Text Messaging

A specialized mobile radio operator is making plans to offer a pager that operates at 220 MHz. Angell Communications Inc. announced Wings 220, a single line numeric pager that has the ability to operate within the limitations of 5 kilohertz …

JACKSON, Miss.-SkyTel Corp. said it will introduce SkyWord Plus in the next few weeks, beginning at $25 per month for service and $10 per month to lease a Motorola Inc. PageFinder pager. In addition to the features offered with SkyTel’s …

BERKELY HEIGHTS, N.J.-Lucent Technologies Inc.’s Microelectronics Group announced it will provide semiconductor chips for several Motorola Inc. two-way messaging units, in development. The chip’s marked features include low-power consumption and the integration of more functionality, said Lucent. The new mixed …

“The world’s smallest PCS phone.” “The world’s lightest mobile phone.” “The smallest and lightest CDMA phone in existence.” The battle for the tiniest phone is no longer just a matter of shape and size. The technological standard used by the …

E.F. Johnson Co. and Motorola Inc.’s Land Mobile Products sector said they will submit a proposal to build a new digital, trunked 800 MHz public safety radio system for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. E.F. Johnson said the Metropolitan Radio Board, …

JACKSON, Miss.-Mobile Telecommunication Technologies Corp.’s wholesale division, Destineer, signed 20 reseller agreements for its messaging services. The agreements allow resellers to market Mtel’s interactive two-way messaging service as well as its advanced text messaging service due in April. New agreements …

DALLAS-PageMart Wireless Inc. said it will begin international service during the second quarter, allowing subscribers to roam in Canada, Mexico and Central America. International numeric roaming will cost $15 per month for 400 messages. International text messaging, including 400 numeric …

After a year of declining prices on paging stocks, market values among the industry’s leaders are starting to stabilize. “The bottom is here, the worst is behind us,” stated Michael Elling, senior analyst in Prudential Securities Inc.’s telecommunications group. Carriers …

BellSouth Mobility Inc. has introduced a simplified per-minute rate plan for digital wireless customers making calls in their home state. Digital customers in BellSouth Mobility’s north Georgia, middle Georgia and Chattanooga, Tenn., markets will pay their current per-minute rates, while …

BURNABY, B.C.-BC TEL Mobility announced plans to launch digital 800 MHz service based on Code Division Multiple Access technology in British Columbia, Canada, early next month. The company completed field trials of Northern Telecom Ltd.’s network in September. Nortel has …

CHARLOTTE, N.C.-Glenayre Technologies Inc.’s Wireless Messaging Group introduced a universal paging platform designed to support a new suite of European and Japanese protocols. The GL3210 Glenayre Multiprotocol Paging Platform supports the European ERMES-I4 and pan-European Paging protocols for roaming. It …

BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile launched its DigitalChoice cellular phone service in Washington/Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Charlotte, N.C. DigitalChoice uses 13-kilobit Code Division Multiple Access technology. The DigitalChoice service includes caller ID, voice mail with message indicator, free first minute on …

Aether Technologies L.L.C. announced it will use a Cellular Digital Packet Data network supplied by GTE Corp. to provide information and integration services to the financial and transportation industries. Owings Mills, Md.-based Aether provides turnkey solutions for accessing mission-critical data …

InterCel Inc. wants to learn if cellular customers who are familiar with rate plans will behave differently when let loose on a 1900 MHz system for a flat $50 a month. “We’ll be able to analyze usage in an unlimited …

ATLANTA-BellSouth Mobility Inc. launched its TextMessaging service last month. The service allows short messages to be sent from a personal computer to a digital cellular customer with no airtime charges to the recipient, the company said. The sender can forward …

Omnipoint Communications Inc. has been granted access to the New York Power Authority’s structures and rights-of-way. Under the agreement, approved by the board of trustees of the New York Power Authority, Omnipoint will have access to the structures and rights-of-way …

DALLAS-PrimeCo Personal Communications L.P. introduced its text messaging service and PrimeCo Lite Messaging software. The service allows subscribers to receive on their PrimeCo phone short text messages sent by a personal computer. “The text messaging service offers an additional option …

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.- Abacus Communications L.P. has won the competitive bid to provide operator-assisted text messaging services to BellSouth Mobility DCS, the personal communications services arm of BellSouth Corp. Abacus, which has operated telemessaging and other call center services for …

MOUNTAIN LAKES, N.J.-Omnipoint Communications Inc., a personal communications services operator, will expand its “friendly user” network trial by several hundred people in the New York City metropolitan area. The users will test such things as proper network coverage and voice …

I’m still recovering from PCS ’96 in San Francisco. Between the 400 exhibitors, about 15,000 attendees and 30 sessions, I just couldn’t take it all in. In fact, PCIA said it had to turn away numerous companies that wanted to …

US Order is rolling out SmartTime Internet Services, which the company claims is the first Internet-based service designed exclusively for non-PC information appliances including wireless devices. “Consumers, for the first time, will be able to retrieve selected information from the …

Licensees of narrowband personal communications services report their development, testing and introduction plans for two-way messaging services are right on schedule. But Ian Gillott, manager of wireless research for IDC/Link Resources, suggests carriers have shifted to more conservative time schedules. …

SAN DIEGO-The National Dispatch Center Inc. announced it is providing text messaging services for Sprint Spectrum, which operates a personal communications services network in Washington, D.C. Operated by Sprint Telecommunications Venture affiliate American Personal Communications, Sprint Spectrum is offering NDC’s …

RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Nextel Communications Inc. has activated its digital specialized mobile radio service in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., market. “It is always exciting to begin service in a new market, particularly in an area as important to our nationwide reach …

It appears the next wave of paging is as diverse as its players. While SkyTel Corp. is only a short time away from launching its network, other large players systematically continue researching messaging technologies. Motorola Inc. has penetrated the new …