Dear friends of Wireless Messaging and Paging,

I hope everyone has had a good week.

Well, I guess if I am going to get corrected from someone, it might as well be from my best friend. At least that way I don't feel bad—because I know he has good intentions. This week Ron Mercer comments about my question last week: "Where did we go wrong?" He beings out some very good points about Paging and Text Messaging that I have to agree with. Read about it below in the "READER'S COMMENTS" section.

I just got this at the last minute:

The IEEE ratified the 802.11i security standard for wireless LANs on Thursday in a standards committee meeting in Piscataway, New Jersey.

President Bush and Democratic rival John Kerry are both promoting high-speed Internet (broadband) access to voters. Kerry says that the US is “losing it” under the Bush administration because the US has dropped from 4th to 10th in the percentage of people using broadband and because 800,000 high-tech jobs have disappeared. He also said that South Korea and Japan are now deploying networks that are 20-50 times faster than what is available in the United States. [source]

WASHINGTON—President George W. Bush yesterday pegged wireless broadband as one of the key future technologies that has the potential to push broadband services deep into rural areas of the country, spurring innovation and ultimately, the economy. In a speech before an audience of hundreds of public officials—including U.S. Department of Commerce executives, acting National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) director Michael Gallagher, CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent and Wireless Communications Association International President Andrew Kreig—the president called for broadband to be available everywhere in the country by 2007.  Wireless broadband, along with broadband via powerline technology, will be a key to opening up remote and rural areas to the services, he said. "High-speed Internet connections are critical to the economy," he said. [Wireless Week]

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.)

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Comdex trade show gets cancelled for 2004

Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 at 21:35 by Rich Kavanagh

Computer and technology trade show COMDEX has been canceled for 2004 by it's producers.

Renowned as being a showcase for innovative products, the show over the last few years, has gradually been attended by less and less vendors. Media and marketing company MediaLive International are the producers of the event which usually draws technology firms in by their hundreds decided to postpone the show "in order to reshape the event with the cooperation of I.T. industry leaders".

Robert W. Priest-Heck, President and CEO of MediaLive International said, "In the year since we assumed the responsibility of managing the technology industry's largest annual event, we have sought to reposition COMDEX and rebuild the market's trust. While we could still run a profitable COMDEX this year, it does not benefit the industry to do so without broader support of the leading technology companies. In order to give the Advisory Board the time and opportunity necessary to partake in the redesign of COMDEX, we thought it best to postpone this year's show."

The COMDEX Advisory Board will immediately begin assessing the value of an industry event from the perspective of vendors, buyers, media and others stakeholders; and to recommend modifications to COMDEX that suit the needs of the industry.

Source: ITVIBE.COM

New Objections to F.C.C. Deal With Nextel Over Spectrum

Published: June 25, 2004

Reports that the Federal Communications Commission will soon approve a plan to resolve a fight over the wireless spectrum used by Nextel Communications has set off a new round of acrimony and threats of litigation involving regulators, mobile phone companies and public safety agencies.

At issue is Nextel's use of 800-megahertz spectrum for its mobile phone operations and the future of valuable 1.9-gigahertz spectrum used by its rivals. Nextel, the country's sixth-largest cellphone provider, has seen its operations encroach on networks used by police and fire departments with similar radio spectrum for emergency communications.

Since Sept. 11, regulators have tried to free up more space for public safety agencies by getting Nextel to give up some of its holdings in return for other spectrum. Other cellular companies have denounced that swap as a giveaway and argued that Nextel, like other carriers, should have to bid for any new spectrum that it acquires.

In an interview on CNBC television Wednesday, Michael K. Powell, the chairman of the F.C.C., said that he hopes to conclude a deal soon to end the bitter three-year fight. Wire reports, citing people close to the matter, said the chairman would support Nextel's plan to spend more than $5.4 billion to cede some of its 800-megahertz spectrum to public safety groups, to reorganize other parts of that space, and to receive 1.9-gigahertz spectrum in return.

The tab for the move is more than three times the amount Nextel offered to spend last year. The proposal does not include any money to be paid for the new 1.9-gigahertz spectrum Nextel hopes to receive.

Some analysts have said that Nextel, to avoid an auction, may be forced to pay an additional amount to the government for the new spectrum, but it is unclear how much.

