October 1996

OLYMPIA, Wash.-Illuminet announced members of its personal communications services consortium may obtain wireless rechargeable battery packs, power cords, hands-free kits and other wireless accessories for resale from Direct Power Plus …

WASHINGTON-A three-judge circuit court panel last week continued to deliberate whether to extend a temporary stay of the Federal Communications Commission’s interconnection and local competition rules. There are mixed industry …

Editor: Quentin Hardy’s article, “Jacobs’ Patter,” in the Sept. 6 edition of The Wall Street Journal claims that “some of the biggest names in telecommunications” have invested perhaps $20 billion …

MCLEAN, Va.-Nextel Communications Inc. said it has secured $1.66 billion in bank financing for the nationwide expansion of the company’s integrated wireless communications network. The company also last week launched …

VIENNA, Va.-Cable & Wireless Inc. announced its chief executive officer, Gabe Battista, has resigned to become CEO of Network Solutions Inc., a provider of enabling utility services for the Internet …

AT&T Wireless Services Inc. launched Interim Standard 136 cellular digital service in 40 major markets last week using the label PCS, deliberately trying to confuse the technology distinctions between cellular …

Regional Bell operating company U S West Communications Group said it hopes to bundle wireless services along with its local exchange service by 1997. The company is bidding for several …

The only really great feature about an old clunky answering machine- which by now many people have replaced with voice mail-is call screening. Solopoint Inc. said its SoloCall SmartCenter combines …

NEW YORK-Cellnet Data Systems Inc., which provides wireless monitoring networks to utilities, went public with a 5 million share offering of common stock at $20 per share. In other news, …

HighwayMaster Communications Inc. announced it reached an agreement with SBC Communications Inc. for a $20 million equity investment in HighwayMaster. The company said SBC’s initial investment will be in preferred …

WASHINGTON-The 104th Congress that promised revolution two years ago retreated for the campaign trail last week after Republicans gave into the Clinton administration on a sweeping budget bill that spends …

NEW YORK-With plans to deliberately blur the distinction between cellular and personal communications services, AT&T Corp. launched an advanced digital cellular communications network covering a population of 70 million in …

CALABASAS, Calif.-Silverlake Communications Inc., a wireless software and services provider, said PageMart Inc. will sell its paging PC Software. Airsource Pro features e-mail forwarding, message scheduling, message tracking and group …

BellSouth Mobility has launched digital cellular service in Atlanta. After spending $77 million preparing the network for the Summer Olympic Games, the company said it was more than ready to …

WASHINGTON-A notice of proposed rulemaking recently released by the Federal Communications Commission seeks to abolish finder’s preference rules in the 220-222 MHz band in light of the commission’s almost certain …

RadioMail Corp. announced the availability of its RadioMailer wireless Internet access solution for Cellular Digital Packet Data networks. Service previously was limited to Mobitex and DataTAC packet radio systems. “By …

Northern Telecom Ltd. announced Telemig, a Brazilian telecommunications provider, has signed two contracts valued at $95 million to purchase Nortel cellular network infrastructure equipment. According to the first contract, Telemig …

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-Motorola Inc.’s Asia/Pacific Cellular Infrastructure Group announced it will assist the Tianjin Posts & Telecommunications Administration in the expansion of the Global System for Mobile Communications network in …

WAYNE, Penn.-GroupTalk, a new technology designed by Comcast Cellular Communications Inc., provides customized dispatch and work group capabilities for a variety of business and campus environments. GroupTalk, which consists of …

WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration’s new encryption policy could force wireless firms over time to use scrambling products that are potentially more expensive and less secure, shortcomings that don’t sit well with …

Pittencrieff Communications Inc. is the latest, largest and perhaps last significant addition to Nextel Communications Inc.’s corral of specialized mobile radio company acquisitions. Nextel announced late last week its plans …

NEW YORK-DSC Communications Corp., a major manufacturer of switches for wireless and wireline telecommunications, announced it anticipates posting disappointing revenues and earnings for the third quarter ending Sept. 30. The …

WASHINGTON-The five-year, $25 million industry-funded research program on potential cancer risks from pocket telephones will come to a screeching halt unless wireless carriers and manufacturers agree to indemnify scientists named …

OCTOBER 7 Making Sense of the Changing Communications Marketplace, by TeleStrategies Inc. Sheraton Crystal City Hotel, Washington, D.C. (703) 734-7050. 7-9 Wireless APPS Convention, by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. …

NEW YORK-Boston Communications Group Inc. has a not-so-modest proposal and concrete plans to execute it: a prepaid wireless roaming network for the Western Hemisphere. Already the company is in various …