDMA, are drawing the battle lines for the...

KPN Mobile to launch i-mode on April 18. (Global Wireless).
April 8, 2002... THE HAUGE, The Netherlands--KPN Mobile said it will begin offering mobile data services based on i-mode, the technology developed by its Japanese partner NTT DoCoMo, on April 18. The operator said it has reached agreements with more than 50...

South American economic crisis hits telecom operators. (Global Wireless).
April 8, 2002... NEW YORK--The adverse effects of economic problems in Argentina and Brazil manifested themselves last week in the cellular communications sector as three major carriers neared default or missed payments on a collective total of billions of...