1998

ATLANTA-Telecom Wireless Solutions Inc. announced it obtained $17 million in financing for strategic acquisitions, new ventures and product development initiatives. As a part of this strategy, TWS also added four new board members. They include: Hugh Sawyer, chief executive officer …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-RangeStar International announced it has made deals with Let’s Talk Cellular & Wireless and Everything Wireless to increase the RangeStar PCS Antenna’s availability to consumers. Let’s Talk Cellular & Wireless, an independent retailer of wireless products, services and …

WASHINGTON-A Government Accounting Office report says the U.S. Postal Service has “put on hold” plans to expand an antenna-siting program, which could have significant impacts on efforts to get antenna-siting and enhanced 911 legislation passed next year. UniSite Inc., an …

RICHARDSON, Texas-TransData Inc. announced its Mark-V Series Energy Meter was selected by Alabama Electric Cooperative for its wireless packet data network substation automation project. The Mark-V is interfaced with the Motorola Inc. MOSCAD Remote Terminal Unit, to give AEC a …

DAPHNE, Ala.-Communitronics of America Inc. announced it completed the integration of the recently acquired Crescent Paging Inc., adding coverage in the New Orleans market area.

SAN DIEGO, Calif.-Qualcomm Inc. introduced a network optimization tool for field test engineers. The Retriever pilot scanner/test phone provides technicians with portable, wireless over-the-air testing of network and handset performance for Code Division Multiple Access digital cellular and personal communications …

DALLAS-Aethos Communication Systems Inc. announced it has agreed to provide its Odyssey RF Planning Tool to Paging Network Inc., the first time Aethos has entered the paging sector. According to the company, PageNet will use the tool to plan and …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission this week plans to begin reviewing comments on what technical capabilities are necessary to implement the digital wiretap act. The comments are expected to better focus the FCC’s attention on cost, said Steven Berry, senior vice …

WASHINGTON-U.S. Digital Communications Inc. announced Project 77 Corp., a subsidiary of its newly created International Satellite Group Inc., was certified by Iridium North America as an integrated service provider, authorized to offer the full range of Iridium’s wireless communication services …

CINCINNATI-The Board of Directors of Cincinnati Bell Inc. declared a regular quarterly dividend of 10 cents per common share, payable Feb. 1 to shareholders of record Jan. 6. The company also said it intends to maintain the current 10-cent quarterly …

MALVERN, Penn.-Triton PCS Inc. selected Lightbridge Inc. to provide integrated solutions for customer activation, retail management and fraud prevention. Triton PCS is building and will operate a digital wireless network in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, enabling AT&T …

BOSTON-The success of wireless value-added services depends on the region where the services are being offered, according to a Yankee Group report on value-added services, including call management, voice mail, advanced messaging, personal number services and short message service. Of …

L.M. Ericsson’s offer to compromise on third-generation technology may not change the International Telecommunication Union’s action on Dec. 31. The ITU is likely to halt any work on Code Division Multiple Access-based proposals unless intellectual-property-right issues are resolved by the …

Sweden-based L.M. Ericsson said it will cut roughly 10,000 employees as economic problems in Asia and Latin America squeeze some of the company’s operations. Ericsson head Sven-Christer Nilsson announced last week the company’s profits for 1998 will be lower than …

By the time Jan. 19 rolls around, newest Wireless Telecom Bureau Chief Tom Sugrue will be in for an education that goes far beyond the quirks and quarks (B.S. in physics) of his Ivy League schooling and his inside-the-Beltway experience. …

SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. said it signed a contract with Mauritius Telecom to supply and install a cdmaOne wireless local loop network. The network, using Interim Standard-95 Code Division Multiple Access technology, initially is expected to add 50,000 subscribers nationwide to …

Metawave Communications Corp. last week expanded its SpotLight 2000 product line to include a Code Division Multiple Access/Advanced Mobile Phone Service smart antenna system that works with Motorola Inc.’s SC 9600 base station. The SpotLight 2000 product also is compatible …

NEW YORK-Denmark-based Bosch Telecom Inc., which introduced the World 718 phone in June, has decided to close its Dallas office for U.S. sales and marketing, although it will continue selling the handsets here. The World 718 phone can operate on …

NEW YORK-Sun Microsystems Inc., Palo Alto, Calif., released the Java 2 platform, which it said provides significant performance improvements, a flexible security model and a complete set of applications programming interfaces. “Java 2 is well-suited to a far broader range …

JACKSON, Miss.-SkyTel Communications Inc. announced its two-way messaging subscribers can send text messages from their pagers to any telephone in the country, using text-to-speech technology to read the message to the recipient. Called Text-To-Voice, the service works with both landline …

Olivetti S.p.A. and Mannesmann AG last week signed an agreement to acquire U.S.-based Cellular Communications International Inc., giving the companies an increased stake in Italian mobile operator Omnitel-Pronto Italia S.p.A. Cellular Communications’ primary asset is a nearly 15-percent interest in …

MIAMI-Topp Telecom announced it signed a licensing agreement with Motorola Inc. to incorporate Topp Telecom’s prepaid software into select Motorola phones, including the StarTac model. The prepaid Motorola phones will be available off-the-shelf and will not require any signed contracts, …

ROME-News reports from Italy said the country’s communications minister, Salvatore Cardinale, will request the appointment of a government committee to select a fourth mobile phone operator. Cardinale reportedly asked the prime minister to select committee members who will choose an …

Studies indicate the mobile phone industry may be in for more alarming churn figures as increased competition threatens to erode carriers’ customer bases. Richard Siber, associate partner with Andersen Consulting in Boston, expects the industry’s churn rate to average between …

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.-Amica Wireless Phone Service said it expects to begin offering digital wireless calling Dec. 14 in Bloomington, Champaign, Dectaur and Springfield, Ill., using Code Division Multiple Access technology. Among other services, Amica Wireless offers pay-per-use minutes, voice mail and …