The Australian Communications Authority has postponed its planned auction of spectrum for personal communications services until early 1998 to clear up key policy issues that may be ambiguous to potential market entrants.The ACA was preparing to auction spectrum in 1.8 GHz and 800 MHz...
A shift in mobile phone operators' attitudes toward leasing sites has caused a Cary, N.C., company to push ahead with plans to develop and build its own tower sites and offer collocation leasing nationwide."Six months ago if you were to ask a company...
Nettech Systems Inc. formed an alliance with Racotek Inc. to deliver mobile computing solutions leveraging Racotek's Systems Integration and production support services with Nettech's InstantRF middleware product family. Racotek said it will integrate its applications, interface tools and network management software with the InstantRF...
It appears legal battles that have been going on for more than a year between Sprint Spectrum L.P. and the city of Medina, Wash., over tower siting have come to an end.Sprint PCS said it dropped its recent lawsuit that charged the city with...
Roberto Catalan, president of Argentina's communications commission, known as CNC (Comision Nacional de Comunicaciones), recently completed a United States road show designed to attract investor interest for a personal communications services tender.The CNC is looking for foreign companies to operate two 50-megahertz bands in...
CEDAR CREST, N.M.-Specialty Teleconstructors Inc. signed letters of intent to acquire all of the capital stock of Microcell Communications of America Inc. and Ellis Tower Co. Inc. in exchange for an aggregate of 851,064 newly issued shares of Specialty common stock.Microcell, based in Fort...
Antagonism is high between wireless carriers and local governments these days as carriers continue to fight with municipalities about zoning ordinances and tower sites."Cities really want to deal with wireless if they have a better understanding of what's required," said Olan Asbury, managing director...
Two environmental health advocates in Boston and New York have initiated petitions to stop area launches of personal communications services networks and shut down existing networks pending a public hearing and epidemiologic studies on potential health effects.The Boston petition, introduced by Susan Clarke, has...
BEACHWOOD, Ohio-Allen Telecom Inc. acquired the outstanding minority interest in Forem SpA, giving Allen complete ownership of the company. The acquisition also gives Allen effective ownership of Forem's 62 percent-owned subsidiary, Mikom GmbH.The total purchase price for the minority interest will be computed after...
Western PCS BTA 1 Corp. lost the first round of its battle with the city of Tucson, Ariz., over the city's new zoning ordinance. Western claims the law prohibits it from providing service in Tucson.U.S. District Court Judge William Browning denied Western's request for...
WASHINGTON-A merger between long-distance giant AT&T Corp. and local telco stalwart SBC Communications Inc. would raise wireless competition questions and face legal and regulatory hurdles that could prove insurmountable, according to antitrust policy experts.At $50 billion, an AT&T-SBC marriage would be far and away...
Noise/Com Inc. introduced its BS-800 Dual Interference Signal Generators to aid in interference testing of Code Division Multiple Access and Time Division Multiple Access base stations. The products include two synthesized CW signal generators and all necessary radio-frequency components including attenuators and switches, to...
Lodestar Towers Inc., a developer and manager of multi-use transmission sites, broke ground on its Mt. Harvard facility in Southern California.Lodestar said the facility is the nation's first multi-use facility equipped to provide turnkey transmitter plant facilities for digital television in the Southern California...
U S West Communications Inc. filed two lawsuits against the city of Longmont, Colo., challenging a city council decision that denied the company's application to raise a 100-foot monopole for wireless transmission.The lawsuits were filed May 22 in the Boulder County District Court and...
BOCA RATON, Fla.-American Tower Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Radio Systems, reached an agreement to acquire the assets of Towers L.L.C., which owns and operates 21 tower sites in South Carolina.American Tower Systems will pay $5.3 million for the company.
While many cities across the nation have been caught off guard by the number of towers wireless providers want to construct, the city of Greensboro, N.C., forecasted the onslaught nearly two-and-a-half years ago.After the A- and B-block auction of personal communications services licenses was...
NEWARK, N.J.-It's trade secrets vs. tell all as wireless telecommunications companies try to hide their strategies from competitors while seeking fast buildout approvals from municipalities that want full disclosure.Local government officials, accustomed to more than a decade of slow and orderly growth in wireless...
BOCA RATON, Fla.-American Tower Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Radio Systems, acquired the assets of B&E Associates and DB Consultants for $13 million.Both companies, located in Norwood, Mass., are premiere site acquisition firms, said American Tower Systems. The companies work primarily for...
WASHINGTON-House telecommunications subcommittee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-La.) last week proposed to fund digital wiretap implementation and Internet access for schools with $1.7 billion paid by wireless carriers and broadcasters for siting antennas on federal land during the next five years.But the measure, which Tauzin...
DENVER-Wireless carriers in Denver now are required to take proactive steps with the community if they want their towers and antennas placed in certain areas of the city.The Denver City Council approved last week a new zoning ordinance that requires wireless operators to notify...
WASHINGTON-Dan Phythyon, acting chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, does not want to characterize himself or his staff as "the James Brown of the commission." He modestly holds that his domain is "a hardworking bureau like other hardworking bureaus" contained within...
BOCA RATON, Fla.-Cellular towers constructed on the property of schools in Boca Raton, Fla. are receiving increased scrutiny by city officials.The Palm Beach County School district apparently thought it could bypass county and municipal zoning regulations when it leased land for the 150-foot cellular...
GREENSBORO, N.C.-Blue Ridge Investors L.P. completed a management-led buyout of Cherokee Wireless Services Inc., which provides program and contract management services for tower and antenna needs.Based in Cornelia, Ga., Cherokee Wireless has six branch offices throughout the Southeast. The company's customers include BellSouth Mobility...
Cellular carriers in the city of Grand Forks, N.D., said their systems are faring well despite massive flooding that has forced most of the city's 50,000 residents to leave their homes for higher and dryer ground.Western Wireless Corp., operating a network under the Cellular...
