Federal regulators late last week approved final rules for the 900 MHz specialized mobile radio service auction on Nov. 28.The Federal Communications Commission said 1,020 licenses, or 20 1-channel blocks in 51 major trading areas, will be sold in a simultaneous multiple round auction.The...
PCS PrimeCo L.P. has chosen AT&T Network Systems Inc. and Motorola Inc. to be equipment manufacturers for its nationwide personal communications services network.AT&T and Motorola will split the contract equally, with Motorola primarily supplying radio transmitters and receivers. The total contract is valued at...
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-Pilipino Telephone Corp. awarded Motorola Inc.'s International Cellular Infrastructure Division a $270 million contract to expand and enhance its Mobiline cellular phone system, said Motorola.The initial phase of the multi-year contract will replace metropolitan Manila's current Advanced Mobile Phone System and U.S....
WASHINGTON - The structure of the wireless telecommunications industry will be in a constant state of flux for the near future due to evolving regulatory, technological and economic changes, according to a new government report.Nevertheless, according to Congress' Office of Technology Assessment, the role...
WASHINGTON-The GOP-led Congress this fall will tackle landmark budget and telecommunications bills as part of a legislative agenda so sweeping and historic in scope that the outcome may well determine the success or failure of the year-old Republican revolution and provide an early barometer...
Hindsight is best. Had I been able to anticipate what I call the Greed Factor-the behavior of a growing number of microwave incumbents in the 1.8 to 2.2 GHz band who seek to profit unreasonably from their relocation-at the time I participated in crafting...
SEATTLE-The Aviation Communications Division of AT&T Wireless Services announced the domestic offering of new ground-to-air service on its all-digital, inflight telecommunications system."Consumers now have the option of being reached in flight for business or personal matters," said Randy Ottinger, vice president of marketing for...
Cellular operators may have to continue to price digital service lower than analog to capture and keep customers until digital service matures and can offer advanced features, said cellular phone analyst Herschel Shosteck. But digital service has been accepted by users more quickly than...
Paging Network Inc. completed the purchase of the paging assets of California-based International Paging Corp. effective Sept. 1. PageNet said it will acquire 50,000 IPC paging customers in California, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Washington and Utah for a cash purchase price of $15 million. "We...
WASHINGTON-A campaign that officially kicks off this week to fight the planned giveaway of digital TV channels to broadcasters is partially funded by the cellular telephone industry, which fears any such giveaway will mean increased fees for cellular operators.Specifically, the cellular industry is worried...
Safety and security may be among the top reasons people buy cellular phones, but these features often fall short in one area: 911 service. But the state of Washington is hoping to remedy that situation with a new law that makes cellular carriers offer enhanced...
WASHINGTON-Stepped-up lobbying by city, state and county officials and support from a top House Republican likely will weaken the Klug-Manton antenna siting amendment in the House-Senate conference on telecommunications reform legislation this fall.Rep. Thomas Bliley, R-Va., chairman of the Commerce Committee and chief sponsor...
WASHINGTON-The federal government is trying to mend its rocky relationship with the public-safety community, following a series of flare-ups between the two during the past year.Last week, the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration named Washington, D.C, lawyer Philip Verveer...
Launching personal communications services with a multitude of standards may be the way for industry to sort out the benefits of each technology, but it could set consumers up for chaos and confusion, said longtime wireless architect Jesse Russell.The AT&T Bell Laboratories engineer is...
Groups battling for unlicensed spectrum at 5 GHz to create a high-speed data system agree there is industry support for such a service, but the details now are in the hands of the Federal Communications Commission.Apple Computer Inc. petitioned the FCC in May to...
As major service providers work to gain position for the coming pocket-phone revolution, Sprint Corp. is letting loose of its cellular holdings in order to concentrate on its personal communications services licenses.Sprint has announced it intends to pursue a tax-free spinoff of its cellular...
WASHINGTON-Resale could become a powerful force in wireless telephony in the coming years, bringing an odd mix of competition and commerce to facilities-based carriers.Resale has experienced modest success in the 12-year-old cellular industry, but the infusion of more spectrum (120 megahertz) and new competition...
WASHINGTON-Congress is studying different approaches to spectrum reform in light of the $14 billion that lawmakers and the Clinton administration hope to extract from the airwaves during the next seven years.The Federal Communications Commission has raised $9 billion to date from selling licenses for...
WASHINGTON-MCI Communications Corp. turned itself into a national wireless powerhouse last week by signing cellular resale agreements with AT&T Corp., GTE Corp., BellSouth Corp., Frontier Corp. and the AirTouch Communications Inc.-Cellular Communications Inc. partnership known as New Par.The resale pacts build on MCI's $190...
A joint venture is underway to deliver "last mile"-or in this case last 20 miles-digital wireless connections for wireline phones in regions worldwide where phone service is costly, inadequate or nonexistent.Together, Granger Telecom, Loral Communications Systems and Unisys Corp. plan to implement wireless local...
Convergence shows its colors as cable TV provider Cox Communications Inc. charts its course into next-generation wireless telephony, underscored by its announcement last month of plans to use Code Division Multiple Access technology on its personal communications services networks.The company is a PCS pioneer's...
No one can dispute the convenience of carrying a cellular phone, but should cellular phone users be prevented from accessing-for free-those wonderful and convenient 1-800 toll free numbers that landline telephone users enjoy-free?Up until now, cellular users were charged both long-distance and airtime fees...
WASHINGTON-The first system and billing identification codes for personal communications services have been assigned to AT&T Wireless Services by Cibernet Corp.Cibernet is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, which urged the assignment of codes so PCS carriers could proceed with negotiations...
WASHINGTON-The cellular industry continues to be shaped by the forces of deregulation and regulatory parity mandated in 1993 legislation passed by the then Democratic-controlled Congress and implemented on an on-going basis by the Federal Communications Commission.The same trends are expected to continue as the...
