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Strange institutional update: Site now shows reported holdings total as being 6,983,810 shares, 6.46% of O/S (without showing any selling reported today).
Yesterday the site showed (upon new reports) holdings total as being 6,996,673 shares, 6.47% of O/S.
Difference of -12,863 shares. The only unreported institution for Q2 is US Bancorp DE, which is shown as holding 12,166 shares.
Is this site so screwed up that they can't get their math updated right? Or is it something else?
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
nilremerlin
Strange institutional update: Site now shows reported holdings total as being 6,983,810 shares, 6.46% of O/S (without showing any selling reported today).
Yesterday the site showed (upon new reports) holdings total as being 6,996,673 shares, 6.47% of O/S.
Difference of -12,863 shares. The only unreported institution for Q2 is US Bancorp DE, which is shown as holding 12,166 shares.
Is this site so screwed up that they can't get their math updated right? Or is it something else?
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
nilremerlin
Examine the Future of Telecommunications, As Next Generation Networks Develop Into an IP Based Telco Environment
DUBLIN, Ireland --(Business Wire)-- Aug. 17, 2006 -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c40845) has announced the addition of "2006 Global NGN, IP and VoIP - Global Overview, Analyses and Stats" to their offering.
Next Generation Networks (NGN), VoIP, cheaper calls, new IT applications, voice, data and video convergence, VPN, IP networks.
With a market rapidly changing from traditional voice based products to one that must cater for a wide range of data driven media applications, a totally new operational structure is required. Next Generation Networks (NGNs) are leading this transformation by integrating telecoms with IT. This forms the core of this new environment for digital media. NGNs enable the convergence of multiple applications to run on the same network, including voice, data and video (triple play) - as well as other new media applications.
Incumbent telcos often run hundreds, even thousands, of operational support systems, so this clearly indicates the size of the task ahead. Implementation of NGNs is often over promised and under delivered and full implementation could easily take a decade to accomplish.
Volume 1 of this report examines the future of telecommunications, as NGNs develop into an IP based telco environment. The report includes analysis and statistics, with an emphasis on the first deliverable: VoIP. It includes a historical summary, key trends and developments, statistics, forecasts and extensive technical information. Detailed information on convergence and FttH infrastructure are covered in different reports.
Key highlights include:
-- Traditional voice services are under pressure from VoIP, declining by 10%+ per annum.
-- Worldwide revenue from Next Generation voice products will reach around $6 billion by 2008.
-- Internet users will climb to 2 billion in the next 10-12 years.
-- NGN and broadband allows for the delivery of integrated triple play bundles - the first applications are concentrating on VoIP and IPTV.
-- BT is leading the incumbent market in NGNs and is the company to watch for benchmarking.
-- Mobile data will remain a niche market, and will grow into IP-based WiMAX services towards the end of the decade. -- This in turn will lead to integration with fixed IP based networks, creating FMC (Fixed Mobile Convergence).
-- Developments such as VPLS allow for layer 2 access, promoting the concept of open networks.
-- With an increase in data services both in the business and residential sectors, the market for outsourcing, data centres, content hosting, and other forms of external assistance will continue to grow.
-- VoIP quality (over broadband and NGNs) concerns are diminishing, and wider applications are being introduced, such as corporate VPNs.
-- There will be around 50 million VoIP subscribers by the end of 2006
This Report Also Contains:
-- Market overview, analyses, statistics and forecasts
-- NGN infrastructure developments
-- IP Convergence and applications
-- The future of voice (fixed, mobile, VoIP)
-- VoIP analyses, overviews, statistics and forecasts
-- Outsourcing
-- Technology overview including: IPv4, IPv6, NAT, QoS, MPLS, streaming media
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c40845
nilremerlin
Satellite Companies Exit FCC Auction
Wireless DBS, the entity created by DirecTV and EchoStar Communications to bid in the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auction for licenses to deliver advanced wireless services (AWS), withdrew from the bidding. The satellite companies had scaled back their bidding at the beginning of the week, presumably due to the levels that the bidding has reached. The auction has now completed 20 rounds of bidding, reaching a total of $10.1 billion USD for the 1,122 licenses. T-Mobile USA (77 leading bids for $3.0 billion) and SpectrumCo (79 licenses for $1.5 billion), the bidding entity of the four leading cable companies and Sprint, continue to lead the bidding.
from Telecom Daily
nilremerlin
gte_gold: It's sort of a time-warp illusion because it involves Q2 holdings with Q3 O/S count.
In any case, it only makes the % figure look slightly less favorable, so no big deal.
