Dear friends of Wireless Messaging and Paging,

I must admit to being a little puzzled at the first quarter financial reports last week from Arch and Metrocall. Readers are asking me to explain, and I am at a loss to do so. Six months ago the consensus of opinion seemed to be that the terrible attrition in the large, nationwide-paging carriers, had slowed down and was stabilizing. Now these numbers:

These are reports from only two companies. We do not have a report from SkyTel, the other nationwide carrier with both one-way and two-way pagers—since they are part of MCI’s corporate group and are not reported separately. It is safe to estimate that the US public-subscriber paging industry is experiencing a continuing decline in paging units in service at a rate of over 1/2 million customers per quarter.

The amazing thing is that many of the local and regional paging companies continue to report that they are doing well. This is wonderful news and has been reported here before. I believe there are some important lessons to be learned from all of this. The smaller carriers are able to stay in touch with their customers, listen to them, and give them what they want. I think they generally take better care of both their customers and their equipment. With your help, I will do an article on this after we have the open forum discussion at the SCA meeting in Myrtle Beach next month. I hope you can attend the discussion, but if you can not, please tell me what you think about The Final Merger of Paging, and the differences between the big nationwide companies, and the local/regional companies.

ADDED INFORMATION
Verizon Wireless has provided, and continues to provide, nationwide paging service. With approximately 1.5 million paging subscribers (with both one-way and 2-way pagers), coverage in all 50 states (including the top 150 U.S. markets and beyond), they had positive growth in their 2-way paging business in the fourth quarter of 2003, and consistent profitability even as other nationwide carriers filed for bankruptcy, Verizon Wireless is, and continues to be, a major nationwide player in the paging industry.

I don't want people to think that Verizon Wireless paging no longer exists—especially considering they have been a consistently profitable company and a relative success story even in the face of adverse paging industry news.
(Information supplied by Verizon Wireless.)

Now on to more news and views.

Promoting Wireless Messaging, Telemetry, and Paging.

A new issue of The Wireless Messaging 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 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.)

Good Technology Lures Whopping $45M In Funding; Releases New Offering

05/17/2004

Good Technology, Inc., a provider of industry standards-based wireless messaging and corporate data access, closed an oversubscribed $45M+ round of financing, led by Crosslink Capital. Crosslink was joined by significant new investor BA Venture Partners and Good's existing backers—including Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers and Benchmark Capital—many of which invested in excess of their pro-rata allocations. Good will use the funds to accelerate its already rapid market penetration.

Good's success in establishing itself in over 2,000 enterprises in less than two years attracted us to this investment opportunity. Our discussions with Good's customers highlighted the powerful appeal of the company's approach in providing solutions based on industry standards, rather than a proprietary system. We expect this standards-based approach to accelerate dramatically the growth of enterprise wireless data, said Gary Hromadko, venture partner at Crosslink Capital. As Good invests more aggressively in sales and marketing over the coming quarters, we believe enterprise customers will increasingly select GoodLink as they opt for devices based on industry standards from the world's most trusted IT and wireless equipment providers.

We re experiencing a dramatic increase in demand for GoodLink on standards-based devices such as Windows-powered Pocket PCs and the hot-selling palmOne Treo 600. In the past six months, this pull has expanded from our enterprise customers to include the world s leading carriers, platform providers, and device makers, all of whom view GoodLink as a tool to help them serve these valuable and demanding customers, said Danny Shader, CEO of Good Technology, Inc. We will use this financing to expand our sales, marketing, support, and business development capabilities worldwide to address this tremendous opportunity.

Good Technology's flagship offering, GoodLink, is a standards-based wireless messaging and corporate data access system that provides mobile field forces with a two-way wirelessly synchronized connection with the critical information contained in Microsoft Exchange Servers (enterprise email, contacts, calendar, notes and tasks) and CRM, ERP and SCM systems. The company recently announced that over 2,000 enterprises now use GoodLink to empower their mobile workforces. GoodLink meets the most stringent security standards; GoodLink is FIPS certified and incorporates AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) end-to-end encryption to protect email, data, and attachments in Microsoft Office, WordPerfect, HTML, PDF and RTF file formats. The GoodLink system includes non-stop service, a real-time synchronizing server, and security and application software that supports the Good G100, RIM 950 and 957 handhelds, palmOne Treo 600, and Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC devices on a variety of networks.

Separately, Good said GoodLink is now available for wireless devices powered by Microsoft s Windows Mobile 2003 Software for Pocket PC Phone Edition, including the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition. Forthcoming GoodLink-ready Windows Mobile-powered devices include the exciting new Motorola MPx.

