February 1999

NEW ORLEANS-Following a trend of convergence between the wireless and Internet industries, Motorola Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. last week announced the first phase of a strategic alliance to develop and deploy a framework for Internet-based wireless networks. The companies …

NEW YORK-Going public could get a bit easier and cheaper if William Hambrecht succeeds in his goal, announced last week, to conduct initial public stock offerings on the Internet using an auction to garner investors. W.R. Hambrecht & Co., a …

KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Sprint PCS announced it signed new affiliation agreements with seven companies. Sprint PCS has signed 16 affiliates to date, representing licensed personal communications services coverage of more than 45 million people in 30 states. Sprint PCS’ most recent …

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-Alltel Communications Inc. announced an agreement with Cellemetry L.L.C., under which it now offers new services for remote monitoring or control of security systems, utility meters, moving vehicles and machines over the control channels of existing wireless networks. …

STAMFORD, Conn.-SmartServ Online Inc. signed a joint marketing agreement with Bell Atlantic Mobile to extend wireless access to its financial and information applications via BAM’s AirBridge wireless data network. The agreement will allow certain wireless phones and handheld computers equipped …

NEW ORLEANS-ArrayComm Inc., San Jose, Calif., announced a contract with the Emirates Telecommunications Corp. (Etisalat), the official telecommunications provider for the United Arab Emirates, for its IntelliWave wireless local loop system. The value of the contract was not disclosed. ArrayComm’s …

PRINCETON, N.J.-Nettech Systems Inc. announced an expansion plan that included establishing a Professional Services consulting division to help software developers deploy wireless data solutions and opening three regional sales offices across the country. “Over the past year, we have seen …

NEW ORLEANS-Calling wireless the poster child for competitive telecommunications, Tom Wheeler, head of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, said today’s wireless industry will serve as a model for competitive telecommunications in the future. “Three years ago today, President Clinton signed …

NEW ORLEANS-The wireless industry should expect the Federal Communications Commission to better understand the differences between the wireless and common carrier industries, said Tom Sugrue, chief of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, in his maiden voyage before the wireless industry. …

NASHUA, N.H.-Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Co., announced it entered into a long-term agreement with WirelessNorth to supply its PCS-Over-Cable distributed antenna system to support the deployment of a wireless network throughout the 13 basic trading areas covered by WirelessNorth’s personal …

ATLANTA-Premiere Technologies Inc. said it began selling its suite of Orchestrate Web-enabled communications products, priced at a flat rate, to individual consumers and business customers in Atlanta. Orchestrate is a tool kit that allows subscribers to be connected to information …

Nextel Communications Inc. last week agreed to sell its portfolio of towers to independent tower company SpectraSite Communications Inc., ending months of speculation about which tower company the specialized mobile radio carrier would select for the sale. The $560 million …

PRINCETON, N.J.-Intek Global Corp. announced its Intek Global Technologies Ltd. unit signed an agreement with Semelab plc of Britain to manufacture and distribute linear modulation-based radio-frequency power amplifier modules originally developed for Intek Global’s narrowband handheld portable radios. “With linear-modulation …

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif.-International Billing Services announced Paging Network Inc. selected the company to be its exclusive provider of statement processing services. Under terms of the agreement, IBS will help PageNet redesign its customer billing statements, including delivery in formats …

NEW ORLEANS-1999 could be a key year for many carriers in determining if wireless users want to access the Internet from mobile devices. Nextel Communications Inc. announced it will begin rolling out limited mobile Internet access service to six East …

BURLINGTON, Mass.-Lightbridge Inc. announced TMTouch, the digital cellular network service and product of Telekom Cellular Sdn Bhd in Malaysia, deployed Lightbridge’s FraudBuster to detect and reduce impact of fraud. “FraudBuster’s extensive capability to detect analog and digital types of fraud …

NEW ORLEANS-Imagine you are in a horrible accident on a dark road, late at night. Your airbag deploys but you are unconscious, alone, so how will emergency personnel-or anyone for that matter-help you? Or imagine something less horrible-your auto maker …

WASHINGTON-The Personal Communications Industry Association continued its fight last week to keep the spectrum cap in place. The spectrum cap limits carriers to 45 megahertz in a given geographic area. In reply comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission, PCIA …

At CTIA’s Wireless ’99: The Jambala Wireless Application Protocol Gateway, which will allow operators to improve and expand wireless data services to their customers, said the company. An open-application platform, the Jambala WAP Gateway is a network node that serves …

MURRAY HILL, N.J.-Lucent Technologies Inc. announced new hardware and software options to provide cdmaOne wireless operators investment protection with an evolution path to cdma2000 third-generation wireless services. Lucent said a cost-effective cdma2000 hardware module for its Autoplex networks complements the …

Its vision of future wireless telecommunications, which includes the naming of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, previously the company’s ASIC Products division, which develops and produces semiconductors and software. Next-generation radio-frequency and analog chips: The Code Division Multiple Access-based MSM3100, Qualcomm’s sixth-generation …

Omnipoint Technologies Omnipoint Technologies Inc. introduced a Global System for Mobile communications radio module called Eagle One as the latest addition to its GSM-based wireless solutions product suite. The original equipment manufacturer solution provides developers the tools needed to integrate …

PHOENIX-AG Communication Systems, a Lucent Technologies Inc. subsidiary, will offer its intelligent network-based INgage Wireless Prepaid Services solution on Sun Microsystems Inc.’s scalable Netra computing platform. “Carriers with small- to medium-sized subscriber bases can now implement a network-grade wireless prepaid …

NEW ORLEANS-AirNet Communications Corp., Melbourne, Fla., plans to announce Global System for Mobile communications 900 MHz and 1800 MHz systems at the GSM World Congress later this month, AirNet President and CEO Lee Hamilton told RCR at Wireless ’99. The …

NEW YORK-Moody’s Investors Service Inc. has downgraded its long-term investment grade ratings of AT&T Corp. debt and preferred stock while upgrading those of cable television company Tele-Communications Inc., which AT&T has acquired. The rating changes affect about $18 billion in …