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FCC CLOSE TO AWARDING SAR CONTRACT

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is close to awarding a contract for a turnkey measurement system that tests mobile-phone compliance with radio-frequency radiation exposure guidelines, according to government sources.The test equipment will help the FCC ensure mobile phones meet specific absorption rate (SAR) levels set...

PRODUCTS

HandsetsNokiaNokia announced a new NMT 450 analog handset, to be available in the third quarter, that features true 3-volt technology and the Nokia NaviKey concept. The Nokia 640 weighs 195 grams and has a standby time of up to 80 hours and talk time...

NEC, NTT TO COOPERATE ON W-CDMA TRIAL IN THAILAND

TOKYO-NEC Corp. and NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. have agreed to work together in technical trials of a wideband Code Division Multiple Access system with the Telephone Organization of Thailand.Based on a memorandum of understanding with the TOT, NTT DoCoMo and NEC plan to...

TEKTRONIX PURCHASES NECSY’S TEST SYSTEMS UNIT

WILSONVILLE, Ore.-Tektronix Inc. announced an agreement to buy the Network Monitoring and Mobile Test Systems business of Necsy Network Control Systems S.p.A., based in Padova, Italy, for an undisclosed amount.The product line Tektronix acquired includes monitoring systems for measuring voice, data and fax transmission...

IFR RESULTS REFLECT WEAKNESS OF TEST EQUIP. MARKET

WICHITA, Kan.-Citing a "persistent weakness in the global test equipment market," IFR Systems Inc. announced results for the second quarter of fiscal 1999, which ended Dec. 31, of a net loss of $401,000, or 5 cents per share, compared with a net income of...

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Geoworks Corp. and APiON Ltd. announced they successfully completed interoperability tests of their products based on the Wireless Application Protocol. The testing process lasted several months and involved Geoworks' new Premion Interface+ graphical user interface and APiON's WAP gateway system to allow Premion-enabled handsets...

IFR THINKS BIG BITE WILL LEAD TO WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES

DENVER-Following its $107 million cash acquisition of Marconi Instruments Inc. in February, IFR Systems Inc. began a road tour last week-part product demonstration and part branding initiative designed to introduce the "new" IFR.What began as an avionics instrumentation company has grown to a global...

ASIAN CRISIS HITS TELECOM VENDORS

The year-old Asian financial crisis is being blamed for an increasingly gloomy outlook for the third quarter, which ends this week. The situation is compounded by growing economic worries in Russia and Latin America and a weakened semiconductor market.Several companies warned investors last week...

COMMQUEST TEAMS WITH HP FOR TESTING SOLUTION

ENCINITAS, Calif.-CommQuest Technologies has teamed with Hewlett-Packard Co. to provide a turnkey solution for in-line production testing of Code Division Multiple Access and Global System for Mobile communications wireless handsets.The production process combines HP's TS-5500 test platform and handset-fixture solution with CommQuest's customized test...

TELSTRA TAKES MOST SPECTRUM IN AUSTRALIAN PCS AUCTION

MELBOURNE, Australia-Seven of the nine bidders won lots in Australia's PCS (Personal Communications Services) spectrum auction, which raised almost A$350 million (US$218.5 million) for the federal government. Four winners-AAPT Wireless, Hutchison Telephone, OzPhone and Catapult Communications-were first-time entrants into the Australian wireless market.The auction,...

TEST-EQUIPMENT MARKET RE-INVENTS ITSELF

While the growth of the communications industry has created a great demand for test equipment, the changes to that industry have forced test-equipment manufacturers to reinvent themselves so they can meet that demand."Our expectation (is) that strong worldwide demand for wireless and wireline telecommunications...

MARCONI LICENSES QUALCOMM’S CDMA

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. signed a royalty-bearing license agreement granting Marconi Instruments Ltd. a license to design and develop test equipment based on its Code Division Multiple Access Interim Standard 95 technology."The license agreement allows Marconi to expand its strategy of actively supporting CDMA technology...

