RCR Wireless News articles from March 2002

RCR Wireless News archives from March 2002

DoCoMo begins trading on NY, London exchanges. (Late News).
March 4, 2002... NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan's largest mobile communications operator, began trading its American depository shares on the New York Stock Exchange and its common shares on the London Stock Exchange March 1. Shares opened at $53.50 and closed at...

Experts contest RF data: Industry, plaintiffs dispute legitimacy of RF-cancer studies.
March 4, 2002... BALTIMORE--Cellular industry attorneys last week hammered away at scientific experts who testifield mobile-phone radiation likely caused the brain tumor of 42-year-old neurologist Christopher Newman during an unprecedented, week-long hearing in...

RIM debuts GPRS device.
March 4, 2002... Canadian wireless device maker Research in Motion Ltd. officially announced its entry into the North American GPRS and integrated phone markets today with the release of the Blackberry 5810, a wireless handheld with integrated voice...

Stretched too thin? Manufacturers reach beyond core to gain share.
March 4, 2002... Many marquee names in the wireless industry are associated with brands or differentiating products, which have come to be identified as their core competencies. Nokia Corp. is known for its GSM equipment and phones, Qualcomm Inc. for CDMA...

Reference designs unlikely to simplify phone making. (News).
March 4, 2002... The decisions by Nokia Corp. and Microsoft Corp. to pursue reference designs for handsets amount to maneuvers by the telecom giants to make their imitations as convincing as the originals, according to analysts. "Reference designs have...

Sprint PCS smiles at photo apps. (News).
March 4, 2002... Hoping to put a picture on its upcoming next-generation network, Sprint PCS announced a pair of deals last week that would allow subscribers to send digital pictures from wireless devices. The agreements--one focuses on the consumer market and...

Verizon caught between local PSAP, state police. (News).
March 4, 2002... NEW YORK--Otsego County, N.Y., best known for the Baseball Hall of Fame in the county seat of Cooperstown, is also at the center of a turf war between the local public safety answering point and the state police over routing of9l1 calls from...

3 carriers deploy Spirent mgt. platform. (News).
March 4, 2002... ROCKVILLE, Md.--Services assurance platform provider Spirent Communications announced its wireless service assurance solution has been chosen as the networkwide service assurance management platform for Verizon Wireless, Independent Wireless...

Forum questions whether FCC should collect rural data. (News).
March 4, 2002... WASHINGTON--Should the Federal Communications Commission track the rural wireless market better? That was the question asked at a public forum Thursday as the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau prepares its seventh annual wireless...

Tower operators pin hopes on network upgrades. (News).
March 4, 2002... Across the board, the big five U.S. tower companies took substantial hits in the fourth quarter, dampening the enthusiasm behind the increased revenues experienced industrywide for the quarter and year ended Dec. 31. Unfavorable forecasts...

Verizon Wireless again asks court to return deposit. (News).
March 4, 2002... WASHINGTON--Verizon Wireless Inc. Feb. 22 urged a federal appeals court to compel the Federal Communications Commission to return its deposit money before the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to review the seemingly never-ending saga of the...

ViryaNet acquires iMedeon. (News).
March 4, 2002... SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass.-- Integrated wireless and Web-based software application provider ViryaNet said it has acquired all outstanding shares of iMedeon Inc., of Alpharetta, Ga., for about 4.3 million shares of ViryaNet, plus an additional 900,000...

N.Y. driving law enters next phase. (News).
March 4, 2002... NEW YORK--New York State motorists who are caught talking on their wireless phones while driving will face $100 fines following the phase-out of the states waiver period, which began last November. Drivers can still talk and drive if they use...

Brightpoint, handspring sign agreement. (News).
March 4, 2002... INDIANAPOLIS--Brightpoint Inc. announced its subsidiary Brightpoint North America L.P. has entered an agreement with Handspring Inc. to provide distribution services in the U.S. Brightpoint will distribute Handspring products including the...

