Sprint PCS is a hit, while the FCC wants more
Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
Sprint Spectrum PCS premiere garners early, warm reception
Stores are crowded. Literature is disappearing. Customer service is forced to beef up. Product is in short supply. The holidays are around the corner. Overwhelming success is a double-edged sword. But it is this sword that Sprint Spectrum, the personal communications service joint venture between pioneer’s preference winner American Personal Communications and communications giant Sprint Corp., has had to wield since sales and service began Nov. 15 in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore market. When cellular service first went commercial in the first half of the 1980s, some industry pundits predicted that the new wireless technology would garner only 900,000 users at best, long term. They were wrong. From inception, PCS advocates believed their service would gain almost instantaneous acceptance, and spot research shows they haven’t been disappointed. … Read More
Wireless Bureau chief pledges to improve wireless competition
In a bold speech with profound and far-reaching policy implications, new Federal Communications Commission Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Chief Michele Farquhar said she will pursue policies to help wireless carriers compete not only with each other but with local landline telephone companies as well. “My main priority, which I received directly from Chairman [Reed] Hundt, is making sure that the Wireless Bureau becomes an equal partner in the effort to establish rules and policies to foster local exchange competition, as well as within CMRS (commercial mobile radio service),” said Farquhar at a Dec. 6 policy conference sponsored by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. … Read More
Asian firms enter PCS auction as investors in U.S. companies
Lured by a chance to swim in the next wave of wireless telephony and reeled in by entrepreneurs casting about for financial support, some big fish from Korea are jumping into the auction of C-block personal communications services licenses by backing major bidders. NextWave Personal Communications Inc.-which made a $79 million upfront deposit, the second largest in the C-block auction-just amended its Form 175 application to include the Korean industrial firm Pohang Steel America Corp. as an equity investor. NextWave would not disclose the dollar amount of the investment but company spokesman Kevin Christiano said Pohang could end up with a 17 percent stake on a fully diluted basis. … Read More
Latin cellular growth continues with PCS buildout coming soon
Large markets in Latin America are serving as test beds for a range of digital cellular and personal communications services standards, according to a study from Pyramid Research Inc. The report outlines the astounding cellular growth in Mexico, Central and South America, a trend that Pyramid expects to continue into the next century. The number of subscribers will rise to nearly 22 million by 2000. Privatization of wireless service-part of the worldwide trend to break government holds on telecommunications-has led to increased opportunities for service operators, equipment providers and handset suppliers. … Read More
Criminal charges filed against man in cellular emulation case
A federal case against a Kentucky man accused of creating cellular extension phones is expected to go to trial in what may be the first U.S. criminal case attacking the emulation business. A four-count indictment was issued against Don Billy Yates by a federal grand jury in November. Yates’ attorney, R. Burl McCoy, argues that no law was broken and asked the court to dismiss the case. U.S. District Judge Karl Forester heard initial arguments earlier this month and told attorneys he would research the matter, in consideration of dropping the charges. The judge decided Dec. 13 to allow the government’s allegations. … Read More
Omnitel launches GSM service as first private Italian operator
Omnitel Pronto Italia announced it has launched its Global System for Mobile communications cellular network in Italy, competing with government-controlled Telecom Italia Mobile SpA for the first time. In March 1994, the Italian government awarded a contract for its second nationwide cellular license to Omnitel, a consortium comprised of Italy’s computer giant Olivetti, Bell Atlantic Corp., AirTouch Communications Inc., Cellular Communications International, Telia, Lehman Brothers, Mannesmann AG, the Bank of Rome and other smaller Italian companies. … Read More
Sprint PCS venture will deliver messages via PageNet
Sprint is the newest name in paging. Sound familiar? Yes, well that’s the idea. Through a reseller agreement be tween Sprint Telecommunications Venture and Paging Net work Inc., Sprint Corp. plans to sell PageNet’s services to its long-distance customers and others. The deal allows Sprint to capitalize on the expertise of a proven paging industry giant, while PageNet can take advantage of Sprint’s marketing clout and established gateway to the consumer market. Service will begin next month, said Sprint, which is targeting customers that desire paging service for family-oriented purposes. The company will bill its Sprint Paging services at a flat rate, corresponding with its Sprint Sense residential long-distance calling plan. … Read More
Watch for battles between LECs, wireless as competition mounts
While competition intensifies in wireless telecommunications with the licensing of new carriers throughout the nation, the industry’s biggest foe in 1996 and beyond could be local landline telephone companies. There already are signs of the impending battle. The Federal Communications Commission last Friday was expected to propose rules reforming interconnection between commercial mobile radio service carriers and local exchange carriers. The action will energize the issue through next summer, when final rules are adopted. … Read More
Global markets must use WLL to meet telecom service needs
The quickening pace of competition and regulatory liberalization in global telecommunications markets is increasing demand for wireless local loop technology, with annual equipment expenditures expected to reach $7.6 billion by the year 2000, according to a new report from Northern Business Information. In “Global Wireless Local Loop Markets: 1995,” NBI reports last year’s expenditures for WLL equipment amounted to nearly $200 million. “The primary driver for WLL service development in developing countries is simply the demand for telephone service,” according to Melanie Posey, senior analyst for wireless communications markets at NBI. “WLL offers the possibility of getting phone service in weeks or months rather than years.” … Read More
C-Block firms (finally) get chance to bid
Unless there is court action, a government shutdown or some cataclysmic event, the auction of C-block broadband personal communications services licenses is scheduled to begin today. Thirteen bidders have made double-digit, multi-million dollar upfront payments, indicating the seriousness with which some are approaching the opportunity. The Federal Communications Commission said 254 applicants have qualified to bid; the entities deposited $767 million with the FCC in upfront payments. “This auction has the potential to raise the most funds to date for the U.S. taxpayer,” said Michele Farquhar, chief of the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Last year’s auction of broadband A- and B-block licenses brought in nearly $8 billion in total license payments. … Read More
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