Airadigm Communications Inc. signed a contract to sell its entire tower inventory to SpectraSite Communications Inc., said the companies. The purchase price was not disclosed. The contract also includes a provision calling for SpectraSite to build about 125 additional towers throughout Wisconsin and Iowa. The agreement is the beginning of what many industry experts expect will be a trend toward wireless carriers selling their tower assets to tower management firms and leasing back space on those towers.
Triton Communications L.L.C. acquired the assets of the Alabama 7 Rural Service Area from AAT RSA Co. L.P., said Daniels & Associates, which represented the seller in the transaction. The RSA serves a population of more than 170,000.
Iridium L.L.C. announced it launched two satellites via a Long March 2C/SD rocket, replacing two units that failed Aug. 20 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China. The launch brings the number of satellites in the Iridium System to 67. Last month, the company announced two satellites had failed, bringing to seven the number of failed satellites to date. The company expects to launch another five satellites later this month.
KSI Inc. said it began field testing its second-generation wireless location system, TeleSentinel, which can locate both Advanced Mobile Phone Service and Time Division Multiple Access phones. The 2G product is designed to satisfy the Federal Communications Commission’s Phase II enhanced 911 mandate. The first generation of TeleSentinel was an AMPS-only version.
Toll Free Cellular Inc. filed for bankruptcy last week after months of searching for a mobile phone company willing to purchase its #800 service technology. Toll Free laid off employees and put the company up for sale in January after AT&T Wireless Services Inc. opted not to proceed with plans to offer nationwide #800 cellular service. The company, which partnered with mobile phone carriers to provide 800 numbers to businesses willing to pay for incoming airtime charges, had banked on a contract with AT&T Wireless to take the #800 service national and had expanded its resources based on the contract. AT&T Wireless said it couldn’t make a business case to move ahead with the service.