Rural carriers overlay to keep roaming $$.
March 4, 2002... Like the rest of the wireless industry, rural operators continued to feel the effects of the slowing economy during the fourth quarter. But while nationwide carriers and their affiliates seem to have a clear path for potential future growth,...

House OKs broadband bill, Senate prospects dim. (News).
March 4, 2002... WASHINGTON--The House of Representatives last week passed the Tauzin-Dingell wireline broadband bill, but it is expected to be blocked in the Senate. Named after the leadership of the House Commerce Committee- Reps. Billy Tauzin (R-La.),...

Wireless Internet Caucus Leadership Council. (D.C. Briefs).
March 4, 2002... The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association held the first meeting of its Wireless Internet Caucus Leadership Council. The council said it will address hurdles facing the U.S. market in wireless data and mobile Internet products and...

Nokia Corp. has withdrawn from testifying in the Microsoft Corp. antitrust hearing slated to start next week. (D.C. Briefs).
March 4, 2002... Nokia Corp. has withdrawn from testifying in the Microsoft Corp. antitrust hearing slated to start next week. Nokia had agreed to testify as a means of advancing its open architecture initiative but felt after reviewing the witness list that...

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (D.C. Briefs).
March 4, 2002... The chief highway safety regulator said last week that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will focus on "effective law enforcement" to reduce distracted driving--including using a wireless phone while driving. While NHTSA head...

Verizon Communications Inc. (D.C. Briefs).
March 4, 2002... A federal judge on Feb. 25 gave preliminary approval to a settlement in a sexual discrimination class-action lawsuit against Verizon Communications Inc. The lawsuit said that policies in place from July 2, 1965, through Dec. 31, 1983,...

Private wireless to counter Nextel spectrum swap with own plan. (News).
March 4, 2002... ARLINGTON, Va.--The private-wireless industry likely will wait for the Federal Communications Commission to release proposed rules to combat interference in the 800 MHz band before submitting its own plan, said Laura Smith, president of the...

Siemens, Cambridge enter location solutions agreement. (News).
March 4, 2002... MUNICH, Germany--The Siemens Information and Communication Mobile Group and Cambridge Positioning Systems announced a five-year deal under which they will cooperate to support Siemens IC Mobile's development of mobile location solutions. ...

An invitation to scrutiny. (Opinion).
March 4, 2002... What is it with Nextel Communications Inc. and the FCC's Wireless Telecom Bureau? Is this a case of great minds that think alike? Or twins separated at birth? I've pondered this question since the FCC tried in vain to make a secret deal...

Liquidation sales. (Opinion).
March 4, 2002... Since my husband lost his job to the recession last fall, I have been very sensitive to every announcement of every layoff reported in these pages and elsewhere about the telecom sector and so many other industries. "XYZ to cut 220 jobs,"...

Carriers must skip hype, focus on wireless Internet benefits. (Wireless Internet).
March 4, 2002... The next-generation of hype surrounding wireless Internet services has arrived, as sure as the services themselves. Analysts fear that if carriers do not make changes to their current wireless data and Internet access models, they may face...

Cingular comes online with messaging interoperability: Other U.S. carriers expected to follow in coming months. (Business).
March 4, 2002... Cingular Wireless introduced Interactive Messaging last week, making it the second nationwide wireless carrier to deploy an interoperability technology that breaks down the harriers to cross-carrier text messaging. Subscribers need only know...

CellStar reports improved results. (Business).
March 4, 2002... CARROLLTON, Texas--In its earnings report released after the close of trading February 25, CellStar Corp., a distributor of wireless products, reported improved results for the fiscal year and fourth quarter, both of which ended November 30....

EU competition commissioner continues probe into roaming rates. (Business).
March 4, 2002... MADRID, Spain--European Union Competition Commissioner Mario Monti said on Tuesday he will take action to bring down prices for mobile-phone calls across Europe. The commissioner said his agency is looking into anti-competitive practices...

