Dear Friends and Industry Colleagues,

THE NEWSLETTER IS BACK! Thanks to a little help from my friends.

Today's issue is a preview. The regular issue starts next week.

After many messages from people wanting the weekly newsletter back, and the generous support from some paging and wireless data companies, I am pleased to once again send you some news about our industry. Each week I roam the internet browsing various wireless-related sites and looking for news. When I find something that I think might be of interest, I include it in the newsletter. I always quote my sources, except when I get an anonymous scoop* from someone who doesn't want to be identified. Even then, I verify the news from another source, or clearly identify it as "industry gossip" or as "heard on the street."

* Scoop: (skp) An exclusive news story acquired by luck or initiative before a competitor. [Definition supplied for our international readers.]

Anytime you want to harvest your e-mail address book and share the addresses of people who might enjoy this newsletter, please go ahead. Let me remind you that there is no cost to subscribe and there are no membership restrictions. Anyone can un-subscribe by simply following the instructions in the box to the above right. Although several have requested copies, I do not share my database of e-mail addresses, so you will not have to worry about receiving any junk mail or SPAM as a result of subscribing to this newsletter. The only exception is people whose e-mail addresses appear in the text of the newsletter, and therefore on the Internet, may get picked up by one of the web "spiders" that scour the net continually searching for e-mail addresses. This is hard to avoid.

In the past we have had some lively debates on various issues. Strong opinions have been expressed, but so far I don't think anyone has gotten their feelings hurt. For the next discussion I would like to request comments on the "future of paging." This has been a hot topic for several years, and even though we have seen a great reduction in the number of paging subscribers we have—world wide—I still insist "it ain't over yet." Some have accused us of being like the band playing on the deck of the Titanic while the ship sank. There may some truth to that—in some circles—but I am doing all I can do to promote alternate uses of paging technology to keep our paging systems "on-the-air." I am very pleased that hardly a day goes by that my telephone doesn't ring with someone on the line with a new idea for a wireless business—usually telemetry. I sign about one NDA a week.

So let me hear from you. What do you think is going to happen to the paging industry? Do you have access to any accurate reports on the current number of paging subscribers in the USA or other countries? Break it out as one-way and two-way if you can. Since I am no longer on "the inside" I don't have access to the best estimates. I hope to hear from some of my marketing friends.

I have been invited to speak to the Atlantic States Telephone Answering Association members at their meeting in Annapolis, Maryland on October 21st. They want to know what's goin' on with paging! Let's gather a good cross-section of opinions on the issue. I wrote an article on Paging's Future in February of 1997 which you are welcome to read, if you promise not to laugh. Well, it wasn't THAT far off! We all believed that paging would just keep on growing and growing. We didn't see that pervasive and inexpensive cell phone service would take so many of our customers away. So what would you like for me to tell them for you?

Here is how the newsletter works now: no more free advertising. There are two sections at the end of the newsletter promoting products and services. The first one is "paid advertising" from generous companies willing to sponsor this activity. The second section consists of similar promotions but these are for products and services from companies or individuals that compensate me for any business they get from people reading this newsletter. That is if the customer mentions my name—if not I don't get anything. You would be surprised at how may people have sold things here and never even offered me a "thank you" let alone the 10% commission requested. Oh well—so much for the honor system.

So here we gooooooooo.......

More Troubles at MCI (WorldCom)

The FCC is among the federal authorities in separate investigations of fraud allegations recently brought against MCI by other major carriers such as AT&T, SBC and Verizon concerning access payments. The U.S. House of Representatives Commerce Committee and U.S. Justice Department also have investigations of the allegations, which have the potential to delay MCI’s reemergence from bankruptcy, or worse from the company’s perspective. AT&T and others are alleging that MCI (formerly known as WorldCom) systematically sought to underpay huge amounts of money owed to other carriers on access fees for long distance calls, both before and after the company’s installation of new management last year. In reaction, MCI denied intentional wrongdoing, announced its intention to cooperate in any inquiry.

House Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-LA) signed and Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) sent a letter to the FCC requesting submission by Aug. 13 of any documents pertaining to an MCI violation of access charges. “If true,” the letter said, “these allegations represent an unprecedented violation” of FCC rules. Verizon, led by its General Counsel William Barr, has been in the forefront of asking the federal government stop doing business with MCI, which maintains that the misconduct leading to its bankruptcy was in the past by officials now dismissed. AT&T has separately filed papers with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York and elsewhere outlining the alleged scheme whereby MCI avoided paying millions of dollars in access fees by rerouting the calls through smaller carriers, allegedly leaving AT&T and others to make unwarranted payments.