GEORGIA BUSINESS SAYS STATE AL LOWS LEGAL CELL PHONE EXTENSIONS: CELL PHONE EMULATION REMAINS MURKY POINT FOR COMPANIES

NEW YORK-In a notable exception to anti-cloning laws, a Georgia statute enacted last year permits authorized owners of analog cellular phones to have extensions made, said John Doumont, president of Cellular Additions. On the basis of that law, the Riverdale, Ga., company has built...

MOTOROLA, GRAYSON TRIAL DRIVE TEST TOOLS

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.-Motorola Inc.'s Communication Test Equipment division and Grayson Electronics, a division of Allen Telecom, Inc., have announced a collaboration that will focus on Grayson's drive test technology and the communications system analyzer business in which Motorola plays a significant role."Our new association with...

EQUIPMENT SHORTAGE UNDERMINES DIGITAL NETWORK TESTING EFFORTS

The lack of certain infrastructure testing equipment will slow the rate at which many digital wireless telecommunications providers roll out service, says a Maryland-based test equipment manufacturer."We'll probably see mass deployments (of digital services) come together at a slower pace than they potentially could...

ROHDE & SCHWARZ ADDS FLEX TO LINE

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla.-Motorola Inc.'s Messaging Systems Products Group said Rhode & Schwarz Bick Mobilfunk GmbH will expand its product offerings to include FLEX paging systems. The paging systems manufactured by R & S Bick Mobilfunk will be available by mid-year, the company said. Greg Nelson, vice...

PEOPLE

Metawave Communications Corp. appointed Kathryn Surace-Smith general counsel for the company. She will provide legal support for Metawave's business development activities including customer contracts, licensing agreements, strategic partnerships and financial, operational and corporate matters. Previously, Surace-Smith was international counsel for Alcatel Telecom.Glenayre Technologies Inc....

HARRIS ACQUIRES DRT TO PURSUE AIR-TO-GROUND COMMUNICATIONS

The latest radio acquisition by Harris Corp. puts the company in the position to compete for a multimillion dollar government contract upgrading airport radio systems.Harris is buying the Digital Radio Technology Inc. unit of California Microwave Inc. The Digital Radio unit was created in...

TTC OFFERS HANDHELD TEST INSTRUMENT

A network test equipment company that has supplied equipment for landline and cellular operators is launching a product line specifically for the wireless industry.Telecommunications Techniques Corp. will begin offering on Jan. 6 the T-Berd 2207, a modular, battery-powered handheld test instrument for PCS 1900...

FLEX IS LICENSED TO ADVANCED SIGNAL

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla.-Advanced Signal Inc. has licensed the entire FLEX family of paging protocols from Motorola Inc.'s Messaging Systems Products Group. Advanced also is developing test equipment for the narrowband personal communications services market.The test equipment, named SIGNALpro, allows users to characterize the outbound...

FACING EXTINCTION, POCSAG PAG ING PREVAILS

FLEX has been adopted en masse in the paging industry, at least in principle. In reality, the majority of U.S. one-way paging customers are POCSAG customers and carriers are in no hurry to eliminate the protocol.FLEX, designed by Motorola Inc., offers increased capacity and...

QUALCOMM ENTERS GRAYSON AGREEMENT

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. said it has signed a license agreement with Forest, Va.-based Grayson Electronics Co., a subsidiary of The Allen Group Inc.Under the terms of the agreement, Grayson has been granted a worldwide, royalty-bearing license to manufacture and sell Code Division Multiple Access...

NEW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES REQUIRE MORE PRECISE TEST EQUIPMENT

The introduction of fully digital wireless networks means that marginal readings by portable test equipment are no longer acceptable."It's all ones and zeros now, so you have to be precisely tuned," said Jan Whitacre, spokeswoman for Hewlett-Packard Co.That reality lit a fire under the...

THE CRIME DEFINED

Cellular theft: A cellular phone is stolen from a legitimate customer and used before the theft can be reported.Subscription fraud: This type of counterfeiting occurs when a person signs up for cellular service using fraudulent information or false identification and does not intend to pay for...