Nokia, others form new consortium. (Business).
March 4, 2002... BEIJING--Nokia Corp. and Texas Instruments, as well as 15 other Chinese and foreign companies have created a consortium to be known as Commit Inc., which will develop semiconductors, software and multimedia products. The initial investment...

VoiceStream to continue Starbucks' WLAN. (Business).
March 4, 2002... SEATTLE--Starbucks confirmed that VoiceStream will pick up where MobileStar Network Corp. left off as the wireless local area network service provider in Starbucks' coffee shops across North America. Customers will be able to access the...

Sprint launches Integrated Construction Services. (Business).
March 4, 2002... KANSAS CITY, Mo.--Sprint Corp. launched Sprint Integrated Construction Services, a new collection of services to be coordinated by Sprint Sites USA and Black & Veatch Telecommunications. The companies said Sprint Integrated Construction...

Qualcomm Inc. (Business Briefs).
March 4, 2002... Qualcomm Inc. reaffirmed its guidance for its second quarter ending March 31, saying it expects 20 cents pro forma earnings per share. The company had earlier predicted earnings of between 19 cents and 21 cents. "Our second fiscal quarter...

NEC Corp. will supply i-mode handsets to KPN Mobile. (Business Briefs).
March 4, 2002... NEC Corp. will supply i-mode handsets to KPN Mobile, making it the first carrier outside Japan to offer i-mode when it introduces the service this spring. NEC will deliver its N21i mobile handsets to KPN Mobile's operations in Germany, the...

Motorola Inc. (Business Briefs).
March 4, 2002... Motorola Inc. says it has unveiled a "camera-on-a-chip' known as MCM20114, with smaller, lower power, lower cost VGA image sensor for handheld devices. "We created a real breakthrough in this market by combining patented image sensor...

Globalstar L.P. (Business Briefs).
March 4, 2002... Globalstar L.P. said the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware approved all of the company's first-day motions, allowing it to continue operations as normal. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Feb. 15.

Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have agreed to combine Intel's Xscale microarchitecture's PX250 and PXA210 and Windows CE .NET. (Business Briefs).
March 4, 2002... In an another tie-up, Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have agreed to combine Intel's Xscale microarchitecture's PX250 and PXA21O and Windows CE .NET to enable hardware and software developers to create browsing, multimedia and other wireless...

Wireless stock watch.
March 4, 2002... [Graph omitted] Wireless Stock Watch February 20-February 27 GAINS CLOSING CLOSING EXCH COMPANY 2/27/02 2/20/02 NAS Aether...

DMC Stratex proposes merger with Western Multiplex. (Business).
March 4, 2002... SUNNYVALE, Calif.--Western Multiplex Corp. said it received an unsolicited merger proposal from DMC Stratex Networks Inc., which is valued higher than its current merger proposal on the table with Proxim Inc. Under the DMC proposal,...

Tension continues over proposed HP, Compaq merger. (Business).
March 4, 2002... NEW YORK--Barely three weeks to voting day, the tension between Hewlett-Packard Co. and its founding family has heightened as the executives of the company continue to pitch the merits of a merger with computer maker Compaq Computer Corp. ...

Zi wins round in patent lawsuit. (Business).
March 4, 2002... NEW YORK--Zi Corp. said it has won an important round in a patent infringement lawsuit brought against version 4.5 of its eZiText predictive text solution for wireless devices by Tegic Communications, which AOL Time Warner owns. The U.S....

JAMDAT, THQ team to market wireless games. (Business).
March 4, 2002... LOS ANGELES--JAMDAT Mobile Inc. said it has entered a technology and consultation agreement with THQ Inc. for the development of wireless games. THQ will use JAMDAT's technology product and software development kit to create selected...

Siemens wins $11m contract in Tibet. (Business).
March 4, 2002... MUNICH, Germany--Siemens AG said it received an $11 million order from China Mobile Communications Corp. to expand its GSM network in Tibet. Siemens Information and Communication Mobile Group will supply and install switching equipment by...

