You’ve probably heard about China’s colossal $600-billion stimulus package intended to jump-start its economy. But chances are you didn’t hear about the new $40-billion initiative by China’s wireless carriers to modernize the national network…

Three of China’s largest wireless carriers are making a mad dash to bring the country’s wireless infrastructure into the 21st century with a widespread upgrade to so-called 3G networks.

3G networks enable high-speed, multimedia services packed with hefty margins for the carriers. Get in now on the program and you’re likely to see healthy returns as the networks come on line.

3G achieved legendary status in the U.S. and Europe when Apple announced a revised iPhone that was 3G compatible.

For example, when AT&T (NYSE:ATT) announced Q2 results on July 23, 2008, its revenues jumped as the exclusive provider of the iPhone 3G. The new phones entered the market

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Vimpel-Communications, or VimpelCom (VIP) is the 2nd-largest cellular carrier in Russia with approximately 25% market share an continued expansion in regions of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), operating GSM-based wireless services.We are encouraged with VimpelCom's successful sales growth trend and the company's ability to retain subscribers on a recurring basis, even as overall economic factors remain weak. The company added over 4 million mobile subscribers and improved operating margins from 46.8% last quarter to 48.8% in the recent reporting period.We reiterate our Buy rating while reducing the valuation target as we account for global economic factors, ongoing geopolitical events in Russia (surrounding countries), and weaker local exchange rates against the U.S. dollar.Anindya Barman contributed to this report.Read the full analyst report on VIP "VIP" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?Zacks ...

Fundamental research by IIR Group indicates a 25% upside in Telecom Argentina’s Class B common stock in a 6 - 24 month perspective. The target price for the company’s ADR (NYSE: TEO) is set at US$10.10, reflecting a 18.82% upside.  IIR’s outlook for TEO is broadly positive based on the healthy top-line growth reported for 2008, and expectations of higher future revenues from wireless services. The wireless market is expected to grow on basis of higher usage as a result of lower tarriffs. According to consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan, the WiMax customer base is expected to grow at a CAGR 97.7% from 2006 to 2012. The competitive situation, with only two major telecom players present in Argentina, puts TEO in a position to capitalize on the opportunities in the WiMax market. Moreover, IIR reports TEO is planning to form an ...

Highlighted stocks include Baidu.com (BIDU), Sohu.com (SOHU), United Online (UNTD) and Yahoo (YHOO).

Key Points: Despite the resignation of Jerry Yang, forecasts are trending downward for Yahoo Other Internet companies are doing well, however, such as Sohu.com and United Online

Without Merger, Few Positive Catalysts For Yahoo Over The Short-Term

Yesterday, Yahoo (YHOO) announced the resignation of Jerry Yang from the CEO post. The announcement was met with cheer as shares rose by nearly a buck to $11.55.

Playing a role in the upward move were speculators hoping for renewed merger talks with Microsoft (MSFT). The problem is that there is no guarantee that a merger will occur.

Without a merger, there are few catalysts for the stock. Naming a well-respected outsider as a CEO might help, but the company is struggling with both tough competition and a weak economy.

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CenturyTel Inc. (CTL) will acquire rival Embarq Corp. (EQ) in an $11.6 billion deal that could kick-start a flurry of mergers among rural-regional telephone carriers. The deal should be good for the two companies, said Jeff Kagan, an independent analyst who is well known for his coverage of the telecom sector.

“There has been a lot of talk recently about Embarq wanting to be acquired,” Kagan told MarketWatch.com. “However, the financial crisis that is on the front page every day made finding a partner difficult. That may have lowered the price Embarq hoped to get. CenturyTel saw an opportunity and jumped in to acquire Embarq. Timing was on CenturyTel’s side in this deal.”