Mr. Powell wants to resolve the issue in the next few weeks, a move analysts say is prudent because of the presidential election. President Bush, eager to reinforce his record on homeland security, does not want to be viewed as impeding public safety priorities, analysts said.

"The F.C.C. is in a bind and they have to resolve this as soon as possible given the world we live in and with elections coming up," said Patrick J. Comack, an analyst at Guzman & Company in Coral Gables, Fla. "This is an issue where there is such passion from the cops and firemen that it was impossible for Mr. Bush to ignore it."

Nextel hopes to make the spectrum swap without having to bid competitively in an auction, a proposal that has angered its competitors who are pressuring regulators and Congress to block the plan.

House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, an Iowa Republican, plans to introduce a bill today that would force the F.C.C. to transfer any money raised from the sale of the spectrum to the Treasury.

Nextel's rivals, most prominently Verizon Wireless, also argue that Nextel is offering to pay far less for the new spectrum than what it would have to pay through an auction. Verizon Wireless has said the 1.9-gigahertz spectrum Nextel wants is worth at least $5 billion, regardless of what Nextel must pay to vacate the 800-megahertz spectrum.

Steve Largent, the chief executive of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, said that his association is pushing the F.C.C. to either hold an auction for the 1.9-gigahertz spectrum, or give Nextel less valuable 2.1-gigahertz spectrum that he says is closer in value to the amount Nextel is spending.

Mr. Largent does not advocate that his association take its case to court, but he and many analysts expect Nextel's rivals to sue to block the F.C.C. from approving Nextel's plan. That, they say, could delay resolution of the problem for several years.

Source: The New York Times

Cell phone text message could be anti-crime tool

Published Wednesday
June 2, 2004

THE RECORD (BERGEN COUNTY, N.J.)

HACKENSACK, N.J. - Calling all cell phones! Calling all cell phones!

One day, you might look at your cell phone and see this message: "Main Street bank robbed. Male. White hooded sweat shirt. Last seen heading east on Broadway. Blue sedan, 1995 Chevrolet." It's not a far-fetched idea. Police in Germany already are testing a system that lets them send such messages to all cell phone users in a given area shortly after a crime. The hope is that some member of the public will return the call and help catch the criminals.

The system could reach the United States in a few years, as companies and security experts push the text-messaging feature for use in public safety. They say it also could help during terrorist attacks, natural disasters and searches for missing people. The system, developed by Chicago-based CenterPost Communications, is based on short-messaging service, a feature that allows cell phone users to punch out a brief message of 160 characters on the dial pad and send it to another cell phone.

In 2002, roughly 17 million people in the United States used the service. That figure is expected to jump to nearly 50 million this year and to 70 million in 2007, said Linda Barrabee, a senior analyst at the Yankee Group in Boston. CenterPost's system could thrive in the United States, she said, because it appeals not only to gadget-literate youth but also to those dedicated to fighting crime in their communities.

"There are always going to be people who know how to use these features and will step up to help police," Barrabee said. Granted, there are skeptics, such as the typically skeptical police. At a time when police have so many ways of seeking the public's help - TV, radio, newspapers, Amber Alerts - "do we need another?" asked Detective Capt. John Reardon of Wayne, N.J. Police already get plenty of tips, Reardon said. And although more is better, police eventually might not have enough manpower to follow up on all the tips they receive, he said.

Paul Levinson, who studies mobile phones and their effects on society, believes in the system. In fact, he said, cell phones "are probably the most effective anti-crime medium in history." "Crime thrives on lack of information," he said. "Criminals work best, from their point of view, when nobody knows what they are doing."

Other potential snags that skeptics mention:

• Some in law enforcement worry about the intentions of those who might sign up to receive the alerts. "You could be making vigilantes out of ordinary people," said Paramus, N.J., Police Chief Fred Corrubia. "You've got to be careful."
• Kevin Clemons, a CenterPost spokesman, said the same risk applies to current Amber Alerts. "The vast majority of people are doing the right thing," he said. "Will you have one or two nuts out there? Yeah."
• The average person might not know how to handle alerts the way trained law officers do, said Corrubia. "If you put out a message that we're looking for a white male, 5-foot-8, brown hair, medium build, approximately 25-30 years old - everybody knows that guy," he said. "How many sightings will you have?"

