Industry executives in February hailed the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue agreement as a major breakthrough in the 3G debate, but today it appears standards bodies have made little progress to pursue this framework, and political infighting among the 3G players remains.Executives in February agreed to...
MONTEREY, Calif.-Ending months of speculation and veiled tension, Microsoft Corp. last week officially announced it joined the Wireless Application Protocol Forum, a move many see as effectively ending a microbrowser war in the making.The announcement spurred a collective sigh of relief among industry players...
WASHINGTON-A Federal Communications Commission advisory committee last week launched the biggest effort yet improve a public-safety communications regime plagued by severe spectrum shortages and the lack of technical interoperability among fire, police and emergency medical agencies."Public is playing urgent catch-up," said Kathleen Wallman, chairwoman...
Nortele-mobility servicesNortel Networks introduced a portfolio of subscriber services, called e-mobility services, that provide rapid, flexible deployment of leading-edge voice and data capabilities optimized for the Internet Protocol environment. The services include Wireless Prepaid, Group Conferencing, Smart Mobile Access, Wireless Voice-Activated Dialing, Mobile Messaging...
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-The trunked radio industry in South Africa is about to experience a revolutionary change with the introduction of new technologies and standards. An entirely new market is being unlocked, and old markets are about to be reshuffled to allow for a more...
BAL HARBOUR, Fla.-Let the lobbying wars begin. The Universal Wireless Communications Consortium is stepping up efforts to promote Time Division Multiple Access technology around the world following the CDMA Development Group's success in working to open up the Chinese market to Code Division Multiple...
WASHINGTON-The Alliance for Telecommunications Solutions submitted a report last week to the Federal Communications Commission indicating no Year 2000-related problems were discovered in recent testing of the public switched telephone network.The interoperability testing included wireless to wireline call completion. These wireless/wireline tests were conducted...
In the first major initiative since the group formed in December, the WirelessReady Alliance held its first member meeting last week in Vancouver, where members discussed the state of the wireless data industry and plotted future strategy.Sierra Wireless Inc.-which formed the group-brought together 23...
WASHINGTON-Wireless telephones will work when the new millennium arrives-right? Well, maybe.The Federal Communications Commission last week refused to give a clean bill of health to the wireless industry regarding the millennium bug because only 31 percent of 300 companies surveyed responded to the FCC's...
BOCA RATON, Fla.-Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc. joined the Universal Wireless Communications Consortium in support of the Time Division Multiple Access-Global System for Mobile communications interoperability agreement made between the UWCC and the North American GSM Alliance L.L.C. in February, said Siemens.The TDMA-GSM...
WASHINGTON-Telecommunications networks are expected to pass the coming of the new millennium without catching the dreaded millennium bug, said a group representing local exchange carriers and a congressional report last week. While other areas of the national economy, such as health care, may still...
CANNES, France-InterWave Communications International Ltd. introduced its new packet-switched networking capability that provides interoperability between Global System for Mobile communications wireless and Internet protocol networks at the GSM World Congress Feb. 23-25 in Cannes, France.Based on InterWave's "GSM Network in a Box," demonstrations showed...
The Wireless Application Protocol effort gained momentum last week at the GSM World Congress in Cannes, France, with several Global System for Mobile communications carriers and handset manufacturers announcing WAP-compatible products.Nokia Corp. announced both a WAP-compatible handset and an agreement with France Telecom Group...
U.S. Global System for Mobile communications carriers took a financial beating in 1998, but analysts expect 1999 to look brighter for these carriers as they look to butter up their bottom lines and find strategic partners.Tight financing, high churn levels and a general under-performance...
NEW ORLEANS-The Universal Wireless Communications Consortium and the GSM North American Alliance announced plans to work to achieve interoperability between TDMA and GSM technology, a move that could facilitate national and global consolidation among carriers with incompatible technologies and in particular allow SBC Communications...
NEW ORLEANS-The Universal Wireless Communications Consortium, which represents the interests of Time Division Multiple Access technology proponents, demonstrated interoperability between 850 MHz and 1900 MHz networks at the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association Wireless '99 show in New Orleans.Groups of attendees on the show floor...
SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Motorola Inc.'s Commercial, Government and Industrial Solutions Sector announced it entered into a software alliance agreement with Cerulean Technology Inc. in an effort to beef up its wireless information solutions aimed at public-safety agencies.Under terms of the agreement, Motorola will resell Cerulean's PacketCluster...
The Wireless Application Forum held its latest members meeting last week in Dallas, convening this time to determine its road map for the coming year and into the next century.The meeting marked a transition from a focus on primarily technology issues to more of...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission has named Kathleen Wallman chairman of the FCC's Public Safety National Coordination Committee.In August, the FCC adopted rules calling for a new committee to develop technical standards for public-safety use of the spectrum in the 700 MHz band being made...
NEW YORK-Cautious optimism in the absence of completely verifiable proof is the prognosis for Year 2000 compliance by the wireless industry, according to consultants interviewed by RCR."How fraught with danger is the unknown? It is irresponsible to say 'head for the hills and take...
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...
WASHINGTON-Even Congress cannot stop the coming of the millennium. That was the message delivered last week to participants at a Year 2000, also known as Y2K, readiness conference sponsored by the Personal Communications Industry Association.Benjamin Woo of the House technology subcommittee warned the participants...
SEATTLE-Xypoint Corp. awarded its first certification for location determination technology to KSI Inc., which has developed TeleSentinel, a network-based wireless location system.The certification ensures the product provides seamless interoperability with Xypoint's enhanced 911 intelligent network solution.
WASHINGTON-The telecommunications industry forum studying whether the telephone network will work when the new century arrives needs better participation from the wireless industry, said Peter Spring of the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council.NRIC is a Federal Communications Commission advisory committee chartered to examine network...
