August 1995

With numerous acquisition agreements in hand and others awaiting, ComTec International Inc. is pursuing business opportunities in specialized mobile radio and other wireline and wireless sectors. ComTec, formerly Nattem USA Inc., in May purchased Keystone Holding Corp. The transaction was …

Three Chinese state ministries have created a competitor for China’s monopolistic Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to expand the nation’s telecommunications system. China United Telecommunications Corp., Unicom, initially intends to offer Global System for Mobile communications service in Beijing, Tianjin, …

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WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration last week proposed revising its controversial Clipper chip proposal in a way that reduces federal government oversight without compromising law enforcement’s ability to conduct legal wiretaps. The White House, under the new plan, would relax restrictions on …

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Korea Electric Power Corp. added eight sites to the existing four sites of its L.M. Ericsson Ltd. trunked system, which uses Enhanced Digital Access Communications System technology. Korea Electric hopes to expand the system by the end of the year …

CHESAPEAKE, Va.-MAP Mobile Communications Inc. said it deployed the FLEX high-speed paging protocol from Motorola Inc.’s Paging Products Group on its nationwide alphanumeric paging network. “The rapid growth of our alphanumeric subscriber base resulted in a need for a powerful …

BELLEVUE, Wash.-McCaw Cellular Communications Inc. said it has begun testing switching equipment from AT&T Network Systems Inc. and L.M. Ericsson in two markets. McCaw plans to purchase $450 million dollars worth of switching equipment during the next several years from …

Vigorous consolidation in the U.S. paging industry continues as MobileMedia Corp. closes its $188.5 million purchase of the paging and messaging business of South Carolina-based Dial Page Inc. The rest of the Greenville company will be merged into Nextel Communications …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission and Underwriters Laboratories certified Northern Telecom’s 1.9 GHz personal communications services network equipment, the company said. Nortel said its radio base station equipment, based on PCS 1900 Global System for Mobile communications technology, complies with parts …

George Schmitt jumped ship as PCS PrimeCo L.P. leader to join the personal communications services team at Omnipoint Communications Inc. Schmitt will be its president.

PriCellular Corp. has appointed Mary Tavernini as director of sales and marketing for Cellular One of the upper peninsula of Michigan. She formerly worked for BellSouth Cellular Corp. in Milwaukee as manager of major accounts. Tavernini will help PriCellular grow …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission’s effort to promote narrowband technologies in congested private wireless bands below 800 MHz by adopting flexible channeling schemes and market-driven incentives is running into early problems. The FCC, which in June adopted the so-called “refarming” decision, …

DALLAS-Paging Network Inc. expects to gain 8,000 paging subscribers through a $7.5 million cash purchase of Celpage Inc., as specified in definitive agreements between the companies. PageNet completed acquisitions of ComTech Inc., SNET Paging Inc., PageAmerica Group Inc. and PageFlorida …

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt last week announced plans to reduce the agency’s work force by 10 percent as well as close certain field offices around the country. Hundt’s recommendations, which now go before the five-member agency, come as …

August is supposed to be a slow month in the nation’s capital, but even though Congress and the president are out of town there is movement on other fronts. There’s some noise, too. Didn’t you hear the giant suck-up sound …

PITTSBURGH-Communications pioneer Jack N. Berkman, founder and chairman of The Associated Group Inc., died Aug. 3 at his New York City home. He was 90. Berkman led Associated Communications Corp. in 1983 to build and operate one of the first …

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 …

Noting the Federal Communications Commission recently ended state regulation of cellular service rates in California, AirTouch Cellular Communications Inc. announced lower prices and new service plans in its Los Angeles market. The carrier reduced the price of its After Hours …

MONTVALE, N.J.-Israel-based RDC-Rafael Development Corp. said it will exchange its interest in PowerSpectrum Technology Ltd. for 1.8 million shares of common stock of Geotek Communications Inc. PowerSpectrum is a joint venture company that holds the rights to commercial application of …

WASHINGTON-The entrepreneur block auction for personal communications services licenses that was to begin next week has been postponed again in what has turned into a legal quagmire and an embarrassing setback for the Federal Communications Commission. A lawsuit filed last …

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 …

Six consortia met the August deadline to apply for Ireland’s second mobile phone license, which could be awarded by the Irish Department of Transport, Energy and Communications by the end of the year. Scattered among the groups hoping to capture …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson has won a contract with Korea Telecom to provide the first phase of a mobile data network based on Mobitex technology. Korea Telecom, a government-run telecommunications company, intends to launch its wireless data service early in 1996, …

Omnipoint Corp. is one among a handful of PCS innovators promised a reward by the Federal Communications Commission for enterprising work in personal communications services. But three years and $350 million dollars later, its pioneer’s preference award for the New …