Levinson, the cell phone scholar, says the system is aimed only at making people "better witnesses," not better criminal catchers. "The crimes are committed. The fact that they are being reported more (is) a good thing," he said. "The police then can do their jobs better with more tips to hunt down criminals." In any case, said Clemons, the text-alert system simply will have to prove itself. "You'll see something the next couple of years," he said. In Germany, about 300 police departments are expected to test the system before year's end.

Source: Omaha World-Herald

State expands Amber Alert distribution to public

Associated Press
Jun. 7, 2004 03:58 PM

The Arizona Amber Alert system for child abduction notifications is expanding its distribution system so that people can receive them by e-mail and other high-tech means. Law enforcement agencies already use Arizona Amber Alert to send notifications to broadcast outlets for airing. In addition, notifications are distributed by electronic displays on lottery sales terminals and highway message boards. In a new development, the Amber Alert system in mid-July will start sending notifications to people who sign up to receive them via e-mail, fax and text messaging to pagers and cell phones, officials said Monday.

People who sign up for the new service via the Arizona Amber Alert Web site (http://www.arizonaambertalert.com) can choose to receive alerts for one, some or all of 15 Arizona's counties. Since Arizona Amber Alert went into operation in late 2002, there have been 10 activations and all helped result in safe recoveries of children, said Art Brooks, an Arizona Broadcasters Association executive who is the Amber Alert coordinator for Arizona. The electronic portal used to provide the e-mail, fax and text-messaging is operated by a Scottsdale-based company, E2C, and sponsored by two Indian tribes, the Tohono O'odham Nation and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

Source: azcettral.com

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee, and it tolls for me, it tolls for all of us, and for all to which we’ve aspired. And its tolling is inexorable.

June 22, 2004

Hi Brad. I just finished reading last week’s Newsletter and I found it interesting and informative as usual. I was particularly interested in the article relating to Verizon’s expansion of their Text Messaging Service (TXT). I was also fascinated by your editorial comments regarding the Verizon article wherein you ask: “Where did we go wrong?” I suggest that its not so much that we “went wrong,” but that that time moved ahead and that there was little the paging industry as a whole, or we as individuals, could do either to stop the progress, or to adapt our products and services to meet the changing demands of an evermore sophisticated audience.

Cell phones are becoming ubiquitous, and it’s not really hard to understand why they are so popular (albeit often annoying). Our society has long been devoted to the telephone. For many years, North America had among the highest penetration rates for wire line telephones and the introduction of cellular is generally perceived as simply an enhancement to a service that has long been popular.

From a Service Provider perspective, given that so many people now carry cell phones for which they pay a “reasonable” price (typically $50 per month), the addition of text messaging, at very low incremental cost, is rational, particularly since text messaging places relatively little additional demand on the infrastructure and networks. Once the Service Provider’s basic costs are covered, incremental revenue becomes a logical goal and even small incremental revenues become attractive. As a result, Text messaging can be added to basic cellular service for as little as $4.00 per month! And, the integration into cell phones provides the desired text messaging service via a single device and a single billing account which both Service Providers and subscribers find attractive.

This is a very different situation than that faced by the paging industry which is required to spend millions on system infrastructure and then they are totally dependant on Text Messaging revenue!

No, I’m afraid that we haven’t gone wrong; we’ve simply become victims of technological advances. And its not the first or only time in my life that I’ve seen this happen. For example, I remember:

1) When Ice Boxes were ubiquitous in homes in my childhood neighborhood. And the “Iceman” delivered blocks of ice every day in a horse drawn wagon!
2) When the local market delivered groceries, also in a horse drawn wagon.
3) When trains were pulled with steam powered locomotives, and they had a “firemen” whose only job was to shovel coal into the boiler.
4) When we had a coal fired space heater in my home, and the “coalman” delivered coal into a bin in the cellar, (no basements then) and we carried the coal up to keep the fire going (we also carried pails of cinders out of the house).
5) When excavations were dug by steam powered shovels (called steam shovels which name persists to some degree even today).
6) When the “milkman” delivered milk in returnable glass bottles (and in the winter we’d treasure the cream which froze and pushed out of the top of the bottle like an ice-cream cone).
7) When pagers had sub-miniature vacuum tubes.
8) When, much more recently (circa 1980), I purchased a “Word processor System,” which supported a max of two workstations and did nothing but word processing. And it cost $15,000!

