February 1999

WASHINGTON-In an effort to spur the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau to act on outstanding issues regarding the 800 MHz band, the Personal Communications Industry Association has sent a letter to WTB Chief Thomas Sugrue. The letter was sent in the …

TEMPE, Ariz.-Motorola Computer Group announced “Embedded Connections,” a new partner program designed to support MCG’s original equipment manufacturers in telecommunications, electronic imaging and industrial automation. Embedded platform customers can choose from a wide variety of communications, storage, operating systems, middleware …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Conductus Inc. reported revenues for the fourth quarter, ended Dec. 31, decreased by 36 percent to $1.3 million, compared with $1.9 million of revenues reported for the same time in 1997. Revenues for the year also decreased from $9.5 …

SEATTLE-Tegic Communications announced a licensing agreement with Sony Corp. that will allow Sony to incorporate Tegic Communications’ T9 Text Input technology into products such as wireless phones. T9 Text Input enables users to enter text on a telephone keypad just …

CLEVELAND-Sprint PCS said it launched service in northeast Ohio. The market includes Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Summit, Portage, Mahoning, Trumbull, Lake, Geauga, Wayne and Erie counties. In conjunction with the launch, Sprint PCS also said it is offering special price plans …

While the domestic wireless industry struggles to determine the demand for wireless local loop services in the United States, Frontier Cellular in May will mark the one-year anniversary of the commercial launch of its WLL system in its New York …

WASHINGTON-PLMRS Narrowband Corp. and the Federal Communications Commission were in federal appeals court last Friday arguing whether the FCC should have canceled the applications for 220 MHz non-commercial licenses when it decided to award the licenses by auction. The case …

EAGAN, Minn. (AP)-Northwest Airlines has loosened its rules on the use of cellular phones aboard aircraft and in jetways. Effective immediately, Northwest passengers may use their portable cell phones aboard planes and in the jetways connecting planes and terminals whenever …

CLEVELAND-Wireless reseller Cellnet of Ohio last week filed a petition with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to delay approval of the proposed merger of AirTouch Communications Inc. and Vodafone plc. until a 1993 complaint the company filed against AirTouch …

DENVER-Daniels & Associates said it set an all-time record during 1998 by completing 118 transactions with an aggregate value of $5.7 billion. The year marked the most mergers and acquisitions, corporate financings and financial advisory transactions Daniels has ever completed …

NEW YORK-World Access Inc., Atlanta, which has been targeted recently by shareholder lawsuits related to its recent acquisitions and share price volatility, said it expects most of its 1999 revenues to come from companies it purchased in 1998. “We expect …

DENVER-The New Zealand government said it will begin auctioning spectrum within the 2 GHz frequency bands March 29. The Ministry of Commerce will auction 35 management rights and about 1,600 licenses spanning the frequency range of 1710 MHz to 2300 …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission late last week announced that the first chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau is leaving to run the Washington office of Dell Computer. Regina M. Keeney’s last day at the FCC will be March 5. Keeney …

DULLES, Va.-Orbcomm Global L.P. announced ABB Electric Metering will resell Orbcomm system services to enable automated meter reading for general commercial and remote utility meters. ABB will use Scientific-Atlanta’s fixed site communicator hardware to carry the satellite communications system to …

The evolution of the wireless handset has gone from the mobile in the car, to the transportable in the car, to the portable in the purse or suit jacket and now is going back to the car-with a new twist. …

WASHINGTON-In potentially a major breakthrough in the gridlocked third generation mobile phone controversy, U.S. and European wireless executives here last week agreed to pursue a framework for an umbrella Code Division Multiple Access standard that combines common elements of competing …

STOCKHOLM-Ericsson Inc. and EuroTel Bratislava said they have signed a $51 million contract to expand EuroTel’s Global System for Mobile communications system in Slovakia. Under the terms of the contract, Ericsson said it will provide base stations, base station controllers …

MINNEAPOLIS-ADC Telecommunications Inc. announced it signed a three-year vendor agreement with Qualcomm Inc. for its NewNet wireless messaging products, SMserver short messaging service and the OTAserver over-the-air activation product. ADC said the SMserver software manages transmission of text messages to …

PHOENIX-TekNow announced it signed an agreement to provide Irius Technologies with voice messaging terminals for an FM-Sub Carrier Digital Voice Messaging System. Under the terms of the multimillion dollar agreement, TekNow will supply Irius with its PhenX TK4000 terminals.

NEW YORK-Compaq Computer Corp., Houston, announced a new services initiative designed to help large enterprises “rapidly transform their existing networks into adaptive, next-generation networks necessary for … a global, Internet-driven business world.” The first phase of the initiative encompasses next-generation …

Iridium L.L.C. announced that Kyocera Corp. has completed its handset testing process and has been approved to begin volume distribution of its single-mode satellite phones and dual-mode adapters, as well as terrestrial cellular phones. Kyocera had reported several problems with …

WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission approved the $57 billion merger between AT&T Corp. and Tele-Communications Inc. As expected, TCI must divest its interest in Sprint Corp.’s personal communications services business as part of the deal. The Department of Justice already has …

ALAMEDA, Calif.-Geoworks Corp. announced Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. has bought a minority interest in the company by investing some $5 million in Geoworks common stock, representing about 7 percent of the company’s total. Amazon.com has assumed Geoworks’ Seattle office lease …

NEW YORK-The Federal Communications Commission announced it has permitted the takeover of Puerto Rico’s government-run “principal local exchange service provider by a well-financed and experienced company,” GTE Holdings L.L.C. In its decision, the FCC granted a transfer to GTE Holdings …

WASHINGTON-Even before the Federal Communications Commission can release proposed rules to implement calling party pays service in the United States, its neighbor to the south will implement CPP, said Javier Lozano Alarcon, president of Mexican Federal Telecommunications Commission known as …