Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Dolphin Gets Canned

From: Marcelrf <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 17:33:53 -0500

Dolphin Gets Canned 
03.30.04

Troubled U.K. carrier Dolphin Telecommunications Ltd. 
 has filed for administration [ed. note: Brit-speak for Chapter 
11] for the second time in its six-year history, casting f
urther doubt on prospects for the much hyped European 
push-to-talk (PTT) market, according to analysts.

Established in 1998, the country’s only digital Tetra 
(terrestrial trunked radio) carrier ploughed over $500 
million into network infrastructure from Nokia Corp.

Dolphin’s services are aimed at mobile workforces in the 
logistics, public sector, and construction industries, 
offering a public radio technology similar to Nextel 
Communications Inc.'s successful iDen PTT functionality.

PTT-type technology allows people to use their handsets 
as walkie-talkies, merely pushing a button to talk to another 
user or group of users.

Dolphin originally filed for administration in August 2001 
and was acquired by Qualcomm-backed Inquam Ltd. for 
just £25 million (US$46 million) in June the following year.

Despite improvements in handset technology and a series 
of targeted marketing campaigns, it appears the company 
has been unable to brake its decline.

Analysts argue the failure of Dolphin casts a shadow over 
recent hype surrounding the rollout of PTT-type services 
in Europe.

“The idea [of Dolphin] was to become the European version 
of Nextel by offering push-to-talk services to the business 
community,” comments Ovum Ltd.'s research director 
Dr. Jeremy Green. “It is interesting that in all the hype and 
fluff about push-to-talk there is little reflection on the state 
of Dolphin. It’s odd that vendors don’t feel the need to say 
why it is going to be different next time.”

Dolphin today declined to comment on the situation. A posting 
on its Website states that “the affairs, business and property 
of the company are being managed by the joint administrators 
[KPMG].”

"We are trading the business normally, and are in touch with 
a number of potential purchasers of the business,” comments 
KPMG administrator Richard Heis. “We urge any interested 
parties to contact us as soon as possible."

— Justin Springham, Senior Editor, Europe, Unstrung

Source: http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=50235

http://www.dolphin-telecom.co.uk/home.htm

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