I’m sure I could go on and on, and I’m also sure that others could add hundreds of examples, but the point is: time marches on and technology changes and the changes affect different people differently. I remember my family rejoicing when we were able to replace our icebox with an electric refrigerator, and we no longer needed to wait for the iceman, or collect and dump the water as the ice melted, and we could actually keep ice-cream. I doubt, however, that the hundreds of people who cut, stored and delivered river ice regarded this “new” technology as really beneficial. Similarly, few of us would suggest discontinuing our Windows/MAC facilities and returning to the $15,000 dedicated Word processor. I’m equally certain that the folks who manufactured and sold those dedicated systems, however, interpreted the state of affairs differently.

And that’s where I believe we find ourselves today. Technology has evolved and with evolution the technology that we knew and loved has become somewhat irrelevant.

To be sure, based on geography, need for specific functionality and/or other considerations, I believe there will continue to be niche opportunities for paging and we need to do all that we can to support these remaining opportunities. But regardless of our efforts, the opportunities remaining to us will be smaller in scale and less illustrious than those we once aspired to—those now migrating to the cellular environment.

Lastly, I see no purpose in agonizing over or in trying to reverse this trend. I also see no purpose in assuming or laying blame for its unfolding. In the larger sense, all is as it should be, progress cannot be thwarted.

Regards,

Ron Mercer
Global Fax Network Services Inc.
217 First Street
East Northport, NY 11731
Tel: (631) 266-2604
Cell Phone: (631) 786-9359

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

www.swissphone.com

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.

I’m continuing the topic of marketing suggestions to increase your sales of pagers (and more important, the monthly service income!)

Thanks to those that e-mailed comments! I look forward to your comments and suggestions; please take a moment to pass them along: jsimmons@rogerstwoway.com.

MIS personnel lead hectic lives, constantly responding to network user’s problems, worrying about servers, etc. Most carry pagers, and are alerted to problems so they can respond. Network monitoring software does a good job at this. But, the MIS people still worry: “Are things are going OK?” Here is where YOU can help, and make more money, too.

All alpha pagers today are capable of a ‘maildrop’ account. The maildrop function receives pages and provides either a short chirp alert or none at all, depending on the user’s selection. MIS people can use this to receive an “All OK” notification, network statistics, or other indications of normalcy. So, these harried folks can relax, being able to check on what’s happening, instead of wondering if they missed a problem alert. You, in the paging business, can sell another subscriber! Don’t discount this additional sub, because it will get a lot of pages every day, using bandwidth that you want to sell.

Say, are you monitoring your equipment this way? You’d better be! If the high price of network monitoring software is hard to swallow, check out http://www.woodstone.nu and their Servers Alive product. I use this, and can vouch for the help it has given our staff. Prepare a demo CD of this software, a pager with a regular and maildrop accounts and your usual sales literature and then visit MIS departments in your territory. I’ll bet you make some new friends and more money, too!

John Simmons

The Electronic Entities Group

www.EEonTheWeb.com

Remember that old word “Residuals”?

The EE Group is actively seeking Dealers with sales/ service/installation capabilities to promote the latest wireless AVL, SCADA and data products from Telegauge Systems, Inc. This innovative program requires NO inventory and NO billing by your facility; you just sell it and sign up the end user to collect the commissions.

Now the real reason to choose the EE Group and Telegauge over the host of others; we pay you permanent residual income every month on your airtime sales forever.

Airtime commissions range up to 12% per month based on prior sales and you buy all equipment direct from the factory at 2-tiered wholesale prices as well for great margins. 

Telegauge builds fully 2-way overt and covert (hidden) GPS based Automatic Vehicle Location, SCADA, remote management, telemetry and data systems routed via cellular and satellite that are delivered to the end user via the Internet or direct to the desktop. Applications are both ‘canned’ and custom depending upon the customers needs. We even have full dispatch systems including credit card swipe and billing if needed.

