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AT CURRENT PACE, PCS AUCTIONS COULD LAST UNTIL LATE DECEMBER

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission continued to clear out the backlog of old C-block personal communications services business by finally issuing most of Meretel Communications L.P.'s licenses, save the one property against which a petition to deny was submitted. The commission also assessed a whopping...

THOMAS REJECTS INTERCONNECT APPEAL

WASHINGTON-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas chose to trick rather than treat the Federal Communications Commission Oct. 31 when he wrote "application denied" on a request made by that agency to vacate the current stay of certain inter-connection rules issued by the U.S. Court...

RESALE INDUSTRY GETS SEXY

WASHINGTON-For years, wireless resellers have been fighting carriers, regulators and Congress for a little respect.In the future, they may command it.The infusion of spectrum, deregulation and competition is changing marketplace dynamics, making resale an increasingly attractive distribution channel in the new world of one-stop...

HUNDT: ANTITRUST POLICY SHIFTS TO KEEP PACE WITH CONSOLIDATION

WASHINGTON-Antitrust policy is adapting to sweeping pro-competitive, deregulatory telecommunications reforms mandated by Congress, but not abandoning traditional oversight safeguards, one of the nation's top regulators said.The Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission are all shifting their missions, noted...

VIEWPOINT

Tomorrow has always been a bit tricky to forecast. Did John Walter know on his first day at R.R. Donnelley that one day he would be picked to run AT&T Corp?Keeping that in mind, I give you my predictions for RCR's Top 20 PCS...

ILLUMINET, COLUMBIA TO HELP SMALL PCS NEW CALL CENTER TO SERVE SIX STATES

OLYMPIA, Wash.-Illuminet and Columbia Spectrum Management said they are helping small personal communications services providers clear spectrum using Columbia Spectrum's services. PCS license winners must relocate microwave systems that currently occupy spectrum allocated to PCS by the Federal Communications Commission.According to the agreement, Columbia...

PRICELLULAR ISSUES $140M DEBT TO PAY FOR CELLULAR PURCHASES

NEW YORK-PriCellular Wireless Corp. plans to issue $140 million in senior unsecured debt, mostly to finance its acquisition of four clustered rural cellular properties in Kentucky from Horizon Cellular Group.PriCellular, based in New York, agreed to pay $116.5 million in cash and stock to...

PCS AUCTIONS COULD LAST MONTHS AT CURRENT BIDS

WASHINGTON-Bidders in the D-, E- and F-block personal communications services auctions appear to be in no hurry to end it. According to analyst Taylor Simmons, even if the Federal Communications Commission ramps up to three rounds per day (which it may do this week),...

STOCK MARKET REACTS NEGATIVELY TO AT&T’S WALTER

NEW YORK-John R. Walter, chief executive officer of printing company R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co., will assume the presidency of AT&T Corp. Nov. 1, AT&T's Chairman and CEO Robert E. Allen announced Oct. 23.Several AT&T divisions will report to Walter in his new position...

PEOPLE

J.D. Power and Associates appointed Joanne Codella its new manager of wireless services. Her responsibilities will include managing syndicated and proprietary customer satisfaction studies in the wireless industry. Codella worked for AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and Panasonic Cellular before joining the company.360

NOT ALL OF THE PCS BIDS REFLECT THE HEAVY HITTERS BEHIND THEM

WASHINGTON-While it may not be an auctionwide pattern, bidders on the largest basic trading areas (ranked by pop) in the D-, E- and F-block personal communications services auction tend to be the heavy financial hitters, even if some of the prices being offered do...

CELLULAR CUSTOMERS LIKE SERVICE FROM AT&T BEST

NEW YORK-Cellular subscribers said they are most satisfied with customer service from AT&T Wireless Services Inc., according to J.D. Power and Associates' second annual survey of customer satisfaction in the cellular telecommunications sector.AT&T's move to market services as AT&T Wireless contributed to its higher...

