Tuesday January 9, 12:09 pm Eastern Time
Motorola wins Sprint PCS deal to upgrade networks
CHICAGO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Technology giant Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT - news) won a
contract from Sprint PCS Group (NYSE:PCS - news) to upgrade the wireless service
provider's networks with third generation technology, the companies said on Tuesday.
Third generation technology promises higher-speed, always-on Internet access in next
generation networks.
The companies said the contract was a multimillion dollar deal but did not specify the exact amount.
Under the terms of the deal, Motorola will upgrade Sprint PCS' networks in Chicago, Charlotte, N.C.,
Chattanooga, Tenn., Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Ohio, Greensboro, N.C., Hawaii, Knoxville, Tenn.,
Norfolk, Va., Raleigh, N.C., and in Richmond, Va.
Motorola said it will begin upgrading Sprint PCS' networks immediately.
Tuesday January 9, 12:52 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
SOURCE: Wireless Fund
3G To Come Alive In 2001 - The Web Goes Wireless
Nasdaq Year 2000 Opens The Door For Long-Term Growth Of The
Wireless World
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- ``The wireless revolution will continue to explode globally. The
Nasdaq recent decline has given investors the opportunity to buy many great companies well of their
52 week highs,'' stated Jeffrey R. Provence, manager for Wireless Fund (Nasdaq: WIREX - news).
Third generation mobile communications systems are scheduled for operational startup in Japan and Europe
in 2001-2002. By 2004, the wireless subscriber base worldwide is expect to reach 1.4 billion users, and
approximately 300 million users will be accessing the internet from some form of wireless appliance.
Japan will have hyper-fast 3G mobile phones by mid 2001. The success of I-mode has attracted 16.8 million
users in its brief 22-month history and is still growing at an incredible 40,000 to 50,000 new subscribers each
day. The first 3G services in Japan will open the door to data rates of 64 kilobits per second, or six times faster
than 2G.
``Over the next few years we will see more and more companies allocate resources to wireless web enabled
devices,'' states Provence.
On January 4, Sprint PCS (NYSE: PCS - news) and Palm announced a co-branded version of the MyPalm
portal which will include access to e-mail, e-commerce purchasing and Web access. The service should be
available in early 2001 and Sprint plans to introduce Palm OS based smartphones that integrate voice and data
by midyear.
Nokia (NYSE: NOK - news) said today it sold more than 128 million cell phones last year, up 64 percent from
1999 and topping overall market growth. ``Clearly, Nokia is taking market share form other cell phone vendors.
64 percent growth over 1999 numbers is very strong,'' states Provence.
``The wireless revolution is touching all parts of the globe,'' stated Malcolm R. Fobes III, the sub-advisor to the
Wireless Fund and portfolio manager of the Berkshire Focus Fund, the #1 ranked Large-Cap Growth fund on a
3 year average annualized basis (Source Morningstar.com 1/3/01). ``We continue to focus our efforts on the clear
leaders of the wireless paradigm shift.''
More information on the wireless revolution can be found at wireless-fund.com
Wireless Fund is available from many of the major mutual fund supermarkets, including Charles Schwab,
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Online, Fidelity, TD Waterhouse, DLJ Direct, E*TRADE, Ameritrade, Accutrade,
Amerivest, American Express and many other brokerage firms through FundServe. Shares of Wireless Fund may
also be purchase directly from Wireless Fund by visiting the web site at wireless-fund.com and printing
out the online application.
For more information, please call 1-800-590-0898.
Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money. Past performance is no guarantee or indication
of future results.
SOURCE: Wireless Fund
Monday January 8, 12:00 pm Eastern Time
Press Release
WorldCom Lights World's Highest-Capacity Network
Using Nortel Networks Solution
In-Service 1.6 Terabit Optical Internet System Addresses Nation's
Bandwidth Demand
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2001--WorldCom (Nasdaq:WCOM - news) has 'gone live' with the
world's highest capacity in-service network, powered by a high-performance Optical Internet solution from
Nortel Networks (NYSE:NT - news; TSE:NT. - news).
Capable of providing much-needed bandwidth to metropolitan areas, the WorldCom optical network can now
carry up to 1.6 terabits of traffic per second on a single, hair-thin strand of fiber, setting the stage for a new era
of networking and managed optical services that can help position service providers to realize potential new revenues.
The New York City to Washington D.C. leg of WorldCom's new terabit network was the first to be lit.
``WorldCom is proud to bring our customers the world's highest capacity network,'' said Fred Briggs, chief technology
officer, WorldCom. ``This network, powered by Nortel Networks OPTera Long Haul 1600 Optical Line System,
increases our capacity exponentially, allowing us to be one of the first carriers to truly accommodate the nation's
bandwidth demands resulting from explosive growth in e-commerce.''
``First mover initiatives like this from WorldCom are the type of bold steps needed to thrust the high-performance
Internet and next generation services into reality,'' said Greg Mumford, president, Optical Networking,
Nortel Networks.
``Nortel Networks Optical Internet solution will position WorldCom to introduce more managed optical services
on a single fiber -- like 16,000 fast Ethernet or 1,600 gigabit Ethernet connections -- and to redefine the economics
and quality of communications,'' Mumford said.
WorldCom's new network uses Nortel Networks OPTera Long Haul solutions, as well as the OPTera Connect
portfolio and Nortel Networks Preside serviceware. Operating on a 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) platform,
OPTera Long Haul uses dense-wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) to split light into as many as 160 channels
to maximize capacity on each fiber. Using Preside, provisioning of these wavelengths takes just minutes to complete.
Already being used to manage more than 30,000 elements within WorldCom's network, Preside also enables
'point-and-click' provisioning of services, performance monitoring and troubleshooting, among other services.
Nortel Networks and WorldCom have worked together for many years to move the industry from gigabit per-fiber
networking to terabit levels. In September 1995, WorldCom was first to commercially trial Nortel Networks 10 Gbps
system on its Dallas-Longview route. WorldCom also was first to commercially trial OPTera Long Haul 1600 terabit
system on the same route in December 1999.
Nortel Networks has made substantial investments to increase manufacturing capacity to address worldwide
demand for optical systems and components. Through these and other first-mover initiatives, Nortel Networks
has become widely recognized as the world's leading supplier of high-capacity 10 Gbps systems. |