I am curious to know what the additional ~4 million shares are being used for.
nilremerlin
Part of the drop in % of institutional holdings is due to the fact that there are now ~108 M shares O/S, rather than the previous O/S of ~104 M shares:
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
nilremerlin
Part of the drop in % of institutional holdings is due to the fact that there are now ~108 M shares O/S, rather than the previous O/S of ~104 M shares:
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
nilremerlin
Here is the AMEX short interest calendar:
Publication date for August short interest is August 21:
http://www.amex.com/amextrader/tdrInfo/calendars/tdrInfo_calendars.html
nilremerlin
Here is the AMEX short interest calendar:
Publication date for August short interest is August 21:
http://www.amex.com/amextrader/tdrInfo/calendars/tdrInfo_calendars.html
nilremerlin
It seems AMEX has discontinued its monthly short interest publication calendar (can anyone find it?). It used to be on the same page as their holiday schedule calendar, but it's not there anymore.
In any case, short interest for August is most likely to be published next week.
nilremerlin
Institutional uPdate:
1. RBC Capital Markets (NEW) reports buying 3,618 shares pf GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
2. Gartmore Mutual Fund reports selling out its 27,100 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Reported institutional holdings of GTE is now 6,996,673 shares, 6.47% of O/S.
Q2 reports almost done...
nilremerlin
Institutional uPdate:
1. RBC Capital Markets (NEW) reports buying 3,618 shares pf GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
2. Gartmore Mutual Fund reports selling out its 27,100 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Reported institutional holdings of GTE is now 6,996,673 shares, 6.47% of O/S.
Q2 reports almost done...
nilremerlin
FCC Auction Hits $8.7 Billion after 16 Rounds of Bidding
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) completed the 16th round of bidding in the auction of advanced wireless services (AWS) with bids totaling a little less than $8.7 billion USD. The leading bidder at this time is T-Mobile USA with the possible winning bids for 45 licenses, totaling $2.6 billion. The partnership of satellite TV providers, bidding under the name Wireless DBS and the leader after six rounds of bidding on Friday, has been quiet in this week's bidding, placing no bids in the last five rounds, and allowing its eligibility to lapse in a number of markets. There are 147 eligible bidders remaining out of a total of 168 that began the auctions. The cable partnership with Sprint Nextel, bidding as SpectrumCo, placed the leading bids for 47 licenses, totaling $550 million.
Study: VoIP Shipments Grow 30.4 Percent in 2nd Qtr, Cisco Takes Number 1 Spot
According to a recently published report by Synergy Research Group, the worldwide Enterprise VoIP market increased 13.7 percent sequentially and 30.4 over last year's quarter, driven strongly by IP Phone sales in the quarter. For the first time, the Asia-Pacific region outperformed the US and Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regions. Second quarter 2006 sales were dominated by Cisco Systems, Nortel Networks, Avaya, and Alcatel. They experienced the most substantial growth worldwide--each growing their shipments by double digits. Cisco had a huge quarter allowing it to take the number one market share ranking. Worldwide, Cisco was number one, followed by Avaya, Nortel, Alcatel, and Mitel.
...and, speaking of being "overly promotional"...
FTC Reaches Settlement for Do-Not-Call Violations
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) entered into a court settlement with Nomrah Records and its president, Mark Harmon–two of the named defendants in the recent DIRECTV telemarketing case. Under the settlement filed by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on the FTC’s behalf, Harmon will pay a $75,000 civil penalty. and both he and the company will be barred from violating the Do Not Call (DNC) Rule and Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) in the future. In December 2005, the FTC charged DIRECTV and other defendants that telemarketed on DIRECTV’s behalf with violating the DNC and the TSR by calling consumers, despite the fact that their numbers were on the National DNC Registry. In settling the charges, DIRECTV paid $5.3 million, representing at the time the largest-ever DNC penalty obtained by the Commission. The stipulated final judgment and order against Nomrah and Harmon contains injunctive relief, barring Nomrah and Harmon from calling consumers on the DNC Registry, as well as from violating any other provisions of the TSR in the future. The FTC continues to pursue other telemarketers involved in the case.
from Telecom Daily
nilremerlin
PhD_B: You're right!...my bad.
nilremerlin
This news service is a joke (Hello?...11/14/2006 is a Saturday!
Corporate Announcement: GlobeTel Communications Corp.
