Wireless Shorts

GOING COLOMBIAN-Global One announced at Americas Telecom that it has joined with a group of local investors to pursue the alternative long-distance license in Colombia. The consortium also includes Em Cali, the local exchange carrier for the city of Cali. Bidding for the license will be in the third quarter, and the license will be issued by year's end.

CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT-IBM and Sun Microsystems are among the computer companies that took wares to Americas Telecom last week. Both showcased customer management and billing solutions, specifically highlighting the integration of Latin American networks with the Telecommunications Management Network framework. Sun also demonstrated Java for prospective regional customers.

PLAYING IN THE B BAND-The availability of the B band cellular license in Brazil is catching the eye of U.S. carriers. AT&T Wireless Services has a partnership with the Globo media conglomerate and the Bradesco banking firm to bid on the license. GTE and BellSouth also may bid, and other U.S. wireless operators have expressed interest as well. Sergio Motta, minister of telecommunications for Brazil, said he expects the license to be awarded by the end of the year.

WinStar bags first ISP Competitive access provider WinStar has struck an agreement with Digex under which WinStar will provide the Internet service provider with local access via its 38 GHz wireless fiber services and other methods. In addition, WinStar will private label Digex's full suite of Industrial Strength Internet services to customers or bundle it with WinStar's local and long-distance services. The deal marks WinStar's first agreement to provide wireless fiber service to an ISP.

DSC sounds off on fixed access DSC Communications has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to request allocation of spectrum in the 2 GHz band specifically for wireless fixed access local loop services. The petition requests that licenses be issued for spectrum swaths larger than 30 MHz or 10 MHz licenses currently available to accommodate network operators that choose to deploy wireless fixed access architectures such as the one DSC currently markets internationally. The DSC solution, called Airspan, is based on code division multiple access technology.

AT&T grows data service AT&T Wireless Services has launched circuit-switched wireless data service in 35 new markets across the country, as part of its plan to provide the service to 90% of its cellular footprint by the end of this year. The carrier's wireless circuit data service allows computer users to transmit data over the cellular voice network by using a cellular-capable modem. AT&T Wireless has also teamed with Cellular One of San Francisco to deploy a cellular digital packet data network in the Bay Area.