Text Messaging

XYPoint made several enhancements to its wireless phone location services last week through partnerships with Vicinity Corp. and GeoVector. XYPoint partnered with Vicinity to provide wireless customers with location-based information services via a voice user interface blended with text messaging …

Most conversations regarding the wireless Internet in the industry today revolve around Wireless Application Protocol technology, but several companies are bucking this trend-aiming to extend Internet content to wireless phones using alternative means to WAP. Providing them the opportunity to …

SEATTLE-AirTouch Cellular launched a new nationwide digital calling plan that eliminates roaming and long-distance charges throughout the United States. The new calling plans include a $30 plan with 100 included minutes, a $50 plan with 250 included minutes and a …

LONDON-BT Cellnet said it will be the first U.K. mobile phone operator to commercially launch General Packet Radio Service this summer. The carrier also officially launched commercial Wireless Application Protocol service. BT Cellnet’s GPRS service will begin with a 500-person …

ALAMEDA, Calif.-Geoworks Corp. and TSR Wireless L.L.C. announced they have teamed to conduct a holiday campaign in support of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program. Shoppers who bring a new, unwrapped toy for the program to any …

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina-GTE Corp. and Lucent Technologies Inc. said they signed a multimillion-dollar contract for Lucent to provide a personal communications services network based on Code Division Multiple Access technology to GTE PCS S.A., GTE’s Argentine subsidiary. GTE said CDMA …

There was a time, not so long ago, when reasonably priced voice service with decent coverage delighted most wireless subscribers. But subscribers soon were demanding the same features-like voice mail, caller ID and three-way calling-offered on wireline phones. These features, …

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.-Wynd Communications Inc. announced it has completed the beta testing of its AAA Emergency Roadside Service for deaf and hard of hearing users, and said the service is now available to all WyndTell users. The solution allows …

Just three months after entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Conxus Communications Inc. Friday abruptly shut off its entire network and ceased all operations, leaving some 80,000 voice and text paging customers without service. While Conxus officials were not available for …

Analysts have long criticized operator-assisted dispatch as the weak link in the alphanumeric paging chain, citing its inherent lack of privacy and potential for misinterpreted messages. But users have accepted these faults because there was no other way to get …

Private radio users’ use of cellular and paging services is lower than might be expected, considering their telecom needs, said The Strategis Group, which found about 30 percent of employees were issued radios, while 13 percent received pages and less …

Although they believe the future growth of the paging industry lies in advanced messaging, paging carriers continue to search out new ways to attract customers to traditional paging services as the one-way market becomes increasingly saturated. Analysts say distribution is …

ALEXANDRIA, Va.-Metrocall Inc. this week signed several interconnection agreements with Bell Atlantic Corp. and a three-year bundling agreement with AnswerNet Network. The interconnection agreement provides for the delivery of local phone traffic to Metrocall’s paging network, as well as compensation …

WOODBURY, N.Y.-Comverse Network Systems said it will supply enhanced messaging systems for ICO Global Communications, a low-earth-orbit satellite-based communications carrier. According to the agreement, Comverse will provide platforms enabling advanced messaging services like voice mail, fax mail, short text messaging …

Belgium Belgacom and Amdocs announced an agreement under which Belgacom will deploy Amdocs’ order-management system to handle ordering services for its convergent lines of business, including wireline, data services and paging. Amdocs’ order-management system provides a single point of contact …

Xircom Xircom Inc. announced a new product line called CompactCard, which it said extends wireless connectivity for Windows CE handheld computers. CompactCard is a series of Type II CompactFlash cards that give Windows CE devices access to Ethernet, modem and …

Sprint PCS believes it has a strong enough wireless footprint to begin aggressively targeting business users. Analysts didn’t expect the company to heavily pursue this segment until next year, but Sprint PCS cites a national network that is well positioned …

Confirming rumors that started when the company announced layoffs in March, voice paging provider Conxus Communications Inc. filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The privately held company …

WASHINGTON-At a time when all the rage on Wall Street is about the Internet, a CEO of a major wireless company contends wireless is bigger. Speaking at a luncheon sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute, Sam Ginn, chairman and chief …

Conxus Communications Inc. confirmed it had conducted a series of layoffs last week as part of a “strategic refocus” that will affect employees at its headquarters in Greenville, S.C., and satellite offices across the country. The company would not comment …

The cry “paging is dead” began once digital cellular and personal communications services providers obtained the ability to offer paging services on their networks and handsets. However, while paging carriers are struggling with certain problems, messaging competition from voice operators …

Zetron Zetron Inc. launched the Model Z907 PCS Fault Finder, which provides fast notification of power amplifier and antenna problems at personal communications services sites. The PCS Fault Finder monitors forward radio-frequency power and antenna return loss in the 1.8 …

Following an unannounced soft launch in November, Conxus Communications Inc. announced its long-awaited Pocketext text-messaging service is being rolled out market-by-market nationwide. The company began the service late last year in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington D.C./Baltimore. In the …

Paging carriers are showing signs that they have taken to heart analysts’ warnings that information services must be customizable and have real value in order to convince customers to pay for them. While paging carriers believe information services have the …

Total paging subscribers in the United States will reach 68.9 million by year-end 2002, according to The Strategis Group report “The State of the U.S. Paging Industry: 1998.” Of that number, 60.5 million are expected to be one-way subscribers and …