1999

NEW YORK-AirGate PCS Inc., a Sprint PCS affiliate headquartered in Atlanta, last week was hoping to raise about $100 million in an initial public offering of 6.3 million shares at $14-$16 apiece. The stock will trade on the Nasdaq National …

WASHINGTON-A new Senate report concludes most wireless carriers and other telecom service providers are not endangered by year-2000 computer glitches, but lawmakers warned that inadequate preparation by rural telcos, local 911 emergency dispatchers, small businesses and foreign nations could have …

BOSTON-American Tower Corp. entered into an agreement with TV Azteca S.A. de C.V. in Mexico under which American Tower will loan up to $120 million to TV Azteca in exchange for annual net payments of approximately $13.9 million, plus the …

BASKING RIDGE, N.J.-AT&T Corp. reported 90 percent of its wireless cell sites are back on the air and cellular service in metropolitan New York/New Jersey “is rapidly returning to normal.” Wireless service was interrupted Sept. 16 when flood waters generated …

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.-AudioVox Communications Corp. introduced a new line of “clamshell” style cellular handsets. The line will debut with the PCX-3500XL. Made exclusively for PrimeCo Communications L.P., the phone has a titanium-colored front cover and a black back. It supports the …

KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Samsung Telecommunications America and Sprint PCS introduced the Samsung SCH-3500 dual-band Code Division Multiple Access phone and announced an agreement, valued at up to $500 million, in which Samsung will deliver SCH-dual-band/dual-mode series phones to Sprint PCS during …

SAVANNAH, Ga.-H.O. Systems announced it signed a long-term agreement with Leap Wireless International Inc. in which H.O. Systems will provide billing and customer care for Leap’s domestic wireless markets, served by Leap’s subsidiary, Cricket Communications Inc. H.O. Systems provides order …

SAN DIEGO – OmniVoice Technologies Inc. announced that Wide Telecom in Korea will produce a voice pager using OmniVoice’s VoiceOver technology. Wide Telecom is the second manufacturer to license OmniVoice’s technology to build a pager capable of receiving, storing and …

NEW ORLEANS-BellSouth Wireless Data said it plans to introduce a portfolio of secure wireless electronic-commerce offerings by the end of this year. The company also announced several companies it is working with to develop wireless e-commerce infrastructure and applications enabled …

NEW ORLEANS-BellSouth Cellular Corp. announced it will begin a Wireless Application Protocol trial with customers in some of its Global System for Mobile communications markets next month in a partnership with Saraide.com and InfoSpace.com. Several hundred BellSouth customers in Raleigh, …

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.-InterDigital Communications Corp. announced its subsidiary, InterDigital Technology Corp., entered into a royalty-bearing Time Division Multiple Access patent license agreement with Japan Radio Co. Ltd. Under terms of the agreement, ITC has received an upfront payment from …

Competitive pricing strategies have contributed significantly to a steep increase in the average number of minutes used per month by wireless consumers, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ “1999 Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study.” Minutes of use increased from 199 per …

NEW ORLEANS-IPeria Inc., a provider of Internet Protocol-based enhanced services platforms and applications, announced its BroadReach marketing support program that teams IPeria marketing personnel with its clients. The BroadReach Team works with clients from initial service deployment planning through service …

NEW ORLEANS-Standards bodies met with the International Telecommunication Union last week to prepare the detailed specifications of third-generation mobile-phone technology. The ITU is trying to find the best way to work with all standards bodies developing 3G specifications. This follows …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-AirIQ, a global positioning system-based fleet management service provider, said it plans to implement Aeris Communications Inc.’s MicroBurst technology in its OnBoard asset tracking system.

NEW ORLEANS-Nokia Corp. announced an agreement with IBM Corp. and Sabre for a pilot project designed to provide a travel interactive service for users equipped with Wireless Application Protocol phones. The carrier-independent solution is an enterprise product, requiring installation behind …

ORLAND PARK, Ill.-Andrew Corp. said it will supply Powertel Inc. with its Heliax coaxial cable, RingFlare connectors, SureFlex cable assemblies, SureGround radio-frequency grounding kits and surge arrestors. Andrew’s installation accessories, such as Easiax cable preparation tools, also are being employed …

WASHINGTON-Federal Communications Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth told Congress the agency’s administration of a discount Internet program for schools and libraries likely is illegal. “Based on my personal staff’s further analysis … I conclude that the commission’s interpretation of its authority to …

NEW ORLEANS-Boston Communications Group Inc., Woburn, Mass., announced Sept. 23 the availability of its new BCGI Prepaid Connection for wireless carriers serving small and medium-sized markets. For an upfront investment of about $50,000, these wireless telecommunications providers can install the …

WASHINGTON-Reps. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and John Dingell (D-Mich.), celebrity spokeswoman Gabrielle Reece, Denise Brown of the Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation, and Rita Smith, executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, helped launch the Call to Protect program. Call …

WASHINGTON-Reps. Thomas Davis (R-Va.) and James Moran (D-Va.) last week introduced legislation to foster nondiscriminatory telecommunications access to federal government buildings, bolstering competitive prospects for fixed wireless carriers. The bill mirrors one introduced in June by Sens. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), …

SAN DIEGO-Widcomm Inc. announced it has secured more than $5 million in first-round financing led by Enterprise Partners. The company said the funding will allow it to expand its wireless data communications product development based on Bluetooth technology.

NEW ORLEANS-Motorola Inc. and Audible, a provider of Internet-delivered spoken audio content, demonstrated at Personal Communications Showcase ’99 in New Orleans the direct downloading of spoken audio content to digital wireless phones. The demonstration showcased the ability of Motorola’s i1000plus …

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-ReadyCom Inc. said it introduced its two-way, advanced voice messaging technology with cellular carriers in Puerto Rico and Chile, and confirmed the technology is meeting unserved needs in the marketplaces. “Early indications are that business customers are indeed …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Qualcomm Inc. selected American Wireless to distribute a broad line Qualcomm’s consumer products, American Wireless announced. Carriers, retailers, resellers, dealers and independent agents can order Qualcomm Code Division Multiple Access phones, batteries, cases, chargers, cigarette lighter adapters and …