Bouygues Telecom chooses Comverse MMS. (Business).
March 4, 2002... WOODBURY, N.Y.--France's Bouygues Telecom said it has chosen Comverse's Multimedia Messaging Service Center to run on its GPRS network. The MMSC platform allows multimedia messages to be sent and received on wireless devices. "This platform is...

TI to provide chipsets for Chinese player. (Business).
March 4, 2002... BEIJING--Texas Instruments will provide the chipset technology for a new entrant in the Chinese mobile-phone business, Legend Holdings Ltd., which entered a joint venture with Xiamen Overseas Chinese Electronics Company Ltd. The joint venture,...

Electric Pocket launches Palm technology. (Business).
March 4, 2002... LONDON--Electric Pocket Ltd. said it has unveiled a new technology that runs on the Palm operating system, which installs and configures applications and services on devices. SmartInstall is a technology that works through a secure digital and...

Telia eyes Sonera mobile holdings. (Global Wireless).
March 4, 2002... HELSINKI, Finland--Telia Mobile, the Nordic region's biggest mobile operator, is moving to strengthen its position through acquisitions. The company is soon expected to bid for Sonera's mobile telephone business in all Nordic and Baltic states,...

Study: 3G strong by end of decade. (Global Wireless).
March 4, 2002... LONDON--The UMTS Forum, an association that promotes global UMTS adoption, released a study stating that revenue from third-generation networks will reach $320 billion in 2010 alone and around $1 trillion over the decade. The group, which...

DoCoMo to offer dual FOMA service. (Global Wireless).
March 4, 2002... TOKYO--NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it plans to introduce a "dual network" system, which will enable users who own both a FOMA third-generation handset and conventional PDC DoCoMo mobile phone to use the same phone number for both handsets. ...

Four companies show interest in Blu. (Global Wireless).
March 4, 2002... ROME--Four telecom companies have filed formal offers to buy Italian mobile-phone operator Blu, which has been for sale for about 18 months since failing to win a third-generation license in Italy. Reuters reported incumbent Italian mobile...

Telia loses interconnect dispute. (Global Wireless).
March 4, 2002... STOCKHOLM, Sweden--Sweden's Telia said it was not granted a stay of execution for telecom regulator National Post and Telecom Agency's (PTS) order to reduce Telia's GSM interconnection charges from about 11 cents to 9 cents. Telia had...

Cingular to invest in Southeast markets. (News).
March 4, 2002... ATLANTA--Cingular Wireless said it plans to invest more than $500 million in its Southeast markets of Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Kentucky this year. "Cingular has built its reputation in the Southeast by providing outstanding network...

Certicom, Funk team for WLAN security protocol. (News).
March 4, 2002... HAYWARD, Calif.--Certicom and Funk Software have joined to develop the FAP-TTLS 802.lx security protocol that provides security for WLAN connectivity. Funk Software's Odyssey is the first commercial implementation of EAPTTLS. "We are...

Verizon completes Gila River stake buy. (News).
March 4, 2002... PHOENIX-Verizon Wireless reported it had completed the previously announced acquisition of Dobson Communication Corp.'s 75-percent controlling interest in the Gila River Cellular General Partnership operating in the Arizona #5 RSA for...

AT&T updates guidance to address TeleCorp. (News).
March 4, 2002... REDMOND, Wash.-AT&T Wireless Services Inc. updated its guidance for this year following the recently completed acquisition of former affiliate TeleCorp PGS. The nation's third-largest wireless operator said it expects midteen-percentage...

Sprint expands financing program. (News).
March 4, 2002... KANSAS CITY, Mo.--While announcing a series of steps designed to increase the company's financial flexibility and address the market's current concerns about its liquidity, Sprint Corp. said it was expanding its existing accounts receivable...

Qualcomm signs BREW agreement with KDDI. (Late News).
March 11, 2002... Qualcomm inc. says it has signed an agreement with Japanese carrier KDDI to enable the carrier's handsets with Qualcomm's Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless technology to enhance KDDI's data services offerings. "KDDI's use of the BREW...