Finally, the prices on the product are guaranteed to be the LOWEST in the industry at under $600 retail for the equipment and from $6 to $30 on the monthly airtime with most customers in the $15 range. Note too that the price is the same for cellular OR satellite world wide coverage and no one else has this exclusive capability.

Telegauge provides the product, software, airtime, billing and final information from a single source and you can be a BIG part of it. You stock NOTHING, just collect the checks.

We are paid by the manufacturer to support YOU and unlike other factories; we never bid against you, restrict you or take your deal. We help you with demo equipment, brochures, information, sales assistance, web advertising and user name/passwords for the website so that you don’t even need to buy anything to start up fast.

Contact us for a no-obligation CD of all the presentation and training material, price spreadsheets and information at: EEGroup@EEonTheWeb.com or for fast action call for a link to the Dealers Only page: 310-534-4456 and mention that you found out about it via Brad Dye’s Newsletter. You have nothing to lose and some great residual income to gain. Call or e-mail NOW.

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

• 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.

TMR w/BNC Telemetry	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

Teletouch Expands Its Paging Coverage Into the Land of Peaches

Tuesday June 22, 2:02 pm ET

Teletouch Purchases Assets of Paging Network Inc., Increases Coverage Area Into Georgia

TYLER, Texas, June 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — In a bid to further expand paging coverage and increase service availability for its customers, Teletouch Communications (Amex: TLL - News) has purchased the paging assets of Paging Network Inc. (PNI). The acquisition provides Teletouch with new licenses and infrastructure throughout Georgia and portions of Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. The acquisition also gives Teletouch 25,000 additional paging customers and adds revenue to the company's core paging business.

"At Teletouch, we're always looking for ways to offer more and better service to our customers," said Teletouch President Kernan Crotty. "When we learned of this opportunity to purchase PNI's assets, we recognized the significant coverage increase it would enable us to provide our customers, and we took action immediately."

Teletouch purchased the Northeastern and Southeastern operating regions of PNI for $225,000 at auction. After subsequently reselling the Northeastern region, as well as several pieces of excess equipment, Teletouch will recover most of its initial investment. The remaining assets include major coverage hubs in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus and Macon -- all in Georgia; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and points in Mississippi. Teletouch will use these service hubs to expand its paging coverage area, further improving service availability for its customers.

"PNI had some of the best paging service in Georgia, and Teletouch will ensure that existing and new customers will continue to enjoy that high level of service quality," Crotty said. "In addition, those paging customers will no longer have to worry about the specter of bankruptcy that plagued PNI for so long. They now can rest easy in the knowledge that they are served by a company that has been in the business for more than 40 years."

About Teletouch Communications Inc.
In the wireless business for 40 years, Teletouch Communications Inc., based in Tyler, Texas, provides a host of paging, two-way radio and cellular services. Teletouch also is the parent company of Visao Systems, which provides wireless telemetry products and services to business and government customers. More information can be found on Teletouch's Web site: http://www.teletouch.com.

Contact:
Michelle Metzger
M/C/C
972-480-8383 x. 231
Michelle_Metzger@mccom.com

Source: YAHOO! Financial News

Nextel Extends International Walkie-Talkie Service into Mexico; Announces Pricing Structure for International Direct Connect

[June 23, 2004]

RESTON, Va. —(Business Wire)—June 23, 2004—Push To Talk^SM Leader Delivers on Promise to Expand Further in Latin American Countries. Nextel Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTL), in partnership with NII Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:NIHD), today announced the extension of International Direct Connect^SM walkie-talkie service to Mexico, offering an affordable way for Nextel customers to communicate with other Nextel customers in one of the most populous countries in Latin America and the United States' second largest trading partner.

The service, which initially launched on May 4th in Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Peru, provides under-a-second digital walkie-talkie connections between the United States, and these countries, and now with Mexico—wherever Nextel and NII Holdings has coverage. Customers also benefit from data services, including BlackBerry® and mobile e-mail, two-way messaging, and wireless Web access. They can also enjoy NextMail™, the first application available to utilize the power of Nextel Direct Connect® walkie-talkie technology to send a voice message in the form of an email to an individual or group located anywhere in the world.

To celebrate the successful International Direct Connect launch in May and the expansion into Mexico, Nextel customers are invited to take advantage of complimentary International Direct Connect service until July 1st.

