The Land Mobile Communications Council this week is expected to ask the Federal Communications Commission to allocate 15 megahertz now and more spectrum later for private wireless communications. The request will include opportunities for sharing with the federal government, a feature supported by the Clinton administration. FCC officials are said to have been advised of the pending request.
Nokia Mobile Phones announced it has signed a contract with Sprint Spectrum L.P. for personal communications services handsets. Nokia said it will begin delivering the 1900 MHz handsets, the Nokia 2170, this month. The handset supports all new digital features, including short message service, call forwarding, call waiting and caller ID. Users can personalize the 2170 with 10 different ringing tones.
Ericsson Inc. announced it signed an agreement to provide AT&T Wireless Services Inc. with Cellular Digital Packet Data solutions for its Time Division Multiple Access network. Under the terms of the agreement, Ericsson will supply CDPD cell site technology and CDPD network management functionality for AT&T’s wireless data network. AT&T offers several types of packet data services, including its integrated voice and data PocketNet service.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has awarded an alliance between Harris Corp. and Motorola Inc.’s Land Mobile Products Sector a $4.4 million contract for 500 secure land mobile radios, said Harris. Called Astro Seneca, the radio is a joint product of the two companies. The FBI plans to replace about 12,000 radios during the next four-and-a-half years, Harris said. Astro Seneca’s digital platform is designed to enable a mobile user to incorporate data capabilities such as remote database access, imagery transmission, fingerprint identification, as well as position and location tracking.
