1998

LITTLE ROCK-Alltel Corp. announced it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire Aliant Communications Inc. in a deal valued at $1.5 billion. Under terms of the agreement, each share of Aliant will be exchanged for $39.13 of Alltel stock, …

A Utah state representative plans to introduce legislation next year that would ban the use of wireless phones while driving. Rep. Ralph Becker said his bill would be similar to one sponsored last year in Utah by state Sen. Robert …

WARREN, N.J.-Anadigics Inc. has joined the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. Anadigics manufacturers gallium arsenide integrated circuits for high-volume communications applications, such as mobile phones.

WASHINGTON-Paging Network Inc. was expected last week to complete the last of 13 interconnection agreements with Bell Atlantic Corp. “We are pleased that PageNet and Bell Atlantic have been able to agree on interconnection terms in all of the states …

SEATTLE-Go to any trade show where mobile phone operators congregate, and you will hear grumbling about how AT&T Wireless Services Inc.’s Digital One Rate pricing plan has wreaked havoc on business plans. The play for the high-end business user seems …

DALLAS-Formus Communications reported it selected Nortel Networks to supply solutions to deliver high-speed, broadband wireless services to Poland. “There is tremendous growth potential for voice, data, video and Internet services, especially in markets where wireline infrastructure is inadequate or virtually …

WASHINGTON-A majority of the board of directors of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association last week signed a letter to Bill Kennard, Federal Communications Commission chairman, strongly urging the FCC to adopt a wireless industry proposal to allow carriers to institute …

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.-Motorola Inc. announced it signed a multiyear contract with United States Realty & Investment Co., New York, to provide antenna-site management for some of its properties. Under terms of the agreement, Motorola will manage exclusively any wireless communications equipment …

MINNEAPOLIS-WirelessNorth of Plymouth, Minn., announced it opened a new retail location in Duluth, Minn. WirelessNorth is a personal communications management company locally owned by independent companies that provide service in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota.

WASHINGTON-The House Commerce Committee last week referred its final report on the Portals investigation to the Justice Department. The year-long investigation of the 20-year, $400 million lease with the Portals, the new headquarters of the Federal Communications Commission, implicates close …

WASHINGTON-Oral argument in the appeal of the Federal Communications Commission’s 1996 radio-frequency radiation exposure guidelines has been postponed until February or March. The case, Cellular Task Force v. FCC, had been scheduled to be heard last June and, after numerous …

WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration progressed in getting more telecommunications and information technology products shielded from tariffs, but last week acknowledged problems persist in convincing China to open its market and hinted the United States was ready to consider retaliation. “Our companies …

LISLE, Ill.-Indian mobile network operator BPL-US West Cellular Ltd. said it again selected Tellabs’ MartisDXX managed transport network solution for the expansion of its Global System for Mobile communications digital cellular network. The contract was awarded through Motorola India. According …

After months of aggressive buildout-beginning in late June with the Texas launch-PageMart Wireless Inc. announced its two-way, ReFLEX 25-based narrowband personal communications services network is available nationwide. The $310 million, Internet Protocol network upgrade adds two-way messaging capabilities to its …

WASHINGTON-The Industrial Telecommunications Association warned the Federal Communications Commission not to use a pending proceeding involving Nextel Communications Inc. to make a de facto ruling that private wireless spectrum should be auctioned. “Saia [Communications Inc.] argues that the policy behind …

Inventors often have said people will find new uses for wireless products, whether they are data or voice, once they have a chance to play with them. The human factor will open many new horizons to functions the inventors couldn’t …

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-Motorola Inc.’s Cellular Infrastructure Group plans to shut down its plant in McHenry, Ill., that housed analog base station equipment manufacturing functions. Sue Frederick, a spokeswoman for Motorola CIG, said the facility was opened in 1995 as a …

PALO ALTO, Calif.-Watkins-Johnson Company announced it completed the repurchase of 3,500,000 shares authorized by its board of directors. The repurchased shares are also retired, leaving 6,547,687 current outstanding shares. Watkins-Johnson specializes in radio frequency and semiconductor equipment.

HELSINKI, Finland-Nokia Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire Vienna Systems, a privately held Internet Protocol telephony company of Kanata, Ontario, for about $90 million. Vienna Systems designs and manufacturers hardware and software products for voice, fax and video communications …

SINGAPORE Motorola Inc.’s Cellular Infrastructure Group signed a contract valued at $23 million to upgrade M1’s digital wireless telephone network in Singapore. In addition to its SC 4852 base transceiver station, Motorola CIG will install two new base station types …

Three Granger Telecom employees and an independent contractor have been killed in Chechnya, a breakaway republic of Russia located north of Georgia. Granger Telecom employees Darren Hickey, Rudolph Petschi and Stan Shaw, and independent consultant Peter Kennedy, were taken hostage …

BOULDER, Colo.-Century Telephone Enterprises Inc. selected SCC Communications Corp. to implement wireless enhanced 911 services for the carrier, announced the companies. CenturyTel will use SCC’s 911Connect Service, which includes collection and preparation of database information required to support wireless 911 …

DALLAS-Cellular One celebrated its 15th anniversary Dec. 16. On the same day in 1983, Cellular One initiated wireless service in Washington, D.C. “Before cellular technology, there could only be a handful of mobile telephone callers at a given time in …

ORLANDO, Fla.-Brite Voice Systems announced it entered into a two-year contract with U S West Wireless to supply BriteDebit prepaid calling for U S West’s personal communications services business. This service, initially launched Nov. 23 in the Phoenix/Tucson market, will …

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-The number of cellular and personal communications services subscribers in Southeast Asia will grow from more than 8.5 million this year to more than 19.8 million by 2003, according to a Pyramid Research study, titled “Wireless Markets and Strategies …