Good offered these details:

When combined with GoodLink, Windows Mobile delivers laptop power to smartphones: true multi-tasking, a familiar Outlook-like user interface, and the ability to download and edit rich attachments generated with Microsoft Office and other Windows applications.

In response to customer requirements, GoodLink for Windows Mobile raises the bar on security, advanced fleet management and administrative capabilities. In addition to providing cradle-free, two-way wireless synchronization with the full suite of Microsoft Outlook applications, GoodLink for Windows Mobile enables rich attachment downloads that can be edited with Microsoft Pocket Excel or Word or any of the thousands of third-party applications that are available for Microsoft's industry-standard mobile platform. Consistent with Good s commitment to standards-based interoperability, administrators can support multiple GoodLink devices ¡V powered by Windows Mobile or other platforms—on a variety of networks, all from a single GoodLink server. This flexibility allows IT to meet the diverse needs of mobile workforces, where heterogeneous device and carrier preferences are a fact of life.

With GoodLink, customers using a compatible Windows Mobile 2003-based Pocket PC have quick, more-secure access to the suite of Outlook-based applications, said Karen Carter, group product manager for the Mobile and Embedded Devices Division at Microsoft Corp. Businesses running Microsoft Exchange Server can extend the functionality to include wireless synchronization with the full Outlook experience, thereby providing an entire work force with the flexibility to remain connected to critical business data and the tools to increase productivity, away from the office.

Several of Good s 2,000+ enterprise customers have been testing GoodLink for Windows Mobile 2003 Software for Pocket PC Phone Edition since it was first demonstrated publicly in February, 2004, among them SanDisk Corporation, the world's largest supplier of flash data storage card products, and Bovis Lend Lease, one of the world's leaders in project management and construction services.

"To maintain our leadership in a very crowded market, it's imperative that our sales executives minimize the time they spend on non-customer-facing activities while they re on the road, and maximize their time serving our customers," said Jeff Kost, vice president of OEM Sales for SanDisk. "With GoodLink on a Pocket PC wireless device, not only can we be more responsive with up-to-the moment access to our email, calendar and contacts, but we can view and edit documents, access our business systems, and even give presentations—without carrying a laptop."

Our customer relationships are built on trust, integrity and respect. Today's clients want solutions to their business problems, so we evaluate where we can add value and tailor a real estate solution that meets their needs. To do so, we draw from resources anywhere in the world using our virtual network, said Steve Thomas, CIO of the Americas for Bovis Lend Lease. With GoodLink as a component of our messaging platform, we can manage the flow of critical information and maintain open lines of communication with ease. Because GoodLink is compatible with the latest standards-based devices based on Windows Mobile for Pocket PCs, we will continue to expand the boundaries of what our mobile employees can do, whether it be email or telephone interactions, reviewing and collaborating on business documents, or monitoring critical aspects of our projects.

The release of GoodLink for Windows Mobile marks another important milestone in our commitment to industry standards. These standards allow our customers to benefit from the best mobile devices available, regardless of platform or carrier, said Sue Forbes, Good's vice president of marketing. GoodLink for Windows Mobile adds powerful messaging and data access capabilities to Microsoft s already impressive, feature-rich operating system, delivering laptop power to smartphones.

Source: ebiz.net

Mobile Gear Can Save Money, But Beware Interference

FORT LAUDERDALE—Hospitals may save a significant amount of money, reduce medical errors, and improve patient and staff satisfaction by carefully boosting mobile computing use while paying close attention to the possibility of interference, according to a new report on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in healthcare facilities.

"With simple procedures, effective management and clear communications, a healthcare institution's well-coordinated EMC program can help to improve cost-effectiveness and provide patients with state-of-the-art healthcare that includes the safe co-existence of medical devices with wireless mobile technology," says a white paper issued by the Mobile Healthcare Alliance (MoHCA).

The Washington-based, not-for-profit group released its findings here on Tuesday, on the eve of the Towards an Electronic Patient Record (TEPR) 2004 conference on medical records.    

The white paper is an attempt to inform healthcare executives, practitioners, and the health-IT industry about the issue of electromagnetic interference (EMI). "It's to make that population aware that EMI exists," MoHCA executive director Claudia Tessier said.

MoHCA officials urged healthcare provider organizations to develop intelligent policies on wireless technology. "The key is to optimize EMC by minimizing emissions while maximizing the immunity to EMI," the report said.

