Mannesmann scores with cellular service; as Deutsche Telekom slept, ex-steel firm pushed on
Article Abstract:
Mannesmann AG, which formerly manufactured steel pipes, is now proving a strong competitor in the cellular telephone services market against Deutsche Telekom. Deutsche Telekom was the state phone monopoly in Germany when the market was freed in 1992 and it had the advantages of experience, resources and a head-start on the competition. Mannesmann AG's cellular phone business, Mannesmann Mobilfunk, launched an early marketing blitz and was the first company to provide cellular fax and data services, which took the competitor by surprise. The erstwhile monopoly's cellular business, DeTeMobil, has 900,000 customers but nowhere near the 70% of the market that analysts predicted it would have. Mannesmann's cellular business has a similar user base and produced 35% of the company's profit in 1994 on only 6% of the revenues. US-based AirTouch Communications owns 30% of Mobilfunk.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1995
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For paging industry, a bet on two-way gadgets
Article Abstract:
Several companies offer two-way pagers, a new data service that is gaining popularity with a more upscale audience. Users can send and receive short text messages and phone numbers instantly over the same airwaves. This advance eliminates the principal paging drawbacks of locating a telephone to respond as well as wondering whether messages were received. SkyTel Communications, Paging Network and American Mobile Satellite are among the firms that presently offer two-way paging services. A growing market for two-way paging and other advanced messaging services soon will attract more company players, according to some analysts. Advanced messaging accounted for only 160,000 of the 50 million paging customers in 1997, but research company Strategis Group said the number of two-way paging users should reach 3.3 million by the end of 2000.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1998
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