********************************
PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents
The TelecomDirect News Daily Update
For July 19, 2006
********************************
How EMEA Set The 1Q Broadband Growth Pace
http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/18922?11228
     The number of broadband lines in the world grew to 229 million by
     the end of the first quarter of this year, up 36 percent from a
     year earlier according to a new study by research house Point
     Topic, and Europe set the pace.   Meanwhile, DSL
     continued its worldwide dominance, growing slightly in market
     share at the expense of...
EU Takes France to Court Over France Telecom Aid
http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/18919?11228
     BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Commission Wednesday referred
     France to the European Court of Justice for failing to recover
     state aid illegally granted to France Telecom.  The commission
     ruled in August 2004 that France was giving illegal tax breaks
     worth between Euro 798 million and Euro 1.14 billion to its
     national phone...
Alltel Spins off Wireline Business, Embarq Goes MVNO
http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/18915?11228
     Alltel has confirmed that it has completed the spin-off of its
     wireline business and merger into VALOR Communications. The new
     company is called Windstream Corp and will be traded on the New
     York Stock Exchange. Alltel also confirmed the go-ahead for a
     US$3-billion share-repurchase programme, which will expire on 31
     December 2008, and...
Uzbekistan: VimpelCom Merges Uzbek Mobile Assets
http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/18913?11228
     VimpelCom's Uzbek mobile subsidiaries, Buztel and Unitel, have
     announced that they have merged, reports Prime-Tass. VimpelCom,
     Russia's second-largest mobile operator, acquired both groups in
     January 2006. Buztel was bought for US$60.0 million, plus an assumed
     US$2.4-million debt, while Unitel cost US$200.0 million, plus...
Nokia N80: The Best of Everything
http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/18909?11228
     When a cell phone is priced at around $700, it ought to offer
     just about every possible feature. In this respect, and in many
     other areas, the Nokia N80 doesn't disappoint. After all, how
     many cell phones offer two built-in cameras?  The slider-style
     N80 is literally packed with features, yet it measures a compact
     3.7 x 1.9 x 1.0...
Sprint Offers Made-for-Mobile Reality TV
http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/120/18907?11228
     Zingy and GoTV Networks have come together to launch an on-demand
     made-for-mobile reality TV series. 'Primped' is available
     exclusively through Sprint Nextel.  The series follows Cuban-born
     model Vida Guerra as she attempts to transform three 'plain
     Janes' into outgoing, gorgeous divas. The 30-episode ...
Antitrust Think Tank Offers Court Mega-Merger Review Aid
http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/130/18905?11228
     The American Antitrust Institute (AAI) think tank has asked to
     intervene in a federal court's review of last year's SBC
     Communications AT&T and Verizon Communications/MCI mega mergers,
     saying the bench doesn't yet have enough information to make
     rulings on the proposed final judgments (PFJs) offered by the
     U.S. ...
AT&T Hits Homezone
http://www.telecomdirectnews.com/do.php/150/18903?11228
     AT&T Inc. announced today the rollout of its integrated video,
     data, and home networking package, Homezone, in its hometown of
     San Antonio and within its territory in Ohio. The new service
     combines satellite TV programming from EchoStar Communications
     Corp.'s Dish Network; a dual-tuner DVR; Internet-based video from
     ...
TelecomDirect Editor <telecom_direct_editor@us.pwc.com>
Copyright (C) 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers.