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| FRIDAY - DECEMBER 26, 2003 - ISSUE NO. 91 | ||||||
Dear Friends and Industry Colleagues, Be sure to read "2003 - The Year In Review" with highlights of this year's news from the newsletter archive—near the end of the newsletter—you might find an issue that you want to go back to and read again.
This week's issue has been edited and condensed considerably. I have removed several ads in order to give more emphasis to those companies that are paying their way. I determined from the beginning that I was not going to try to charge anyone for receiving the newsletter. Support has to come from products sold and from paid advertising or donations. The support from products sold has not worked out very well, so I am shifting my emphasis more to advertising. I suspect that there is a considerable amount of business going on from information gained and contacts obtained in the newsletter, but I usually don't get included in the process.
Here is a link to the available paging channels that I mentioned last week. They are in the Pueblo (CO), Austin, and DFW areas. They are mostly VHF and UHF but there are some 900 MHz channels available. Let me know if you are interested. |
A new issue of the Paging and Wireless Data Newsletter gets posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon Eastern US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the Internet. That way it doesn't fill up your incoming e-mail account. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world's major paging and wireless data companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers, so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. I regularly get reader's comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the paging, and wireless data communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my website. NOTE: This newsletter is best viewed at screen resolutions of 800x600 (good) or 1024x768 (better). Any current revision of web browser should work just fine. Please notify me of any problems with viewing. This site is compliant with XHTML 1.0 transitional coding for easy access from wireless devices. (XML 1.0 / ISO 8859-1) PAGING CARRIERS: Our industry must move forward together or we will perish individually. | |||||
| PAGING INDUSTRY NEWS | |
Research In Motion Reports Third Quarter Results December 22, 2003 Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM), a world leader in the mobile communications market, today reported third quarter results for the three months ended November 29, 2003 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP). Revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2004 was $153.9 million, up 22% from $125.7 million in the previous quarter and up 107% from $74.2 million in the same quarter of last year. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 56% for handhelds, 29% for service, 9% for software licenses and 6% for OEM radios and other revenue. The total number of BlackBerry® subscribers increased by approximately 154,000 from the prior quarter to approximately 865,000 subscribers. Source: RIM Press Release RIM, Sony Ericsson Strike Licensing Deal December 23, 2003 Research In Motion (Quote, Chart) continues to expand its reach and distribution, despite pending legal actions that threaten its ability to do business in the United States. The maker of the popular BlackBerry devices on Monday said its wireless e-mail technologies will be integrated into Sony Ericsson's mobile phones. The pact is part of RIM's "BlackBerry Connect" licensing program that enables mobile device makers to tap into BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Web Client services. A spokesman for Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM was not immediately available. RIM first announced its licensing program at the CTIA Wireless show in March. Since then, it's landed Sony Ericsson rivals Nokia and Symbian among its licensed partners. This most recent agreement was announced with RIM's third-quarter earnings. RIM posted revenue of $153.9 million, up 22 percent during the three-month period, up from $125.7 million in the previous quarter and up 107 percent from $74.2 million in the same quarter of last year. Net earnings were $16.3 million, or 20 cents per share, better than last quarter's $2.1 million, or 3 cents per share profit. The company has made a slew of announcements in recent months. Last week, RIM announced an agreement with PalmSource to develop BlackBerry connectivity on Palm OS. In late November, RIM's first color device, the BlackBerry 7730 handheld, was released. A wide-reaching agreement with IBM was announced in September that integrates the development of solutions using WebSphere Everyplace Access mobile middleware and BlackBerry Enterprise Server. All these positive announcements have occurred while RIM has been under a legal shadow that threatens to stop it from selling its products in the United States. RIM's fate rests on the final outcome of a patent lawsuit with Virginia-based holding firm NTP. In August, a U.S court found that RIM had infringed on NTP patents and ordered RIM to pay $53 million in damages. More importantly, the ruling barred RIM for selling BlackBerry devices in the United States. If RIM loses on appeal, the injunction would remain until NTP's patents expire as late as May 20, 2012. Despite that potentially gloomy prospect, the upbeat earnings report convinced several brokers to raise their ratings and price targets on RIM. Shares of the company's stock were up more than 40 percent at one point today, breaking through its 52-week high. Source: InternetNews.comIPO, merger speculated for Cingular Wireless Dec. 23, 2003 2:50 PM EST NEW YORK—Cingular Wireless L.L.C.'s parent companies SBC Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp. are reportedly looking at an initial public offering for their wireless division sometime next year to help fund expansion plans that could include a merger with industry rival AT&T Wireless Services Inc., according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. "At Cingular, there is strong momentum building for both an acquisition or an IPO," an unnamed source told the Wall Street Journal. "This is more than just running scenarios." A number of industry sources have made similar predictions of a possible Cingular/AT&T Wireless merger noting both carriers have been cleaning up their balance sheets and consolidating their operations for such a move. Cingular was rumored to be looking at acquiring T-Mobile USA Inc. last year, but was reportedly rebuffed by T-Mobile USA parent company Deutsche Telekom AG. The news sent AT&T Wireless' shares up more than five percent in early Tuesday trading to nearly $8 per share with above average trading volume. Source: RCR Wireless News California Amplifier to Acquire Vytek Corporation Acquisition Strengthens California Amplifier's Engineering Capability and Market Presence, and Diversifies Product and Customer Base CAMARILLO, CA, December 23, 2003— California Amplifier, Inc. (Nasdaq: CAMP) announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Vytek Corporation. The acquisition represents a pivotal step in California Amplifier's strategic growth plan to diversify its customer base, expand its core engineering capability, and broaden its market offerings. Vytek, a privately-held company headquartered in San Diego, California, is a provider of hardware and software solutions and services that enable wired and wireless access to information. Vytek has a diversified Fortune 1000 customer base consisting of world-class technology companies, consumer electronics companies, household names in retailing and distribution, and companies in various vertical markets such as healthcare and public safety. Vytek has approximately 280 employees with 10 offices nationwide, and has longstanding customer relationships dating back 18 years through its prior acquisitions. Source: Vytek Press Release |
| FEATURED ADVERTISERS | |||||||||||||||||
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Motorola Introduces Two New Pagers Ideal for Health Care, Hospitality, Manufacturing, and Utilities Markets Motorola's newest one-way pagers—the Advisor II pager and the LS355 pager—are ideal for users in demanding business environments who need a convenient and cost effective way to stay in touch. Both the Advisor II pager and the LS355 pager were developed for use in hospitals and medical facilities, manufacturing environments, utilities, hospitality applications, campus settings, and for businesses that own and operate their own paging systems.
Both the Advisor II pager and the LS355 pager are available in POCSAG, UHF or VHF models and ship with a one-year standard warranty. As part of the continued support of these pagers, Motorola offers a two-year Express Service Plus program. This feature provides hardware repair coverage for two years beyond the standard one-year warranty for a total of three years of pager repair coverage. Both pagers are available through Motorola Authorized Resellers. MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2003. | Immediate opening for technician responsible for maintenance and expansion of paging systems throughout Northern California. Applicant should have experience with Glenayre and Motorola Paging Transmitters. Experience with related equipment including paging switching terminals and telephone interconnection, Excel and light Word processing is a plus. Position is based in San Rafael, California and Cook Paging offers a competitive salary and a full benefits package. Please send your resume to: cookinc@sbcglobal.net or pcook@cookmail.com Or fax it to: Cook Paging, Engineering Dept. at: 415-456-5566. | ||||||||||||||||
For more information on advertising click here. | |||||||||||||||||
Coming Soon | |||||||||||||||||
A fast and reliable alarming system is an indisputable prerequisite for emergency fire and rescue services to respond successfully and efficiently. State-of-the-art paging enables groups as well as individuals to be alerted. The Quattrino Voice and Memo two tone pagers are suitable for everyone, even for those working in an emergency during severe weather conditions. Continual further development of previous popular models has resulted in a practical, reliable and user-friendly device, innovatively housed with ergonomic operating controls. Design elements include a very long standby function and weather proofing to the European IP54 specifications. I am an authorized Manufacturer Representative for Swissphone. Please contact me directly for any additional information. | Advanced RF Communications offers a complete line of products and services to support your new or existing paging system. Our RF and System engineering team utilizes the latest technologies and techniques to deliver reliable high-speed digital data messaging or tone/voice paging for local or wide area simulcast one-way or two-way paging systems. Advanced RF Communications is a proud sponsor of the: American Association of Paging Carriers
Our System design and installation services integrate all the "boxes" and deliver fully operational one or two-way paging "system". We can also "tune-up" that existing paging system with our diagnostic and troubleshooting services to restore System performance that has deteriorated over time. WANTED TO PURCHASE: 1 or 2 ea. Glenayre/Quintron T-5353 UHF transmitters with or without RL900/903 link receivers. Please call!!
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 Authentium's COMMAND Antivirus™ COMMAND Antivirus™ is used by leading education institutions, Fortune 500 companies and government agencies for one simple reason - it works. Based on the proven F-Prot engine and developed continuously over a period of more than ten years, COMMAND Antivirus™ deploys more easily, detects more viruses (and potential viruses), handles more file extensions, and returns fewer false positives than competing antivirus products. Authentium's new representative for Mexico: Enrique Llaca Enrique Llaca | DX Radio Systems, Inc. manufactures high quality, high specification type communications products. The following is a list of products that DX Radio Systems, Inc. manufactures or supplies as a single supplied product and can be included as part of a turnkey system:
Performance that is tough to find anywhere at a price you can afford.
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Advertise Here Your company's logo and product promotion can appear right here for 6 months. It only costs $500 for a full-size ad in 26 issues—that's $19.23 an issue. Details about the NEW 2004 advertising plans can be read here. | |||||||||||||||||
 AAPC’s Mission Statement Defines Purpose
Our industry must move forward together or we will perish individually. If you want to get involved, please click here. Come and join us! The AAPC "newsroom" is a great source of information. The AAPC also hosts the Paging Technical Committee site. There is a lot of good paging industry information here. Click on the logo above to get a membership application. | Sophisticated And Affordable
The Zetron 2000 Series Paging Terminals are designed for the paging operator needing a flexible, modular approach to system operation, with the capacity to expand to a region-wide or national network. The terminals are incrementally expandable in both capacity and options. The 2000 Series can act as the hub of an integrated communications system and are suitable for the larger private paging system. The terminals are incrementally expandable in both capacity and options, so a system can start small and grow as required. The terminals are available with advanced features such as PageSaver voice messaging. They connect with a wide range of PBX or PSTN equipment and can be integrated with security systems, monitoring and control systems, nurse call, product control, building management systems etc.
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 ISC Technologies is the industry leader in the pre-owned Paging equipment marketplace. We specialize in purchasing, reconditioning, reconfiguring and sales of quality paging infrastructure. We can customize and configure equipment at a fraction of the cost of new. All equipment carries a standard warranty to insure your trouble free operation. At ISC Technologies we service what we sell and more. Our factory-trained technicians repair most Quintron, Glenayre, Motorola, and Skydata equipment. All of our repairs are done on a Time and Material basis, saving you money over flat rate repair. From vacuum tubes to surface mount equipment, we are ready to handle your repair needs quickly and cost effectively.
Web: www.4isctech.com |  Wireless Communication Solutions The Hark ISI-400LX is a hardware device that encapsulates serial data into TCP/IP for transmission over the Internet. It can also be configured to convert incoming TAP messages from the serial port and send them over the Internet to paging providers in email (SMTP) or Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP) format. The ISI-400LX with the optional external modem can connect to a secondary dial-up ISP when a failure on the ethernet port is detected.
This device is the perfect companion for the Hark Gateway products. An ISI can be located at a remote location for receiving TAP, TNPP, or Billing traffic using a local ISP eliminating long distance phone charges.
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| PAGING AND WIRELESS DATA NEWS CLIPS FROM THE WEB | |
Aether Systems Reaches Agreement to Sell Enterprise Mobility Solutions Division OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Dec. 19, 2003 – Aether Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: AETH), a leading provider of mobile and wireless data solutions, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Enterprise Mobility Solutions division to TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) (Nasdaq: TSYS). The purchase price for the transaction is $19 million in cash, subject to the satisfaction of various closing conditions, and the parties are seeking to complete the deal in early January. TCS will acquire the portion of Aether's business that focuses on wireless data solutions for large enterprise customers, including the Aether Systems Ltd. business in Europe. Aether continues to own and operate its Transportation and Mobile Government divisions. Based in Annapolis, Md., TCS is a leading provider of software and solutions to wireless telecommunication carriers worldwide and to government customers requiring high reliability and security. The assets that TCS will acquire include the Aether Fusion™ wireless development platform; the BlackBerry™ by Aether® product suite and customer base; Aether's 20/20 Delivery™ wireless logistics solution and customer base; and Aether's field service and financial services applications and associated customers. As part of the agreement, a total of approximately 112 Aether employees will become TCS employees and continue to work from their current location in Owings Mills, Md. "The Aether Enterprise Mobility Solutions division has grown to be a leader in the wireless data market," said Dave Oros, Chairman and CEO of Aether Systems. "Combining the division with the strengths of TCS will enable EMS to enhance its leadership position. In addition, we are very pleased to have found a Maryland-based home for the division and the employees who have worked very hard to grow that portion of our business." About Aether Systems, Inc. Press Contact: This press release includes forward-looking statements based on current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions about Aether that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements, including the risk that required conditions to the closing of the sale of the Enterprise Mobility Solutions division will not be satisfied, in which case the transaction might not be completed or might be completed on different terms than those described above. Other risk factors regarding Aether's business, performance and financial condition are included in Aether's Annual Report on Form 10-K with respect to the fiscal year ending December 31, 2002 and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Aether undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Source: Aether Systems Press Release Motorola Canopy™ Wireless Broadband Portfolio Expands with New 2.4GHz Product Benefits Include Longer Range, Increased Capacity SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Dec. 15, 2003 – Motorola is introducing a new 2.4GHz product for its Canopy™ wireless broadband portfolio. The new solution is a cost-effective option for Internet service providers, and for enterprise and private network operators that may be looking to add capacity to cover larger geographic areas or to extend reach to customers in difficult terrain. The 2.4GHz system allows network operators to add new subscribers to existing Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) networks and is well-suited for working in challenging topologies, such as areas with foliage. The Canopy system's ability to provide a robust high-speed connection, even in the presence of interference, is a critical competitive advantage when compared to existing 2.4 GHz outdoor solutions. The 2.4GHz point-to-point backhaul modules can be used as a cost-effective, low-latency Ethernet bridge between any two networks or between a network and remote user. There is also a 2.4 GHz 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) product available with the most advanced layer of encryption available on wireless networks. In international markets where other frequencies are limited, the 2.4GHz can become the critical second band to complement solutions in other bands, such as 5.7GHz ISM band or even a licensed band such as 3.5GHz. Source: Motorola Press Release |
| FEATURED ADVERTISERS SUPPORTING THE NEWSLETTER | ||||||||||||||||||||
 ProfitPlus by Netflow—the software that streamlines pager billing and system maintenance. ProfitPlus interfaces to your Zetron terminals allowing easy changes to pager settings and billable services. Zetron Interface: Multiple Zetron Series 2000 terminals supported. Default pager settings. Terminal/phone number association. Future activation/deactivation dates. Easy group maintenance. Automatic Billing Records: Point of Sale transaction automatically enters pager airtime into monthly billing cycle. Contract pricing. Recurring and one-time billing capabilities. Tracking: Agent commissions. Phone number inventory/analysis. Product inventory transfer from stockroom to sales locations to customer. Capcode usage reports. Duplicate capcode detection.
Contact Netflow, Inc at: 800-236-5861 | GL3000 Cards
Transmitters
Motorola PURC UHF RF Trays & UHF 110W PAs, tested and ready to ship. Motorola PURC Advanced Control Units, tested and ready to ship.
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Supports both current and future radio paging network needs. Offers both analog (2-tone, 5/6-tone, Quick-Call I and II) formats with voice and digital (Golay, POCSAG and FLEX™) paging formats. Can be tailored to meet special operating requirements of your organization. Features redundant AC and DC power supplies, plug-in hard disk drives, standard MS Windows 2000 operating system, voice prompts, caller password screening, direct connection to your dispatch console and more. You can use common time source for logging. Supports PURC transmitter control or can be connected to existing transmitter control system. Redundancy option with geographic separation is available to provide additional protection for critical message control points. Let us discuss your specific needs. Other PMG models are available with more features and capacities. Also inquire about TGA’s Special Network Application Platform (SNAP)* featuring e-mail messaging inbound and outbound with Web Site Hosting, and don't forget:
* TGA SNAP is a trademark of TGA Technologies, Inc. | Developers and Manufacturers of Paging and Mobile Data Equipment Selective is a developer and manufacturer of intelligent paging receiver/decoders and mobile data equipment. The PDT2000 Paging Data Terminal is a large display pager designed for desktop or in-vehicle mounting and it, along with our range of other Paging Data Receivers provide a significant message processing capability. The PDT and PDR range have multiple uses and capabilities including:
Our mobile data equipment includes a range of Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) which may be interfaced to a variety of wireless networks including trunked and conventional radio, paging, GPRS & CDMA cellular, Mobitex etc. Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and GPS solutions, Dispatch & Messaging software. Local area paging systems, paging interception and message reprocessing software, field force automation and mobile dispatch solutions. We export worldwide.
I am an authorized Manufacturer Representative for Selective. Please contact me directly for any additional information. | |||||||||||||||||||
 TRANSMITTERS AND RECEIVERS PAGING EQUIPMENT EMERGENCY TRANSCEIVER SEA AIR AND LAND COMMUNICATIONS LTD I am an authorized Manufacturer Representative for SALCOM. Please contact me directly for any additional information. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A Call For Help With Paging History A late comer claims to have invented Wireless E-mail in 1991. We all know that the paging community was doing this in the mid to late 80s and I need your help to prove this. I am looking for the following:
Please look in your storeroom or your basement and see if you have any of these items. It would be very helpful if you could assist me in showing that wireless e-mail was being used before 1991.
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Want to help the newsletter ? Become a SPONSOR Promote your company's image with one of the posters to the right
For more details, and pricing on the 2004 advertising options please click here LOOK — more poster options • PATRON • All these terms mean the same thing: "people and companies that want to help keep the newsletter publication going with weekly news about business trends and technology in paging and wireless data." | Examples of New Poster Ads
For more information on advertising click here. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW | |
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| PAGING AND WIRELESS DATA NEWS CLIPS FROM THE WEB | |
Verizon Wireless and Vodafone Cooperate on Transatlantic Text Messaging 12/22/2003 BEDMINSTER, NJ — Verizon Wireless, the leading U.S. wireless service provider, and Vodafone, the world's largest mobile community, today announces that they are introducing transatlantic text messaging. This collaboration will enable their respective customers to send and receive text messages between the Verizon Wireless CDMA network and Vodafone's GSM networks. The transatlantic text messaging services will be introduced on a phased basis in the U.S. and 10 of Vodafone's GSM networks. All Verizon Wireless customers with TXT messaging-capable handsets, and Vodafone customers across Germany, Greece, Ireland*, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK, will be able to use the service beginning in early 2004. Vodafone intends to extend the service to an even wider footprint during 2004. Each text message sent travels between GSM and CDMA networks and is converted by InphoMatch, a U.S. vendor, before being forwarded to the recipient's handset. Testing of the process shows that the conversion process and message delivery occurs within seconds. * Vodafone Ireland has already initiated a pre-Christmas marketing campaign for the service. Source: Verizon Wireless |
| UNTIL NEXT WEEK | ||||||||||||||||||||
I have developed a one-day training course on paging. Take a look at a draft of the course outline if you think this might be beneficial in your company. Paging training course outline. I would be happy to come to your place of business and conduct this training for your employees. I am very grateful for the critical support that people and companies have provided in the form of advertising, purchases from advertisers, and contributions of relevant articles during this challenging year. I look forward to continuing to provide you all with news and information services throughout 2004. God bless you all.
FLEX, ReFLEX, FLEXsuite, and InFLEXion, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola, Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| THE PAGING INFORMATION RESOURCE | ||||||||||||||||||||
I have continued to upgrade the page describing 
The Advisor II pager's alphanumeric four-line display and expanded functionality incorporate many of the most advanced paging features available. A major advantage of the Advisor II pager is that it is synthesized which enables the user to program the pager to a specific frequency in the field. Other features of the Advisor II pager include:
The LS355 numeric pager enables users to receive a "call-back" number that can be returned at the user's convenience. This pager has a one-button design for ease of use. Features of the new LS355 pager include:
Aether Systems is the company that bought out RTS Wireless, formerly Real Time Strategies. They manufactured an Internet gateway/TNPP router/protocol converter that was used in many countries to build out international paging networks. It was called the RTS Advantage™. I worked there for a while as VP of sales and marketing and then used their product extensively when I went to work at PageMart/WebLink as VP of international networks. I think I was the first to come up with the idea of networking paging systems together over the Internet using TNPP. I also believe that RTS was the first company to incorporate my idea into a commercial product. We almost didn't do it because back in 1995 the popular use of the Internet was just catching on and many thought it couldn't be used for commercial activities. RTS had several leading-edge products used by all of the major paging networks. Following is a Press Release from Aether Systems. 
TWO-WAY PAGING