Peter Waegemann, co-chair of MoHCA and chief executive of the Medical Records Institute, which holds TEPR, said that 40% of hospitals nationwide had blanket bans on cell phones and other wireless devices at the time the study began last fall, a condition he called an overreaction. [emphasis added]

"One should not have a total ban on anything," according to Waegemann. "Have a policy," he said.

Although MoHCA was not aware of any deaths caused by radio-frequency interference in hospitals, MoHCA member Dara McLain, an engineer with medical device manufacturer Philips Medical Systems USA, had documented some potential safety problems.

According to McLain, incidents have involved the distortion of ultrasound images and the interruption of wireless telemetry caused by the "spraying" of broadband noise by ventilation systems. "It's not very common, but when it does happen, it is very hard to track down," McLain said.

Devices usually get the blame, she said, even though external conditions may be responsible, and hospitals can incur significant expenses to repair, replace, or relocate equipment.

For this reason, Tessier points out that an EMC program can save large amounts of money. "It doesn't have to be expensive," she said. "Just know what you need to manage."

Source: Health IT World News

I received a few comments about the joke last week's newsletter. It came to me by e-mail and I thought it was very funny, so I just put it in the newsletter without thinking too much about how some people might react to it. One reader thought it was in bad taste. Others enjoyed it very much, including readers in México. It certainly wasn't my intention to offend anyone, and I apologize if the joke was taken in any way other than just a funny story. So to keep things in balance, I have included one of my favorite jokes, that was sent in by a reader. (Americans: maybe if we learn to laugh about ourselves, other people won't laugh at us as much.) Anyone who knows me, also knows about my love for the Spanish language, its people, and their culture. I have spent the last 40 years of my life working on my ability to speak this beautiful language.

From: Ayerst Doug
Sent: Friday, May 14, 2004

Dear FLEX Family Customer,

I have accepted a position with another company and will be leaving Motorola effective today. As a result of this change, Gerry Haskett, Director of Intellectual Property Licensing, will now be the main point of contact within Motorola's FLEX Family Licensing department effective Monday, May 17, 2004.

Gerry's contact information is:

It has been my privilege to serve you and I wish you the best of success.

Best regards,
Doug Ayerst
Fellow of the Technical Staff
Motorola, FLEX Family Licensing

Hi Brad,

I wanted to add some more entries for your paging family tree. I worked for all the companies involved in this update. MSI Communications (Mobilefone Services Inc)—provided paging operations in Houston and Tulsa; sold in 1981 to become two of the first three operations of PageNet. PageNet's startup senior management came from Gencom. PageNet sold their Ohio and Alabama operations in the mid 80's, this became Premiere Page. Premiere Page went public in 1993, then sold to USA Mobile in 1994. Gencom sold to Pactel, who in turn spun off AirTouch as a public company. AirTouch was bought by Vodafone in 1999, then merged their USA operations with Verizon in 2000. I hope this helps your expanding tree.

Regards,

Wayne Morin
wmorin@houston.rr.com

Can anyone help with this?

Hello Brad,

After striking out against the Nucleus station, I now have turned my attention to a 300 watt PURC 5000 station. I have it all running fine, and the paging controller (Kantronics POCSAG) is making the audio and PPT.

This station is the programmable Advanced Control model. Only problem is that the audio is not being modulated on the carrier. There is a db-25 connector on the rear, J-2. I learned that pin 9 is PTT, and Pin 3 is supposed to be aux audio input. Would you have any info about if this is correct? Are there any jumpers on the connector that are needed?

You help is appreciated, and thanks in advance. . .

Sincerely,

Phil Mehlman, W9PM
dunelandsite@hotmail.com

An excellent opportunity for wireless carriers big and small, suppliers, and network providers in the competitive wireless industry to network and learn from one another at the newest resort in Myrtle Beach!

Join us for SCA's Wireless Forum 2004, June 2-4, at the NEW MARRIOTT RESORT AND GRANDE DUNES. The resort has more amenities than any other destination in the Carolinas. Activities include:

• Championship Golf
• Tennis
• Fitness Center
• Tropical Beachfront Pool with Waterslide
• European Spa with Indoor Pool

. . . or the simple but priceless pleasure of sitting on a pristine beach and soaking up the South Carolina sun. Combine these first-class accommodations and excellent conference facilities with the premier wireless and paging conference on the East Coast and make your plans now to attend!

Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available. Contact linda@scawireless.com or call 910-452-0006.

DON'T MISS THIS CHANCE TO EXPAND YOUR OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WIRELESS MESSAGING WORLD!

SCA AGENDA

Building on its long success story in 1-way paging, Advantra International has become the expert in designing and manufacturing the most advanced and lowest cost ReFLEX™ radio modems for 2-way data-communication. The company also focuses on offering total telemetry solutions.

Advantra thanks its solid reputation to its world-renowned development team, state-of-the-art manufacturing, excellent customer service and its proven track-record.

USED MOTOROLA PAGING EQUIPMENT AND INSTALLATION ACCESORIES
(931 MHZ)

Nucleus - Unipage - ASC Controllers - Antennas - Filters - Power Supplies - Connectors - Pagers - etc.

Arturo@ubicar.com.ar

Quintron / Glenayre QT-7795 any vintage parts or chassis Universal exciters and freq. TXC-TCC controllers. UHF link receivers

Angie: 1-800-842-1950

Ext: 6411

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.

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:

• Displays up to four lines of text and 80 characters per line
• Zooms in on two lines for larger view
• Optimax® EL Electra Light for optimum readability
• 52 message slots for storing multiple pages
• Two notebook areas, including a personal notebook and a mail drop notebook

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:

• 16 message slots for storing multiple pages
• Six individual addresses to allow the user to receive individual or group pages
• 4 icons including Message Preview, Unread Message Indication, Alert Mode, and Out of Range Indication
• Saves messages when off or when the battery is being changed and offers the time and date when on standby
• RS232 programmable to allow for programming changes in the field

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.

Complete Technical Services For The
Communications and Electronics Industries
Design • Installation • Maintenance • Training

Ira Wiesenfeld, P.E.
Consulting Engineer
Registered Professional Engineer

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. (6 month minimum run.)

Details about the various advertising plans can be read here.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

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 representative in Mexico:

Enrique Llaca
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Mexico City
Telephone: 011 52 55 53734241

Enrique Llaca CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL

two tone pager
QUATTRINO RE529

• Reliable operation
• Flexible programming
• Weather resistant

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. CLICK

CALL CENTER

Please click on the image above for more information.

WANTED

900 MHz PageThru™

From Antenna Specialists/Andrew or equivalent model from another company. Please e-mail Brad Dye if you have one for sale. I have a customer who needs one ASAP.

Wireless Telemetry

Data Communications	Level 1	A basic ReFLEX transceiver, sending and receiving serial RS-232 ASCII data.
Telemetry Remote Monitoring and Control	Level 2	An enhanced ReFLEX transceiver, monitoring alarms from a remote site, and sending commands to the remote site.
Asset or Fleet Tracking	Level 3	An enhanced ReFLEX transceiver, with the addition of a GPS module for the reporting of accurate locations to enable tracking.
Field Force Automation	Level 4	An enhanced ReFLEX transceiver, with the addition of a GPS module and a handheld computer terminal for full automation of field service activities all the way from the customer's location back to the service company's back office.
We can generally turn a specification into a prototype in two to four weeks. If you have an interesting application in mind, please give me a call so we can talk about it. ()

Thank you to all of Brad's readers who provided equipment and leads for my last want list. I continue to search out and recreate early wireless e-mail systems from the 80s and 90s and am looking to acquire the following:

• CE Software's QuickMail Server from, or prior to 1995 on any OS c/w documentation.
• MobileVision server plug-in for QuickMail server c/w documentation.
• Working MOTOROLA MARCO with MobileVision client c/w user guide documentation.
• Motorola AirMobile software. Both client and server apps.
• Working NEC D4 or D7 alphas on any band. RS232/Printer interface. Any user manuals or brochures.
• Early Motorola ADVISOR PrintPals c/w Version 1.0 PC software and documentation for reading the Advisor.
• Complete IBM KDT based DCS terminals, documentation, user manuals, anything associated with the IBM KDT based DCS system.
• MOTOROLA PAGER CARD the PCMCIA pager card from Motorola on any frequency. Also looking for any documentation and software for the pager card.

If you have any of the above or a lead on same please contact us.

Cassel & Associates
E-mail: paul@ve3sy.com
Phone: 519-634-5139

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 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.

Zetron Simulcast System

High-speed simulcast paging with protocols such as POCSAG and FLEX™ requires microsecond accuracy to synchronize the transmission of digital paging signals.

Zetron's Simulcast System uses GPS timing information to ensure that the broadcasted transmissions between the nodes of the Simulcast System and associated transmitters are synchronized to very tight tolerances.

This system is ideal for public or private paging system operators that use multiple transmitters and wish to create new paging systems or to build out existing systems into new regions. For more information about Zetron's High Speed Simulcast Paging System, the Model 600 and Model 620, go to:

www.zetron.com/paging. CLICK HERE

CONTACT

Zetron, Inc. P.O. Box 97004 Redmond, WA 98073-9704 USA

Tel: 425-820-6363 Fax: 425-820-7031 E-mail: zetron@zetron.com CLICK

Prism Message Gateway Systems
Modular and Configurable

Your Choice of Options

• Radio Paging Terminals
• Voicemail Systems
• Email and Network Text Messaging Systems
• Digital Trunk Switching Systems
• Digital Trunk and Voicemail Concentrators
• Remote Network Encoders
• TNPP Network Routers

Popular Choice for Domestic and International

• Commercial Paging Carriers
• Private Paging Systems
• Hospitals
• Public Safety
• Federal, State and Local Government
• Industrial Paging
• Energy Companies – Load Management

Logical Choice

• Replace Outdated, UNLICENSED Paging Terminals
• Eliminate Outrageously High Support Costs
• Add New Paging System with ALL THE FEATURES
• Provide Your Customers With Features They Want
• Designed and Supported by Industry Experts

Go ahead… be choosy… choose Prism Systems International

MAXPage
It's like a Motorola PeopleFinder™ on Steroids!

More information

Commtech Wireless introduces MAXPage, a desktop paging terminal packed with features.

Alpha, Numeric, Tone, & Voice
MAXPage, from Commtech Wireless, is the ideal replacement for the Motorola PeopleFinder™. With its advanced features, it can be used with Alphanumeric, Numeric, Tone only, Coaster pagers as well as 2-tone voice pagers in countless applications.

Serial Interface
With the inclusion of a serial interface, MAXPage can interface with Comp, TAP, Scope™, Waveware & Tekk systems as well as Commtech's Wireless Callpoints.

Telephone Interface
Anyone can be given easy access to the MAXPage system through its telephone interface. Once the system is connected to a telephone port, anyone can pick up a telephone, dial the MAXPage unit and use the keypad on their phone to send messages to pagers. The telephone can also be used to transmit voice messages to 2-tone voice pagers.

Alarm Inputs
A powerful feature of MAXPage is its onboard alarms. The four, dry contact closure, onboard alarm inputs will automatically dispatch messages to pagers or groups when activated. Alarms not cleared within a configured time frame can activate a repeat message (escalation) to either the same pager/group or to an alternative pager/group.

Features*

• 1000 Pager capacity
• Selectable 2 or 4 watt transmitter
• Reminder messages
• Dual mode function keys - one touch messaging
• 2-tone voice paging - from on-board mic or telephone
• 4 alarm inputs
• Voice prompted telephone paging
• QWERTY keyboard interface (PS2)
• Windows® interface for advanced features
• Serial interface for Comp/TAP/Scope™/Waveware/Tekk
• Coaster paging management system

*Some of the features listed are optional and are not supplied as standard

For more information, simply fill out the feedback form or contact us on the details below.

Download Mr. Mercer's resumé. CLICK HERE

The Hark SAFe is a hardware firewall with SPAM and virus blocking designed to protect email servers, corporate intranets, and unified messaging systems like the Hark Omega Messaging and IPT products. System includes a Linux based operating system with Web-based configuration (no keyboard and monitor needed!). Price is $995.00 including hardware!

Firewall protects your Internet enabled paging system:

• Provides a firewall to protect your paging system and internal network.
• Protect company workstations by giving them internal IP addresses.
• Can redirect external IP addresses and ports to specific internal computers.

SPAM blocker eliminates un-wanted email:

• Uses the latest techniques to identify and block SPAM
• Supports new techniques as they become available

Virus blocker:

• Prevents emails with viruses from being accepted.
• Automatically downloads virus signature updates each night.

CONTACT

Hark Systems, Inc. 2675 Lake Park Drive N. Charleston, SC 29406

Tel: +1 800-367-4275 or 843-764-1560 ext. 8104 Fax: +1 843-764-3692 E-mail: leanne@harksystems.com CLICK Web: http://www.harksystems.com CLICK

SECOND TERM SUPPORTER

• ISO 9001 - 2000 certified manufacturing facility.
• THE High-Quality RF design and Contract Manufacturer of choice.
• Do you have a product or product component that you would like to have manufactured?
• Would you like to have us design and manufacture a product just for you?
• Would you like to know firsthand that your contract manufacturer is one of the leading providers of service with the highest degree of quality in mind?

Daviscomms USA Inc. is your direct connection to Daviscomms (S) Pte Ltd., the leading pager manufacturer in the world with many years experience in Engineering, Design, and Manufacturing of highly-reliable, premium-quality FLEX and POCSAG Alphanumeric and Numeric pagers. Daviscomms offers unparalleled quality, features and functions. We perform our own stringent quality testing as well as certification by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to meet all of their standards. All of our paging products meet FCC and IC Standards for use in the USA and Canada.

