Caron Carlson

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission Thursday modified rules requiring incumbent local exchange carriers to lease portions of the local network to rivals at regulated rates. In a major disappointment to the local carriers, the commission largely left in tact requirements regarding the provision of voice services. However, it did make several changes regarding broadband services, […]

CANNES, France—As operating system vendors vie for position in the wireless industry by promoting closer partnerships with carriers on data services, the carriers are seeking closer collaboration with handset makers and content developers as well. AT&T Wireless Services Inc. is forging closer ties with content providers, offering more flexible revenue-sharing plans, said Jim Grams, chief […]

CANNES, France—To make work easier for the mobile professional, wireless application developers this week are unveiling products that make working on the road more closely resemble working at a desk. Glenayre Electronics Inc. announced a presence and availability management platform that will let service providers offer instant wireless conferencing services to business users. In addition […]

CANNES, France—Siemens AG lately has made a splash in the fashion world with its new “Xelebri” line of wearable accessory phones, but it is not abandoning the mobile business user. Tuesday the German manufacturer launched new services for monitoring and tracking goods and for planning and scheduling business travel. Siemens presented the new services at […]

CANNES, France—Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB announced Tuesday that IBM Global Services has agreed to use Sony Ericssons P800 smartphone to help enterprises extend wireless e-business solutions. Applications suited for this infrastructure include sales force automation for order management, stock control and travel. Delivering a keynote address at the 3GSM World Congress here, Katsumi Ihara, […]

CANNES, France—Microsoft Corp. and T-Mobile International will launch Pocket MSN service over Pocket PCs throughout Europe, and later this summer T-Mobile will deploy Windows-powered Smartphones in major European cities. The companies announced the cooperative efforts at the 3GSM World Congress here Monday. The service will extend MSN Hotmail and MSN Messenger mobile services to European […]

Altigen Communications Inc. this week is unveiling an IP-based contact center platform for small and medium-sized businesses with up to 500 agents. The voice-over-IP system is aimed particularly at small manufacturers and other sales-oriented companies that cant afford traditional call center integration but want the same features, including advanced customer relations management functions. Craft Diston […]

Traditional telephony lacks the kinds of security that IT network administrators are accustomed to deploying, but converging voice and data systems are exposing both sets of traffic to new threats and spurring the development of telecommunications firewalls. “Voice over IP is not secure enough for enterprise deployment unless you protect it with an overlay voice […]

Over the next few months, policy-makers will re-examine rules that were put in place to spur competition following the Telecommunications Act of 1996. While the Federal Communications Commission considers whether the rules need to be altered, lawmakers will consider to what degree the ongoing struggles of the telecom industry—awash in bankruptcies, fraud allegations and rapid […]

In the latest in a string of questionable transactions among telecommunications executives, Sprint Corp. chairman and CEO, William Esrey, told company managers yesterday that he is under an audit by the Internal Revenue Service regarding his use of tax shelters and investments. Earlier this week, Sprint began a search to replace Esrey as well as […]

After a lengthy and contentious legal battle, the Federal Communications Commission lost its bid to repossess spectrum licenses assigned to NextWave Telecom Inc. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that bankruptcy law protects the bankrupt carriers licenses, setting the stage for the long-fallow spectrum to be put to use carrying new wireless services. In […]

Web services are gaining momentum in the enterprise, but the leading providers agree that the technology needs several improvements, including better security and greater standardization, to reach its potential. IBM is trying to make inroads in the small and midsized business market for Web services, according to Bob Sutor, director of Web Services Technology at […]