NL International News Briefs

New Yorkers to adopt 11-digit dialing next monthNumber exhaust has hit such a state in New York City that it will begin using 11-digit dialing on February 1. Callers will need to dial 1 plus the area code and the seven-digit number to call anywhere in the area. The move is seen as a precursor to the eventual switch to 12-digit dialing (NL, Feb. 26/01). The municipal government is hoping to launch a 311 service, similar to the 211 system used in other cities (NL, Jan. 15/01). France Télécom bond issue removes need for gov’t aidFrance Télécom, Europe’s most indebted telco, has sold EUR 5.5 billion (about $9 billion) in bonds. The move means the company will not have to rely on a loan from the French government (NL, Jan. 13/03). The money raised will be used to pay EUR 15 billion (about $24.7 billion) in debt repayments this year. SEC accuses former AT&T employee of insider tradingThe Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington has accused former AT&T Corp. emerging markets developer Phong Nguyen of conspiring with his friend Chanh Nguyen on insider trading. The SEC alleges the Minnesota pair bought 76,000 shares in iNTELEFILM Corp. in 1999 five days before the company announced it was developing a product with AT&T, resulting in a profit of more than US$200,000. Internet analyst and husband under investigationThe Securities and Exchange Commission has notified Holly Becker of Lehman Brothers and her husband Michael Zimmerman of SAC Capital Advisors that the couple is being investigated for insider trading breaches. The SEC wants to determine if the Internet analyst provided advance copies of Lehman research to Zimmerman before they were released to clients, especially information on Amazon.com. British Telecom to provide network in BavariaBritish Telecom has been granted a contract to provide a complete communications network in Bavaria. The seven-year, EUR 200 million (about $329.6 million) contract, issued by the state government in Bavaria, is the largest BT has ever been awarded outside of the United Kingdom. White House spamming Saddam HusseinSeveral American government agencies, including the military, are bombarding Iraq with thousands of email messages trying to convince the country’s leaders they cannot win a war with the U.S. The email contains instructions on how to defect from the Arab nation. Spanish open up telecom market to competitionThe Spanish government has removed licence requirements for wireline operators. The new rules, which now conform to European Union standards, should make it easier for competitors to enter the telecom market. Transatlantic Internet project ready to take flightBritish Airways and Germany’s Lufthansa have each equipped a Boeing 747-400 with inflight Internet capabilities. BA will test the system on its London-to-New York flights while the German airline will conduct trials on the Frankfurt-to-Washington run. DirecTV DSL customers get two-week reprieveDirecTV has granted an extension to its broadband customers so they may find a new ISP. The company, which announced last year it was exiting the DSL market, has given them until January 31 to get a new connection. American Internet subsidy program ripe for fraudThe Center for Public Integrity in Washington says the federal government’s E-Rate program for schools and libraries may be enriching dishonest contractors. The program offers subsidies of anywhere from 20% to 90% to provide telecom services like Internet fees and wiring classrooms, and charges have already been laid in a case on Staten Island where US$9 million cannot be accounted for.

NL International News Briefs

News | January 28, 2003

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