Merrill Lynch cuts Nokia, Ericsson estimates. (Late News).
March 11, 2002... Brokerage firm Merrill Lynch has pared down its estimates of Nokia Corp. and L.M. Ericsson, citing a slow take-off in infrastructure equipment and next-generation handset sales. The report comes just ahead of Nokia's plan to unveil...

Going to high court: Supreme Court takes FCC vs. NextWave.
March 11, 2002... WASHINGTON--"It is a mess," said Michael K. Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, as the reality of years of more litigation in the NextWave Telecom Inc. bankruptcy sank in. Last week, the wireless world grappled with...

Carriers continue spectrum search.
March 11, 2002... With the Supreme Court's decision last week to review a June 2001 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversing the Federal Communications Commission's authority in re-auctioning NextWave Telecom Inc.'s...

Bush administration may re-think EAS to include wireless.
March 11, 2002... WASHINGTON--The Bush administration shortly is expected to announce changes to how citizens and local governments are warned of terrorist threats, an action in the aftermath of Sept. 11 that eventually could lead to an overhaul of the...

Carriers try to pick up marginal users with cheap calling plans. (News).
March 11, 2002... The competition for a share of the wireless customer pie stepped up last week following Cingular Wireless' rollout of nationwide pricing plans designed to compete head-to-head with similar offerings from its rival nationwide operators. ...

The 'open standard' oxymoron: Companies caught between proprietary, interoperable solutions. (News).
March 11, 2002... The term "open standards" may be the industry's glorious oxymoron today as one man's open system is another man s walled garden. Caught between profit and cooperation, wireless companies are simultaneously pursuing proprietary and interoperable...

XO restructuring progresses with bankruptcy cloud overhead: Icahn publicly opposes restructuring. (News).
March 11, 2002... Some resolution about the future of XO Communications Inc. could be reached by the end of the week as the company moves ahead in its negotiations to restructure its balance sheet and relinquish some of its debt, which looms at around $5...

Tennessee board plans Phase II E911 trial. (News).
March 11, 2002... NASHVILLE, Tenn.--The Tennessee Emergency Communications Board said it will conduct a Phase II wireless E911 location services trial across multiple public safety answering points (PSAPs) throughout Tennessee. Several companies have...

Telefonica buys Pegaso stake from Sprint, Leap: Purchase gives Spanish carrier No. 2 spot in Mexico. (News).
March 11, 2002... MADRID, Spain--Spanish telecom operator Telefonica Moviles has agreed to purchase the 65-percent stake in Mexican mobile operator Pegaso owned by Sprint, Leap Wireless International Inc. and other financial investors for $70.5 million. ...

US Unwired posts revenue gains. (News).
March 11, 2002... LAKE CHARLES, La.--US Unwired Inc. reported 41,070 net personal communications services customer additions for the fourth quarter of 2001, ending the year with 277,036 PCS customers. Including its cellular subscriber base, the Sprint PCS...

TIW complets recapitalization. (News).
March 11, 2002... MONTREAL--Telesystem International Wireless Inc. said it has completed its units issuer bid, a nine-month recapitalization process during which the company has reduced its corporate debt by about $700 million. "Not only has TIW achieved...

Tight capital market forces Mericom restructuring. (News).
March 11, 2002... Mericom Corp. said it is closing three regional offices and Bill D'Agostino, the company's president and chief executive officer, has elected to leave the company to pursue other interests. Mericom's founder, Robert Lopez, will replace...

House stimulus package includes telecom provisions. (News).
March 11, 2002... WASHINGTON--The House last week passed a streamlined economic stimulus package with key elements sought by telecom and high-tech firms. The measure includes a 30-percent depreciation deduction for capital expenses on information technology...

Cingular signs Nortel for GPRS upgrades in East, Puerto Rico. (News).
March 11, 2002... ATLANTA--Cingular Wireless signed a supply agreement with Nortel Networks for GSM/GPRS infrastructure upgrades in the United States, including Puerto Rico. Under terms of the $500 million agreement, Nortel will continue to support...

