BETHESDA, Md.-Comsat Corp. said it plans to invest $50 million to develop a laptop-sized mobile terminal that will serve as a bridge between today's briefcase-sized digital terminal and a global, handheld unit expected within the next decade.Comsat outlined three strategic investments for the future,...
WASHINGTON-The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association's equipment certification program is now testing digital equipment, including dual-mode Time Division Multiple Access phones.Certification testing for Code Division Multiple Access phones will be introduced in 1995, CTIA said. Phones that pass certification can display the CTIA seal on...
WASHINGTON-A paging consortium led by Maceo Sloan, founder of the nation's largest minority-owned investment firm, late last week appeared headed for a big victory in regional narrowband personal communications services auctions.Fifty-seven rounds after the narrowband PCS auction began in Washington, D.C., PCS Development Corp....
RUTHERFORD, N.J.-Nextel Communications Inc. announced it has increased its ownership stake in Saber Communications Inc. to 89 percent, and has agreed to purchase up to 100 percent of the Mobile, Ala.-based specialized mobile radio operator by the end of the year.Saber has about 20,000...
US MobilComm Inc. announced it will complete the initial phase of construction for its Boston-to-Washington corridor of 220 MHz systems this month. US MobilComm said it will begin loading viice users in New York City this month and will begin loading in Philadelphia, Baltimore...
Timing is everything.Ask Thomas Wheeler, president of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, who took advantage of auction frenzy to send Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt a somber message.On the day before the Oct. 28 application filing deadline for the Dec. 5 broadband personal...
The following letter is in response to RCR Editor Bill Maguire's look at the Federal Communications Commission approach to spectrum auctions and how effectively the public interest is served as a result of competitive bidding.Dear Mr. Maguire: As an American living abroad, I read with...
The National Association for Business and Educational Radio announced the release of its ninth edition of The NABER Resource. The guide is a comprehensive source of Federsl Communications Commision rules, regulations and licensing, said NABER. "It includes current addresses, fee and form information through...
WASHINGTON-The Personal Communications Industry Association voted to combine its membership with the National Association of Business and Educational Radio, formally completing months of negotiations between the groups.The new organization will be known as the Personal Communications Industry Association. E.B. "Jay" Kitchen was named president...
The Oct. 28 deadlind for those applying with the Federal Communications Commission to participate in next month's auction for broadband personal communications services licenses has come and gone.And with it comes the end of the anticipation, hype and hoopla-for now-over the courtships and possible...
SEATTLE-U S West Cellular Inc. said it has launched its wireless data service across the company's 13-state service area, offering end-to-end data solutions.Products offered include data-capable cellular phones, cellular modems and cellular facsimile machines. U S West Cellular said it has made adjustments throughout...
In unspectacular fashion, Susan Ness diligently immersed herself in spectrum auction and personal communications services rulemakings at the Federal Communications Commission soon after she was confirmed as a commissioner by the Senate in May.Such is the style of the former banking executive and House...
BURLINGTON, Mass.-Steinbrecher Corp. said it will supply its DataCell mobile data base stations to Ericsson Radio Systems Inc. to be used in Ericsson cellular digital packet data systems under an original equipment manufacturing agreement between the companies.The agreement, which Steinbrecher said could be worth...
WASHINGTON-Nextel Communications Inc. said its antitrust settlement with the Justice Department will not interfere with plans to build a nationwide wireless network."While we do not agree that restrictions on our 900 MHz operations were at all necessary, the decree does not place any meaningful...
ReadyCom Inc. is bringing voice-mail messaging to wireless communications with ReadyTalk, a single unit that uses the cellular network to deliver voice mail service to a portable handset.Comcast Cellular Communications Inc. will be the first carrier to offer ReadyTalk, with plans to roll out...
SAN DIEGO-Qualcomm Inc. and Maxon Electronics Co. Ltd. introduced the QCP-900 hand-held portable phone in Beijing.The phone, which can operate in Code Division Multiple Access and Total Access Communications Systems modes, is designed to provide a transition from analog to digital CDMA in China...
Editor's Note: The RCR research and editorial staffs have compiles this list of two-way mobile data operators based on survey responses and interviews with industry contacts. Ther chart is arranged alphabetically since many of the companies are just starting to offer mobile data service.Although most...
DALLAS-CellStar Corp. said its net income increased 58 percent to $4.5 million, or 24 cents per share, on 18.6 million shares outstanding for third quarter 1994, ended Aug. 31.Revenues for the third quarter rose 92 percent to $138.6 million. Increases were primarily a result...
Transmitting mug shots and fingerprint images over wireless is the aim of the FBI's $17 million-plus technology update program, but it comes at a time when government spectrum already is clogged."A picture is worth a thousand words, but it takes a lot more bandwidth...
Nokia Corp. reported solid financial results for the first eight months of 1994, particularly in its telecommunications and mobile phone divisions, with net sales increasing 54 percent and 62 percent, respectively.Accounting for structural changes within the group, as well as fluctuating exchange rates, the...
CINCINNATI-USA Mobile Communications Holdings Inc. has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire the paging business and licenses of Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Page Alert.Page Alert has 6,500 subscribers in service, USA Mobile said. Specific terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The transaction is...
OAK BROOK, Ill.-GTE Airfone said it has already issued more than 40,000 aircall cards for its new ground-to-air calling feature, which enables airline passengers to receive telephone calls in the air.Air travelers need a personal aircall number from GTE Airfone and pay a $2...
BURNSVILLE, Minn.-E.F. Johnson Co. delivered its first system of narrowband 220 MHz radio equipment using linear modulation technology to dispatch operators in Southern Florida.The radios are for the first phase of a 60-channel system that will be networked together by Citation Communications, Rapid Communications...
ATLANTA-The CDMA Development Group has completed specifications for Code Division Multiple Access asynchronous data and short message services.Services conforming to these standards are expected to be among the first offerings available when CDMA is rolled out in 1995, CDG said."We intend not only to...
