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Microcap & Penny Stocks : Globalstar Telecommunications Limited GSAT -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rocket Scientist who wrote (7454)	9/19/1999 1:58:00 PM
From: djane	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29987

China Starting Telecommunication Co. September 19, 1999 Filed at 8:28 a.m. EDT By The Associated Press BEIJING (AP) -- China will launch its third major telecommunications company next month in its attempts to bring competition to a sector long dominated by a government monopoly, the official China Daily reported Sunday. China Netcom Corp. is using $50 million in government funds to offer high-speed data services for big businesses and Internet service companies in 15 cities, the newspaper reported in its Business Weekly edition. China Netcom will use Internet Protocol technology, which helps networks run faster and more efficiently, the newspaper said. Its network will initially rely on fiber-optic lines owned by two of its four government founders, the Ministry of Railways and the agency that regulates broadcasts. Despite the government's desire to use limited liberalization to spur innovation in telecommunications, China Netcom will face stiff competition from China Telecom, the dominant phone company. China Telecom enjoys strong backing from its former owner, the Ministry of Information Industry, which regulates the sector. It has used those ties to try to keep the country's second telephone company, China Unicom, from developing into a competitor. Ministry backing, however, has not fully protected China Telecom. Consumer complaints and government eagerness to tap the Internet for economic growth have forced China Telecom to reduce charges. Another round of price cuts is likely later this year, following reductions in March for Internet and phone services, China Daily reported, quoting Zhang Cunjiang, a telecommunications regulator. Although Zhang did not provide details, the China Daily cited unidentified sources as saying that Internet charges will drop by half from the current 50 cents an hour. March's price cuts spurred consumption. According to Ministry of Information Industry statistics, in the first eight months of the year fixed-line customers rose 14 million to more than 100 million and mobile phone users increased nearly 11 million to 36.2 million, the newspaper said. Internet use in the first half of the year nearly doubled, from 2.1 million users in the end of 1998 to 4 million, China Daily said.

To: Rocket Scientist who wrote (7454)	9/20/1999 1:14:00 AM
From: Serendipity	Respond to of 29987

If I'm not mistaken, the Indian government operates the gateways regardless of who the SP is. I will be very surprised if Videsh Sanchar Nigam will invest in another GMPCS operator. They have already lost their shirts by investing in ICO and Iridium. I hope Globalstar can throw more light on this, but given their lame web site, I will not hold my breath.

To: Rocket Scientist who wrote (7454)	9/20/1999 12:32:00 PM
From: djane	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29987

LATimes. New Web Site Rates Quality of Wireless Calls Monday, September 20, 1999 HEARD ON THE BEAT: Technology New Web Site Rates Quality of Wireless Calls By ELIZABETH DOUGLASS new Internet site will debut today that gives consumers detailed information about the service coverage and call quality offered by wireless phone carriers in major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles. The site, decide.com, is the first to provide elaborate maps that outline spots where call quality or service coverage lag for various wireless companies. San Jose-based Decide.com collects the mapping data by driving streets and freeways and placing calls repeatedly, and then rating the connection and voice quality (good, poor, dropped or no signal). Visitors to the site can hear the test calls if they have computer speakers and the right software. In Los Angeles, for example, drivers spent several weeks covering about 9,000 miles and placing about 30,000 mobile phone calls (one every 90 to 100 seconds), according to Roy Prasad, chief executive of Decide.com. Decide.com's Web site also includes information about long-distance and prepaid phone services, as well as ways to compare plan prices and phones. The company is independent from any phone carrier, but it will receive commissions on services sold via the site. Copyright 1999 Los Angeles Times. All Rights Reserved