TracFone founder F.J. Pollak and long-time AT&T executive Ralph de la Vega are among this year’s inductees into the Wireless Hall of Fame
The Wireless History Foundation unveiled its 2016 honorees set to join the Wireless Hall of Fame during a foundation dinner scheduled for Sept. 6 in Las Vegas.
This year’s inductees include F.J. Pollak, who launched wireless prepaid giant TracFone in 1996, serving as president and CEO until his recent passing. Pollak is set to be inducted in the Wireless Hall of Fame’s Industry Associate category.
Also set to be inducted are:
– Richard Sherwin in the Pioneer category. WHF noted: “Dick’s determination and honesty won over adversaries and his efforts were key elements in the formation of settlement partnerships that expedited non-wireline service to the public.”
– Ralph de la Vega in the Service Provider category. De la Vega is a long-time AT&T executive, currently serving as vice chairman of AT&T and CEO of its business solutions and international division. WHF noted de la Vega “has been widely acknowledged for his civic involvement as well as for his leadership by academic institutions and nonprofit organizations.”
– Joel Engel, Richard Frenkiel and Philip Porter in the Technology category. The three worked as AT&T Bell Laboratories researchers in the 1960s and 1970s, leading efforts to “expand capacity of mobile radio spectrum through their design of cellular telecommunications networks. Under their leadership and expertise, the architecture and technical parameters were developed into a detailed proposal for submission to the Federal Communications Commission, leading to the establishment of the first nationwide cellular system standards.”
The Wireless Hall of Fame was launched in 2008, and included groundwork laid out by RCR Wireless News, which rolled in its own Wireless Hall of Fame program that began in 1999.
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