Aug 15, 2006 (Wall Street Horizon via COMTEX) -- Earnings Quarter: Q2
Next Earnings Date: 11/14/2006
Announcement Status: Inferred
Announcement Time: After Market
Date Q1: 5/12/2006
Date Q2: 8/14/2006
Date Q3: 11/14/2005
Date Q4: 3/31/2006
Last Confirmation Date: 8/14/2006
(C) 2006 Wall Street Horizon, Inc. All rights reserved
http://quotes.freerealtime.com/dl/frt/N?symbol=GTE&art=C2006081500227c2932&SA=Latest%20News
nilremerlin
Institutional uPdate:
1. GMT Capital Corp (NEW) reports buying 34,800 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
2. Deutsche Bank reports buying/adding 2,135 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
3. Parallax Fund reports holding its GTE shares in Q2 (see page 3);
4. Morgan Stanley reports selling out its 62,174 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Reported institutional holdings of GTE are now 7,020,155 shares, 6.76% of O/S.
a little more Q2 reporting to come...
nilremerlin
Institutional uPdate:
1. GMT Capital Corp (NEW) reports buying 34,800 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
2. Deutsche Bank reports buying/adding 2,135 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
3. Parallax Fund reports holding its GTE shares in Q2 (see page 3);
4. Morgan Stanley reports selling out its 62,174 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Reported institutional holdings of GTE are now 7,020,155 shares, 6.76% of O/S.
a little more Q2 reporting to come...
nilremerlin
Gosh! I hope AMEX doesn't consider them selling the GTE and Sanswire polo shirts as "overly promotional", lol!
nilremerlin
How screwed up is this news service, lol!
Corporate Announcement: GlobeTel Communications Corp.
Aug 14, 2006 (Wall Street Horizon via COMTEX) -- Earnings Quarter: Q2
Next Earnings Date: 8/16/2006
Announcement Status: Unconfirmed
Announcement Time: After Market
Date Q1: 5/12/2006
Date Q2: 8/16/2006
Date Q3: 11/14/2005
Date Q4: 3/31/2006
Last Confirmation Date: 8/14/2006
(C) 2006 Wall Street Horizon, Inc. All rights reserved
http://quotes.freerealtime.com/dl/frt/N?symbol=GTE&art=C2006081400226c0980&SA=Latest%20News
nilremerlin
Institutional uPdate:
1. Teleos Management reports buying/adding 349,810 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 1);
2. TIAA CREF reports buying/adding 4,800 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 1);
3. Galleon Management (NEW) reports buying 410,425 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
4. Mellon Financial reports selling 37,775 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
5. Merrill Lynch & Co. reports buying/adding 120,688 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
6. Credit Suisse reports selling 28,615 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
7. WS Ventures reports buying/adding 57,500 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
8. Fortress Investment (NEW) reports buying 59,300 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
9. AXA reports holding its GTE shares in Q2 (see page 2);
10. Shaw DE & Co. reports selling 227,100 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
11. Teachers Advisors reports selling 893 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
12. Jeffries Group (NEW) reports buying 16,601 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
13. Lehman Brothers reports selling 10,446 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
14. MFC Global reports selling 11,539 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
15. Schroder Investment reports holding its GTE shares in Q2 (see page 3);
16. Bear Stearns reports buying/adding 11 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
17. American International reports selling out its 52,184 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
18. HBK Investments reports selling out its 1,712,900 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 4):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Reported institutions now hold 7,032,531 shares of GTE, 6.77% of O/S.
a few more Q2 reports to come...
nilremerlin
Institutional uPdate:
1. Teleos Management reports buying/adding 349,810 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 1);
2. TIAA CREF reports buying/adding 4,800 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 1);
3. Galleon Management (NEW) reports buying 410,425 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
4. Mellon Financial reports selling 37,775 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
5. Merrill Lynch & Co. reports buying/adding 120,688 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
6. Credit Suisse reports selling 28,615 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
7. WS Ventures reports buying/adding 57,500 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
8. Fortress Investment (NEW) reports buying 59,300 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
9. AXA reports holding its GTE shares in Q2 (see page 2);
10. Shaw DE & Co. reports selling 227,100 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
11. Teachers Advisors reports selling 893 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
12. Jeffries Group (NEW) reports buying 16,601 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
13. Lehman Brothers reports selling 10,446 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
14. MFC Global reports selling 11,539 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
15. Schroder Investment reports holding its GTE shares in Q2 (see page 3);
16. Bear Stearns reports buying/adding 11 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
17. American International reports selling out its 52,184 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
18. HBK Investments reports selling out its 1,712,900 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 4):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Reported institutions now hold 7,032,531 shares of GTE, 6.77% of O/S.
a few more Q2 reports to come...
nilremerlin
Comtex is getting bizarre now. What do they mean by "Inferred"?:
Corporate Announcement: GlobeTel Communications Corp.