Source: WCA newsletter

Wireless News from Iraq

WASHINGTON—Bahrain Telecommunications Inc. was ordered by the Coalition Provisional Authority to shut down its new division, Batelco Iraq, because it was operating a mobile-phone network without a license. “They are acting in breach of our orders,” a CPA spokesman told the Times of London on Saturday. “If they don’t shut it down, we will take further measures. We know where their base stations are.”

Batelco Iraq began operations on July 22 and claimed it handled 3,000 calls the first day and that its network could handle more than 10,000 calls per day. The only company authorized to offer mobile-phone service is the MCI division of bankrupt WorldCom Inc. MCI received authority from the U.S. Department of Defense to operate a mobile-phone network.

MTC-Vodafone, which is operating in Basra at the behest of the British military, which controls that southern city, has also shut down service in Baghdad. Kurdtel is operating a holdover network in the Kurdish area in northern Iraq. Other areas of Iraq did not previously have mobile-phone service.

Batelco told the Associated Press it plans to participate in the July 30-31 auction of three regional mobile-phone licenses. The United States hopes these three licenses can be leveraged into nationwide networks to produce three competing networks. Batelco spent $5 million to set up the network. The Bahrain Telecommunications Co. is owned by the government of Bahrain and Cable & Wireless L.L.C. In addition to carrying calls from customers with GSM phones, Batelco also planned to offer service and free phones to Baghdad’s emergency workers.

Source: RCR Wireless News

What's going on at the FCC these days?

Please click here for a supplementary report, courtesy of the AAPC.

Wireless Internet Exempt From Taxes

July 31, 2003

WASHINGTON—The Senate Commerce Committee decided to include wireless Internet access as being exempt from Internet Access taxes today.

During the committee's 'mark-up' session for a number of pending bills, committee members said a bill that would extend the moratorium and clarify the definition of Internet access should include wireless access. 'An access tax ought to apply in a technology-neutral way to all methods,' said Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) at the hearing. 'The main provision is to make clear the bill's intent to update the definition and ensure that the moratorium is applied consistently to consumers regardless of how they access the Internet, whether its DSL connection, wireless or cable modem, satellite or dial-up service,' Allen said.

Source: Wireless Week

Trunking Business Continues To Make Good Money

During the second quarter, Nextel Partners said it added 89,000 subscribers, which was slightly below the 90,500 customers the carrier added during the second quarter of 2002, but pushed Nextel Partners’ customer base beyond the 1 million subscriber mark during the quarter. The company also raised its customer growth forecasts for the year by an additional 5,000 subscribers and said it expects to exit 2003 with 1.2 million customers.

Customer churn remained steady at 1.6 percent compared with the second quarter of last year and dropped slightly from the 1.7 percent the carrier posted during the first quarter of this year. Nextel Partners’ management said it expects customer churn to remain below 1.9 percent for the rest of this year.

Nextel Partners also reported $66 in average revenue per user during the second quarter, which was an increase from the $65 the carrier reported during the first three months of this year but down from the $69 posted during the second quarter of 2002. Nextel Partners did note its lifetime revenue per subscriber remained among the highest in the industry at $4,125.

Source: RCR Wireless News

Trunking in México

For an excellent supplementary report on trunking in Mexico—in Spanish—please click here.

Coming soon.

For more information about Zetron's High Speed Simulcast Paging System, the Model 600 and Model 620, go to:
www.zetron.com/paging. CLICK

How about your company here?

Coming soon.

How about your company here?

Coming soon.

Coming soon.

Coming soon.

AAPC’s Mission Statement Defines Purpose

• Identifying issues of common concern to its members
• Providing an effective forum for the discussion and progression of issues relating to the industry
• Monitoring and addressing regulatory and legal matters as a unified organization
• Providing research into and development of our industry and its current and prospective markets
• Providing education and resources to address the challenges and trends affecting our operating environments
• Encouraging and maintaining high standards of ethics and services
• Championing the industry and representing paging carriers with a positive voice

Our industry must move forward together or perish individually. If you want to get involved, please click here. Come and join us!

Their "newsroom" is a great source of information.

They also host the Paging Technical Committee site. There is a lot of good paging-industry information here.

• GL3000 Cards - LCC, UOE, Memory, CPU’s, QVSB’s, T1’s, DID’s, SIO, Drives
• TOWERS (NEW) Self supporting, Guyed, Monopoles, with all the hardware
• Transmitters:
  • (12) Motorola PURC 5000, VHF, 350 & 125W, ACB & Tone
  • (18) Motorola Nucleus, 350W, VHF, Advanced Control
  • (3) Glenayre QT4201, 25W Midband TX
  • (20) Glenayre RL70XC, Midband Link RX
  • (14) Glenayre GLT5340, 125W UHF TX
  • (45) Motorola PURC 5000, UHF, 225 & 110W, Advanced Control
  • (10) Glenayre GLT85/8600, 250/500W, 900 MHz w/C2000
  • (20) Motorola PURC 5000, 300/150W, 900 MHz,

Too much to list! Call or e-mail:

Rick McMichael 888-429-4171

rmcm@preferredwireless.com  CLICK E-MAIL RICK

Mark Dawson 972-467-8188

markd@preferredwireless.com  CLICK E-MAIL MARK

Two-way Radio Products

For over 55 years, RELM has manufactured and marketed two-way FM business-band radios as well as high-specification public safety mobile and portable radios, repeaters and accessories, base station components and subsystems. Products are manufactured and distributed worldwide under RELM Communications, Uniden PRC and BK Radio brand names.

