Wireless Services

Convergence shows its colors as cable TV provider Cox Communications Inc. charts its course into next-generation wireless telephony, underscored by its announcement last month of plans to use Code Division Multiple Access technology on its personal communications services networks. The …

No one can dispute the convenience of carrying a cellular phone, but should cellular phone users be prevented from accessing-for free-those wonderful and convenient 1-800 toll free numbers that landline telephone users enjoy-free? Up until now, cellular users were charged …

WASHINGTON-The first system and billing identification codes for personal communications services have been assigned to AT&T Wireless Services by Cibernet Corp. Cibernet is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, which urged the assignment of codes so PCS …

WASHINGTON-The cellular industry continues to be shaped by the forces of deregulation and regulatory parity mandated in 1993 legislation passed by the then Democratic-controlled Congress and implemented on an on-going basis by the Federal Communications Commission. The same trends are …

The purchase of Nationwide Cellular Service Inc. is a good short-term strategy for MCI Communications Corp., but the nation’s second largest long-distance company will need to acquire some infrastructure to become a competitive wireless provider, said a Virginia-based communications analyst. …

By awarding licenses for public cellular and paging services earlier this month, the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore joins the growing tide of countries sweeping the Asia-Pacific region to bring competition to telecommunications and liberalize the economy. Coming out on top …

WASHINGTON-Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt said the agency will not halt the licensing of personal communications services systems that use the Global System for Mobile communications standard because “we don’t believe there is a serious risk of interference to …

Cellular telephones improved communications at the Oklahoma City tragedy when public-safety groups’ two-way radios-all on different frequencies-couldn’t connect. “At the site of a disaster, radio channels max out immediately with just tactical communication,” said Ron Baker, director of wireless services …

SEATTLE-McCaw Cellular Communications Inc. has visibly initiated its transition into AT&T Corp. with a few name changes. Its cellular businesses in Washington and Oregon, previously called Cellular One, and the U.S. operations of McCaw’s in-flight communications company, Claircom, now are …

WASHINGTON-Jay Kitchen has always had a knack for being able to talk to folks, whether they be mom-and-pop two-way radio dealers who for years have looked to him for representation in Washington, D.C., or Fortune 500 executives, engineers and policymakers …

WASHINGTON-The Telecommunications Resellers Association has formed the Wireless Resale Council, a TRA advisory committee designed to guide industry policy and provide members with information on wireless service resale. TRA Director William Rodi has been elected chairman of the group. The …

WASHINGTON-Jay Kitchen has always had a knack for being able to talk to folks, whether they be mom-and-pop two-way radio dealers who for years have looked to him for representation in Washington, D.C., or Fortune 500 executives, engineers and policymakers …

As the dust settles from the recent double-header, pre-auction alliance ballgame, another Mighty Casey is in position to crack the bat at December’s auction of broadband personal communications services licenses. Sprint Corp. recently announced a grand slam alliance with three …

The price GTE Corp. is offering for publicly held Contel Cellular Inc. shares was set arbitrarily, does not take into account that the company’s profits are expected to increase and places an artificial lid on the market price for the …

The Federal Communications Commission is experiencing a metamorphosis: Established as a custodian of the public airwaves in the interest of the public, it has become a cash cow for the U.S. treasury. The FCC is on the brink of going …

Cellular carriers in California have asked the Federal Communications Commission to reject a petition filed by the California Public Utilities Commission that asks for continued state regulation of cellular rates. The FCC planned to take control of rate regulation from …

SEATTLE-The Personal Communications Industry Association’s annual meeting started here last Wednesday with a bang but ended with a bust. About 7,000 people attended the three-day Personal Communications Showcase, more than double the attendance of last year’s event. Exhibit and hotel …

According to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, approximately a half million 911 calls are placed over U.S. cellular networks each month. With the cellular subscribers growing at an annual rate of 48 percent, the number of cellular 911 calls is …