Our manufacturing facility, located in Malaysia, is a 40,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility. Customers, globally, choose Daviscomms for our QUALITY, RELIABILITY, ON-TIME DELIVERY, COMPETITIVE PRICING and our TOTAL COMMITMENT to providing the best value for their needs.

Br501plus Numeric	We offer full product support (ODM/OEM) for our worldwide customers, including a complete design center, research facilities, proto-typing, field services, contract manufacturing, commodity sourcing, and distribution.
In addition to both Numeric and Alphanumeric pagers, we have designed, engineered and manufactured 1-way Telemetry devices, paging receivers, 2-way paging (ReFLEX) telemetry devices, DECT phones/devices and PDA accessories.	Bravo 800 Alphanumeric

At Daviscomms, we are proud to provide our customers with end-to-end manufacturing solutions while delivering superior quality and support. Daviscomms is at the forefront of the industry with its commitment to leading-edge technology, cost-effective manufacturing and the highest degree of customer service.

Daviscomms delivers low cost, high volume manufacturing solutions to our customers. We help maximize time-to-market objectives while minimizing procurement, materials management, and manufacturing costs.

For information about our contract manufacturing services or our Bravo-branded line of numeric and alphanumeric pagers, please call Bob Popow, our Director of Operations for the Americas, 480-515-2344. (Scottsdale, Arizona) or visit our website www.daviscommsusa.com.

Programming Concepts, Inc. Since 1979

RTS Wireless ADVX System
Support and Enhancements

Programming Concepts, Inc. provides authorized RTS ADVX Wireless Gateway Support & Enhancements. Our RTS lab includes source code control, development tools, and test beds for all deployed RTS systems. Call now to sign-up for our first class support of your aging RTS system. More info ...

PCI (www.programmingconcepts.com) has been in business for 24 years providing custom application programming for medium to large businesses. PCI's primary business segments include web enabled application development, financial industry systems, telephony (IVR, CTI, and Wireless), Secure Enterprise Instant Messaging System, Microsoft Customer Relationship Management (MS-CRM) Applications, and a wide variety of commercial applications.

Contact Sales sales@programmingconcepts.com
or 631-563-3800 x220.

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:

• Repeaters
• Repeater Systems
• Paging Transmitters
• Paging Systems
• LTR & MPT1327 Trunking Systems
• MPT1327 Trunking Repeaters
• SmarTrunk II Trunking Repeaters
• Complete Trunking Systems
• Airport Ground to Air Base Radios
• Airport Ground to Air Systems
• Rural Radiotelephone Link Systems
• Antenna Systems
• Combining Systems
• Complete Turnkey Systems
• Engineering & Installation of All Systems

Performance that is tough to find anywhere at a price you can afford.

CONTACT

DX Radio Systems, Inc. 10941 Pendleton Street Sun Valley, California 91352-1522 USA

Telephone: 818-252-6700 Fax: 818-252-6711 E-mail: Info@DXRadioSystems.com CLICK Web: www.dxradiosystems.com CLICK

The Paging Family Tree continues to grow, thanks to many helpful messages from readers. Can you help?

Don't count on a bidding war

As soon as Telus made its surprise takeover offer for Microcell last week, the market immediately jumped to the conclusion that there would be at least one competing bid, and probably two — one from BCE, owner of Bell Canada (and the Globe & Mail) and one from Rogers Communications. That's why Microcell's share price leaped to the $32 range, well ahead of the Telus bid. But is the market right in this case? That's far from obvious.

Until Thursday, Telus wasn't even on most people's radar as a prospective acquirer, for a number of reasons. Most analysts have thought for some time that Rogers would be the most likely purchaser of Microcell, simply because they share the same technology and therefore moving customers over to the Rogers network wouldn't be as difficult or expensive.

Unlike the other major cellular companies in Canada and the U.S., who use a cellular technology called CDMA (code division multiple access), Rogers and Microcell both use GSM technology (global system for mobile communications), which is the prevailing standard in Europe. GSM phones have a tiny chip that contains a user's profiles, address books, and so on. Someone with a GSM phone can simply take the chip out and put it in any other GSM phone and it works just like their old phone.

To move customers to its network, in theory all Rogers would have to do is download new network information to a Microcell phone. Even if a customer wanted to switch phones, they could simply move their chip to a new phone. Moving customers over to their network would be a lot more costly and cumbersome for Telus or Bell. Despite this natural fit, however, Rogers hasn't made a takeover offer for Microcell, even when the company was restructuring its way out of insolvency and the stock was sharply lower than it is now.

