DENVER-Winners of the recently completed Wireless Communications Services auction may be likely to choose Personal Access Communications Systems as their technology of choice, said Paul Carroll, vice president of marketing for Siemens Stromberg-Carlson.
Because the licensees paid so little for their spectrum, they have a good business case for deploying a low-tier mobility option using PACS, he said.
PACS, a hybrid system, was designed for high density applications. D-, E- and F-block winners are the most likely candidates for PACS since 10 megahertz of spectrum is the ideal amount to run the technology. These licensees have yet to announce their intentions to use the technology.
So far, only two PCS licensees have signed equipment contracts for PACS, and both of them are C-block carriers. San Francisco-based Windkeeper Communications will use the technology in the Virgin Islands. 21st Century Telesis of Newport Beach, Calif., is building PCS systems in New York state, Nebraska, Indiana and Mississippi. 21st Century won eight F-block and two D-block licenses in the January spectrum auction, where PACS also may be deployed. The new markets are in Indiana, Nebraska and Pennsylvania.
General Communications Inc. of Anchorage, Alaska, has said it intends to deploy PACS in its Alaska market, although no contracts have been made.
PACS is supported by several equipment vendors, notably Siemens, Bellcore, Hughes Network Systems Inc. and NEC Corp.
