Arch Communication Group Inc. said it has acquired Professiona Paging & Radio Inc., a privately owned paging business with operations in Florida, for $3 million in cash. PoePage’s operations will become a part of Arch Southeast Communications Inc. TEh acquisition incresases Arch’s total cousomer gase to more than 700,000 subscribers. Arch said it has acquired more than 260,000 subscriber units in 29 transactions since September 1986.
Following partnership agreements established last December, Northern Telecom Ltd. issued its first purchase order, valued at $2 million, to Qualcomm Inc. for Code Division Multiple Access-based cellular and personal communications services infrastructure and subscriber equipment, Qualcomm said. Northern Telecom is supplying BC TEL Mobility of Vancouver, Canada network equipment, valued at $60 million. BC TEL plans to overlay its existing analog cellular network with CDMA technology throughout British Colombia over the next five years. Deployment may begin second quarter 1996, Qualcomm noted.
TalkAlong, a personal communications cellular phone service, has been introduced by Bell Atlantic Mobile in its Washington D.C./Baltimore market. Calling it the “affordable portable,” BAM said the new service features one of the nation’s lowest wireless service rates when calling in any of five Washington metropolitan area zones. TalkAlong is priced starting at $40 for a handset. Service in the five designated areas costs $15 per month and 35 cents per minute. BAM intends to begin TalkAlong commercial service in its northern New Jersey market this summer, the Philadelphia tri-state and Pittsburgh regions by third quarter and in its remaining markets by year’s end.
The regional Bell operating companies said they plan to sell their research arm, Bell Communications Research Co., saying the consortium no longer makes sense. Morgan Stanley Inc. has been retained to try to sell the Livingston, N.J.-based company. Bellcore was formed in 1985 to serve as a research point for all seven Bellcos. However, the Bell companies have different approaches to managing their networks these days and are even competitors in some cellular markets.
Glenayre Technologies Inc. will design and manufacture messaging infrastructure equipment for the narrowband personal communications services market, using Motorola Inc.’s InFLEXion voice and data protocol. Along with switches, base stations and field receivers, Glenayre said it will develop some of the networking technology for Motorola. Developed by Motorola’s Advanced Messaging Systems Division, InFLEXion is faster than all current paging formats.
Cincinnati Bell Information Systems is acquiring two X International companies of Bristol, England, putting CBIS into the international communications marketplace. Xi Services Ltd. and Xi Systems Ltd. will become a part of both Cincinnati-based CBIS and its subsidiary, CBIS Ltd., based near London. The move will give CBIS the capability of providing Global System for Mobile communications products, the European standard for mobile. X International provides software and services for telecom companies.