International Direct Connect is designed to be cost effective and will be priced as low as 10 cents per minute. The pricing options that will launch July 1st will be as follows:

—Pay-as-you-go rate is $.20 per minute, or

—$5 per month and $.10 per minute, or

—Unlimited option is $20 per month for International Direct Connect and Nationwide Direct Connect walkie-talkie access

"Since we introduced International Direct Connect service, our customers are finding it to be an incredibly powerful way to communicate instantly with colleagues and friends thousands of miles away," said Tom Kelly, executive vice president and COO, Nextel. "Since the initial launch in May, millions of International Direct Connect calls have been conducted, many of which were from customers in transportation, financial services and manufacturing, who conduct business across borders. We anticipate a significant volume of cross border communication from our customers in the U.S. to business partners, colleagues and friends in Mexico."

In 1992, Nextel became the first cellular service provider in the United States to offer digital walkie-talkie service, and is the only provider to offer cross-border connectivity. For example, a Nextel subscriber working remotely in Mexico now can have a walkie-talkie conversation with a Nextel subscriber visiting an office in Argentina. Or a Nextel subscriber living in the United States can send and receive messages on their Nextel BlackBerry while visiting Mexico.

More than 90 percent of Nextel customers have enabled Nationwide Direct Connect walkie-talkie service on their accounts. Nationwide Direct Connect, which has been available in all markets served by Nextel and Nextel Partners for almost a year, allows users to connect coast-to-coast in under one second. Nextel and NII Holdings operate on Motorola's iDEN (integrated Digital Enhanced Network) technology, which provides superior digital voice quality, security, reception and reliability.

About Nextel
Nextel Communications, a FORTUNE 200 company based in Reston, Va., is a leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications services and has built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the country covering thousands of communities across the United States. Today 95 percent of FORTUNE 500® companies are Nextel customers. Nextel and Nextel Partners, Inc. currently serve 296 of the top 300 U.S. markets where approximately 252 million people live or work.

About NII Holdings
NII Holdings, Inc., a publicly held company based in Reston, Va., is a leading provider of mobile communications for business customers in Latin America. NII Holdings, Inc. has operations in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru, offering a fully integrated wireless communications tool with digital cellular service, text/numeric paging, wireless Internet access and Nextel Direct Connect®, a digital two-way radio feature. NII Holdings, Inc. trades on the NASDAQ market under the symbol NIHD. Visit the Company's website at http://www.nii.com.

About Nextel Partners
Nextel Partners, Inc., (Nasdaq:NXTP), based in Kirkland, Wash., has the exclusive right to provide digital wireless communications services using the Nextel brand name in mid-sized and rural markets in 31 states where approximately 53 million people reside. Nextel Partners offers its customers the same fully integrated, digital wireless communications services available from Nextel Communications (Nextel), including Nationwide Direct Connect^SM, cellular voice, cellular wireless Internet access and short messaging, all in a single wireless phone. Nextel Partners customers can seamlessly access these services anywhere on Nextel's or Nextel Partners' all-digital wireless network, which currently covers 296 of the top 300 U.S. markets. To learn more about Nextel Partners, visit www.nextelpartners.com.

Source: TMCnet.com

GTES is the only Glenayre authorized software support provider to the paging industry.

The GTES team consists of highly qualified and seasoned associates who were formerly a part of Glenayre's paging infrastructure support and engineering operations. We are poised and ready to "Partner" with you to ensure the viability of your network, reduce your long-term cost of ownership, and to provide future solutions for profitability. GTES will offer product sales, maintenance services, software development and product development to the wireless industry.

GTES SUITE OF PRODUCTS

GTES Partner Program
Software and/or Hardware Support Programs

Product Sales
Software and Hardware Sales

On-Site Services
Upgrades, Relocations, Repairs, Consolidations

Software Development
New features, application development

Product Training
GL3000, GL3100, GL3200, GL3300, N2000, C2000

CALL US TODAY FOR YOUR SUPPORT NEEDS

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:

• FLEX and POCSAG decoding
• POCSAG encoding and transmitter control
• Parallel printer output
• Serial inputs & outputs
• Relay control (1-256 or more)
• PC interfacing and message management
• Message interception & logging
• Remote control
• Cross band repeating & paging coverage infill
• LED sign control
• Remote printing etc.

