Centennial Cellular Corp. began marketing its cellular communications products and services under the name Centennial Wireless throughout its properties. The company formerly used the Cellular One trademark. Centennial is bolstering the name change with an advertising campaign including newspaper, radio and television advertising.
TekNow Inc. released its PhenX Internet Paging Gateway, which provides paging carriers and resellers a gateway to the Internet by linking Internet e-mail and the World Wide Web to existing paging networks, said TekNow. The IPG receives e-mail and World Wide Web-based messages and converts them to TNPP or TAP pages. The IPG supports multiple carriers and can send pages out via leased-line or dial-up connections.
Scientific-Atlanta Inc. and Celcore Inc. plan to jointly market an integrated wireless local loop system. Celcore’s GlobalSwitch and GlobalCell products are deployed at base stations that communicate via cellular radio links to local subscribers. GlobalSwitch provides local switching and interfaces to Scientific-Atlanta’s Skylinx satellite network to make demand-assigned, satellite connections to other regional switches or to the public switched telephone network.
Geotek Communications Inc. launched a Frequency Hopping Multiple Access digital wireless network in Orlando, Fla. Services are specifically tailored for small- and medium-sized businesses operating fleets of vehicles, the company said. The network allows mobile users to stay in touch with fleet dispatchers through a Windows-based personal computer. Dispatchers can monitor fleet progress, send assignment changes, pinpoint work flow and fleet dispatch problems and print performance reports. Geotek also has networks in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore and Dallas.
The Personal Communications Industry Association filed an objection with the Federal Communications Commission opposing the “E-Rate” proposal presented by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. PCIA said although it supports providing Internet access to school children, the entire burden for funding the program should not fall on the wireless industry. The estimated cost of the proposal is between $10 billion and $40 billion.
The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association will hold a workshop Jan. 15, concerning progress made on the Federal Communications Commissions recent E911 mandate. E911 technology allows emergency operators to determine the location of people who call for emergency assistance. Wireless phone companies were given one year to provide technology to report the nearest cell site receiving an emergency call. Within five years, the FCC is requiring companies to provide technology to pinpoint the location of a caller within one-tenth of a mile.
