RCR Wireless News articles from March 2003

RCR Wireless News archives from March 2003

Sprint offers smart-phone discounts.(Business)
March 3, 2003... Sprint PCS introduced $100 discounts on the purchase and activation of a trio of its smart-phone offerings, including the Handspring Treo 300, Samsung SPH-i330 and Toshiba 2032. The offer cuts the suggested retail price for the Handspring...

Cingular refocuses advertising message.(Business)
March 3, 2003... Despite what he called, "one of the greatest brand launches ever and excellent results in brand awareness,'' the Cingular Wireless name has "not delivered,'' said Stan Sigman, chief executive officer, at last week's Merrill Lynch & Co....

Joltage ceases operations.(Business)
March 3, 2003... Byline: ELIZABETH V. MOONEY The fate of Joltage Networks, a wireless Internet access provider that ceased operations Feb. 28, portends an upheaval in this sector over the next several years, said Probe Research, Cedar Knolls, N.J. ...

Nextel Partners to be free cash flow by '04.(Business)
March 3, 2003... Byline: DAN MEYER Nextel Partners Inc. posted $2.6 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for 2002-its first full year of positive EBITDA-a year ahead of guidance. More importantly, it said it expects to...

America: love it or leaflet.(Opinion)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Jeffrey Silva` There's a bizarre quality about the serious business of homeland security and impending war, especially regarding the role of technology. We're put on high alert about threats of cyber attacks by terrorists...

Lucent strikes deal with SEC.(Business)
March 3, 2003... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE Lucent Technologies Inc. has announced an agreement in principle with Securities and Exchange Commission staff to close an investigation begun two years ago, after Lucent discovered and notified the SEC about $679...

Firms urge appeals court to OK Blake's cancer lawsuit dismissal.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Motorola Inc. and other wireless firms last week urged a federal appeals court to affirm U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake's dismissal of an $800 million lawsuit by a Baltimore man who claimed cell-phone use caused...

Travel firm provides wireless itinerary app.(News)
March 3, 2003... Travel management company Travel Inc. launched its m-Itinerary wireless application, powered by wireless platform provider Air2Web. M-Itinerary allows travelers to wirelessly access and share travel data, including full travel itineraries,...

Motorola link with Microsoft possible; Snubs Symbian with Linux support.
March 3, 2003... Byline: MIKE DANO The world's No. 2 mobile-phone maker Motorola Inc.-a Symbian stakeholder that recently announced a new operating system strategy based around Linux-also could develop a device using Microsoft Corp.'s operating system for...

Agere steps up transistor line.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE With a view to doing battle with power-amplifier market leader Motorola Inc., Agere Systems Inc. has rolled out 21 transistors targeting the wireless base station space. Other players in the market include Philips,...

Wireless spending to rise, but data, spectrum remain challenges.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA Two new reports say wireless industry growth will continue to slow, warning that tough market conditions, uncertainty about data profitability and scarce spectrum will be major challenges for management in coming...

Hungary's Matav expects penetration to peak at 75%.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: ELIZABETH V. MOONEY Although 2002 "was a very difficult year'' because new landline competition squeezed profits, Matav, Hungary's incumbent carrier, rode the country's rising tide of wireless penetration and gained significantly...

Western Wireless exec says USF debate to be as lively as UNE-P.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: ELIZABETH V. MOONEY The debate over universal service funds for wireless carriers is not likely to become as large as that over unbundled network elements, but it does promise to be as animated, said Donald Guthrie, vice chairman...

Siemens VC unit opens U.S. headquarters.(News)
March 3, 2003... Siemens Mobile Acceleration, an early-stage wireless venture investor wholly owned by Siemens Information and Communication Mobile Group, Munich, Germany, has opened U.S. headquarters in San Jose, Calif. Gerald Brady, formerly director of...

Iospan ceases operations, assets bought.(News)
March 3, 2003... Iospan Wireless, a provider of fixed wireless broadband antenna technology, has ceased operations and its assets have been acquired by Intel Corp. and PrimeWave Communications, according to several reports. Iospan specialized in multiple...

Alcatel snags 2 follow-on contracts.(Business)
March 3, 2003... Alcatel Alsthom announced two new mobile infrastructure contracts, one in Latin America and one in Europe. In Argentina, Telecom Personal, a subsidiary of Telecom Argentina, contracted Alcatel to extend its GSM/GPRS 1900 MHz network. The...

