American Personal Communications, which last month placed the first, long-awaited personal communications services phone call, reports the company is on track with its plans to be the PCS market forerunner.
“The sound quality was outstanding. It was a clear connection and didn’t sound like a mobile call,” said Scott Schelle, APC’s chief executive officer.
The historic PCS call originated from APC’s Bethesda, Md.-based headquarters and was received by Sprint Corp. at its corporate offices in Kansas City, Mo. APC is an affiliate of Sprint’s wireless consortium, WirelessCo L.P., which plans to offer PCS services in 29 major trading areas. APC is a pioneer’s preference winner licensed to provide PCS in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore, Md., MTA.
The purpose of the call was to evaluate call quality and system coverage prior to commercial launch, the company said. APC will add cell sites and conduct extensive testing throughout the summer in all its market areas, Schelle noted. Service is scheduled to begin by late fall in more than 300 sites, including the greater Washington, D.C.-Baltimore, Md., metro area, said Anne Phillips, vice president of external affairs for APC.
“We received the first experimental PCS license, we demonstrated the ability to share microwave frequencies in the 2 GHz band and developed a patented technology to facilitate sharing,” Schelle said.
APC’s PathGuard remote measuring unit helps PCS operators optimize access to 2 GHz spectrum, providing a 25 percent increase in spectrum, while they negotiate moving incumbent fixed microwave licensees off that band onto higher frequencies, according to Phillips. APC supports cost-sharing proposals for the relocation process, said Phillips, noting the industry needs to come together to make relocation happen.
APC’s network will operate using Global System for Mobile communications technology. So far, network implementation is running smoothly, Phillips indicated, and no significant difficulties have been encountered. Network equipment is being provided by Ericsson Inc. and Northern Telecom Ltd.
As an affiliate of WirelessCo L.P., which comprises Comcast Corp., Cox Cable Communications Inc. and Tele-Communications Inc. as well as Sprint, APC will market its products and services using the Sprint brand name, said Russell Wilkerson, APC’s director of special affairs.
Phillips wouldn’t comment on APC’s marketing plans but said the company’s research found consumers dissatisfied with current cellular service in the Washington D.C., area. Cellular has capacity constraints, explained Phillips, including the area’s growth and terrain. Focus groups show 85 percent of those surveyed expressed interest in purchasing a mobile voice product, she said, though cellular has secured only 10 percent of the market.
Cellular One and Bell Atlantic Mobile are the cellular providers and AT&T Wireless Services will be APC’s PCS competitor in the market.
