Wireless Services

A statement by minority owner Lee McDonald in a Jan. 27 story in RCR about the class action lawsuit against AT&T Wireless Services should have read, “The 1996 settlement proposal included the 1995 changes already in place.”

NEW YORK-CCPR Services, the principal subsidiary of Cellular Communications of Puerto Rico, was expected to privately place last week a $175 million issue of senior subordinated notes. The deal was trimmed from the $200 million issue originally planned. Donaldson, Lufkin …

NEW YORK-Esat Holdings Ltd., Dublin, plans to sell privately about $85 million in debt securities, partly to help finance buildout of a Global System for Mobile communications system that will provide Ireland’s second cellular service. Esat Holdings owns a 40 …

WILSONVILLE, Ore.-Wireless reseller Northwest Communications, a division of Skylink Communications Corp., announced a prepaid wireless program called Pay-N-Talk. The service is available at grocery stores, gas stations and other consumer locations in 12 Western states, with 10 more to be …

A California federal judge dismissed a proposed settlement between AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and minority owners of AT&T cellular markets after the court discovered AT&T signed an employment agreement with attorneys that represented the minority owners. If approved, the settlement …

Some news announcements in this industry have become very low on facts and high on bombastic marketing language. The launch of competing networks throughout the country has led to a marketing war. With technology decisions behind them and buildout underway, …

AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and GTE Corp. have been awarded nationwide mobile phone licenses in Taiwan, beating competitors such as Sprint Corp. and France Telecom Group out of the prize. Also, a regional license covering southern Taiwan was won by …

WASHINGTON-Raking in a net total of $2.52 billion, the D-, E- and F-block personal communications services auction closed Jan. 14, bidding farewell to the last of the broadband spectrum that will be sold by the Federal Communications Commission. “With the …

Proponents of Time Division Multiple Access technology quietly formed a formidable group last year, while the industry’s attention was focused on high-profile scraps between two other competing technologies. Universal Wireless Communications L.L.C. now has 44 members, representing support for TDMA …

DENVER-AT&T Wireless Services Inc. introduced Time Division Multiple Access Interim Standard 136 cellular service in its Denver market. The service area includes the Front Range from Colorado Springs to the Wyoming border and along Interstate 70. Features of DigitalPCS include …

Metawave Communications Corp. appointed Kathryn Surace-Smith general counsel for the company. She will provide legal support for Metawave’s business development activities including customer contracts, licensing agreements, strategic partnerships and financial, operational and corporate matters. Previously, Surace-Smith was international counsel for …

NEW YORK-“Within three years, PCS will take the market away from local paging in the top 40 markets,” predicted Gordon Kaiser, chief executive officer of Cue Network Corp., a unique nationwide one-way paging carrier. “I don’t believe PCS companies will …

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems launched wireless service last week in Arkansas. The company acquired the Arkansas markets from AT&T Wireless Services Inc. in August. Southwestern Bell said it plans to market its local phone and wireless services together …

rederick M. Joyce, Esq. It is a time-worn political axiom that no candidate ever lost a vote by speaking in favor of Mom, apple pie, and the American flag. In 1996, politicians discovered something equally safe to advocate: Universal telephone …

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.-The Communities on Phone Patrol (COPP) program donated 40 phones to 10 Fort Lauderdale, Fla., neighborhoods as part of its goal to distribute 50,000 cellular phones to community policing organizations in high crime areas. COPP was formed in …

MONTREAL-Rogers Cantel Mobile Communications Inc. announced a new pricing program for its Digital PCS cellular customers in the greater Montreal area. “Montreal and More” costs about $44 a month and includes 400 minutes of calls. Additional calls are billed at …

MELBOURNE, Fla.-AirNet Communications Corp. appointed Tele Greenland International of Copenhagen, Denmark, as an authorized representative of AirNet for Greenland and certain Far Eastern countries. AirNet and Tele Greenland will distribute AirNet’s wireless broadband software-based infrastructure, base stations and systems for …

NEW YORK-“There’s gold in them thar hills,” according to Justin Dudley, vice president of engineering for Telecel International Ltd., which has staked its claim to cellular service provision in Sub-Saharan Africa. The mining industry is the mother lode in these …

NEW YORK-As 1996 drew to a close, the impact of the Internet on wireless communications manifested itself in a flurry of announcements from an array of providers. “It’s all about making the Internet easier to use. The customers coming on …

Ericsson Private Radio Systems ordered 150 PCMobile units from XL Computing Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cycomm International Inc. XL Computing values the order at more than $1 million. Delivery is scheduled for the first half of the year. …

Wireless industry, watch out! Geniuses are at work in Washington. This is the baby-the Overseas Private Investment Corp., a federal agency that operates at no net cost to U.S. taxpayers. (Brace yourselves for the bath water below.) Throughout its operating …

Metrocall Inc. signed an agreement to provide U.S. Paging Services Inc. access to one of its nationwide paging frequencies. In addition, U.S. Communications Inc. will provide cellular rate plans and activation processing to Metrocall. U.S. Paging and U.S. Communications are …

AirTouch Communications Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding with PT Intidaya Sistelindomitra to offer wireless services in Indonesia using the Globalstar satellite-based communications system. The companies will pursue a license and establish operations to sell Globalstar service in Indonesia. AirTouch …

WASHINGTON-Sprint Spectrum L.P., which began offering personal communications service in Washington a year ago through partner American Personal Communications, has converted its marketing from a big-bang effort to one resembling a continuous rumble. During the last 13 months, the carrier …

Pocket Communications Inc. has completed $646 million in financing agreements with three equipment vendors to build network clusters that will make Pocket the nation’s sixth largest personal communications services operator in terms of population. Washington, D.C.-based Pocket received its 43 …