New government moves forward with PCS auction in Ecuador.(Global Wireless)
March 3, 2003... After several months of indecision caused by the change of presidents in Ecuador, Freddy Rodr!guez, the new head of the National Communications Council, said he will comply with the decision established by the previous administration. To that...

Hutch rolls out CDMA service in Bangkok.(Global Wireless)
March 3, 2003... Hutchison CAT Wireless MultiMedia, a joint venture of Hutchison and the Thai government's Communications Authority of Thailand, has formally rolled out its CDMA mobile-phone service in Bangkok and the central provinces. However, CAT's...

Interference intuitions.(Opinion)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Tracy Ford More than 600 documents were filed at the FCC telling the government how it should solve the problem with interference to public-safety systems in the 800 MHz band caused mostly by Nextel. It seems the commissioners...

Powell seeks to use more auction revenues for TDF.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Telecommunications Development Fund, which uses the interest from upfront auction payments to help small businesses enter telecom, is underfunded and auction proceeds should be used to prop up the fund,...

Microsoft, Unicom to develop CDMA 1x business model.(News)
March 3, 2003... Microsoft Corp. and China Unicom signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the business model and technology for cdma2000 1x services on the carrier's network. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Unicom President Wang Jianzhou...

Verizon launches all-in-one billing.(News)
March 3, 2003... Verizon Communications Inc. launched its Veriations One-Bill service in Florida, allowing customers to consolidate their local, long-distance, wireless, digital subscriber line and optional services on one bill. "We know our customers want...

FCC sets deadline for 12.5 kHz migration.(News)
March 3, 2003... The Federal Communications Commission set deadlines for private-wireless and public-safety groups to migrate to more spectrally efficient equipment. Private-wireless licensees have a little less than 10 years, Jan. 1, 2013, to migrate to...

LEC E911 duties should be clarified.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The Federal Communications Commission probably needs to clarify the responsibilities local telephone companies have in deploying wireless enhanced 911 services, said Sam Feder, wireless legal adviser to FCC...

Judge sends RIM, NTP patent fight to mediation.(Late News)
March 3, 2003... Adding a new twist to a complicated legal drama, a U.S. judge ruled Friday that Research In Motion Ltd. and NTP Inc. must try to come to an agreement over their heated patent battle, and that a magistrate judge will oversee those negotiations....

OSHA targets carriers, tower firms to cooperate more on safety.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Bush administration has put mobile-phone operators and tower owners on notice that their cooperation is needed on tower safety, reviving a push begun in the previous White House to reduce the high fatality rate in...

Industry to write code of conduct.
March 3, 2003... Byline: HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER The wireless industry may turn to a voluntary code of conduct in an effort to stave off increasing complaints by federal and state regulators concerned that customers are not getting a fair deal when they...

Bankrupt Devon Mobile to sell PCS assets.(Business)
March 3, 2003... As part of its bankruptcy filing, Devon Mobile Communications L.P. intends to sell all of its rights, title and interest in nine wireless licenses and related personal communications network in Pennsylvania to the highest and best offers it...

U.S. Carriers - First Tier.(News)
March 3, 2003... Editor's Note: The companies listed below represent the six first-tier wireless operators that control enough spectrum for a nationwide footprint and are ranked by their number of subscribers at the end of 2002. Subscriber additions and...

Interoperability key to Cisco WLAN.(Business)
March 3, 2003... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE Cisco Systems Inc. has enlisted the support of big-name silicon suppliers for its new wireless LAN infrastructure known as Cisco Compatible Extensions program. And it is at no cost. The San Jose, Calif., company,...

Sprint PCS hikes prices.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: DAN MEYER After a year of intense pricing competition and the usual competitive increase during the all-important holiday shopping period, wireless carriers have pulled back on the price-cut reins in 2003, with most operators...

Samsung could cash in on Matrix movie sequel with mysterious handset.(News)
March 3, 2003... The mysterious device Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. built for the upcoming "The Matrix: Reloaded'' movie due out in May also could be yours to own. Samsung confirmed its "Matrix'' phone not only will be a movie prop but also commercially...

Microtune takes Bluetooth back to its roots ... in five minutes.(Business)
March 3, 2003... Byline: DAN MEYER Bluetooth industry critics have blamed the slow adoption of the wireless technology on the industry over-hyping the capabilities of Bluetooth-enabled products instead of getting products to market that fulfill the...