Distribution agreements for Dealers and Stocking Distributors are available in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe.

If you have the ability to sell and service two-way radio equipment and would like to represent Uniden PRC, BK Radio, and RELM Wireless, please let me know as soon as possible. This is a unique opportunity. Requests for other countries will also be considered. Please call me today.

Radio Paging Transmitters

VHF PAGING TRANSMITTER

To request pricing and delivery information for the PTX-150, please click here. UHF and 900 MHz models now available as well.

You can check out their paging products here.

Wireless Automation & Telemetry

Check out the following four categories of two-way wireless data communications. We have the ability to customize solutions to meet your (or your customer's) needs.

To visit their web site for more information, click here.

If you see someone in the field (like salespeople, technicians, and delivery people) using paper forms, their company could probably save a pile of money, and get much better timeliness, accuracy and efficiency, by using converting to Outr.Net's Wireless Forms. Custom applications for as little as $995, delivered in just a few days.

Outr.Net has a web page on Wireless Forms for Timeports at: http://www.outr.net/overnight_pw.htm

Their latest newsletter is: "Crossing the Chasm" with Mobile Data

http://www.outr.net/newsletter_chasm.htm

Please call me so we can discuss your need or your idea.

Would You Like To Advertise Here?

If you have any wireless equipment that you would like to buy or sell, please let me know. I don't charge individuals for listing something for sale. If a sale is made through this newsletter, I ask the seller to send me a 10% commission, much the same as the voluntary payments that are requested on the Internet for shareware. It's on the honor system. There is no cost to the buyer.

There is a small charge for companies wanting to put their products in the newsletter and on my web site. There is no obligation for payment of a commission for this kind of basic advertising. I would be very pleased, however, to get involved in the sales process as a manufacturer representative—for quality wireless products and reputable companies.

brad@braddye.com  CLICK FOR MORE INFO

Wireless Messaging Software

InfoRad® Wireless Office (Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP) is designed for the professional who needs full-featured wireless messaging capabilities. Features include enhanced user interface,  message log with search function, scheduled paging,  group and individual message addresses, TAPI Smart™, multiple protocol SMS communication compatibility. AlphaCare™ support services available. With a 32-bit architecture, InfoRad Wireless Office is designed for compatibility with Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP. For more information on InfoRad Wireless Messaging software, and a free demo, please click on the logo.

  CLICK HERE

Unication Co., Ltd.

Introducing the new line of 802.11b products
Quantity—1,000 minimum each item—per order

Sea Air & Land Communications Ltd.

Designers and Manufacturers of Communications Systems

Introducing the SALCOM paging receivers with relay outputs. Great for telemetry!

• Eight Relay Output VHF POCSAG Receiver.
• One or Two Relay Output VHF POCSAG Receiver.
• Eight Relay Output UHF Paging Receiver.
• One or Two Relay Output UHF Paging Receiver.

Plus pagers, POCSAG encoders, and various paging transmitters and repeaters. SALCOM is a New Zealand company and has a great line of paging products—even including a compact hand-held 4-button, 80 mW paging message transmitter. Suitable for personal and commercial security, medical alert, remote machinery control and many other applications. Not all these products are FCC approved for use in the USA. Please ask for more information if you are interested in any of them. Additional details will follow in future newsletters. In the mean time, you can check out their web site here.

Legacy Technology Solutions LLC

Paging infrastructure repair with warranty. Please ask for Virgil Jarrard, President, and tell him Brad Dye sent you. They are located in the Dallas suburbs, and they occasionally have some good deals on reconditioned paging equipment as well. Check with them for current product availability. You can send Virgil an e-mail by clicking here.

Comments and contributions to this newsletter are always welcome. Some of the best news tips come from readers. Have a great week!

With best regards,	Brad Dye WIRELESS DATA CONSULTANT
	Voice:
	Fax:
	E–mail:	brad@braddye.com
	Web:	Consulting and Job search page CLICK HERE

FLEX, ReFLEX, FLEXsuite, and InFLEXion, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola, Inc.
Si desea escribirme en español, puede hacerlo con toda confianza.