Glenayre Technologies Inc. announced it will supply equipment for narrowband personal communications services to Paging Network Inc. under a contract agreement. PageNet will use the equipment to beta test its VoiceNow service in San Francisco. The contract order, valued at $4.5 million, calls for Glenayre to supply PageNet with NPCS switches, radio frequency directors, transmitter controllers, linear transmitters and diversity receivers based on Motorola Inc.’s InFLEXion technology.
North American Wireless Inc. has signed up a consortium of six independent telephone companies in Indiana and Michigan called Communication Ventures Corp. NAWI is an alliance of businesses that intends to bid at the upcoming auction of personal communications services spectrum. The group hopes to benefit from the network efficiencies and volume discounts of an alliance. CVC was formed primarily to bid in the upcoming PCS auction, seeking spectrum in the northeastern Midwest, the company said. CVC is comprised of telecom subsidiaries of New Paris Telephone Inc., Allendale Telephone, Climax Telephone, Drenthe Telephone, Springport Telephone and Westphalia Telephone.
SkyTel Corp., a subsidiary of Mobile Telecommunication Technology Corp., and Hewlett-Packard Co. announced two-way paging and wireless messaging services for the HP OmniGo 100 handheld organizer, which is based on the Geoworks GEOS operating system. The SkyTel messenger kit will give HP OmniGo 100 organizer users the flexibility to create and transmit messages immediately and wirelessly, SkyTel said. SkyTel recently launched its SkyTel 2-Way network, the first provider of two-way paging services in the United States. The messenger kit for the HP OmniGo organizer will be available in the first quarter of 1996.
Telecomm Industries Corp. said its subsidiary, Teleco, plans to distribute Ameritech Corp.’s personal communications services to Ameritech’s new northern Ohio cellular service area, including Akron, Canton and Cleveland. The Federal Communications Commission recently issued one of two Ohio licenses to Ameritech, allowing the company to offer PCS to northeastern Ohio.
Qualcomm Inc. said it has formed a Technology Transfer and Strategic Alliance Division to market and license all of its intellectual property to strategic partners throughout the world and to enter the company into new business alliances. Qualcomm said it already has established alliances or licensed several telecommunications manufacturers including AT&T Corp., Motorola Inc. and NEC Corp.
Geotek Communications Inc. and Fairchild Communications Services have signed a letter of intent to allow Fairchild to distribute Geotek’s integrated mobile communications services in markets served by Geotek’s communications networks. Fairchild, based in Chantilly, Va., will offer Geotek’s full range of voice and data services designed for businesses managing a mobile work force. Fairchild will offer the services in the Philadelphia market where Geotek’s first digital wireless network trials began in June. Fairchild operates in 25 of the 36 markets Geotek has targeted for its networks.