That suggests it may not make a bid now either. Why wait until a company's stock has climbed to more than $30 to make a takeover offer? Microcell's customer base has also been seen as less attractive than another mobile carrier's might be, simply because it suffers from a high "churn" rate. In other words, the people who choose Microcell don't tend to be long-term, valuable customers.

In addition to these caveats, there is another reason why Rogers might not want to make an offer for Microcell: U.S. telecom giant AT&T, which was Rogers' partner in Rogers AT&T Wireless, has said that it wants to sell its $1.6-billion stake in the joint venture, and Rogers is likely to be the one doing the buying. Mounting an offer for Microcell at the same time seems unlikely.

So why not Bell Canada? Some analysts have said they see this as more likely, since Bell could make almost immediate use of the $2-billion or so in tax losses Microcell has accumulated (Telus would have to wait until the losses it acquired with Clearnet run out). Bell would also get access to wireless customers in Manitoba, and that might make up for the loss of its stake in Manitoba Telecom, which it is expected to sell soon because MTS is buying Allstream (formerly AT&T Canada).

As a sign of just how tortured the telecom market has become, some industry analysts have put forward the theory that Telus launched a bid for Microcell in order to try and get Bell to bid for it. By this reasoning, Telus would much rather someone else acquire Microcell, which has been eating into Telus' market share in the West with its CityFido plan (which just launched in Toronto on Monday). Proponents of this Machiavellian theory say Telus wants to spur Bell to buy Microcell on the assumption that Bell would then drop the rock-bottom price plan Microcell has been offering and everyone would benefit.

The idea that Telus would want its main competitor to acquire customers in its major markets - purely on the assumption that it would be an easier competitor than Microcell — seems like a bit of a stretch, however. According to Davai Ghose of CIBC World Markets, it makes more sense for Bell to let Telus acquire Microcell and thus dispose of one of its own competitors. According to the analyst, Bell's network would become more valuable on a per-customer basis with a price-cutting competitor removed.

"While the market believes that a rival bid may be likely, we disagree," Mr. Ghose wrote. "BCE has more immediate need for Microcell's tax losses than Telus does. However, we believe that BCE would rather mitigate migration risk by enjoying a 'free lunch' by not bidding against Telus." One of the risks of trying to migrate Microcell customers to the Bell network, the analyst says, is that many Microcell customers are already in Bell's major markets, and have thus already decided not to go with Bell for mobile service. Getting them to convert might be difficult.

If you follow this logic, Telus is the one that has the most to gain by neutralizing Microcell, and also the most to gain competitively, since it would acquire customers right in Bell's backyard. It can also make use of the tax losses. Rogers, meanwhile, is more likely to do something about AT&T's wireless stake than it is to buy an under performer like Microcell, while Bell doesn't have a compelling reason to buy it either.

In other words, you might not want to bet the house on a huge premium to the current bid for Microcell.

Source: GLOBEANDMAIL.COM

Deep Six for Six Sigma?

May 18, 2004

The relevance of Six Sigma, the corporate efficiency program made famous by General Electric, is being questioned by none other than one of its creators.

Jay Desai, who helped implement Six Sigma at the conglomerate, said in a recent Reuters story that when companies must demonstrate change through new products every couple of quarters, companies need to move beyond the 20-year-old method in order to compete. "Six Sigma does not create innovation," he told the wire service.

Reuters noted that some of the largest companies still swear by the program. In a statement, Caterpillar chairman and chief executive officer Jim Owens said that "virtually all" company employees are involved with the program and that Caterpillar boasts 2,700 trained Six Sigma "black belts."

And Joan Abraham, a manager for the Six Sigma Academy, told the wire service that the training academy has seen "an expansion to mid-size companies, small companies and even private companies."

Reuters pointed out, however, that the program encourages slow and steady growth while investors want top-line growth fueled by new products.

"If Lucent applies Six Sigma, they die," said Desai, referring to the telecom giant trying to revive itself after racking up $30 billion in losses and suffering through an accounting scandal. "Six Sigma is not a solution for new products or a breakthrough strategy," added Desai, who currently runs the Institute of Global Competitiveness, a management think tank.

"We've looked at Six Sigma," said Lynn Mercer, Lucent's vice president of quality, according to Reuters. "It would be an excellent tool set, but it's too narrow a focus and rigid to allow some of the innovation, where some of the creativity occurs."