Aug 12, 2006 (Wall Street Horizon via COMTEX) -- Earnings Quarter: Q2
Next Earnings Date: 11/14/2006
Announcement Status: Inferred
Announcement Time: After Market
Date Q1: 5/12/2006
Date Q2: 8/11/2006
Date Q3: 11/14/2005
Date Q4: 3/31/2006
Last Confirmation Date: 8/10/2006
(C) 2006 Wall Street Horizon, Inc. All rights reserved
http://quotes.freerealtime.com/dl/frt/N?symbol=GTE&art=C2006081200224c9173&SA=Latest%20News
nilremerlin
coastretired: Your site obviously updates sooner than my posted Nasdaq site for institutional holdings.
HBK selling in Q2 would not be considered unusual...they've been in and out a couple of times now since Q2 of '05, and may be back in come the Q3 reports. Thanks for the heads-up!
nilremerlin
SAMdashada: I think you forgot to write "so far" with Q2 reporting not yet complete, but if the presently reported action is indicitice of the complete report, I think it's understandable that institutions would overall retreat given the Q2 uncertainty generated by the russian deal, strat delay, press attacks,...those that sold in Q2 are likely to buy back in Q3/Q4 at cheaper prices (moreso in Q3 than Q4). That's why they call 'em "smart money".
nilremerlin
Institutional uPdate:
1. Bridgeway Capital reports selling 250,410 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
2. Munder Capital reports selling 4,600 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Reported Iinstitutional holdings now 8,215,536 shares, 7.91% of O/S.
more Q2 reporting to come...
nilremerlin
Institutional uPdate:
1. Bridgeway Capital reports selling 250,410 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
2. Munder Capital reports selling 4,600 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Reported Iinstitutional holdings now 8,215,536 shares, 7.91% of O/S.
more Q2 reporting to come...
nilremerlin
more Institutional update:
1. Goldman Sachs reports buying/adding 112,226 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
2. UBS AG reports selling 7,710 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
3. Bank of New York reports selling out its 7,100 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
4. Boston Partners reports selling out its 345,700 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
5. Rhumbline Advisors reports selling out its 7,000 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Reported institutional holdings now 8,470,546 shares, 8.15% of O/S.
nilremerlin
more Institutional update:
1. Goldman Sachs reports buying/adding 112,226 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 2);
2. UBS AG reports selling 7,710 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
3. Bank of New York reports selling out its 7,100 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3);
4. Boston Partners reports selling out its 345,700 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Reported institutional holdings now 8,470,546 shares, 8.15% of O/S.
More reporting for Q2 to come...
nilremerlin
FCC Auction for AWS Licenses Begins, Satellite Partners Lead Bidding
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auction of advanced wireless services kicked off with the first two rounds of bidding. The early leader is the satellite partnership between DIRECTV and EchoStar, Wireless DBS, lead in the bidding for 13 licenses worth $282.5 million USD. First round leader T-Mobile USA was the leading bidder for 23 licenses with $121.7 million. After the first two rounds of bidding, the total of the bids stood at $897.8 million. The auction is expected to last several weeks and could raise as much as $15 billion before the bidding is done. There are a total of 1,122 licenses to be awarded. Dolan Family Holdings, with close to Cablevision's Chairman Charles Dolan, was the top bidder for a license in the New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut region. The Sprint Nextel and cable operator venture, SpectrumCo, bid on 14 licenses and was the leading bidder for four at a total of $106.9 million.
from Telecom Daily
nilremerlin
Corporate Announcement: GlobeTel Communications Corp.
Aug 10, 2006 (Wall Street Horizon via COMTEX) -- Earnings Quarter: Q2
Next Earnings Date: 8/11/2006
Announcement Status: Unconfirmed
Announcement Time: After Market
Date Q1: 5/12/2006
Date Q2: 8/11/2006
Date Q3: 11/14/2005
Date Q4: 3/31/2006
Last Confirmation Date: 8/10/2006
(C) 2006 Wall Street Horizon, Inc. All rights reserved
http://quotes.freerealtime.com/dl/frt/N?symbol=GTE&art=C2006081000222c5619&SA=Latest%20News
nilremerlin
Institutional uPdate: Rhumbline Advisors reports selling out its 7,000 share position in GTE in Q2 (see page 3):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Reported institutional holdings are now 8,718,830 shares, 8.39% of O/S.
much more reporting to come...
nilremerlin
MrSnatch: With regard to shorts, please read this post I put on the other board recently:
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=12480185
nilremerlin
crashtestsuperstar: Nice digging! I would add that the "tentative" support from Raytheon for Sanswire may hinge somewhat on Raytheon's "tentative" ability to secure the 2B SBI contract due to be awarded in September, and it seems like Raytheon is making every effort recently to make itself look attractive for that contract.
nilremerlin
Corporate Announcement: GlobeTel Communications Corp.
