Mobile operator strategies

Cingular Wireless plans to spend $6.2bn this year in nationwide network upgrades, amid ongoing speculation that the carrier is delaying deployment of its 3G network.

Hutchison Telecom/ Essar (India) swallowed a rival player, with the acquisition of BPL's mobile assets in India.

Deutsche Telecom took over Tele.ring in Austria for €1.3bn and becomes second (38%) to Mobilkom Austria.

Sprint Nextel are gearing up to provide wireless broadband services in the 2.5GHz spectrum band to at least 30 million Americans in the next six years. The merger between Sprint PCS and Nextel has been approved, creating the third US largest carrier with approximately 45m subscribers.

Telecom Italia sold its mobile telephone business in Peru to a unit of America Movil SA for €407m.

KDDI (Japan) has procured low-priced 3G mobile phone handsets from Pantech.

Uzmacom (Uzbekistan) has stopped providing GSM-900 services as it did not renew its mobile license.

Texas Pacific Group (TPG) is willing to position MobilCom as Germany's second-largest integrated telecoms services provider and the major rival to Deutsche Telekom. It will merge the mobile business with its internet unit, freenet.de.

IranCell has acquired a GSM license in Iran, but Turkcell (Turkey) agreed last month to give up its mandating rights in the project.

Tele2 has launched a new GSM network in Russia (Voronezh region). It is the company's twelfth GSM network launch in Russia.

Softbank (Japan) is changing its strategy to ensure its entry in the mobile phone market as early as next year. Softbank is now expecting to be granted a 3G license.