DALLAS-According to Ericsson Inc., more than 1 million Time Division Multiple Access wireless customers contract for service worldwide every day. As a result, the Swedish manufacturer unveiled a bevy of TDMA-based products and services at the recent Wireless ’96 conference in Dallas.
Three new Digital Control Channel phone models-the DF388, DH368 and DH318-each weigh as little as 6.2 ounces and are being touted as “the smallest and lightest DCC phones available in North America. We expect these phones to be shipping in June,” said Anders Torstensson, executive vice president of mobile phones. “Our new phones offer the end user the capability of accessing features like data, fax, over-the-air activation and the ability to receive messages.”
Ericsson also introduced what it hails as the only flip phone available today for use by personal communications services subscribers. Like its DCC sisters, the CF337 PCS 1900 phone features a built-in alphanumeric pager and over-the-air activation. The 9-ounce unit also accepts international subscriber identity module cards that allow roaming in any global GSM-based network. A dual-band/dual-mode PCS 1900 phone with an improved vocoder will be available later this year.
On the network side, Ericsson has added three base stations and a network management center for remote system monitoring. The RBS 884 picocell mini base station supports Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service and PCS 1900 networks, and it can fit into a 10-inch space. Prime targets for RBS picocell installations include hotel lobbies, subway stations, restaurants, convention centers and other high-density calling areas. Each unit can handle up to 11 simultaneous calls.
