Wireless Services

Wireless Access Inc.-recently licensed to incorporate the ReFLEX protocol in its integrated circuit chipset-is guided by a twofold business philosophy, said Tim Williams, founder and chief technical officer of the company. “You build better equipment by having better silicon and …

The Romanian government received applications from four consortia for two Global System for Mobile communications licenses, reported MobiFon, one bidding group. The deadline for applications was last Thursday. The 900 MHz digital cellular licenses are expected to be awarded by …

SBC Communications Inc. has made the latest move in the battle for prepaid cellular customers in Chicago. In June, SBC, operating under the franchise name Cellular One, began offering its Chicago-area customers a prepaid card called the AccessCard. Last month, …

WASHINGTON-When it comes to getting a say in telecommunications policymaking in the nation’s capital, firms let their dollars do the talking. And, oh, how the money has talked in recent years, like an endless filibuster gushing in all its gilded …

EUGENE, Ore.-The Eugene City Council voted Sept. 16 to put in place a 120-day moratorium on tower building in the area, but accepted applications for sites submitted before the moratorium was established, said City Planner Cathy Czerniak. “We didn’t want …

TORONTO-Clearnet Communications Inc. has launched its business communications service, a digital wireless telecommunications service that integrates mobile phone, dispatch or group and private call radio, alphanumeric paging and messaging services in one handset. Clearnet said the service uses Motorola Inc.s …

NEW YORK-Following on the heels of Motorola Inc. and Glenayre Technologies Inc., AT&T Corp. announced last week it anticipates lower than expected earnings for the third and fourth quarters of 1996. In a letter to shareholders, Robert E. Allen, AT&T …

WASHINGTON-The Clinton administration and the wireless telecommunications industry are in a standoff over the implementation of the 1994 digital wiretap law, also known as the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. In a reported 17-0 vote, members of a Telecommunications …

NEW YORK-Pacific Bell Mobile Services announced Sept. 18 an agreement to purchase $50 million worth of PCS-1900 handsets from Mitsubishi Wireless Communications Inc. The new phones will operate on PacBell’s personal communications services network, which is under construction in California …

WASHINGTON-U.S. manufacturers have begun mounting a counter offensive to what they see as a European-led, anticompetitive effort to restrict global wireless standards for third generation pocket phones. The controversy surfaced as International Telecommunication Union members developed recommendations on which technology …

CLIFTON, N.J.-AT&T Wireless Services Inc. has selected Gemini Industries Inc. to manage and supply the company’s Universal Accessory Program. Gemini will supply all of the accessories for cellular phones marketed by AT&T Wireless. The new cellular accessory line will be …

The Eugene, Ore., City Council has proposed a four-month moratorium on tower building for wireless phone services that has some operators sympathetic and others calling their attorneys. Eugene officials and citizens are concerned not only with aesthetics and health-related issues, …

A cellular company in San Francisco is working to provide equal access to all people by providing special discounted prices on wireless phones and service to people with visual or mobility impairments. Since 1992, Cellular One, in conjunction with handset …

States rights vs. federal rights. It’s an argument that is becoming more and more common in today’s wireless industry. It’s certainly not a new argument, and it’s certainly not an argument that anyone expects to go away soon. In fact, …

REDMOND, Wash.-The Universal Wireless Communications Consortium has been formed to champion Interim Standard 136 Time Division Multiple Access and IS-41 wireless intelligent network technologies. “The UWCC was designed as a cooperative decision-making business entity with the express goal of promoting …

Sprint Corp., Sprint Spectrum L.P. and RadioShack announced they are teaming up to provide one-stop shopping for all Sprint-branded products. The companies have developed a “store-within-a-store” concept, whereby 15 percent of all RadioShack store floor spaces will be dedicated to …

NEW YORK-LCC International Inc., an independent provider of radio frequency network design for wireless telecommunications, said it plans to go public by early autumn. The road show for the 5-million-share initial public offering of Class A common stock was under …

Digital wireless technologies were designed to answer issues of quality, capacity and cost. But by releasing huge swaths of new spectrum, the Federal Communications Commission has changed the rules, and capacity is now much less important than cost-but not everybody …

AURORA, Colo.-ComTec International announced it has signed letters of intent to acquire six operating specialized mobile radio companies. The systems, which represent 178 constructed and operating SMR channels, are generating approximately $3.8 million in annual revenues and have total assets …

Ameritech Cellular Services has joined several other carriers in deploying authentication technology to combat cloning fraud. Concurrently, Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile announced it has extended authentication fraud protection into its eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island markets. Authentication is seamless to …

CellPort Labs Inc. is redesigning and enhancing its universal car kit for both cellular and personal communications services applications. Car kits provide power and hands-free talking capability for portable handsets, but most are designed for use with only one type …

LAS VEGAS-Russ Burd was named the new vice president and general manager for Pocket Communications Inc.’s Las Vegas market. By the end of March, Pocket expects to begin offering wireless services to the area. Prior to the joining the company, …

Superconducting Core Technologies Inc. has named G. Ron Olexa chief operations officer with overall responsibility for the company’s Reach receiver front end products. Olexa also will manage the company’s relationship with Raychem Corp., SCT’s new sales and distribution partner for …

WASHINGTON-The D-, E- and F-block broadband personal communications services auction not only is the largest competitive bidding venture upon which the Federal Communications Commission has embarked to date, it also has spawned new players, regenerated old hands and created a …

LEXINGTON, Mass.-Wildfire Communications Inc. said Robert G. Mechaley Jr. has been named president and chief executive officer of the company. Mechaley, 45, most recently was a senior vice president with AT&T Wireless Services Inc. While at McCaw Cellular Communications Inc., …