And Michael Hammer, founder of management education firm Hammer and Co., insisted in the story that Six Sigma's focus on the bottom line is its biggest drawback. "Six Sigma will get you to parity, but not ahead of your competition," he told the wire service. "It's for fixing problems, not for innovation."

Source: CFO.com

FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell Statement at Official Unveiling of the Commission’s New RF “Anechoic” Measurement Chamber in Columbia, Maryland

Washington, DC – I established the Commission’s "Excellence in Engineering" Program to enhance the FCC’s independent technical and engineering expertise. The creation of this measurement chamber is one of many efforts we have undertaken to ensure the Commission has the most talented staff and the latest tools to perform sound engineering analysis.

One of the Commission’s core functions is to measure RF interference. This chamber will allow FCC engineers to perform sophisticated RF measurements on consumer radio devices such as cellphones and on commercial devices such as wall penetrating radars and wireless meter readers.

It is clear that state-of-the-art engineering provides the necessary foundation for state-of-the-art policymaking. The communications revolution is being driven by advances in technology and the FCC must have innovative facilities in order to consider the policy ramifications of these developments.

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Intelligent Paging & Mobile Data Hardware & Software

Selective is a developer and manufacturer of highly innovative paging receiver/decoders and mobile data equipment. The PDT2000 Paging Data Terminal is THE MOST INTELLIGENT PAGING RECEIVER IN THE MARKET. The PDT2000 is a large display pager designed for desktop or in-vehicle mounting and is widely used by emergency services and in onsite paging systems for forklift dispatch etc. All of the following capabilities are standard features of the PDT2000 and of our other paging data receivers:

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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, GPRS & CDMA cellular, Mobitex etc. Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and GPS solutions, Dispatch & Messaging software.   We offer mobile communications dealers and systems integrators a "fast to market" job dispatch and job management capability.

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Specially designed course for sales, marketing, and administration personnel. Engineers will only be admitted with a note signed by their mothers, promising that they will just listen and not disrupt the class. (This is supposed to be funny!)

This is a one-day training course on paging that can be conducted at your place of business. Please take a look at the course outline to see if you think this might be beneficial in your employees: Paging training course outline. I would be happy to customize the content to meet your specific requirements.

Although it touches on several "technical" topics, it is definitely not a technical course. I used to teach the sales and marketing people at Motorola Paging and they appreciated an atmosphere where they could ask technical questions without being made to feel like a dummy and without getting a long convoluted overly-technical answer that left them more confused than before. A good learning environment is one that is non-threatening.

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'Wi-Fi' access provider Cometa shutting down

Originally published May 20, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO - Cometa Networks Inc., a company that equips coffee shops and bookstores for wireless Internet offerings, is shutting down, casting doubt on a business niche many had considered a sure bet. Despite initial investments from AT&T Corp., Intel Corp., International Business Machines Corp. and venture capital firms, Cometa could not get additional financing to expand beyond the Seattle area, said Kent Hellebust, Cometa's vice president of marketing.

The Schaumburg, Ill., company will help its customers in Seattle find new providers before shutting its doors in the coming weeks, Hellebust said yesterday. Cometa attracted marquee investors and media attention in late 2002, when it began selling "Wi-Fi" access to cafes, bookstores and Internet service providers.

Short for wireless fidelity, Wi-Fi radiates an Internet connection that multiple computers can share, at very fast speeds, within about 300 feet of a "hot spot" transmitter. Because it uses unlicensed radio frequencies, Wi-Fi is easy and inexpensive to operate. The United States has at least 3,700 public hot spots, according to research firm IDC.

Telecommunications executives thought Cometa's strategy was shrewd: Cometa would equip buildings with wireless access, and corporate customers would shoulder costs for marketing, support, billing and other complexities. But as Cometa sought to expand, Hellebust said, potential investors told the company the return on capital would be insufficient.

Some analysts say Cometa's closure could signal a tough situation in the increasingly crowded niche, populated by Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA, Verizon Communications Inc., Wayport Inc., Boingo Wireless Inc. and others. Those companies are also battling a more nebulous foe: legions of renegade computer enthusiasts and network administrators who provide free Wi-Fi access at their homes and offices.

Because hot spots provide access to anyone nearby, swaths of New York, San Francisco, Seattle, San Jose, Calif., and even smaller communities, such as Aspen, Colo., have free service for anyone with a Wi-Fi-enabled computer. John Yunker of Byte Level Research said Cometa may have overestimated the number of people willing to pay for Wi-Fi.

Source: BaltimoreSun.com

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With best regards,	Brad Dye WIRELESS DATA CONSULTANT		WIRELESS DATA
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