SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Motorola Inc. said it proposed unified Time Division Multiple Access technology guidelines that would allow interoperability and easier migration between TDMA technology and the Frequency Division Multiple Access technology already approved for Project 25 Phase II two-way radio standards.Motorola's guidelines for the TDMA...
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla.-Motorola Inc. introduced what it called a significant upgrade to its ReFLEX technology for two-way paging."With this upgrade, we are adding additional flexibility to help reduce deployment costs and open the door for new applications on existing networks," said Bob Schwendeman, vice...
The Wireless Application Protocol had the biggest coming-out party of its 20-month life span during Telecom '99 in Geneva, with more than 100 carriers, vendors and content providers displaying WAP and WAP-related products, warts and all.While WAP's momentum has grown all year, many consider...
HarrisHarris Corp. previewed its ClearBurst 2.5/3.4/10.5 GHz point-to-multipoint system, the newest addition to the Harris broadband wireless access product line, which is intended for deployment by public service providers as well as private network operators. The ClearBurst product offers a solution for delivering Time...
GENEVA-The European Telecommunications Standards Institute and the Wireless Application Protocol Forum signed a cooperation agreement designed to drive interoperability of standards for wireless mobile Internet, according to the WAP Forum.The organization said this new agreement underlines the importance of collaboration between standardization groups to...
WASHINGTON-The Network Reliability and Interoperability Council is recommending that wireless carriers voluntarily report when a mobile telephone switching office fails, preventing transmission of new calls for 30 minutes or more.Making the reporting requirement voluntary is a win for the wireless industry, which had worried...
NEW YORK-Wireless devices and the services they deliver in the Internet age represent an opportunity so large it is nearly unfathomable and dwarfs any second-place possibilities, according to Bill Joy, chief scientist of Sun Microsystems Inc.Nevertheless, the United States, which pioneered the Internet, enters...
The biggest challenge for wireless operators during the next four years most likely will be obtaining additional spectrum, according to Keith Radousky, director of engineering, BellSouth Cellular Corp. "(Wireless) data is going to take off similar to how it took off in the wireline...
Several global telecommunications players announced alliances or considerations for mergers during the last few weeks.AT&T and British Telecom announced a strategic alliance designed to create seamless mobile communications services worldwide.AT&T's and BT's new alliance, named Advance, will provide a new mobile global account services...
NEW ORLEANS-Standards bodies met with the International Telecommunication Union last week to prepare the detailed specifications of third-generation mobile-phone technology.The ITU is trying to find the best way to work with all standards bodies developing 3G specifications. This follows a recent ITU meeting in...
WASHINGTON-A new Senate report concludes most wireless carriers and other telecom service providers are not endangered by year-2000 computer glitches, but lawmakers warned that inadequate preparation by rural telcos, local 911 emergency dispatchers, small businesses and foreign nations could have a domino effect that...
Joining several other third-party developers creating applications for the Wireless Application Protocol, CMG Telecommunications introduced its WAP Service Broker, a platform designed to connect wireless phone users to WAP-based content.The WSB is a platform that carriers can place in their networks to complement WAP...
The need to add a wireless play in global telecommunications alliances became clearer last week as AT&T Corp. and British Telecommunications plc announced a strategic alliance designed to create seamless mobile communications services worldwide."In general, we've seen a lot of domestic consolidation," said Bob...
WASHINGTON-The Congressional Budget Office predicts the transition to digital television will take longer than anticipated, a possible outcome that will delay the rollout of new 800 MHz public-safety systems across the country and likely reduce auction receipts from the sale of analog broadcast spectrum.Under...
WASHINGTON-A standards subcommittee of the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions plans to create a new working group to develop standards for fixed-access solutions.The Standards Committee T1's Technical Subcommittee for Wireless/Mobile Services and Systems, sponsored by the ATIS, approved forming the group-T1P1.4-which will develop standards...
ARLINGTON, Va.-The Tele-communications Industry Association said it published a new standard, "Mobile Center-Base Station Interface for Public Wireless Communications Systems."The standard is organized into a base part and five subordinate parts as follows. TIA/EIA-634.000 contains all global references, definitions and terminology, as well as...
WASHINGTON-"All problems that occur on Jan. 1 will be assumed to be Y2K problems," said John Koskinen, chair of the President's Council on Y2K Conversion. Koskinen spoke Thursday to the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council.This assumption, that all problems will be related to the...
BOSTON-Smart cards are poised to move beyond their role in identifying Global System for Mobile communications subscribers, due to momentum outside wireless and beyond U.S. borders.The challenge both for telecommunications carriers and for smart-card manufacturers is to harness these forces or risk losing their...
SANTA CLARA, Calif.-The five founding companies of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group-Ericsson Inc., IBM Corp., Intel Corp., Nokia Corp. and Toshiba Corp.-announced the release of the Bluetooth 1.0 specification.The Bluetooth 1.0 specification consists of two documents-the Foundation Core, which provides design specifications, and the...
NEW YORK-A corporate culture of hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil spells problems ahead, even for companies that think they have gotten the millennium bug out of their systems, Johnson M. Hart said.Since 1994, Hart, founder of JMH Associates, Weston, Mass.,...
WASHINGTON-FCC Commissioner Michael Powell warned members of the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council last week the millennium bug was a special problem that requires everyone to work together. For that reason, Powell said, information cannot be kept from the Federal Communications Commission.If companies have...
SAN FRANCISCO-The Wireless Application Protocol Forum has released the latest version of its mobile Internet standard-WAP version 1.1-at its members meeting.Enhancements to the new version include: local and international support to create one worldwide standard for mobile Internet communications; static conformance needed for interoperability...
Nine global wireless companies formed a focus group, called 3G.IP, to promote an Internet Protocol-based wireless system for third-generation technology. The group comprises AT&T, British Telecom, Rogers Cantel, Ericsson, Lucent, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Telenor and Telecom Italia Mobile.Motorola signed a 10-year, US$1 billion strategic...
NEW YORK-Ericsson Mobile Phones, Research Triangle Park, N.C., introduced a suite of new handsets June 21 at MobileFocus '99 that the company plans to offer for sale later this year and early next year.For those who want a wireless communications device rugged enough for...