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.

Specialised local area paging systems, paging interception and message reprocessing software, field force automation and mobile dispatch solutions. We export worldwide.

CONTACT
Postal Address:	Selective Communications Group PO Box 8798 Symonds St. Auckland, New Zealand
Street Address:	3/2 Haultain St. Eden Tce Auckland, New Zealand
Web site: E-mail:	www.selective.co.nz CLICK info@selective.co.nz CLICK
Phone: Fax:	+64-9-3021142 +64-9-3021148
SECOND TERM SUPPORTER

I am an authorized Manufacturer Representative for Selective Communications. Please contact me directly for any additional information. CLICK HERE

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.

Let me know if you would like to receive a quotation, or if you would like to have any additional information.

EXECUTIVE AVAILABLE

Industry executive looking for new position.

Many people in this industry know Bob Spillar. Please read his impressive resumé here. CLICK

Satellite Uplinking Service
Affordable and Reliable

• Own and operate our own satellite uplink
• Provide the same reliable services to several other paging carriers with room for more
• Lower than average industry costs
• Completely redundant hardware
• Access to knowledgeable technical staff 24/7

Glenayre Technical Support
Paging Terminals & Transmitters

• Paging terminal upgrades, relocations, troubleshooting, emergency repair & training
• Transmitter installation & maintenance
• Experienced industry technicians and engineers
• Satisfaction Guaranteed

Call or write today to learn more Alan Carle, Dir of Engineering 888-854-2697 ext. 272 or

acarle@ucom.com

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: "Business Development in Mobile Data"

Please call me so we can discuss your need or your idea. Or contact me by e-mail for additional information. CLICK

PAGING TECHNICIAN

Mark Hood mehood@cox.net

Telephone: 757-588-0537

Paging Field Engineer/Electronic technician in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area.

Download resumé here. CLICK

From hot spots to hot zones, Wi-Fi is spreading

Spokane, Wash., Rio Rancho, N.M., and Cook County, Ill., are pushing wide-area Wi-Fi

JUNE 24, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD)—Wi-Fi hot spots are starting to morph into Wi-Fi hot zones as local governments around the country adapt the technology to provide broadband service for mobile police and fire units, as well as wireless public Internet access over wide areas. Hot zones can now offer access in areas ranging from downtown cores to networks that blanket hundreds of square miles in a city or county.

Just yesterday, Spokane, Wash., turned on a Wi-Fi network designed to provide Internet access -- as well as broadband service to public safety units—in a 100-block area of downtown. And the city of Rio Rancho, N.M., located 22 miles north of Albuquerque, plans to turn on the first phase of a dual-use public safety and Internet access network on Saturday. Once complete, it will eventually cover 103 square miles.

Besides providing needed service, officials in both Spokane and Rio Rancho view their Wi-Fi networks as key economic development tools at a time in which high-speed Internet access is considered a must for most businesses.

Cook County, Ill., which includes the city of Chicago, received funding and authorization last week for the first phase of a massive Wi-Fi-based public safety network that will eventually cover all 940 square miles of the county. It will provide mobile data service at speeds up to 54Mbit/sec. to public safety users in Chicago and 128 other towns and cities.

These three local government entities envision using a number of methods to provide the Wi-Fi access, including mesh networks, high-gain antennas or a combination of tall towers and an extensive fiber-optic backbone. The goal is to turn Wi-Fi, a technology designed for short-range communications of between 100 and 300 feet, into the building blocks of metropolitan-area or wide-area networks.

Joel Hobson, network services manager for the city of Spokane, said the downtown hot zone there is a mile long and a third of a mile wide and is covered by five 802.11b Wi-Fi base stations and high-gain antennas from San Francisco-based Vivato Inc. Vivato's research and development division is located in Spokane.

Hobson said the Vivato antennas, which used phased-array technology to electronically "steer" narrow beams to individual users, have a range of four miles.

Public safety users access the network through a VPN connection, and Spokane has equipped roughly 50 vehicles, primarily fire trucks with rugged mobile computers from locally based Itronix Corp., to access the network, Hobson said. Spokane eventually wants to equip between 1,000 and 1,250 police, fire and emergency services vehicles with Itronix computers. Spokane also hopes to eventually extend the Wi-Fi hot zone citywide, he said, although there is no time frame for doing so.

