September 1996

WASHINGTON-In a stunning move with perhaps more symbolism than substance, Ameritech Cellular Services left the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association last week because the trade group’s aggressive wireless agenda clashed with the Midwest regional Bell telephone company’s business plans. “Over time …

GREENBELT, Md.-Cellular One has started “FreedomPlus” service in the Washington D.C./Baltimore, Md., area. FreedomPlus is designed to operate between cellular and landline networks to deliver calls to a customer’s cordless phone at home or a cellular phone away from home …

Orange plc, one of the United Kingdom’s two 1800 MHz personal communications providers, announced it established a roaming agreement with the Swiss Post, Telephone and Telegraph. Concurrently, Colin Tucker, group technical and operations director, said he believes dual band phones, …

Teklogix International Inc. was awarded a $6.8 million contract to supply more than 1,100 rugged, wireless-enabled mobile computers, docking stations, technical support and service to the Chicago Police Department. The Badger computers are specially designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, …

REDMOND, Wash.-The Universal Wireless Communications Consortium has been formed to champion Interim Standard 136 Time Division Multiple Access and IS-41 wireless intelligent network technologies. “The UWCC was designed as a cooperative decision-making business entity with the express goal of promoting …

A cellular company in San Francisco is working to provide equal access to all people by providing special discounted prices on wireless phones and service to people with visual or mobility impairments. Since 1992, Cellular One, in conjunction with handset …

BOCA RATON, Fla.-“PCS and The New Wireless Marketplace,” the first show in the wireless communications series airing as part of The Cutting Edge Technology Report, will be broadcast Tuesday on the Discovery Channel via its transponder. Times for the show, …

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-Mark Golden, senior vice president of Industry Affairs for the Personal Communications Industry Association, has been accepted as a voting member of the Federal Communications Commission’s North American Numbering Council. Golden was chosen to represent PCIA and the wireless …

CLEVELAND-Allen Telecom Group will introduce seven new products at PCS ’96 this week. The PMR-722GC1 Sector-Extender Repeater and a new line of tower mounted amplifiers are designed to enhance base station performance. The Surveyor Digital Wireless System Test Platform is …

WASHINGTON-Aside from a computer glitch that pushed the auction of D-, E-and F-block broadband personal communications services licenses back to one round per day, bidders now are coping with the intensity of monitoring number and market changes twice a day. …

NEW YORK-A group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni has determined that wireless handsets need a certain aura about them in order to be conveniently hands-free when used. Two years in development, their proprietary chip technology employing a weak magnetic …

BOSTON-Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile announced it has signed a deal to provide its Cellscape service to Walsh Messenger Service Inc., a delivery company serving the New York City metropolitan area. Beginning in October, Walsh Messenger will replace the pagers it …

Vanguard Cellular Systems Inc. said it acquired all the cellular assets of the nonwireline West Virginia 6 rural service area for $16.7 million as part of a property swap agreement announced previously with PriCellular Corp. The RSA includes six counties …

CDMA supporters are buzzing with the prospect of entry into China. Wireless local loop trials have started and recent activities suggest China is interested in Code Division Multiple Access technology for cellular systems as well. Arun Sarin, president and chief …

More than a half million Paging Network Inc. customers started receiving news briefs from CNN Interactive for free last week. Subscribers to PageNet’s alphanumeric service, via Motorola Inc.’s Advisor and Advisor Gold pagers, receive news updates every half hour. CNN …

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas-Allgon Enterprises Inc. and Teledyne Electronic Technologies have teamed up to develop and manufacture plastic technology for certain key wireless communications applications. The Allgon Enterprises and Teledyne Electronic Technologies alliance will develop and produce plastic/dielectric filters and duplexers …

NEW YORK-When it comes to bundling wireless and landline telephone services, AirTouch Communications Inc. will pursue two different strategies, one domestic and one European, key executives said at a Sept. 11 meeting with the Wall Street investment community. On the …

WASHINGTON-The House telecommunications subcommittee voted last week to downsize the Federal Communications Commission and remove travel restrictions on FCC Chairman Reed Hundt. The bill now goes to the Commerce Committee, which is expected to approve it and send it to …

MONTVALE, N.J.-Geotek Communications Inc., an international wireless communications company, announced it has increased its ownership interest in M.I.S. Information Systems Holdings Ltd. to 100 percent. M.I.S. was formed in 1994 as a joint venture between Geotek and Decision Systems Israel …

MELBOURNE, Fla.-Go Wireless International Ltd. announced it will offer prepaid cellular service to customers who do not qualify for conventional cellular service. The service will be provided through major cellular carriers, resellers, agents, dealers and affinity groups. Potential customers who …

NEW YORK-Standard & Poor’s Corp. announced yesterday it had affirmed its speculative-grade CCC- ratings on $2.4 billion of outstanding debt issued by Nextel Communications Inc., Rutherford, N.J. The New York-based agency, which also affirmed Nextel’s CCC+ corporate rating, said the …

Few ever venture into the southern Negev and virtually no one does in the inferno of August. Barren rubble extends for ridge after ridge of scorched emptiness. T.E. Lawrence-“Lawrence of Arabia”-had described it as “the most inhospitable desert” in the …

CHICAGO- 3607 Communications Co. and Paging Network Inc. announced 3607 will begin offering PageNet’s paging services. 3607’s customers in its nearly 100 markets will have the ability to access paging services by the end of the year, said the company. …

IRVINE, Calif.-AirTouch Cellular of Los Angeles introduced a standard roaming rate of 79 cents per minute for calls made in California but outside a customer’s home-rate calling area. Roaming rates were previously based on the user’s location and included daily …

While AirNet Communications Corp. is busy this week demonstrating its PCS 1900 base station system at PCS ’96, the company’s new Korean joint venture, AirCom, is busy demonstrating AirNet’s software driven and protocol independent base station technology in Korea. Communications …