Aug 09, 2006 (Wall Street Horizon via COMTEX) -- Earnings Quarter: Q2
Next Earnings Date: 8/10/2006
Announcement Status: Unconfirmed
Announcement Time: After Market
Date Q1: 5/12/2006
Date Q2: 8/10/2006
Date Q3: 11/14/2005
Date Q4: 3/31/2006
Last Confirmation Date: 8/9/2006
(C) 2006 Wall Street Horizon, Inc. All rights reserved
http://quotes.freerealtime.com/dl/frt/N?symbol=GTE&art=C2006080900221c2807&SA=Latest%20News
FWIW
nilremerlin
Universal Service Fund Contributions (USF) VoIP Service Provider Implications
By TMCnet Special Guest
Lisa Start, JD, LLM, Corporate and Regulatory Attorney, IMS Forum Regulatory Counsel
On June 27th, The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC (News - Alert)) released a Report and Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) FCC 06-94 approving two changes to Universal Service Fund (USF) contribution methodology.
Click here to learn more about e911 and its impact on VoIP
Click Here to Learn How You Can Profit from IP Communications. Live, in Person at INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO West 2006 in San Diego.
Click here to learn more about e911 and its impact on VoIP
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The first was to increase the "Safe Harbor" percentage for wireless carriers from 28.5 percent to 37.1 percent. The second was to require providers of interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") service to contribute to the Universal Service Fund (“USF”) on their interstate and international end-user telecommunications revenues.
o fulfill this obligation, interconnected VoIP providers have three options: (1) they may use the interim safe harbor established in the Order, 64.9 percent of their end-user telecommunications revenue; (2) they may report based on their actual interstate and international telecommunications revenues; or (3) they may rely on traffic studies, subject to the conditions set forth in the Order.
However, providers who use a traffic study to prove a lower rate, unlike wireless providers, must petition the Commission and must be pre-approved by the FCC. If the Commission doesn’t immediately approve the traffic study, as is likely due to time constraints, the provider must pay at the 64.9% safe harbor rate. If the provider chooses to pay based on actual revenues, the provider would “no longer qualify for the preemptive effects of theVonage ( News - Alert) Order and would be subject to state regulation.”
The contribution percentage, the amount a provider must pay to the fund, for the second quarter of 2006 was 10.9%. The proposed contribution for the third quarter (July – September) is 10.5%. Meaning that if the contribution factor was 10.5% for the fourth quarter an interconnected VoIP service provider would pay a 10.5% contribution on 64.9% of end-user telecommunications revenues. The contribution factor is usually adjusted each quarter, based on payments received from providers.
Under the rules, an interconnected VoIP service provider of interstate and international telecommunications whose annual universal service contribution is expected to be less than $10,000 ($2,500 for the fourth quarter 2006) is not required to contribute to the USF. However, interconnected VoIP providers are still required to file a Telecommunications Reporting Worksheet to support the conclusion that the de minimis exception is applicable.
Interconnected VoIP service providers must follow the same basic USF reporting procedures as other providers of interstate and international telecommunications. USF Contributors report historical gross-billed, projected gross-billed, and projected collected end-user interstate and international revenues quarterly on FCC Form 499-Q. Interconnected VoIP service providers must have filed FCC Form 499-Q beginning on August 1, 2006. USF contributors report gross-billed and actual collected end-user interstate and international revenues on FCC Form 499-A on April 1 of each year. Therefore, Interconnected VoIP service providers must file a completed FCC Form 499-A beginning on April 1, 2007.
However, even under the de minimis rules every interconnected VoIP provider that had not already registered with the Commission must have completed blocks 1, 2, and 6 of FCC Form 499-A and filed by the August 1st deadline.
Interconnected VoIP service providers who do not submit their FCC Form 499-Q or 499-A by the due date are subject to a late filing penalty calculated at a rate of .005 percent applied to their total contribution base revenue with a minimum penalty of $100 and a maximum penalty of $5,000.
The Commission defined "interconnected VoIP services" as those VoIP services that: (1) enable real-time, two-way voice communications; (2) require a broadband connection from the user’s location; (3) require IP-compatible customer premises equipment; and (4) permit users to receive calls from and terminate calls to the Public Switched Telephone Network ("PSTN"). The Commission emphasized that interconnected VoIP services offer the capability for users to receive calls from and terminate calls to the PSTN.
