The RCR research and editorial staffs have compiled this list of mobile satellite carriers based on interviews with industry contacts. The list is arranged alphabetically because most companies are not yet offering service and therefore cannot be ranked by subscriber numbers.Many of the companies...
WASHINGTON-The FBI should set digital wiretap capacity standards for messaging services based on percentages rather than geography, said the Personal Communications Industry Association in comments filed with the FBI last week. Those services include traditional paging, two-way paging, narrowband personal communications services, mobile satellite...
MarketwaveRichard Bryan is the new senior vice president of sales and marketing at Marketwave Corp. Bryan previously worked for AT&T Wireless Services Inc. as its vice president of sales and marketing, in charge of staff, national accounts and retail sales.Kansas CellularKansas Cellular announced several...
ZetronZetron Inc. launched the Model Z907 PCS Fault Finder, which provides fast notification of power amplifier and antenna problems at personal communications services sites. The PCS Fault Finder monitors forward radio-frequency power and antenna return loss in the 1.8 GHz to 2.0 GHz frequency...
NEW YORK-L.M. Ericsson announced several endeavors that will provide handsets with increasing degrees of global utility.The Swedish-based manufacturer said it is forming a "groundbreaking initiative" with four companies to create the "geostationary mobile satellite standard," or GMSS.Participating with Ericsson in developing GMSS are United...
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Strategis Group projected the number of people who use cellular service will increase from 285 million today, to 700 million by 2003, leaving the world's mobile satellite service operators scrambling for new subscribers.The challenge before MSS operators will be to target those...
New Enterprise AssociatesNew Enterprise Associates, a Palo Alto, Calif. venture capital firm, appointed Nobel Laureate Arno A. Penzias as a partner. Penzias is the senior technology adviser for Lucent Technologies Inc. He has written two books, Ideas and Information and Digital Harmony. Penzias won...
LONDON-The Middle East wireless sector continues to show positive signs, with several major contracts awarded and plenty of healthy GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) activity over the past year. In addition, carriers have begun to sign on with new mobile satellite services (MSS)...
OXFORD, United Kingdom-Iridium L.L.C. launched its global mobile satellite service last November, and demand for the service reportedly is high, but so far largely unfulfilled. Shortage of handsets is being cited as the main culprit.Such a situation is not uncommon in the early days...
The United States's largest independent cellular carrier in early January entertained bids from two potential buyers in what could become a global bidding war.AirTouch Communications Inc. confirmed it was in discussions with Bell Atlantic Corp. for a possible tie-up and later confirmed it had...
WASHINGTON-With a panoply of prickly issues tied to major telecom policies of local competition, disability access, spectrum management and digital wiretap compliance, the future could not be cloudier for the wireless industry in 1999.Besides the fact wireless policy is in flux and wireless management...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission, in actions designed to foster domestic and global competition, last week proposed allocating spectrum for fixed wireless access and approved a spectrum plan for broadband wireless local loop and other commercial services.Under the FCC proposal, the 3650-3700 MHz band would...
Slovenia, RomaniaOmnipoint Communications Inc. said it signed roaming agreements in Slovenia and Romania, with Mobitel d.d. Slovenia and Mobilrom S.A., respectively. Both countries are new territory for Omnipoint's roaming footprint. The company has roaming agreements throughout Europe and parts of the Middle East, Africa,...
Orbcomm Global L.P. announced its $500 million constellation of 28 low-earth-orbit satellites is complete and able to offer full commercial service worldwide.Orbcomm has offered limited service capabilities for more than two years on the two satellites it launched in 1995. However, those two satellites...
ADC Telecommunications Inc. completed its acquisition of Teledata Communications Ltd. for $15.75 per share, or about $200 million in cash.Omnipoint Communications Inc. launched commercial roaming with NPI Wireless of Traverse City, Mich. NPI operates Global System for Mobile communications services in the northern Michigan...
With the Nov. 1 commercial activation of Iridium L.L.C.'s satellite-based global mobile phone network, the mobile satellite services industry proved it is technologically possible to extend cellular communications to virtually any point on the planet.With this validation behind it, the industry faces another, equally...
WASHINGTON-Iridium L.L.C. has activated its global paging and messaging network, about two weeks after the commercial launch of its global satellite phone system.Messaging tests have gone well, and Motorola Inc. and Kyocera Corp., which make the Iridium pagers, are shipping the devices to the...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission last week officially proposed rules that could lead to the end of spectrum caps. Additionally, the FCC announced rules to relocate incumbents in the 2 GHz spectrum band that has been allocated to mobile satellite services.Both decisions could have dramatic...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission this week will vote to consider lifting the 45 megahertz spectrum cap, revamping relocation rules for 2 GHz mobile satellite operators and auctioning spectrum mandated by Congress-three controversial issues with broad implications for future terrestrial and space-based wireless systems that...
Analysts say the launch of Iridium L.L.C.'s mobile satellite service has positioned Globalstar L.L.P. to be a low-cost provider when it offers service around 2000.After losing 12 satellites in a rocket launch accident in September, Globalstar's general partner, Globalstar Telecommunications Ltd., has seen its...
What began as an idea 11 years ago is a reality today as Iridium L.L.C. brought its constellation of 66 low-earth-orbit satellites online for commercial service Nov. 1, becoming the world's first global wireless phone service provider."This is a very exciting week for Iridium,"...
WASHINGTON-On the basis of high-profile, sweeping bills, wireless telecom lobbyists had a miserable time of it in the 105th Congress.But given that lobbyists operated in the Age of Scandal, the results do not look so bad.Success this time around can be measured both in...
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...
BEACHWOOD, Ohio-Allen Telecom Inc. and LCC International Inc. announced they formed an agreement in which LCC will swap its test and measurement equipment and related software analysis tools business for the engineering, software and consulting business of Allen Telecom's Comsearch division.Comsearch has leading positions...
