EAST FISHKILL, N.Y.-IBM Corp. introduced a family of multipoint wireless networking products based on the Advanced Infrared connectivity standard, which enables users to instantly connect wirelessly with mobile computers, printers, wireless modems, local area networks and cellular phones.AIr allows many devices to simultaneously connect...
A dispute between the Greater Harris County (Texas) 9-1-1 Network and Houston Cellular concerning a Phase II enhanced 911 deployment in Houston could be headed to court.GHC 9-1-1 last week filed a lawsuit claiming one of Houston Cellular's owners, BellSouth Cellular Corp., interfered with...
U S West Inc.'s and Global Crossing Ltd.'s marriage announcement last week leaves BellSouth Corp. the only Baby Bell not betrothed in the telecommunications industry."There no longer is a need for a regional Bell operating company or a local exchange carrier because today, we...
WASHINGTON-In order to be effective in the next millennium, the Federal Communications Commission must reorganize itself to better deal with converging industries, according to many panelists taking part in two discussions last Thursday afternoon.The FCC held a public forum on "A new FCC for...
STOCKHOLM-L.M. Ericsson announced it is supplying a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access system to Hong Kong-based SmarTone Mobile Communications Ltd.The experimental third-generation system could support wireless Internet protocol and other packet-based wireless datacom and multimedia systems at 470 kilobits per second and faster with...
WASHINGTON-A federal appeals court Tuesday stayed the Federal Communications Commission's rules regarding the unauthorized switching of long-distance carriers, a practice known as slamming. The rules went into effect May 17.Long-distance carriers, specifically MCI Worldcom Inc., argued the rules were too stringent.AT&T Corp. hailed the...
SALT LAKE CITY-World Wireless Communications Inc. said it received a significant investment from the pension plan of Siemens AG. The investment amount was not disclosed.The company also introduced the 900 SS Hopper and the X-tra Web products.The 900 SS Hopper is a frequency-hopping spread...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission should encourage the deployment of wireless technology in rural America, including Indian reservations, said 11 Senate Democrats last week."As you know, there are some rural areas that currently lack basic phone service or have very inadequate service. Some of these...
WASHINGTON-"Roaming is not yet dead, but it is traveling," said Gary Bowman, network marketing program director for Bell Mobility Canada, on Wednesday, to a conference on international mobile roaming.In the current environment of one-rate plans and large buckets of minutes, some have said roaming...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission is in full preparation for the paging license auction set to begin before the end of the year.Meantime, the FCC must grapple with a host of other issues of interest to paging carriers, including interconnection, numbering and how customer information...
Subscribers of Paging Network Inc. service in some 16 southeastern and southwestern states experienced service disruption for several hours Tuesday evening after lightning struck a terrestrial-based satellite uplink facility.The incident occurred at about 6: 30 p.m. Central Standard Time at the uplink facility located in...
SWINDON, England-Lucent Technologies Inc. announced plans to deliver PacketGSM, a technology that will allow both voice and data to travel on more cost-efficient packet networks within a Global System for Mobile communications infrastructure."PacketGSM technology is intended to offer a real path towards the much...
NEW YORK-With support of the industry it oversees, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission unanimously approved May 20 a regulation to restrict the use of cellular phones by cab drivers while their vehicles are in motion.The commission drafted the regulation earlier this...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau told private wireless advocates it is inclined to grant 54 waivers by Nextel Communications Inc., which would allow Nextel to use private wireless spectrum commercially.Senior WTB officials including Chief Thomas Sugrue told private wireless advocates from the...
DENVER-Access to two portions of RCR's Web site, rcrnews.com, has been restricted to paid subscribers effective May 14. Paid subscribers can use the last nine digits of their subscriber number to gain access to the full weekly issue of RCR and its six years...
Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association President Tom Wheeler has announced this year's Vita Wireless Samaritans, all of whom used their wireless phones to save, protect or improve themselves or the lives of those around them.CTIA will honor a person from each state, the District of...
WASHINGTON-Two powerful telecommunications lawmakers have brought the wireless industry into the debate about the amount of funding for Internet connections for schools and libraries, known as the e-rate.Reps. Thomas Bliley (R-Va.), chairman of the House Commerce Committee, and Billy Tauzin (R-La.), chairman of the...
NEW YORK-SBA Communications Corp., a Boca Raton, Fla., owner of wireless communications towers, plans to go public in June via an offering of 11.54 million shares in an expected price range of $12 to $14 each.Lehman Brothers Inc., New York, is lead underwriter of...
The dates were wrong in a May 17 story about an AT&T Wireless Services Inc. network outage in New York. The outage occurred on May 9 and 10. Also, the lawsuit against AT&T Wireless was not due to the outage. The incidents are separate,...
WASHINGTON-A House panel probing U.S.-Sino ties is expected this week to release a long-anticipated report that concludes satellite technology transfers and nuclear espionage by China have severely compromised U.S. national security.The release of the report, whose contents began leaking out last week, has been...
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...
In addition to adding towers to their portfolios, tower management companies also have started to bring wireless construction capabilities in-house in an effort to offer their carrier customers one-stop shopping.SpectraSite Holdings Inc., which recently secured a purchase lease-back and build-to-suit arrangement with Nextel Communications...
Confirming rumors that started when the company announced layoffs in March, voice paging provider Conxus Communications Inc. filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.The privately held company said it will continue its...
ATLANTA-Cellemetry L.L.C. announced it signed agreements with Cellular One Kansas/Missouri and Coastel Communications Co., extending Cellemetry's footprint to needed areas in the Kansas and Missouri markets, as well as Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico.