The new requirements apply to all VoIP communications made using an interconnected VoIP service, even those that do not involve the PSTN. Those requirements apply regardless of how interconnected VoIP providers facilitate access to and from the PSTN, whether directly or by making arrangements with a third party. The Commission also stated that it may need to expand the definition of interconnected VoIP services as new VoIP services increasingly become an alternative to traditional phone service.
The Commission also discussed that some interconnected VoIP providers hold themselves out as telecommunications carriers, while others consider themselves to be end-users instead. Carriers that provide telecommunications service inputs to those that consider themselves to be end-users of interconnected VoIP providers have been reporting the resulting revenues as end-user revenues and including them in their contribution bases. The Commission also stated that carriers supplying telecommunications services to interconnected VoIP providers who are not themselves carriers should continue to include those revenues in their own contribution bases for two full quarters after the effective date of the Order. In addition, the Commission stated that wholesale carriers may not exclude these revenues by invoking the "carrier's carrier" rule during the interim period.
The Commission stated that it believes its "measured interim steps" will stabilize the USF contribution base in the near-term while the Commission considers more fundamental reform to the contribution margin computation. The Commission noted that a change to a non-revenue-based contribution computation would require significant time to implement. Therefore, the Commission retained a revenues-based approach on an interim basis so it could implement the revisions, including reporting requirements, for the fourth quarter 2006 universal service contribution requirements. The Commission stated while it retained the revenue-based approach in the interim, it is committed to examining more fundamental reform.
Universal Service Fund – An Overview
The Universal Service Fund (USF) is a program created by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), a not-for-profit corporation. Under this program telecommunications carriers, and others offering telecommunications services, contribute a percentage of their interstate and international telecommunications revenue to subsidize certain services, such as basic phone service for rural or other high-cost geographic areas, low income consumers, rural health care providers and Internet access in schools and libraries. The Universal Service Fund helps provide communities across the country with affordable telecommunications services.
The USAC uses revenue data provided by carriers on the FCC Form 499-A to perform annual comparisons of actual revenue to the quarterly projected revenue data submitted by carriers on FCC Form 499-Q during the prior calendar year. Based on this information the USAC will refund any over-payments or any collect under-payments from carriers.
The USAC's Finance Department also calculates revenue projections based on the Telecommunications Reporting Worksheets (Form 499s) that are filed by all carriers.
The following is the current Form 499-Q filing schedule:
4Q: August 1, 2006 October – December 2006
1Q: November 1, 2006: January – March 2007
2Q: February 1, 2007: April – June
3Q: May 1, 2007 3Q: July – September 2007
The USAC collects quarterly interstate and international revenue information from carriers on the FCC Form 499-Q four times each year and submits aggregate information on a quarterly basis to the FCC (March 2, June 1, September 1, and December 2). The USAC also calculates and submits the expected contribution factor. Based on these filings, the FCC reviews the data and establishes the contribution factor for the upcoming quarter. The FCC will then release the contribution factor for the quarter between the 2nd and 15th day of the month preceding the quarter (for example, for the upcoming first quarter, between Dec. 2 and Dec. 15).
Using this information, carriers then calculate the amounts they will owe for the USF contribution. Carriers may build this contribution factor into their billing systems in order to pass this additional fee on to their customers.
At the beginning of the quarter to which the contribution factor applies, the USAC bills all contributors for the amounts due based on the contribution factor. Usually, the USAC sends the quarterly obligation on monthly invoices by the 22nd of the month. These invoices change on a quarterly basis based on the contribution factor and revenue reported by the carriers. The carriers must generally pay the billed contributions one month after they are billed. This process is then repeated for each quarter.
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Lisa Start, JD, LLM serves as a legal, regulatory, business and tax consultant and advisory representing clients in transactional issues including business development, contract, compliance, merger and acquisitions, intellectual property, telecommunications, tax, education and training issues. As a business attorney she represents clients in a number of fields including UNEP, CLECs, broadband telephony (VoIP), and IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem (News - Alert)) trade association, integrated communications providers, telecommunication providers, startup technology companies, enterprise B2B, retailers, legal and accounting and public corporations.
Lisa Start, JD, LLM, Corporate and Regulatory Attorney, LisaStart@IMSAdvisory.com, 321-230-3071.
http://news.tmcnet.com/news/2006/08/09/1783140.htm
nilremerlin
Institutional uPdate: State Street Corp reports selling 173,825 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 1):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Institutional holdings reported now as 8,725,830 shares, 8.4% of O/S.
Much more reporting for Q2 to come...
nilremerlin
Institutional uPdate: State Street Corp reports selling 173,825 shares of GTE in Q2 (see page 1):
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?mode=&kind=&symbol=NCTI&symbol=GTE&symbol=&am...
Institutional holdings reported now as 8,725,830 shares, 8.4% of O/S.
