Unwired Planet Inc. took another step toward making its vision of Wireless Application Protocol devices and services a commercial reality by providing interoperability testing between its WAP-enabled UP.Link Server and WAP-encoded browsers produced by handset manufacturers.The first company to begin testing its proprietary browser...
A move by the Chinese government is sure to develop a new wireless telecommunications landscape in China but also may create an uncertain future for foreign wireless infrastructure and handset vendors selling equipment there.The Chinese government is urging the country's wireless operators to purchase...
ORLANDO, Fla.-"I feel like I'm on a bucking bronco and about to get thrown into the mud," George Shaginaw Jr. said at the Wireless Location Applications Conference earlier this month."We are looking at nine wireless licensees in each market by October 2001, and we...
NEW YORK-If telecommunications companies worked in a vacuum, they would probably be well fortified against the Year 2000 electronics bug that threatens to hobble microprocessor-reliant equipment.Wireless networks that are newer than traditional landline systems often are equipped to pass muster in the new millennium....
AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and BellSouth Cellular Corp. have agreed to consolidate ownership of their jointly owned cellular properties in Los Angeles, Houston and Galveston, Texas, and have created a new management structure that will streamline operations, said the companies.The new agreement calls for...
WASHINGTON-The two trade associations representing the wireless industry last week joined other trade associations and the federal government in a major advertising campaign asking, "Are You Y2K OK?" The campaign's objective is to reach small- and medium-sized companies that may not be as diligent...
DALLAS-PrimeCo Personal Communications L.P. said Lucent Technologies Inc. now is its exclusive network infrastructure supplier after replacement of eight switches and more than 1,200 base stations during the past six months.PrimeCo said it replaced the mobile switching centers and base stations in Wisconsin; Austin/San...
HOLTSVILLE, N.Y.-Symbol Technologies Inc., which designs, manufactures and installs wireless local area network systems, bar-code systems and short-range wireless-connectivity products, today announced its support for and full participation in the development of the Bluetooth specification. Symbol is a member of the Bluetooth Special Interest...
WASHINGTON-About a year after the Clinton administration created a special panel in 1996 to assess potential threats to telecom networks and other critical infrastructure, the Pentagon conducted a top secret exercise-code named "Eligible Receiver"-that found national security vulnerability far greater than what the U.S....
Tom Wheeler, president and chief executive officer of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, last week opened the Location Technology Implementation Conference in San Francisco by calling for cooperation in the public-safety communications community in addressing E911 requirements."Our goal should be to develop a plan...
WASHINGTON-An agreement between GTE Corp. and AirTouch Paging, signed earlier this month, is a good example of how the telecommunications industry can work with "regulatory guidance but without regulatory fiat," said Rob Hoggarth, senior vice president for paging and messaging for the Personal Communications...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week issued service rules for using spectrum by local and state public-safety agencies, which included doubling the amount of spectrum available to some agencies.However, some key cities, such as Los Angeles, will not benefit from the FCC's action because...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is expected on Thursday to approve service rules for using the public- safety spectrum in the 746-806 MHz band. This spectrum currently is used for analog television channels 63, 64, 68 and 69, but is slated to be turned over...
The Telecommunications Industry Association's TR-45 Mobile and Personal Communications Systems engineering committee created a new work group that will address fixed wireless access and wireless local loop applications, said the organization.The group-TR-45.4.1-is assigned to the TR-45.4 Radio to Switching Technology subcommittee, which is responsible...
WASHINGTON-New public-safety spectrum will be denied to police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel well into early next century because of delays claimed by broadcasters in moving from analog to digital TV technology.The snafu is an embarrassment for Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.),...
WASHINGTON-When the Galaxy IV satellite went berserk in May and left most paging carriers and their customers holding the bag, the Federal Communications Commission said the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council would look into the outage.Some people say that reaction was knee-jerk because: 1) NRIC...
WASHINGTON-As U.S. and European wireless firms accuse each other of gaming the standards-setting process for third-generation wireless technology, it turns out the high-powered Qualcomm Inc. lobbyist playing the trade card here represented Sweden's L.M. Ericsson in a separate standards fight two years ago.In the...
WASHINGTON-The State Department, amid a flurry of high-level lobbying and an unsuccessful last-minute move to withdraw U.S. support for the European-based mobile phone technology used by carriers here and abroad, will forward four standards for third-generation wireless technology to the International Telecommunication Union this...
Several leading telecommunications and computer industry companies last week announced a technology platform that would allow all types of mobile devices to communicate with each other without cable connections.Companies including Intel Corp., IBM Corp., Toshiba Corp., Nokia Corp. and L.M. Ericsson are participating in...
After eliminating several engineering and operations positions in January, Sprint Spectrum L.P. said it is now in a long-term hiring mode with plans to focus heavily on technology development."From a technology perspective, we're really looking at being a leader in the industry," said Keith...
WASHINGTON-A three-star army general is trying to urge the Federal Communications Commission to allow emergency personnel using commercial wireless equipment to have priority access to the commercial network when they are engaged in first-response activities.FCC Chairman William Kennard and Commissioner Michael Powell (Defense commissioner),...
Vendors and carriers have renewed hope that the world could have one standard in place for third-generation systems, but Europe holds one of the keys in making it a reality.The situation is as political as ever as vendors, carriers and interest groups work within...
A new group consisting of personal computer, telecommunications and consumer electronics companies is developing a protocol for wirelessly connecting home appliances to PCs.The Home Radio Frequency Working Group's mission is "to enable the existence of a broad range of interoperable consumer devices by establishing...
ATLANTA-Spyglass Inc. and Fujitsu Software Corp. both have joined the Wireless Application Protocol Forum, the companies announced at CTIA's Wireless 98 trade show.Founded by L.M. Ericsson, Motorola Inc., Nokia Corp. and Unwired Planet Inc., WAP was formed to create a network-independent, global wireless protocol...