Study: U.K. masts conform to guidelines.(Global Wireless)
March 3, 2003... A 12-month study of emissions from mobile-phone masts sponsored by the U.K. government has claimed that every mast analyzed conformed to international guidelines. During the past year, 109 sites in a variety of locations across the country...

Faith renewed in tower industry.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Solid fourth-quarter and year-end 2002 financial results reported last week by tower giants American Tower Corp. and Crown Castle International Corp. reflect realistic re-evaluations of business plans and operational...

Vodafone details Telecel offer.(News)
March 3, 2003... Vodafone Group plc announced details of its public offer for the outstanding shares of Portuguese operator Vodafone Telecel that it does not already own. The unconditional offer price is $9.17 for each share. The acceptance period begins...

Navini deploys Liberty service in Panama.(News)
March 3, 2003... Liberty Technologies, which owns data, Internet and spectrum licenses covering the country, has deployed a non-line-of-site wireless broadband network using the 2.3 GHz Ripwave system from Navini Networks Inc., Richardson, Texas. Liberty...

Ericsson creates IM interoperability program.(Business)
March 3, 2003... Wireless giant L.M. Ericsson said it created an interoperability test program for instant messaging and presence services and will work with IM companies Ecrio, magic4, MessageVine, Motorola Inc., Ruksun Software Technologies and Sony Ericsson...

Nokia camera phone coming to U.S.(Business)
March 3, 2003... Wireless users in the United States soon will get to try out Nokia Corp.'s first camera phone for the U.S. market, the 3650. The company said it is shipping the device in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. "Bringing the Nokia 3650 to...

Telefonica Moviles' Latin America income falls 15% in 2002.(Global Wireless)
March 3, 2003... The Latin American subsidiaries of Telefonica Moviles represented 25 percent of the company's income in 2002, or $2.4 billion, which was 14.7 percent less than the previous year. The area showing the worst result was Argentina, where billing...

Australia's Optus to launch trial 3G in July.(Global Wireless)
March 3, 2003... Australian mobile operator Optus will trial a third-generation network with up to 150 subscribers in July to gauge interest in 3G services. The announcement comes as the company launched video news and short messaging services this week at a...

Wireless StockWatch.(Business)
March 3, 2003... table: Wireless StockWatch * 3 graphics: Market diary * Indices * RCR Index: see printed publication.

Relationship goes south; Sprint PCS affiliate files bankruptcy.
March 3, 2003... Byline: DAN MEYER Sprint PCS affiliate iPCS Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and blamed Sprint Corp. for a large part of its troubles. iPCS sued Sprint, alleging the telecom carrier breached its agreement that...

Vendors aim for extra revenues from licensing.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE During the past two years, wireless companies have gravitated toward licensing as a business model that forces them to focus on their core competencies and ease the burdens that are inevitable in a soft economy. ...

Benefon announces financing details to stave off bankruptcy.(News)
March 10, 2003... Finnish handset maker Benefon Oy announced details of a financing agreement that saves it from bankruptcy. NRJ International LLC would hold more than two-thirds of Benefon following the proposed transactions. NRJ is U.S.-based private...

Siemens division to offer WhereNet location product.(News)
March 10, 2003... Siemens Automation and Drives Group announced it will begin selling location technology from WhereNet Corp., under a new deal between the two companies. Siemens will use the technology to expand its suite of radio-frequency identification...

Products.
March 10, 2003... Allgon Allgon released a new flexible distributed radio head solution that is multi-technology and multi-carrier. With the solution, carriers can implement high radio-quality networks with high data throughput, optimal for densely...

CellStar reports fiscal-year loss.(Business)
March 10, 2003... CellStar Corp., a major distributor of wireless handsets and accessories, reported a net loss of $29.9 million, or $2.44 per share, and revenues of $2.2 billion for its 2002 fiscal year, which ended Nov. 30. During its fiscal year 2001, the...

Verizon Wireless acquires interest in Va. rural market.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Verizon Wireless completed its $37 million purchase of a controlling interest in a wireless network serving the Virginia #10B2 rural service area from Shenandoah Mobile Co. The area has about 198,000 potential customers. Verizon Wireless...

Esmertec offers Java virtual machine to interpret apps.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Byline: MIKE DANO The next phase of the wireless Java industry seems to be taking hold, just a few short years after the technology first made an appearance in the industry. The rapid evolution of Java and other application downloading...

Mobile-phone sales predicted to increase 10 percent in 2003.(Business)
March 10, 2003... A new report predicts mobile phones will become as prevalent as televisions and radios and that handset sales will continue to grow during the next five years. FastTrack Wireless Inc. predicts global handset sales this year will reach 446...