AT&T adds handsets to GSM/GPRS portfolio. (News).
March 11, 2002... REDMOND, Wash.--AT&T Wireless Services Inc. said it added the Sony Ericsson T68 and the Nokia 8390 handsets to its portfolio of GSM/GPRS devices. The T68 has a color screen and Bluetooth capability. It operates on 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and...

Moody's lowers Qwest ratings. (News).
March 11, 2002... NEW YORK--Moody's Investor Services lowered its long-term rating of Qwest Communications International Inc. and fully guaranteed Qwest Capital Funding from Baa2 to Baa3; its long-term rating for Qwest Corp. from A3 to Baa2; and the short-term...

States may target wireless to bolster coffers. (News).
March 11, 2002... WASHINGTON--As state legislatures consider telecommunications legislation this year, themes--some nationwide some localized--seem to be emerging for wireless carriers. With the onset of the recent recession, many states are finding...

Illinois follows Florida lead to streamline telecom taxes. (News).
March 11, 2002... NEW YORK--Following Florida's lead, Illinois has enacted a law designed to streamline the present system of multi-tiered taxes on telecommunications services. The Simplified Municipal Telecommunications Tax Act, which Gov. George Ryan...

Timing is off. (Opinion).
March 11, 2002... During the Olympics women's ice skating finals, an extremely talented French woman named Vanessa Gusmeroli competed. (Evidently, she must ooze with athleticism because she also happens to be a champion trick water skier.) But in the skating...

El Nino. (Opinion).
March 11, 2002... The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's spectrum summit next month should be useful in re-examining a government process that is broke and needs fixing. An esoteric policy matter this is not. Spectrum policy ranks with...

Letters.
March 11, 2002... Motorola says it did not 'collaborate' To the editor: I am compelled to take issue with the statement in the Feb. 25 issue of RCR that Motorola "collaborated" with the Federal Trade Commission in the cases brought by the FTC against...

Western Multiplex to forge ahead with Proxim merger. (News).
March 11, 2002... SUNNYVALE, Calif.--Ethernet bridge and cellular backhaul equipment manufacturer Western Multiplex Corp. decided to forge ahead with its planned merger with Proxim Inc., rejecting the unsolicited offer made by DMC Stratex Networks Inc. two weeks...

Mazingo to offer wireless subscription service. (News).
March 11, 2002... SAN FRANCISCO--Multimedia mobile delivery company Mazingo Network is offering a subscription service that allows users to access rich-media content from hundreds of channels. Included in Mazingo's channel line-up are classic movies,...

Analysts mixed about Sprint PCS guidance. (News).
March 11, 2002... With lackluster year-end results still fresh in analysts' minds, Sprint Corp. announced last week it expects to beat most forecasts for net customer additions for the first quarter and reaffirmed guidance for the year. Brushing off a...

Verizon wireline unit to cut 10,000 jobs this year. (News).
March 11, 2002... NEW YORK--Verizon Communications said it expects to cut the equivalent of 10,000 jobs this year through attrition, less overtime and fewer consultants. The carrier cut the equivalent of 29,000 jobs last year.

Telespree dumps reusable phones, recycles provisioning app: New customer is wireless carrier. (News).
March 11, 2002... Less than a year after Telespree Communications introduced one of the industry's first wireless, prepaid reusable mobile phones, the company has reworked its business model and gotten out of the phone business altogether. In its new...

DoCoMo president: U.S. talks consolidation too much. (News).
March 11, 2002... NEW YORK--NTT DoCoMo's new New York Stock Exchange listing will enhance the company's global liquidity, thereby helping it to "achieve its expansion goals in the United States and Europe," said Keiji Tachikawa, president and chief executive...

Aether cuts 225 jobs. (News).
March 11, 2002... OWINGS MILLS, Md.--Aether Systems Inc. announced it will cut 25 percent of its work force, or 225 jobs, as part of its ongoing effort to reduce expenses. Aether will take a restructuring charge of $11 million related to the cuts. "Our...