May 1998

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-Metrocall Inc. launched paging service through its Global Messaging Gateway, a newly installed satellite uplink facility located in Stockton, Calif. Metrocall now handles about 250 million pages per month, …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week did some house-cleaning on the local multipoint distribution service auction by adopting partitioning and disaggregation rules that give LMDS licensees the same flexibility that …

NEW YORK-Orange plc outshined the other major mobile network providers in the United Kingdom, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 1998 U.K. Mobile Customer Satisfaction Study. Orange’s overall satisfaction …

“We are on the verge of completing a massive system that has been 10 years in the making,” remarked Dr. Edward Staiano, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Iridium …

Sygnet Wireless Inc. said it is exploring strategic alternatives, including the possible sale of the company, and has retained Lehman Brothers Inc. as its financial adviser. The company said the …

WASHINGTON-Representatives of the Land Mobile Communications Council have begun informal contacts with the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, the agency that must approve any spectrum-sharing arrangement with the federal government, …

The on-again, off-again personal communications tender in Argentina has leaned to the off side, as a court order there suspended the auction of the two licenses in response to complaints …

NEW YORK-Transcrypt International Inc. last week saw its stock trading suspended on Nasdaq, and the company’s independent auditor resigned. Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P. resigned as Transcrypt’s independent auditor, effective April …

WASHINGTON-Federal Communications Commission Chairman Bill Kennard told Congress last week that public-safety wireless systems are at risk of succumbing to the Year 2000 computer bug, a problem that will cost …

Globalstar L.P.’s original service providers have until the end of today to decide if they want to take up Loral Space & Communications’ recent offer to buy a portion of …

A ruling from a federal bankruptcy court in Dallas may have set a dangerous precedent for the Federal Communications Commission and further muddied the waters for C-block personal communications services …

The 220 MHz specialized mobile radio industry, sometimes known as the final frontier of wireless spectrum opportunity, gained a major player when four of its larger operators agreed in principle …

NEW YORK-Telecommunications Techniques Corp., which produces testing equipment for wireless and wireline networks, has obtained a $370 million bank credit facility and hopes to raise an additional $275 million from …

China L.M. Ericsson signed four Global System for Mobile communications contracts in China, which the company values at a total of $756 million. Ericsson will expand existing GSM networks in …

DENVER-Heather Forsgren Weaver has joined the staff of RCR as a reporter in the Washington, D.C., bureau. She most recently worked for Washington Telecom Week, an Inside Washington publication covering …

The European wireless community has been reasonably successful at being able to feel superior to its U.S. counterparts. Europe has a unified digital standard. It offers short message services. It …

NEW YORK-France Telecom Inc. is putting the finishing touches on elaborate preparations that began three years ago for France 98, the month-long World Cup soccer tournament coming up this summer. …

Here’s something to ponder: Is the FBI to blame for the current CALEA fiasco, as the wireless industry has long claimed? Or does this rather serious controversy reflect the wireless …

SINGAPORE-What was to have been one of the most glorious moments in Singapore’s telecommunications history turned out to be a major fiasco when one of the contenders for the nation’s …

WASHINGTON-The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association last week asked the Federal Communications Commission to delay until November implementing rules regarding how commercial mobile radio services carriers use information about their customers. …

Motorola Motorola Inc. appointed Dennis Roberson vice president and chief technology officer. Roberson reports to Merle L. Gilmore, president, Europe, Middle East and Africa. As president, EMEA, Gilmore also oversees …

WASHINGTON-Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, in what could become a model for other states, has signed into law a bill to give local communities without approved zoning plans the power to …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission’s long-awaited decision on what should happen with low-power private wireless systems during refarming has been delayed by concerns over interference with heart monitors. The Land Mobile …

JACKSON, Miss.-Mobile Telecommunication Technologies Corp. reported operational results for the quarter that again exceeded analysts’ financial expectations but did not meet their subscriber forecasts. Mtel reported a net loss of …

DALLAS-Paging Network Inc. announced it entered into a strategic partnership with Forbes Inc. to offer wireless information services from Forbes Digital Media to PageNet subscribers. The information service-Forbes Online Business …