April 1996

MILAN, Italy-Omnitel Pronto Italia announced it has reached three new international roaming agreements with Cellnet of the United Kingdom, Airtel Moviles of Spain and Turk Cell of Turkey. The new …

DALLAS-Hewlett-Packard Co. is combining the core competencies of its test measurement and computer systems businesses to provide a new Total Customer Management solution for wireless carriers. TCM combines customer and …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is believed to be leaning toward radio frequency radiation exposure guidelines that incorporate Environmental Protection Agency recommendations, a policy shift the wireless telecommunications industry and others …

“The Internet is the killer app!” declared futurist George Gilder at the Wireless Apps ’95 show hosted by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association last fall in Las Vegas. He was …

WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration has said Japan will consider opening its personal handyphone system equipment market, a potential breakthrough for American wireless suppliers. Last week’s announcement came as the United States …

NEW YORK-Geotek Communications Inc. inaugurated commercial service in the New York City metropolitan area March 28, for its wireless communications network geared toward mobile blue collar workers. Earlier this year, …

OLYMPIA, Wash.-U.S. Intelco Wireless said it has negotiated a volume discount agreement with Motorola Inc. that will give its 200-plus members significant discounts on equipment purchases. USIW also has signed …

WASHINGTON-MCI Communications Corp. plans to offer cellular service in 20 new major markets by year’s end, including Atlanta, Detroit and Miami. MCI currently buys cellular from both A- and B-side …

WASHINGTON-Congress late last week was expected to introduce legislation to force the Federal Communications Commission to lift the two-month-old paging application freeze, a source told RCR. The legislation likely will …

BRUSSELS, Belgium-A move by the European Commission to regulate satellite communications systems has been thwarted by the Telecommunications Council of the European Union. The commission drafted a proposal last fall …

DALLAS-As thousands of wireless industry comrades flocked to Dallas last week for the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association’s Wireless ’96 trade show, so did their enemies-criminals seeking a cloning rendezvous. Anticipating …

LONDON-The board of directors of Cable & Wireless plc said talks are on again with British Telecommunications. The “exploratory discussions … may or may not lead to a merger of …

WASHINGTON-North Coast Mobile Communications-gone. GO Telecommunications Corp.-gone. PCS 2000-director and CEO Anthony Easton resigns to “pursue other business interests.” NextWave Personal Communications, GWI PCS Inc., DCR PCS Inc.-cleaning up. April …

WASHINGTON-Andrew Barrett, a Bush-appointed member of the Federal Communications Commission since 1990, joins Edelman Public Relations Worldwide today despite entreaties from Republican lawmakers that he remain at the FCC until …

The South African Police Services announced it has awarded Motorola Inc. and South Africa-based Alcom a contract for a SmartZone UHF two-way radio communications system. Motorola said the system will …

What did he know and when did he know it? Ah, the immortal question of Sen. Howard Baker of Watergate fame. That’s what House telecommunications subcommittee Chairman Jack Fields (R-Texas) …

NEW YORK-Orange plc, a British cellular carrier, sold an initial public offering of common stock March 27 that netted approximately $951 million. In January, Orange, Bristol, England, was formed as …

LONDON-The board of directors of Cable & Wireless plc said talks are on again with British Telecommunications. The “exploratory discussions … may or may not lead to a merger of …

It has been a year since I left a high-tech computer magazine to join RCR Publications. After five years as a techie writer and editor, I decided to try something …

NEW YORK-Vanguard Cellular Systems Inc. is planning to sell a $200 million issue of senior unsecured debentures that mature in 2006. Vanguard, based in Greensboro, N.C., is a major independent …

NEW YORK-Look who’s talking! After deflecting outside speculation for months, PCS PrimeCo L.P. partners have hinted recently that their TalkAlong phone-in-a-box product is to become their nationwide marketing vehicle. PCS …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Despite a residual ripple of hearing aid interference-based opposition, the San Jose, Calif., planning commission unanimously approved four antenna sites for Pacific Bell Mobile Services. Pac Bell said …

WASHINGTON-President Clinton late last week signed legislation to give small businesses more leverage to challenge regulations of the Federal Communications Commission and other government agencies. The measure is a scaled-back …

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla.-Motorola Inc.’s Paging Products Group announced West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Pager One Inc. has introduced a FLEX high-speed paging system that it said gives pager users more reliable …

NEW YORK-Two years after it divested itself of its international paging and cellular operations, Pacific Telesis Group, San Francisco, now confronts projections of two years of nearly flat earnings and …