The all-stock deal – announced yesterday (Monday) – calls for CenturyTel to pay $5.8 billion for Embarq, and to assume $5.8 billion of that company’s debt, Network World

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CenturyTel Inc. (CTL) will acquire rival Embarq Corp. (EQ) in an $11.6 billion deal that could kick-start a flurry of mergers among rural-regional telephone carriers. The deal should be good for the two companies, said Jeff Kagan, an independent analyst who is well known for his coverage of the telecom sector. “There has been a lot of talk recently about Embarq wanting to be acquired,” Kagan told MarketWatch.com. “However, the financial crisis that is on the front page every day made finding a partner difficult. That may have lowered the price Embarq hoped to get. CenturyTel saw an opportunity and jumped in to acquire Embarq. Timing was on CenturyTel’s side in this deal.” The all-stock deal – announced yesterday (Monday) – calls for CenturyTel to pay $5.8 billion for Embarq, and to assume $5.8 billion of that company’s debt, Network ...

Arkansas is the birthplace of Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States. Arkansas’ subtropical weather sounds very inviting for those who live in regions of extreme temperatures. The state has usually mild winters, but that is not the reason why some world renowned companies call Arkansas home. Here are some interesting facts about the state:1. Arkansas main agricultural products are chicken, rice, soybeans, and cattle and calves.2. The north west part of the state is rich in natural gas, which is the most important mined product in the state.3. In 2007 tourism contributed a total of $5.4 billion to the state economy.4. Agriculture employs 275,000 in Arkansas5. Agriculture’s contribution to the state gross domestic product is the largest of any state, 12% of Arkansas’ GDP comes directly from agricultural activities.6. Arkansas ranks 4th for timber ...

Location Based Technologies (OTCBB: LBAS) should be in the middle of mass production runs of its PocketFinder by the end of the year, the company announced. Initial pilot production has started at Jabil Circuit, a manufacturing plant in Meung-Sur-Loire, France. PocketFinder - and PetFinder - are tiny location and homing devices. They can be accessed via the Internet, cell phone or a landline and can be enhanced to track personal luggage, vehicle speeds - to those with access - and include “zones” to notify a user when someone (or something, like a pet or a vehicle) leaves or enters a specified area.

The company was recently approved for GSM wireless networks in Europe, which propelled early sales. LBAS officials say the company is testing greater application on other wireless services and devices. Additional pilot run devices will be used for further pre-sale testing and evaluation.

Due to continuing technical innovation, LBAS, of

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CallWave, Inc. (CALL) is a Santa Barbara, CA-based company, which provides advanced telecom services, primarily on a subscription basis. The company is continuing with the implementation of a revised business strategy and is redirecting resources to products focused on fixed-mobile convergence.

In addition, the company has shifted to indirect selling (focus on phone companies) from sales and marketing addressing consumers directly. Although these changes incorporate additional business risks and will result in net earnings losses, they are expected to provide top-line sales momentum over the next two years.

We believe the challenging transition to a new business model (which is more dependent on wireless services and sales through local phone companies) and exposure to competitive offerings in the market will continue to limit stock appreciation. However, we maintain our Hold recommendation as we see limited downside potential with $46.8 million of net cash and indications of product acceptance at

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NII Holdings, Inc. (NIHD), formerly known as Nextel International, is licensed to provide wireless services in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Peru.

The company reported stronger than expected results in the recent quarter which were highlighted by improvement in profitability driven by robust subscriber growth. NIHD announced intentions of higher capital spending in 2008 to expand the geographic coverage of its iDEN network. Overall demand for wireless services in Latin America remains strong and key growth markets, including Brazil and Mexico, offer financial growth opportunities.

However, the company remains challenged with higher than expected churn levels as well as growing competition in its regional markets. Ongoing consolidation activities and aggressive deployments of next generation wireless services by competitors may foster higher customer churn moving forward. We take a conservative approach to valuation, maintaining our Hold recommendation until we are convinced with the sustainability of NIHDÂ’s earnings and overall financial momentum.

NIHD

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