KPN Sues Government over Telecoms Rules
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Dutch telecoms group KPN has launched legal proceedings against the government, accusing it of bias in the enforcement of telecoms rules. KPN argues that unlike cable operators, which face very little regulation, it is subject to a plethora of rules carried over from the era when telecoms and cable were different and independent ...
Telefonnica to Wrap Up Cesky Telecom, EuroTel Merger by 1 July
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Spanish telecoms group Telefonica is planning to complete the merger of its Czech fixed-line unit Cesky Telecom with its mobile business EuroTel by 1 July this year. The merged company will be rebranded as Telefonica O2 Czech Republic by the year-end. The operational integration of the two companies should be completed...
KT, SK to Launch Commercial WiBro in South Korea
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KT Corp. (KT) and SK Telecom (SKT), South Korea's two largest telecoms operators, said today that they would each launch a commercial wireless broadband WiBro service, available from tomorrow. The two companies said that they would initially operate the services in the Seoul metropolitan area and gradually expand the service coverage...
Cingular CTO Downplays Displacement, Touts IMS
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NEW YORK -- Upstart players such as Google and Skype may be disruptive to traditional telecom business models, but Cingular Wireless CTO Kris Rinne downplayed the threat of these newcomers and instead focused on the benefits of IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) technology and how it will enable Cingular to offer cross-network applications. ...
Senate Net-Neutrality Vote Promises A Continued Battle
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After three days of haggling over language and a slew of amendments, the sweeping Communications, Consumers' Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006 (S.2686) now goes to the full Senate floor after a 15-7 vote at the committee level. However, efforts to codify and enforce network-neutrality rules over Internet-access and...
Verizon Wireless to Ease Up on Fees
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NEW YORK -- Targeting a top gripe by cell phone users and breaking ranks again with its industry, Verizon Wireless plans to prorate the fee it charges subscribers who break a contract so they only pay an amount proportional to the time left on their agreements. The change in the early termination fee will be implemented this...
V-Phone Simplifies Net Calling
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NEW YORK -- It is a top feature of Internet phone service that few bother with: the ability to use it anywhere, making and taking calls from the same number at the same low price, even if you're halfway around the world. The buzz kill to this dreamy capability is that you usually need either to haul along an adapter to...
EU Explores Tighter Broadband Regulation
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BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Commission unveiled plans Thursday that would force telecommunications providers to share broadband infrastructure with rivals and unify regulations in the sector. Viviane Reding, the European Union commissioner in charge of the EU's telecommunications policy, said the rules would encourage...
iAnywhere Bundles Up
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Need proof that the mobile software market is in a state of flux? Consider that major players like Microsoft Corp., Nokia Corp., Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM), and Sybase Inc. are trying to expand beyond their mobile email or management roots and offer more integrated packages to corporate users. Often, however, this can be a complex...
Sprint Hints at Spectrum Plans
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WASHINGTON -- Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to acquire additional spectrum in the 2.5GHz band in order to give the company a nationwide footprint, according to company officials attending the Wireless Communications Association International (WCA) conference here this week. But the company remains mysterious on its service plans for the...
TelecomDirect Editor
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