The paging industry last week experienced a flurry of major resale deals involving several large carriers.BellSouth Corp. followed paging carriers Metrocall Inc., AirTouch Paging and Arch Communications Group Inc. in reselling airtime on PageMart Wireless Inc.'s ReFLEX 25 advanced messaging network.BellSouth announced it is...
While paging carriers work to upgrade their network technology to fit the advanced messaging paradigm, several also are working to upgrade the services available on their networks, namely content.For about a year now, information content has been available to subscribers for free. The idea...
Metrocall Inc. reported revenues for the first quarter ended March 31 of $145.2 million, a substantial increase from the $96.3 million reported for first-quarter 1998.Net loss for the quarter was $46 million, or $1.15 per share, compared with a net loss of $28.2 million,...
ALEXANDRIA, Va.-The Personal Communications Industry Association announced Omnipoint Communications Inc. President George Schmitt was elected chairman of the PCIA board of directors. Formerly the association's treasurer, Schmitt succeeds Metrocall Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William Collins.
Faced with an uncertain future and many difficult questions, members of the Paging Leadership Association met last month in Florida to determine how the industry should position itself in a game that is moving in an increasing number of new directions."The big question is...
NASHVILLE, Tenn.-Page Update Inc. announced it has formed a partnership with Metrocall Inc. to extend its weather, traffic, breaking news, sports and country music information service to Metrocall's customer base in Tennessee.
"To see what competitive telecommunications will look like tomorrow, look at wireless today," read a banner at CTIA's Wireless '99. That's not the way Ernest Kelly, president of the Telecommunications Resellers Association, sees it."I wish I had more encouraging things to say, but I...
Amid speculation that it could be a takeover target by MCI WorldCom Inc., SkyTel Communications Inc. announced a new pricing plan and a major strategic alliance last week, both designed to better position it for the wireless messaging battle ahead.Most significantly, the company announced...
PageMart Wireless Inc. expanded its resale and network integration effort last week, announcing a two-stage strategic relationship with AirTouch Communications Inc.'s paging division, similar to an agreement announced with Metrocall Inc. last November.Under the first phase of the agreement, AirTouch will begin reselling PageMart's...
Metrocall Inc. may have gained a bit of a lead in the information services race last week, announcing the launch of OnTheGoInfo, a customizable suite of services using the i Kno! information architecture platform developed by Motorola Inc.OnTheGoInfo offers three levels of service, which...
DALLAS-Metrocall Inc. has begun participating in America Online Inc.'s AOL Rewards Program, according to Digital Marketing Services Inc., which provides incentive programs for the Internet service provider.Under the program, AOL members who purchase Metrocall products will be given points redeemable for free online service...
NEW YORK-Using funds from a bank credit facility, Metrocall Inc., Alexandria, Va., paid $16.2 million to buy back all outstanding shares of its Series B junior preferred stock. The repurchased shares will be retired.By repurchasing the securities, the nationwide paging and messaging carrier said...
Shared Technologies Cellular Inc. announced it signed a letter of intent with MCI WorldCom's prepaid services division to provide prepaid cellular services nationwide under MCI WorldCom's brand name, and through its extensive distribution network. An agreement is expected to be signed within 45 days,...
At the end of each year, the RCR editorial staff looks back on the news events that made RCR headlines and decides which were the most significant, industry-impacting stories of the past 12 months. Here are our picks for 1998.1. March 16IPR issues spark...
After months of aggressive buildout-beginning in late June with the Texas launch-PageMart Wireless Inc. announced its two-way, ReFLEX 25-based narrowband personal communications services network is available nationwide.The $310 million, Internet Protocol network upgrade adds two-way messaging capabilities to its existing FLEX network and, with...
NEW YORK-Metrocall Inc., Alexandria, Va., was expected to place privately last week a $250 million issue of 10-year senior subordinated notes that cannot be redeemed by the paging carrier for at least five years.Proceeds of the new issue will repay outstanding borrowings from a...
The wireless implications of America Online Inc.'s acquisition of Netscape Communications Corp. and its related strategic alliance with Sun Microsystems Inc. continue to reverberate as more attention has been given to the possible role paging carrier Metrocall Inc. may play in AOL's long-term strategy.On...
The Internet landscape was altered dra-matically last week when America Online Inc. announced it will acquire Netscape Communications Corp. in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at $4.2 billion.At the same time, AOL also announced it entered into a strategic alliance with Sun Microsystems Inc. to...
For some time, the paging industry has looked to information services as one possible means to increase revenue, but several technological obstacles have restricted the level of customization required for such services to offer real value.Last week, those obstacles were cleared when 11 paging...
Alltel Corp. said it acquired Armstrong Cellular Inc.'s 15-percent interest in a network the two companies operate in Charleston, W.Va. Alltel now has 100 percent control of the operation. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The company also said last month it launched...
In their effort to promote profitable growth vs. growth at all costs, paging carriers have watched their net subscriber additions fall incrementally over the last several quarters, most notably from the second to the third.Perhaps the most dramatic reduction of subscriber additions came from...
ITAThe Industrial Telecommunications Association said it appointed Laura Leigh Smith executive director, government relations. She formerly was deputy division chief (legal) in the public safety and private wireless division of the Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Smith will be responsible for representing interests...
During its third-quarter earnings conference call, Metrocall Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer William Collins III, announced the company plans to have its dedicated e-commerce site available to America Online customers in the next two weeks.A joint marketing agreement the two entered recently called...
Metrocall Inc. and PageMart Wireless Inc. have entered a five-year strategic alliance that is part resale agreement, part shared network buildout relationship.In the first phase of the alliance, to begin immediately, Metrocall plans to resell PageMart's advanced messaging services in areas where PageMart's narrowband...
