June 1998

WASHINGTON-Federal E911 legislation has yet to be introduced in the Senate and is on hold in the House. A bill introduced by Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), chairman of the House …

ATHENS, Ga.-Powertel Inc. said it launched commercial personal communications services in Athens, Ga. Powertel provides commercial service in 26 metropolitan areas and major highway corridors throughout its 12-state license area …

MONTREAL-Microcell Solutions Inc. announced it launched its Fido personal communications services system in Sherbrooke, Quebec, last week. Fido is an enhanced digital wireless communication service using Global System for Mobile …

ALISO VIEJO, Calif.-Smith Micro Software Inc. said it released its version 3.0 HotPage software, which provides message management and transmission to alphanumeric and numeric pagers from computer systems using Microsoft …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission rejected an appeal by SkyTel Communications Corp.-formerly Mobile Telecommunication Technologies Corp.-that argued the paging carrier deserved its narrowband personal communications license for free as a pioneer’s …

Competition among companies that supply digital signal processors to the wireless industry is beginning to heat up with new alliances and investments changing the competitive landscape. IBM Corp.’s Microelectronics division …

JACKSON, Miss.-MobileMedia Communications Inc. announced it will close its retail activation center in Jackson, Miss., and consolidate its functions at the Dallas-based call center by Oct. 31. The move will …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week did its part to improve the nation’s roads by proposing that 75 megahertz be set aside for so-called smart highway technologies such as automated …

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif.-SigmaOne Communications Corp. held the first prototype demonstration of its E911 system for locating and tracking wireless calls, said the company. Results showed SigmaOne’s Southern California network-based system …

DALLAS-PageMart Wireless Inc. announced it will provide customers with a two-day airtime credit for the downed service time that occurred during the PanAmSat Galaxy IV failure May 19. The company …

An indoor solution to wireless electronic asset tracking that uses digital radio-frequency technology to locate personnel and property has been developed by PinPoint Corp., a fledgling company based in Bedford, …

ATLANTA-Bosch Telecom Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. announced plans to develop and market broadband wireless networking solutions designed to help service providers offer integrated voice, data and video services faster …

ASHLAND, Ky.-RAM-Page, a division of RAM Technologies, announced it has launched Pre-Paid Paging, a new service aimed at customers who require occasional paging service and want to avoid monthly bills, …

BOULDER, Colo.-SCC Communications announced the first two-state wireless Phase 1 E911 deployment is up and routing E911 calls to public-safety agencies in Washington County, Ore., and in the Clark County …

TORONTO-Rogers Cantel Inc. launched its AT&T Page Partner + service, a package that allows a wireless phone and up to five pagers to be combined into one bill. The service …

NEW YORK-After receiving “Big Daddy” T-shirts from BT Alex. Brown Inc. telecommunications analyst Jeffrey L. Hines June 10, top executives of four of the world’s largest wireless carriers offered an …

NEW YORK-In a “three-peat” of its 1995 and 1996 performance, AT&T Corp. again took first place in revenues and net income among carriers last year, despite a marked decline in …

Interlink Electronics Freedom Writer OEM, the first application using Interlink Electronics Inc.’s new medium-range wireless communications technology, RemoteLink, is set to be introduced this month at InfoComm International, said Interlink. …

ATLANTA-Wireless data’s success in the future depends on how easily users can access it, said some wireless executives last week at SuperComm ’98. Key executives from the wireless industry’s largest …

Multifrequency paging launched in China Motorola Inc. announced a FLEX multifrequency paging network was launched in the Guangxi Zhuang province of China-the first of seven provincial Motorola networks planned to …

Republicans, joyous over having launched Chinagate, are now writing the script for what they hope will be a best seller come 2000. We’ll call it White House in the Unbalance …

A request by Connecticut’s attorney general and state utility regulators that a combined SBC Communications Inc./Southern New England Telecommunications Corp. reduce its local telephone rates could put the planned merger …

COLUMBUS, Ohio-SmarTalk TeleServices Inc. acquired Worldwide Direct, a direct-to-consumer prepaid cellular phone distributor, in a stock-for-stock transaction that provides it with terminal-based prepaid capability. Combined with SmarTalk’s alliance with Boston …

ATLANTA-A survey of 500 small business owners, released at SuperComm ’98, demonstrated a “tremendous potential for sales in the coming years.” The survey, conducted by the Verity Group last month, …