May 1997

NEWARK, Calif.-Socket Communications Inc. will merge with Cetronic AB, a privately held company based in Sweden that develops and markets software and hardware for wireless data communications markets. According to …

SAN DIEGO-Sprint Spectrum L.P. began personal communications services in Orange County, Calif., the company’s second market in Southern California. In conjunction with the launch, Sprint is offering four new rate …

GRAND FORKS, N.D.-Several companies are pitching in products and services to help the city of Grand Forks, N.D., recover from record flooding last month. Employees of U S West Communications …

NEW YORK-Bills that would have required hands-free cellular telephone use by drivers were postponed indefinitely last month in the California and Illinois legislatures. The California Senate Transportation Committee shelved, with …

LONDON-Europe reached 7.5 million land mobile radio subscribers last year, of which 7 million used private mobile radio and 500,000 used public access mobile radio, according to a report issued …

SAO PAULO, Brazil-Lucent Technologies Inc. next month will begin construction on a cellular equipment manufacturing plant and global provisioning center in Brazil. The company said more than 300 people will …

LONDON-Prepaid card sales may fuel mobile phone growth, but they also will erode already declining margins, according to a new report by CIT Research Ltd. of London. Cards allow calling …

TORRANCE, Calif.-Intek Diversified Corp.’s subsidiary Roamer One signed an agreement to provide voice communication and computer aided dispatch to Time Warner Inc. for its cable television fleet operating in northern …

NEW YORK-Through an add-on offering of American Depository Shares, FGI Wireless Ltd., an Illinois corporation, is looking to reduce substantially its ownership in Vimpel-Communications, a Russian cellular carrier that went …

Metrica says it holds the sole championship title in its corner of the global telecom industry, network performance management. The United States is especially promising right now for its business, …

NEW YORK-Metrocall Inc. announced an escalation in paging users in two markets where broadband personal communications services have been launched, discrediting the theory that the introduction of broadband PCS services …

DENVER-Winners of the recently completed Wireless Communications Services auction may be likely to choose Personal Access Communications Systems as their technology of choice, said Paul Carroll, vice president of marketing …

SOUTHFIELD, Mich.-AirTouch Cellular is providing free cellular telephone programming to cellular phone users affected by an area code split in Michigan’s Oakland County. The company began reprogramming phones May 10 …

IRVING, Texas-Aerial Communications Inc. said it will purchase personal communications services handsets from Mitsubishi Wireless Communications Inc. and Nokia Corp. Aerial values both contracts at $75 million. The Mitsubishi G100 …

Metawave Communications Corp. named Tom Crawford director of product marketing and business development. He will be responsible for maintaining strategic partnerships that provide new sales and marketing opportunities for Metawave’s …

LAS VEGAS-Specialized mobile radio operator Chadmoore Wireless Group Inc. said its network is commercially operational in Charlotte, N.C., Mankato, Minn., and Augusta, Ga. The three new markets cover a population …

Canada’s Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission opened the market for local phone service last week, which has wireless players ecstatic. The CRTC has “issued a strong endorsement of the role wireless …

Swedish telecommunications giant L.M. Ericsson is promoting the application of wideband Code Division Multiple Access technology, and recently announced a partnership with Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Corp. of Japan to …

WASHINGTON-An Illinois judge last week ruled that personal injury claims in product liability lawsuits against cellular telephone manufacturers can proceed, but dismissed conspiracy charges against the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, …

AirTouch Cellular launched Caller ID service in the Puget Sound area of western Washington. The service is available using Motorola Inc., Audiovox Corp. and Nokia Corp. narrowband Advanced Mobile Phone …

No shortage of wireless wonking this week. On Tuesday, Chairman John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) Senate Commerce Committee will hear about antenna siting moratoria, RF and wireless taxation as local and state …

Samsung Electronics Co. has sold more than 1 million Any Call digital Code Division Multiple Access phone sets and obtained more than 1.4 million new subscribers in one year. The …

E.F. Johnson Co. introduced its 9840 model UHF multimode mobile radio. Part of the company’s 9800 Series radio platform, the 9840 operates in conventional, LTR trunking or talkaround modes. The …

Who is tomorrow’s paging user? RCR asked that question of a number of industry execs. Each one had a little different twist on the same theme. PageMart Wireless CEO John …

A specialized mobile radio operator is making plans to offer a pager that operates at 220 MHz. Angell Communications Inc. announced Wings 220, a single line numeric pager that has …