A new industry association has been formed to promote and advance the Personal Access Communications System standard as the preferred solution for the emerging 1.9 GHz personal communications services market in the United States.
The PACS standard is based on Time Division Multiple Access digital technology and is billed as a low-cost solution for wireless local loop, pedestrian venues, commuting routes and indoor wireless applications.
Founding members of the PACS Providers Forum include the partnership trio of Hughes Network Systems Inc., Siemens Stromberg-Carlson and Bell Communications Research Inc., or Bellcore, which developed the technology. (RCR, Sept. 18, 1995, p. 3).
Also included in the association are NEC America Inc., Pacific Communications Sciences Inc., Matsushita Communications Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic) and facilities-based interexchange carrier GCI.
“Our PACS system is something fundamentally different from the cellular-like infrastructures needed for other PCS technologies; it provides a high-quality, high-capacity solution at a significantly lower cost than the others,” said Kal Ganesan, assistant vice president, digital cellular networks at Hughes Network Systems.
Using lightweight, low-power handsets and small, easy-to-install, low-cost radio ports for residential and business environments, the forum said PACS is expected to be more cost effective to deploy than competing high-powered wide area systems in certain applications.
“PACS has been engineered for high-quality voice service, flexible data options and low cost. Its low complexity and low transmission power yield economical high capacity, which makes it an excellent choice for urban and suburban applications where user density is high,” said Bob White, director at Bellcore Wireless Analysis.
PACS is clearly aimed at so-called “PCS entrepreneurs” who will be bidding in the upcoming Block C auctions. Hughes has recently joined with Bell Atlantic Corp. to test a network interface-called Generic C-that will allow these providers to access many of the services of Bell Atlantic’s Advanced Intelligent Network.
“The Generic C will enable PCS providers to enter new markets with leading edge services quickly and without the cost to install their own wireless switch,” said Peter D’Amico, senior product manager in Bell Atlantic’s carrier services organization.
Hughes-which provides the AirReach PACS radio network subsystem-also plans to test the system for its ability to hand off signals from vehicles traveling at speeds of 55 to 65 miles per hour, Bell Atlantic said.
The company said the technical trial will soon be launched in Gaithersburg, Md., and is expected to last one year.