Sprint PCS to sell LG 1200 clamshell phone.(News)
March 10, 2003... Sprint PCS will begin selling the new LG Mobile Phones 1200 for $130, the companies announced. The clamshell phone features an organizer with 200 entries, a calculator and scheduler.

Nokia, Metrowerks unveil developer kit.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Nokia Corp. said it has worked together with Metrowerks to unveil an all-in-one developer kit for the series 60 platform. "The new CodeWarrior Developer Kit for series 60 platform makes the platform easily accessible within one of the most...

Carriers look for cheaper T1 alternatives.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Byline: SAM OMATSEYE Like wireless local area networks, which thrive on free spectrum, carriers are seeking ways to provide more services without digging deep into their depleting pocketbooks. Unlicensed microwave offers a new...

Palm lowers 3Q expectations.(News)
March 10, 2003... Palm Inc., days after announcing it will cut 19 percent of its work force, said it also expects its third-quarter results will be below its previous guidance. The company's stock was down about 10 percent following the news to about $10 per...

AOL launches Mobile Music Club for mMode.(Business)
March 10, 2003... America Online Inc. launched its new Music Mobile Club on AT&T Wireless Services Inc.'s mMode wireless data service. The AOL Music Mobile Club allows AT&T subscribers to access news and information on popular and new artists, as well as buy...

Content companies push forward with deals, releases.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: MIKE DANO News on the wireless content and application front continues to pour in, with a variety of companies announcing new deals and product releases. Wireless content company Summus Inc. said it scored a deal with board...

Wireless Retail sells with store-in-a-store concept.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Byline: MIKE DANO Summing up the business focus and philosophy of his company, Chris Cagle explains: "Our people are well trained and know how to sell.'' Cagle is vice president of marketing and communications for Wireless Retail...

Hutchison launches U.K. 3G service without handsets.(Global Wireless)
March 10, 2003... Although Hutchison Whampoa said it launched the first third-generation service in the United Kingdom on Monday, an appropriate date of 3-3-03 as its service is branded "3,'' it did so without having handsets available for sale. The operator...

KPN considers MobilCom's German 3G assets.(News)
March 10, 2003... Dutch operator KPN Telecom is in talks regarding the acquisition of the third-generation mobile network of MobilCom, which has terminated its buildout plans. International press reports said both companies declined to provide details, including...

People.
March 10, 2003... Nextel Communications Inc. Nextel Communications Inc. promoted Thomas Kelly Jr. from executive vice president and chief marketing officer to executive vice president and chief operating officer. OPASTCO The Organization for the...

Spectrum coordination at big show hopes to alleviate big headaches.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: DAN MEYER Along with all the visible preparation that will go into making the upcoming Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association show in New Orleans happen, an equally important invisible task will have to be accomplished...

UTStarcom spends $100M on CommWorks unit.(Business)
March 10, 2003... In a cash transaction valued at $100 million, UTStarcom Inc. will purchase some of the assets of the CommWorks division of 3Com Corp., Santa Clara, Calif. The deal, which the companies expect to close within 120 days, calls for UTStarcom...

Toshiba, Accenture say their biz model makes Wi-Fi make sense.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: ELIZABETH V. MOONEY The Computer Systems Group of Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging companies like T-Mobile USA Inc., Wayport Inc. and the fledgling Cometa Networks to war over...

Mexico's Cofetel approves P-Com radios for Mexican use.(News)
March 10, 2003... P-Com Inc. said its Encore Plus, a variable bandwidth, digital microwave radio, has been approved for use by telecom operators in Mexico by the country's Comision Federal de Telecomunicaciones (Cofetel). The solution enables high-speed...

Carriers pursue short-code pact to grow messaging biz.
March 10, 2003... Byline: MIKE DANO Want to help chart the direction of American pop music using only your thumbs? Well, if you're a Verizon Wireless subscriber, you're out of luck. Same thing goes for Cingular Wireless L.L.C. customers, Sprint PCS...

Telkom South Africa nets $488M in privatization.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Byline: ELIZABETH V. MOONEY In its first privatization of a state-owned company, the government of South Africa sold a 25-percent stake in Telkom South Africa Ltd. on March 4, raising $488 million, well below the $1.25 billion predicted a...

