Rather than settle a business dispute in court, two New Zealand telcos set their chief executives against each other in an arm wrestling match. In March
MCS Digital Ltd.’s leader Allan Cosford won the best-two-out-of-three tussle over TeamTalk Ltd. CEO David Ware, even though Ware had the first pin. Cosford came back in the final rounds, according to a press release, and as a result MCS won access to TeamTalk’s mobile radio network – a prize worth NZ$200,000. Ware said a court battle would have cost just as much.
So long, ARDIS
Bell Mobility is shuttering its Advanced Radio Data Information Service (ARDIS) and porting clients with Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) BlackBerry handheld e-mail devices to the “1X” network instead. The mobile carrier said 1X performs better than ARDIS, however, 1X does not support older BlackBerry 850s and 857s. Bell Mobility said it would give users of those models new voice-enabled BlackBerry 6750s for free – so long as customers sign up for two-year contracts. Bell Mobility said it would discontinue ARDIS service by the end of 2003.
Wait for wireless
Gartner Inc. is warning companies to postpone investments in 802.11g wireless LAN technology until the Wi-Fi Alliance certifies .11g products. Jumping on the .11g bandwagon may result in interoperability problems, Gartner said. The Wi-Fi Alliance, which conducts wireless compatibility tests, said it would begin certifying .11g devices after the IEEE approves the standard later this year. Meanwhile, the Alliance is developing tests based on the draft standard. In an interview with Network World Canada, Alliance spokesman Brian Grimm expressed concerns about pre-standard .11g equipment from vendors like Linksys.