ORLANDO, Fla.-To paraphrase a Bell Atlantic commercial, "wild things are happening" in dispatch radio, according to speakers at the recent PCS '98 show.Just outside the spotlight, which is focused on the apparent dominance of Nextel Communications Inc. and the demise of Geotek Communications Inc.,...
Sources indicate Ericsson Inc. may be preparing to enter the cdmaOne handset business.Ericsson, the only major vendor that has yet to license Interim Standard-95 technology from Qualcomm Inc., has been in discussions with at least one cdmaOne handset vendor in an attempt to arrange...
Italy's Communications Minister Antonio Maccanico was reported in foreign press as saying the country may engage in yet another auction for a fourth mobile phone license, possibly before the end of the year.Maccanico said the growth rate for the mobile phone industry in Italy...
WASHINGTON-Cellular operators last week overwhelmingly opposed a revised consumer-group proposal to route 911 analog calls to the cellular carrier most likely to complete the call, but it remains unclear whether carriers are ready to embrace a new Telecommunications Industry Association plan to handle emergency...
The 15th Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union kicks off today in Minneapolis, a meeting whose focus on internal governance and strategic planning could be overshadowed by an item likely not to appear on the official agenda: third-generation wireless technology. The meeting lasts from...
NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. and Japanese trading group Itochu have readjusted their ownership schemes in a consortium led by Spain's Telefonica, which successfully bid for Brazilian A-band cellular operator Tele Sudeste Celular Participacoes.DoCoMo, which initially had an 8.5-percent stake in the consortium, reduced...
NEW YORK-At least in the short run, prospects for deployment of large-scale Code Division Multiple Access networks in the People's Republic of China are on hold.However, the longer-term outlook could be brighter, according to Boston-based Information Gatekeepers Inc., which hosted a recent China Telecom...
In comments that may reflect competitive positions in today's mobile phone market, mobile phone and mobile satellite service industries told the Federal Communications Commission more spectrum will be needed for third-generation services.Industry comments are in response to a Notice of Inquiry the FCC released...
WASHINGTON-A confluence of factors are converging that may force the Federal Communications Commission to relax the commercial wireless 45 megahertz spectrum cap, an antitrust check that some feel has outlived its intended purpose and even may be hindering wireless industry development.The emergence of mobile...
WASHINGTON-After months of delay, oral arguments are set for the week of Nov. 30 on legal challenges to radio-frequency radiation exposure guidelines adopted by the Federal Communications Commission in late 1996.The outcome of the litigation has enormous implications for the wireless telecom industry, which...
Let the battle for the high-end mobile phone users begin.Sprint Spectrum L.P. late last week introduced three new all-inclusive national pricing plans that eliminate roaming and long-distance fees on its digital network nationwide. The plans charge $70 per month for 600 minutes, $100 per...
Motorola Cellular Service Inc. announced it achieved operational and marketing certification to become a North American service provider of Iridium L.L.C.'s satellite communications services. MCSI will offer Motorola Satellite Series phones and pagers with the full range of Iridium services.Nextel Communications Inc. launched enhanced...
Swedish telecommunications equipment manufacturer L.M. Ericsson released details of a reorganization plan that signals an increased focus on markets and customers, said the company. The new organization is expected to be fully implemented by Jan. 1.Lars Stalberg, a spokesman for the company, said no...
WASHINGTON-Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) abruptly tabled his E911 federal-land antenna-siting bill last week after controversy erupted over local zoning rights and liability, effectively killing the legislation for this year and setting the stage for an aggressive campaign to pass the measure...
SONYSony Electronics' Personal Mobile Communications-America announced the availability of a dual-mode 800 MHz analog/Code Division Multiple Access version of its D-Wave Zuma wireless handset. The lithium ion battery provides up to 2.3 hours of talk time or up to 45 hours standby time in...
LONDON-Orange plc said it will offer the equivalent of any competitor's digital package on its network under a new program called the Orange Value Promise.The U.K.-based operator has studied its competitors' pricing and believes its packages-which customers can switch back to for free-give the...
For months now, my buddy Mike Houghton and the North American GSM Alliance have been scratching their heads trying to figure out how Qualcomm, Lucent and the CDMA crowd have made such inroads with Congress and the Clinton administration on this seemingly esoteric issue...
WASHINGTON-Pekka Tarjanne, outgoing secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union, predicted last week a family of third-generation wireless standards will emerge by year's end and that family will include a standard "pretty close" to the Global System for Mobile communications-based technology dominated by Sweden's...
ORLANDO, Fla.-Carriers in the Asia-Pacific are beginning to re-evaluate their choice of digital technology, opening a new door for Interim Standard-136 Time Division Multiple Access in the region, said officials and members of the Universal Wireless Communications Consortium last week.The group held a press...
WASHINGTON-If you listen to the wireless communications industry, strongest signal procedures will not be necessary once legislation to underwrite wireless E911 upgrades with fees paid by mobile phone carriers when they site antennas on federal property is passed by Congress.McCain introduced such legislation last...
HEWLETT PACKARDA complete test solution for installing and maintaining radio-frequency infrastructure systems for Cellular Digital Packet Data and mobile data base station equipment was introduced by Hewlett-Packard Co. at the Personal Communications Showcase '98 trade show last week in Orlando, Fla. The solution is...
Dear Senator McCain: As chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, you have taken courageous stands on many major controversial issues of the day. Even at the risk of becoming a pariah in your own party and a political target of the powerful tobacco lobby, you...
The year-old Asian financial crisis is being blamed for an increasingly gloomy outlook for the third quarter, which ends this week. The situation is compounded by growing economic worries in Russia and Latin America and a weakened semiconductor market.Several companies warned investors last week...
WASHINGTON-Lawmakers for months have been deluged with letters from constituents who fear the Federal Communications Commission will not make the wireless industry comply with the 1996 telecom act's mandate to make mobile phones accessible to hearing impaired individuals and other disabled Americans.In many cases,...