Much more reporting for Q2 to come...
nilremerlin
Successful 'Paint-On' Antenna Test Flight Paves Way for Next-Generation High-Altitude Airships
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Researchers prepare an airship for a test flight of the “paint-on” antenna technology
Advanced technology will transform communication, surveillance platforms
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- "Paint-on" antennas, designed to establish new high-altitude communications and surveillance platforms, successfully transmitted voice and data links as well as teleconferencing capabilities during test flights in the Nevada desert June 21 on board an SA-60 spherical airship.
RTI International and its research partners at Unitech, Applied EM, the International Communications Group, and TechSphere Systems International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cyber Defense Systems, successfully tested the antennas from several positions on the airship. The experiment provided the first opportunity to test and evaluate the electrical, electromagnetic and mechanical properties of the "paint-on" antenna technology during an actual flight.
"The successful airship test flights demonstrate exciting possibilities for 'paint-on' antenna technologies," said David Myers, vice president of RTI's Engineering and Technology Unit. "This new technology can be used to assist with hurricane disaster relief, provide enhanced security of ports and borders, perform science observation missions and improve military communications."
High-altitude airships can be used for both defense and homeland security purposes including surveillance of battlefields and domestic borders and ports. The airships are intended to serve as economical station-keeping communications and/or ground-sensing platforms that will augment both ground-based and more expensive satellite systems. The airships will operate well above commercial air traffic and the jet stream and beyond the range of most ground-to-air missiles.
In addition to communications, the "paint-on" antennas are a key enabling technology to achieve the high altitudes necessary for Department of Defense and Homeland Security persistent surveillance missions of the nation's coastal waters, land borders, urban areas and critical infrastructure.
The RTI team designed and tested the "paint-on" antennas funded in part with internal research and development resources and then teamed up with Applied EM and Unitech, two companies that are developing related technology under an Air Force Small Business Innovative Research Program. Applied EM specializes in antenna design, development and electromagnetic simulations; Unitech has patented water-based conductive coating called Unishield™ suitable for "paint-on" antenna development.
RTI's other research partners include TechSphere Systems International, a company that worked with 21st Century Airships to develop a new airship concept for achieving the high altitudes required of the system, and the International Communications Group (ICG), a global communications company recognized for its expertise with the Iridium Satellite communications.
Through its long-standing relationship with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA), RTI also arranged for NASA to demonstrate the potential of a lower-cost alternative to satellite remote sensing by installing a GPS Reflectance Remote Sensing Experiment to conduct soil moisture measurements during the flight. An accurate map of soil moisture would provide information for agriculture efficiency, water management and disaster planning.
The test flight was conducted on a spherical airship designed using Sierra Nevada and TechSphere technology.
http://www.rti.org/page.cfm?nav=84&objectid=C81287B4-48A6-42F2-B81FEA00CB5CADC3
nilremerlin
I suspect the delay in the Russian deal may have not been the money transfer problems, so much as a spectrum license shortage problem (my bold):
Maravedis WiMAX Forecast Ranks the Russian Federation Among the Top Five Wireless Broadband Opportunities in the World
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Leading research firm Maravedis releases new market study entitled "Russian Federation Broadband and WiMAX Market Analysis and Forecasts 2006-2010" to provide an in-depth review of current regulatory and overall wireless market trends in the Russian Federation.
MONTREAL, Canada, and MOSCOW, Russian Federation, May 23, 2006 - Maravedis Research, a leading wireless broadband access research firm, announced a new research report entitled "Russian Federation Broadband and WiMAX Market Analysis and Forecasts 2006-2010," which details the opportunities now present within the Russian Federation for BWA and WiMAX wireless products and services.
This 100-page report, the second of a series that includes reports on Brazil and India, provides an in-depth review of the broadband wireless and WiMAX markets and regulatory activity taking place in Russia.
The Russian economy is flourishing and demand is quickly outpacing the supply of telecommunications services provided by the legacy wired telecommunication infrastructure built during the communist era. More than 70% of Russian households do not have access to fixed wired telephone services. Instead, customers have flocked to cellular phone carriers, which have built a tremendous infrastructure to provide service to more than 130 million customers, or 90% of the Russian population.
The same trend is predicted for broadband wireless Internet access services such as WiMAX, that will provide high-speed data services over a wireless data infrastructure. Small- to medium-sized businesses understand the potential of websites and doing business online via the Internet in order to reach the worldwide economy. Since 75% of Russian households cannot get basic dial-up Internet access, wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) are expected to tap into this latent demand for broadband Internet connections.
