RoW Update

Industry Canada proposes changes to frequency allocation tableIndustry Canada has announced proposed changes to the current Canadian Table of Frequency Allocations to comply with modifications made at the most recent World Radiocommunication Conference in Istanbul, Turkey (WRC-00). The conference focused on several key issues including the implementation of advanced mobile services (third generation or 3G wireless) and sharing criteria between fixed satellite service networks and high-density fixed service applications. In the May 1/00 edition of Report on Wireless, a high-ranking Industry Canada official sat down with the editor to elicit some of the major issues going into WRC-00. More details. Telesat unveils high-speed business Internet access serviceTelesat Canada, a subsidiary of BCE Inc., released details of its high-speed business Internet service that’s available anywhere in Canada and the United States. The new service will be offered in conjunction with Spacenet Inc., a subsidiary of Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. The service is targeted at businesses that require Internet access at ADSL-type speeds in locations that are outside currently served areas. Potential customers could be large enterprises, companies in the resource sector, and government institutions. More details. Yankee Group reveals new results on mobile commerceFewer than 100,000 American mobile commerce users made approximately one million transactions using wireless devices, a new Yankee Group study reveals. The new report, U.S. Carriers Prepare for Premium Content, suggests that mobile operators can promote the use of mobile commerce by providing a billing and settlement platform for third party developers. The report also states that carriers need to make a distinction between free and premium content. According to the report, various carriers will adopt different strategies and AT&T Wireless is likely to follow the lead of its strategic investor DoCoMO to establish a billing, settlement and customer care platform. Sprint and Cingular will continue with their earlier initiatives by building on ring tones, graphics and games. Verizon and Nextel will more than likely leverage their BREW and Java platforms to charge for downloads. More details. FCC approves satellite Internet services; feels heat to delay auctionThe U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted Boeing, Hughes, Teledesic, and three other firms the right to offer high-speed Internet access via satellite. Satellites will orbit freely around the Earth, but may cause interference with other satellites because they may be simultaneously in a direct line of communications and on the same frequency used by another satellite. To address that problem, the FCC has created a sharing method so multiple satellites could operate at the same time in the same band. The heat is being turned up on the FCC to delay the auction of the 700 MHz band, currently being used by broadcasters. The wireless industry wants more time to study various issues surrounding availability and DTV transition schedules. The FCC says that its hands are tied because Congress has said that the auction of these airwaves, which has been delayed five times already, must be auctioned by September 2002. Now some lawmakers are calling on the FCC to delay the auction. More details: KU-band satellite service moves forward FCC approves bids for satellite internet services Lawmakers will move to block spectrum auction U.S. lawmakers seek to block 700 MHz sale Another plan to protect public safety appearsSouthern LINC is proposing to migrate public safety spectrum users out of the 800 MHz band and into the 700 MHz band. The company says money received from the auctioning of the 800 MHz spectrum could be used to fund the migration of public safety users. Nextel has already filed a plan to accommodate public safety applications, and Cingular is expected to do the same. However, not everyone agrees this is a prudent move. "I am quite skeptical of any proposal that requires the imposition of significant costs to any one group of licensees," FCC commissioner Kathleen Abernathy told the Land Mobile Communications Council in Washington on April 19. "I am also generally reluctant to solve the 800 MHz interference problems by moving parties into a host of other bands and further disrupt licensees’ plans." More details. EARNINGS NSI Global closes U.S. R&D operations; consolidates in MontrealNSI Global Inc. has decided to close broadband R&D operations in the United States and consolidate them in its Montreal facility, resulting in the elimination of 50 employees, 30 of which are engineers. The Montreal-based company made the decision following the postponement of two contracts on which it was bidding. Broadband equipment sales are expected to decline this year as a result of these contract postponements, the company states in a news release. While broadband gear sales will be down this year, NSI believes this will be offset by continued growth in the company’s mobile data division. Revenue for the year is expected to be approximately $90 million. The closure of research branches in San Diego and Santa Clara CA and other offices is expected to save the company about $9.5 million in expenses annually. NSI will take a $4.5-million restructuring charge in its 2002 second quarter as a result. More details. Mobile Knowledge reports strong results; restructuring paying offOttawa-based Mobile Knowledge Inc. (formerly SiGEM) has posted strong fourth-quarter and year-end results, indicating that the company’s extensive restructuring efforts undertaken last year have begun to pay off. Mobile Knowledge announced it was restructuring last fall (RoW, Sept. 18/01).Full revenue for fiscal year 2001 was $28.7 million, a significant increase over revenue posted in the previous year. Excluding the sale of the company’s U.K. subsidiary Auriga Communications, revenue was $18.6 million in 2001, a 36% growth over 2000 revenue. More details. SR Telecom posts third consecutive quarter of profitabilitySR Telecom Inc. has posted operating earnings of $2 million on revenue of $40 million, marking the third consecutive quarter of profitability for the Montreal-based company. "This profitability in our core business is the result of the measures we have taken to improve our operational efficiency and to broaden our customer base," company president and CEO Pierre St-Arnaud said in a news release. SR Telecom has been on the acquisition trail in the last several months, which has expanded the company’s marketshare and broadened its product offerings. Last summer, SR Telecom acquired fixed wireless assets from Lucent Technologies (RoW, Aug. 7/01) and recently completed the acquisition of the Velocity 2000 product line from Nera Telecommunications (RoW, April 16/02). C-COM reports 600% increase in Q1 revenueC-COM Satellite Systems Inc., Ottawa, has posted a 600% increase in revenue in 2002Q1 compared to the previous year’s quarter. The company is driving hard to reach profitability by the end of this year, and if this growth pattern holds up, C-COM will attain that level, according to a news release."During the quarter, we focused on sales and marketing and product development for DirecWay, the two-way, high-speed satellite based Internet service we provide in conjunction with Hughes Networks Systems," Russell Newbury, COO of C-COM, said in a news release. "Our significant increase in first-quarter revenue flowed from the sales of this core product."The Ottawa firm also revealed that it is working on a product that will enable RV, truck, mobile home owners, and others to get high-speed Internet access and TV signals through the same antenna, dubbed iNetVu. More details. IDC increases revenue by nearly $5 millionInternational Datacasting Corp. has posted record year-end and fourth-quarter revenue. Fiscal year 2001 ended with a 27% increase in revenue, which grew to more than $23 million. While the Ottawa-based firm recorded a net loss for the year, it posted an increase in net profits for Q4 of $271,043 or 130%."This strong performance – during a year of economic turmoil – demonstrates that there is growing demand for our products and services, and that we are competitively positioned for continued significant growth," company president and CEO Ron Clifton said in a news release. More details.

RoW Update

News | April 22, 2002

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

RoW Update

News | April 22, 2002

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

ISED spends $73 million on two fibre projects in New Brunswick

CRTC says wholesale access is having ‘positive impacts’ amidst job losses, spending cuts in telecoms sector

FCM calls for greater cell and internet coverage in north

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us