WORLD BRIEFS

Israel

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. said Paging Network Inc. has chosen the enhanced version of its Skystar Advantage very small aperture terminal satellite earth station, called NPCSkystar, for its narrowband personal communications services. NPCSkystar was developed to serve as a satellite-based infrastructure link between base stations of forthcoming NPCS paging networks, the company said.

Bosnia

L.M. Ericsson was awarded a contract valued at $59 million during the next 3.5 years from PTT Bosnia and Herzegovina to provide fixed and mobile equipment. The fixed order calls for 200,000 switching and subscriber lines to be installed in Bosnian cantons like Bihac, Tuzla and Sarajevo. The mobile part of the contract is for 30,000 Global System for Mobile communications lines. The agreement was partly vendor financed.

Canada

Cell-Loc Inc. received $275,000 from Mobility Canada as a show of good faith in the companies’ continuing joint research and development efforts of Cell-Loc’s Cellocate wireless positioning system technology. The two companies agreed earlier this year to the joint R&D efforts, marked by certain milestones and culminating in two field demonstrations, one of which is scheduled this month.

Research In Motion announced it signed a $1 million agreement to supply its radio modems to Gooitech Inc. Gooitech will use the modems for its upcoming WECatm wireless automated teller machine solution to conduct transactions over nationwide wireless networks.

Saudi Arabia

Lucent Technologies Inc. was awarded two contracts, in total valued at $810 million, by Saudi Telecommunications Co., to expand STC’s mobile phone network and to modernize its telephone switch systems. One contract, valued at $699 million, calls for Lucent to expand the Global System for Mobile communications network in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by 575,000 lines during the next 15 months.

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