RoW Short Takes

CRTC releases telecommunications fees for 2003/2004The CRTC has announced that it will collect $22.83 million in telecommunications fees for the 2003-2004 fiscal year from Canadian carriers based on an aggregate of telecommunications revenue of $20.886 billion. The fees for this period also include an adjustment of $1.05 million for 2002/2003. This level pales in comparison to the level wireless operators have to pay in annual licence fees to Industry Canada. The department is currently reviewing the level of fees the wireless carriers pay in spectrum licence fees (RoW Update, Jan. 13/03) UBS ups stake in Look CommunicationsUnique Broadband Systems Inc. has increased its ownership stake in struggling wireless Internet and cable provider Look Communications Inc. UBS, of Concord ON, has entered into a private placement agreement with Telesystem Ltd. and its subsidiary Telesystem Financial Corp. to acquire their entire holdings of more than 9 million shares, which would bring UBS’ stake in Look to 51%. Initially, UBS will acquire nearly 3 million shares for $1.7 million increasing its ownership position in Look to 29.9% from 20%, but has until Dec. 31, 2005 to purchase the balance for an estimated $5.2 million. UBS and Craig Wireless Inc. appear to be locked in a battle for control of Look. Earlier this year, Craig acquired 7.2 million shares bringing its ownership stake in Look to approximately 30%. Craig purchased its shares from Teleglobe Inc., also through a private placement. More information on UBS’ increased stake in Look will be available in an upcoming issue of Report on Wireless. Roadpost launches Internet access serviceRoadpost Inc., a provider of communications services for business travelers, has announced that it has now begun offering an integrated Wi-Fi, Ethernet and dial-up service. The new service offers a combined service offering including all three Internet access methods under one single plan of $29.95 per month for 100 hours. The company also offers a special corporate plan for companies with several employees traveling. Youth to drive wireless marketWith half of teens now owning a cell phone, this market segment will propel growth in new wireless services, according to findings from Solutions Research Group Consultants Inc. (SRG). The research company compared wireless service interests in the 12-24 age category to the general population (all age groups 12 and up). Here are some of the findings. More than three-quarters (79%) of the 12-24 age group is interested in personalized ringtones compared to 49% of the general population. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of the younger segment expressed interest in wireless gaming compared to 25% of the overall population. Web browsing came in at 55% for the 12-24 age group compared to 31% of the general population. Cygnal Technologies launches new managed services Cygnal Technologies Corp. has launched CygnalCare managed services, a suite of offerings that supports a customer’s entire communications requirements. Services within the new offering range from assessment, design and installation to monitoring, repair and total network infrastructure management, including outsourcing. The company has also unveiled similar systems for customer contact, business process analysis consulting and telecommunications infrastructure offerings. Nortel provides infrastructure for Midwest 1X launchMidwest Wireless has launched its CDMA 1XRTT network, based on equipment from Nortel Networks Corp. Midwest’s network spans 68 counties in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. More than 50% of the company’s territory is covered by the 1X technology. White Radio establishing wireless and TDM divisionBurlington ON-based White Radio Ltd. is establishing a wireless and time division multiplexing (TDM) division to offer wireless products to the communications, audio, video and telecommunications industries. Products to be offered will include licensed and unlicensed radios with Ethernet and TDM interfaces, antennas and transmission lines, indoor wireless LAN products and other services. TDM products will include multiplexers, TDM over IP, compressed voice systems, ATM network termination devices, rate and interface converters and fibre optic modems. Certicom receives high security designationCerticom Corp. has announced that its Security Builder GSE product has earned the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 certification for Windows and Windows CE, making it the first product to receive the designation for both PC-based and wireless operating systems. The company’s other products also now meet the FIPS 140-2 certification because the Security Builder GSE is the core cryptographic module for all its security products. Wysdom wins BEABEA Systems Inc. has chosen Wysdom Inc.’s MAP-OS product as the service framework and access software for its new service delivery platform. The Wysdom MAP-OS product is touted as allowing telecommunications operators introduce new services quickly, and BEA will incorporate it into its own product offering of turnkey third-party fixed and mobile telecommunications services. CSI trumpets Fleetboss win for tracking productCalgary-based CSI Wireless Inc. is celebrating the third in a hat trick of recent wins for its asset-tracking products. Following on the heels of deals with Directed Electronics and Datacom Wireless, CSI has recently concluded a $2-million deal with Fleetboss Global Positioning System Solutions Inc., Orlando FL, which will purchase 200 units of CSI’s Asset-Link 200 product. The CSI wares will be used as the core hardware for Fleetboss’ systems for monitoring fleet vehicles. The deal calls for a 24-month time frame during which Fleetboss will take delivery of the gear. SRT wins French contract, joins standards forumSR Telecom Inc., Montreal, has been selected by the National Post and Telecommunications Authority of New Caledonia, a subsidiary of France Telecom, for a $4-million expansion of its fixed wireless network. In other SRT news, the company has joined the WiMAX Forum, an industry group promoting the IEEE 802.16 standard for wireless broadband equipment. Nearly half of Brits can’t live without wireless phonesThe United Kingdom’s Henley Management College found that generally people see their cell phones as an extension of themselves and of those aged 25 to 34, 46% said they couldn’t live without them. Of the 1,000 people studied over a three-year period, 46% used their cell phones as a way to improve their mood and for entertainment purposes. Text messaging was used by 55% to pass time and 52% used it to gossip. The survey also found that cell phone users were twice as likely to send text messages than make a phone call and 15% said they’ve never used their cell phone to make a phone call. U.S. Appeals court upholds FCC LNP rulesThe U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia has upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s ruling forcing wireless carriers to implement local number portability for their subscribers. Wireless operators have only six months to implement the system, which would allow subscribers from one carrier to keep their existing phone number when switching to a rival. The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA), which argued against the rule, is disappointed with the court ruling. CTIA president and CEO Thomas Wheeler said, "This decision increases the pressure on the FCC to do what they have yet to do - define the implementation of number portability." White House unveils new spectrum initiativeThe White House has announced an inter-agency government initiative to conduct a comprehensive review of federal government radio spectrum policy. According to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the effort will be undertaken by the Department of Defense, Transportation and Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

RoW Short Takes

News | June 11, 2003

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