Asia to see continued mobile advances in 2003; Multimedia messaging success to vary by country.(Global Wireless)
March 10, 2003... Byline: RENE MALLARI Experts expect the cellular industry in the Asia-Pacific region to generally fare better this year than last year. While the telecom industries in Europe and the United States are expected to face difficult years, with...

Russia boasts major mobile growth, but figures differ.(Global Wireless)
March 10, 2003... Byline: ALEXANDER NECHAEV Russia boasted unexpected major growth in the total number of mobile-phone users in 2002, however, various governmental bodies differed in estimates. The Communications Ministry said the number of subscribers...

Cigma intros RF linearizer products.(News)
March 10, 2003... Cigma Technologies introduced a new generation of RF pre-distortion linearizer products that will allow manufacturers to build small, efficient and cost effective HPAs and MCPAs for wireless base stations and power amplifiers. The new...

TEXTIN CUD B XLNT $ 4 WIRELESS :)).(Focus)
March 10, 2003... Byline: MIKE DANO The worldwide text-messaging industry generated a staggering $36 billion last year, according to industry watchers. The U.S. market managed to account for around $500 million of that total. And, although the U.S....

Sony Ericsson shows high-end handsets for U.S. market.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: ELIZABETH V. MOONEY Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. debuted five handset models last week that will be available to American consumers next quarter and affirm "the next phase, the year of a fully developed product...

Bankruptcy hits rural carrier; Shareholders likely to get nil.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Byline: DAN MEYER In an attempt to reduce its debt load and speed up a financial restructuring, rural telecommunications provider Ntelos Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company said that in connection with the filing,...

Dobson bank loan looms over results, Alamosa gets roaming boost.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: DAN MEYER Dobson Communications Corp.'s fourth-quarter and full-year financial results, which included reductions in roaming revenues and net losses, were overshadowed by a bank loan made by the company's largest stakeholder that...

Boingo signs Earthlink, Fiberlink as partners.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Byline: ELIZABETH V. MOONEY Boingo Wireless, Santa Monica, Calif., has signed up EarthLink Wireless High Speed and Fiberlink, a provider of enterprise-class remote access and security service, as inaugural customers for its new Boingo...

American Tower, Crown focus on adding tenants, not towers.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Byline: EMILY MOTSAY Both American Tower Corp. and Crown Castle International Corp. reiterated confidence in the traditional tower model at Raymond James & Associates' 24th Annual Institutional Investors Conference held last week in...

The world we live in.(Opinion)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Tina Eichner The Jan. 27 rcrnews.com Web update included the news item "Playboy graphics coming to U.S. cell phones.'' On the same day we also reported news items about digital rights management, NextWave Telecom Inc. getting...

Calendar.
March 10, 2003... TechNet Tampa 2003 March 11-12 AFCEA International, Tampa, Fla. (800) 336-4583, ext. 6243 or www.afcea.org Intele-Card Expo March 11-12 Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami. www.intelecardexpo.com Using the GSM Digital...

Trade strains.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: JEFFREY SILVA The Bush administration's trade policy continued to show signs of strain last week, the product of a record trade deficit, escalating trade disputes and enforcement challenges that left unresolved could limit wireless...

CTIA expands data focus to content creation community.(News)
March 10, 2003... The wireless data arm of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association said it plans to expand its focus to include the rapidly growing content creation community, and that content companies Jippii USA, Kargo, Mobliss, m-Qube, Moviso,...

McCaw could be out of Nextel's board.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Nextel Communications Inc. said it has revised securities purchase agreements with Digital Radio and Craig McCaw that will result in both parties possibly leaving the carrier's board of directors by 2005. Nextel said the departures are part...

Business Briefs.(Briefs)
March 10, 2003... Sprint PCS launched a new promotion providing customers who sign a two-year contract for the carrier's $100 per month unlimited PCS Vision Plan for laptops and personal digital assistants with a free Novatel Wireless Merlin C201 PC card. Sprint...

Verizon, BellSouth sell South American holdings.(Global Wireless)
March 10, 2003... U.S. operators Verizon Wireless and BellSouth Corp. each sold stakes in heavily indebted South American carriers last week, lessening their exposure in Argentina and Brazil respectively, two countries that have suffered from extreme economic...

Motorola settles Chase lawsuits over Iridium financing.(Business)
March 10, 2003... Motorola Inc. has settled all lawsuits filed by Chase Manhattan Bank relating to Iridium L.L.C., the satellite communications company Motorola created in 1998. Motorola will pay Chase Manhattan and Iridium's secured lenders $12 million to...