Stepping Down
When AT&T Wireless becomes independent, four members of the parent companys board are expected to depart. In Securities and Exchange Commission filings, the company said that AT&T Wireless Chairman John Zeglis will step down, along with retired Springs Industries Chairman Walter Elisha, former Caterpillar Chairman Donald Fites and NTT DoCoMo USA CEO Masaki Yoshikawa. Liberty Media Chairman John Malone is also expected to leave the AT&T board when the cable television programming arm becomes a stand-alone unit.
New Trial
Comcast, the third largest U.S. cable operator, says it will begin another open-access test in Philadelphia this spring, this time letting cable-modem subscribers try EarthLinks service.
Jobs Cut
Two top wireless equipment makers last week said that they are paring jobs to cut costs. Ericsson, the top cellular gear maker, will cut 3,300 jobs, or about 3 percent of its work force, to lower costs by about $3.4 billion, beginning next year. Nokia will cut 300 to 400 jobs, mostly in research and development, as it attemptsto streamline its broadbandsystems division.
Give It Back
Nearly 2,000 European business leaders are demanding their governments reimburse wireless operators the estimated $190 billion they spent on third-generation wireless spectrum. The petitioners want the licenses to be resold, but not in an auction.
Stock Swap
LSI Logic says it will swap $878 million in stock with C-Cube Microsystems, a communications chip maker. Combined, LSI and C-Cube have a complete array of technologies for cable, satellite, terrestrial and DSL set-top boxes.