North Dakota to Test Balloons for Cellular Service
formatting link
BISMARCK, N.D. -- Why put up costly cell phone towers in thinly populated areas, when a few balloons would do? In North Dakota, former Gov. Ed Schafer is backing a plan to loft wireless network repeaters on balloons high above the state to fill gaps in cellular coverage. "I know it sounds crazy," said Schafer, who now heads...
EU Backs Spain's Move To Open Up Mobile Phone Market
formatting link
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Commission backed Spain's move to open up its mobile phone market on Tuesday, saying lower prices could result from giving three new players access to networks run by Telefonica, Vodafone and France Telecom's Amena. The cost of using mobile phones in Spain was well above the EU average, it said,...
Earthlink Finalizes Wireless Deal in Pennsylvania
formatting link
PHILADELPHIA -- Earthlink Inc. has finalized a 10-year contract to provide wireless Internet service across Philadelphia, a city official said Monday. Philadelphia was the first large city to announce plans to build a wireless Internet network and provide low-cost access to residents as a way to span the digital divide. Smaller...
TeliaSonera Launches One Number for Two Phones
formatting link
TeliaSonera's Finnish unit, Sonera, has announced that it will commence its Multi-SIM service from 1 February 2005. The service allows a customer to use one mobile number on two phones, without swapping SIM cards between phones. A company press release says that the caller ID remains the same, irrespective of whether the main...
Alltel Intros New Prepaid Service
formatting link
Alltel is introducing a new prepaid wireless service that offers an expanded phone selection, plans and features. The company says the service is designed for customers "who want to customize a wireless plan to their needs and tastes." "U personalized prepaid is flexible, hip, user-friendly and built around what customers want...
Ericsson Reports 52% Profit Boost
formatting link
Ericsson, the world's leading wireless network manufacturer, has announced 52% growth in earnings for the fourth quarter of 2005. According to a company press release, net profit rose to 8.5 billion kroner (US$1.18 billion) from 5.6 billion kroner for the same period in 2004. Its full-year net profit was up 39% to 24.3 billion kroner....
Customer Churn = MVNO Butter
formatting link
Brand loyalty is rare among cellular subscribers, according to a study released this morning by In-Stat/MDR -- a finding that could have profound future implications for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) targeting enterprise customers. According to the new In-Stat survey, entitled "MVNOs: Current and Planned Wireless Subscriber...
TIA Urges House To Mop Up DTV Bill
formatting link
As the U.S. House of Representatives reconvenes this week, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) is imploring federal lawmakers to pass the Senate-amended version of deficit-reduction/-spending legislation as early as possible in the hopes of mopping up details on the digital television (DTV) transition bill. The deficit...
C&W Says Ciao to Caio
formatting link
Cable & Wireless plc (NYSE: CWP - message board) today showed how tough it is for traditional telecom operators to revamp themselves by announcing a corporate reorganization that sent its share price plummeting by 15 percent. (See C&W Splits, Ditches CEO.) Its latest move is to split its operations into two units -- one for its...
Copyright (C) 2005 PricewaterhouseCoopers.