"There is huge potential for broadband wireless Internet and voice-over-IP services in Russia because there are still more than 40,000-50,000 towns and villages with no basic communications services," explained Maravedis' Russian and Ukraine Senior Analyst, Artur Mironenko. "And, as the economy keeps improving, not only do customers want high-speed connections, but in many areas they now have the household budgets to pay for high-speed Internet access."
"Several wireless Internet service providers, such as Art Com, Enforta and Tascom, have already launched service in Russia and are enjoying early successes and heavy demand from consumers and businesses," said Adlane Fellah, senior analyst with Maravedis Research. "Our forecast for Russian broadband wireless access shows the vast potential for this marketplace and provides an analysis of existing wireless operators."
Maravedis predicts a consolidation among the current 200 BWA service providers active in the country. In fact, the authors interviewed and profiled the Top 10 service providers in Russia and concluded that the most active players will be cash-rich companies hat belong to one of three major holdings in Russia, namely Alfa, Sistema and Telekom Invest, which control both fixed and mobile service providers. Others such as Enforta also benefit from a sound investment capacity. Vendors and financiers need to be aware of "noise makers" who put press releases with ambitious plans but after analysis appear as just "smoke and mirrors." (I guess they're namelessly referring to our deal with Internafta. Also, when one of our posters here, dugan, contacted Enforta, he was told by Enforta that they didn't see how Internafta/GTE could get the spectrum licence, as there was a shortage.)
"The most promising regions (oblasts) for the development of BWA/WiMAX networks are Moscow city, St. Petersburg, Samara oblast, Sverdlovsk oblast, Rostov oblast, Tatarstan republic, Krasnodar krai, Tyumen oblast, Chelyabinsk oblast and Bashkortostan republic. The Central region will concentrate one-third of total subscribers," added Mironenko.
"However, shortage of spectrum and very stringent regulation for equipment and licensing are serious obstacles for massive adoption of broadband wireless and WiMAX in Russia. For WiMAX to prosper in Russia, frequency bands in the 2 GHz range (2.3-2.4 and/or 2.5-2.7 GHz) must be made available to commercial operators. That will require current analog broadcasters to digitize their networks, which will take a long time," Mironenko continued.
Maravedis' latest research also reveals that Russia remains a price sensitive market. Demand for broadband services is exploding, but both service providers and residential end-users demand low cost CPE (in the $100 range) before they will fully adopt WiMAX. So far, the demand for broadband wireless services has been mainly driven by high-end corporate and residential as well as government users.
Russian Federation Broadband and WiMAX Market Analysis and Forecasts 2006-2010 is a must read for companies wanting to enter the Russian marketplace and provides a good roadmap that will help various players maneuver around obstacles and find the real opportunities to make money in this region. A free copy of the table of contents can be downloaded at: www.maravedis-bwa.com
Maravedis BWA/WiMAX Research Reports and License Database Updates:
Maravedis produces a wide variety of broadband wireless research reports. The company also maintains a worldwide database of license holders, government regulations and spectrum band plans. For information on how to purchase reports or subscribe to the ClearSpectrum License Database, please visit: http://www.maravedis-bwa.com/how-to-order.html
Research Report/Databases: Country Release Date
ClearSpectrum List of BWA/WiMAX License Holders Worldwide January 2005
BWA/WiMAX Worldwide Market Analysis & Forecast Worldwide March 2005
North America 700 MHz Regulatory & Market Analysis USA, Canada October 2005
BRS, EBS and WCS Regulatory & Licensing Analysis USA December 2005
BWA/WiMAX Brazil Market Analysis & Forecast Brazil April 2006
BWA/WiMAX Russia Market Analysis & Forecast Russian Federation May 2006
BWA/WiMAX Worldwide Market Analysis & Forecast Worldwide June 2006
BWA/WiMAX India Market Analysis & Forecast India July 2006
BWA/WiMAX China Market Analysis & Forecast China TBD
ABOUT MARAVEDIS
Maravedis is a leading research and analysis firm focusing on Broadband Wireless technologies including WiMAX, 802.20, TD-CDMA and Wireless Local Loop Systems. Maravedis has established itself over the years as the most credible and reliable resource for market intelligence in the broadband wireless industry. Maravedis works with equipment vendors, service providers, regulators and the investment community to produce a sound market analysis based on hard primary data and an in-depth understanding of technology, market and regulation trends.
For more information, please visit www.maravedis-bwa.com.
http://www.wimax.com/commentary/news/wimax_industry_news/news5-26-2006mw2
Friday, May 26, 2006
nilremerlin
Danielle-: Technically, it's due by 10pm 8/14, 45 days from the end of Q2...July had 31 days.
nilremerlin