FIRMS TAKE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO IN-BUILDING WIRELESS MARKET

AT&T Wireless Services Inc. is pushing its PBX-connected, digital microcellular in-building wireless system, saying it sees a 40 percent compounded annual growth rate for the business market."There are about 86 million business telephones in use in the United States," said Jerry Kaufman, an analyst...

GERMANY PREPARES TO PERMIT 4TH OPERATOR AS CARRIERS CUT RATES

Concurrent with the bidding deadline to operate a fourth wireless phone network in Germany, cellular operators DeTeMobil and Mannesmann Mobilfunk GmbH have announced extensive rate cuts.The American Embassy in Bonn, Germany, reported two consortia, a partnership of Viag and British Telecommunications plc, and a...

CELLULAR WORKS CATALOGS RETAIL SALES

Andres Link and Richard Swerdlow met three years ago playing basketball in Miami, and began discussing business opportunities. Last month, the University of Florida named the pair's partnership, Cellular Works, the fastest growing company in the state.Based in Hollywood, Fla., Cellular Works sells cellular...

GTE, T-NETIX TEAM FOR TECHNICAL TRIAL

ORLANDO, Fla.-GTE Telecommunication Services Inc. has teamed up with T-Netix to evaluate T-Netix's speaker verification technology, an authorization system for subscribers roaming outside their home calling area. The technology allows a digitized sample of a person's voice to be stored for authentication."Not only is...

AIR PHONE PROVIDERS TO OFFER SPECIAL VALUES FOR WINTER HOLIDAYS

Air-to-ground communications may give people an added incentive to fly this holiday season.GTE Airfone Inc. of Oak Brook, Ill., has introduced its $25 holiday card that will allow users to make an unlimited number of domestic and international calls during December. Card holders also...

WIRELESS INDUSTRY HOPES TO WOO HOLIDAY GIFT GIVERS

The wireless industry is primed to woo holiday shoppers this season to their stable of products, offering service that is inexpensive and easy to use, with no strings attached.In the past, a shopper trying to decide between a pager and a blouse, or a...

STATES WIN FIRST ROUND OF INTERCONNECT WAR

WASHINGTON-Any euphoria felt by wireless carriers following the recent adoption of new interconnection and local competition rules by the Federal Communications Commission should have melted away by now as the commission faces a long, uphill battle in federal court to defend the proxy-pricing aspects...

TELEMETRY SERVICES VIA CELLULAR EXPAND OMNPOINT TO BUY CHHERENT PRODUCT

LAS VEGAS-Telemetry applications made a strong showing at last week's Wireless Apps '96 show hosted by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association.Skywire Corp. announced a trial to monitor several hundred soda vending machines throughout Southern Nevada for J.W. Costello Beverage Co. in partnership with cellular...

AIRNET WILL RESTRUCTURE COMPANY DUE TO DEARTH OF FINANCING FOR PCS

NEW YORK-Because many new personal communications services providers are unable to pay out of pocket for equipment purchases, AirNet Communications Corp. announced last week it would downsize, restructure and direct its attention to customers capable of arranging financing independent of vendors."In markets outside the...

UNWIRED PLANET PORTS SOFTWARE TO GEOWORKS’ OPERATING SYSTEM

LAS VEGAS-After making a splash last July in the wireless Internet/intranet-access market with a micro-browser software solution optimized for so-called "thin-client" wireless devices, Unwired Planet Inc. is moving on up to "fatter" devices that contain more memory and processing power.The Redwood Shores, Calif.-based company...

RCR TOP 20 MOBILE DATA CARRIERS

Editor's Note: The RCR editorial staff has compiled this list of terrestrial-based, two-way mobile data operators based on interviews with industry contacts. The chart is arranged alphabetically since many of the companies are just starting to offer services.Although most cellular and specialized mobile radio carriers...

CENTENNIAL CELLULAR DEBT IS UPGRADED BY MOODY’S

NEW YORK-Moody's Investors Service Inc. announced Oct. 10 it has upgraded its ratings on $350 million in outstanding debt issued by Centennial Cellular, New Canaan, Conn.The New York-based rating agency raised its speculative grade rating to B1 from B2 on two senior note issues: $250...