When and where will the "soft" launch firm up? BLS said Brazil would start commercial ops Nov 15. We'll see. USA is on hold for the FBI. Probably Canada gov't would let service start there, but no evidence that G* or local SPs are ready. BLS also said Argentina would start in November, but the TESAM web site says December. Elsacom is supposed to start in "November" in Italy and a few other countries, but their web site doesn't identify local SPs in any of those countries. France is also supposed to start in "November" but TESAM doesn't even have a web site in Europe. If any of the European SPs had filed tariffs by now I suppose we'd have heard. S. Africa still has regulatory problems; BLS said it would start cmmrcl ops in Jan00. Can't tell through the web what's happening in China and S. Korea; BLS said December for both countries.
It's funny: The GLP web site lists 41 countries "for initial
service in 1999" (including places many may not recall are "countries" like San Marino and Liechtenstein(sp?)). In the conference call, BLS said the phones were in "20" countries ready to start soft launch. And he named eight countries (US, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, France, Italy, S.Korea, China). But of the eight, two are pretty unscrutable to the occidental web browser, at least one (US) has regulatory problems, and the two in Europe aren't likely to find many users needing the service locally.
My opinion continues to be that availability of GWs and licenses is a bigger issue than phones. When will the Mexican and C. American GWs come on line? What's the situation in Russia? Does Elsacom really have all the license and local SP arrangements needed in E. Europe?
Lots to worry about, and I think it will be a lot later than "November", before we can stop worrying. |
