Northern Telecom Ltd. introduced the Nortel CDMA Minicell at June’s CDMA World Congress in Singapore. Nortel said the base station allows wireless service operators to tailor their networks to meet the demands of network expansion.
Bosch Telecom Inc. unveiled the World 718 phone, calling it the first phone that can operate worldwide on GSM 1900 and 900 networks. Audiovox Communications Corp. will distribute the new phones in the United States and Canada.
L.M. Ericsson said it is planning to launch next year what it says will be the industry’s first multi-standard mobile phone, operating on GSM and TDMA systems, as well as AMPS, according to an article in the Financial Times.
Nokia has bought the GSM Terminals Research and Development Unit of Matra Nortel Communications, Nokia announced. The unit, in Ulm, southern Germany, will help Nokia with its efforts to develop smart traffic products.
Nokia introduced a small, dual-band phone for 900 and 1800 MHz GSM networks, the Nokia 6150. The phone, based on true 3-volt technology, weighs 142 grams (4.97 ounces) and offers up to 4.5 hours of talk time with up to 11 days of standby time, said Nokia. Features of the 6150 designed to provide high audio and speech quality include leak-tolerant speakers, acoustic echo-cancellation technology and support of all three wireless voice codecs-enhanced full rate, half rate and full rate.
U.K.-based Mobile Systems International introduced an enhanced CDMA version of its Planet software. Planet CDMA, version 2.8, incorporates network planning, design and optimization.
Japan’s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications released a report proposing the use of jamming equipment to prevent wireless phone use in locations such as theaters or concert halls, according to news reports from Japan.
Cellular and Personal Communications Services subscribers are expected to more than double from 210.7 million at the end of 1997 to 450 million by the end of 2000, according to the Strategis Group.