When public safety vehicles roam out of the Wi-Fi hot zone they automatically switch to a cellular data network using iCare mobility software from Itronix, which is based on the company's mobile network roaming software. Backhaul from the Vivato base stations is provided by a local Internet service provider, OneEightyNetworks, which has fiber-optic networks running at speeds ranging from 155Mbit/sec. to 2.4Gbit/sec., Hobson said.

Robin Toth, Spokane's economic development project manager, said users will receive free wireless Internet access for two hours per day. By the fourth quarter of the year, broadband provider OneEightyNetworks will make additional hours of Wi-Fi access available through purchase of a day pass or a monthly subscription.

Toth said the hot zone is seen as an economic development tool to attract businesses seeking cities with a robust telecommunications infrastructure. The hot zone, which cost $50,000 to $75,000 to develop and deploy, has already started to pay off in terms of publicity, which attracts business, Toth said.

The city of Rio Rancho, which is home to an Intel Corp. chip plant, also views its planned 103-square-mile hot zone as an economic development tool, according to City Manager Jim Palenick. Rio Rancho wants to be known as a city with "cutting-edge technology" to lure new businesses, including high-tech film and television post production studios seeking state of New Mexico funding and tax incentives for movies and TV programs, he said.

The dual-use network is also designed to support public safety users, schools and hospitals, Palenick said. Lisa Schimmel, Rio Rancho's IT manager, said the city is still developing its plans for the network, which won't be fully deployed until December. She expects that mobile police units as well as code enforcement officers will be able to access the network using rugged notebook computers equipped with Wi-Fi cards.

Intel helped Rio Rancho evaluate bidders for the dual-use network, Palenick said, and last month the city tapped Usurf America Inc. in Colorado Springs to build it. Ken Upcraft, Usurf's president, said his company intends to blanket the city with a mesh Wi-Fi network that provides service under the 802.11a/b/g standards. The 802.11a standard provides 54Mbit/sec. in the 5-GHz band; 802.11b offers 11Mbit/sec. in the 2.4-GHz band; and 802.11g offers 54Mbit/sec. in the 2.4-GHz band.

Usurf intends to install about 600 of its own design 802.11a/b/g access points in Rio Rancho, with a wireless backhaul based on the 802.16 standard between major mesh nodes, Upcraft said. In a mesh network, the access points communicate with each other in a "multihop" sequence, with the wired backhaul at the edge of the mesh network or subnetwork. The wireless backhaul will terminate at a wired DS-3 (43Mbit/sec.) connection to the Internet, Upcraft said.

Communications for city agencies will be handled over a firewalled network with 128-bit encryption, Upcraft said. Usurf has a tiered pricing structure in Rio Rancho for public access that is competitive with DSL or cable modem service, Upcraft said. Rates start at $29.95 a month for 256Kbit/sec. service and go up to $49.95 a month for 1Mbit/sec. service.

As for Cook County, it has ambitious plans to use Wi-Fi hot spots as the basis of a public safety network that will eventually support mobile users over 940 square miles, according to Katherine Maras O'Leary, the county's CIO. O'Leary said she received $12.1 million in funding this month for the network infrastructure, which will include about 150 802.11b/g access points, which should provide 95% coverage for mobile units operating in the county.

Dudley Donelson, the county's deputy director for IT, said Cook County expects to boost the range of the Wi-Fi access points by mounting them on 200-ft.-tall towers owned by the county. This height should provide a 3-mile range for the access points, Donelson said. Backhaul from each access point would be provided by a countywide fiber-optic network, which operates at data rates as high as 2.4Mbit/sec.

Cook County has already equipped 80 police tactical squad vehicles with rugged computers hooked up to Cisco Systems Inc. 3200 Series mobile routers. Besides supporting Wi-Fi connections, these routers also have plug-in cards that can communicate with cellular or satellite networks, ensuring they can always communicate if they get out of range of a Wi-Fi tower, Donelson said.

O'Leary said she expects that 2,000 mobile public safety vehicles in Cook Country will eventually be able to access the Wi-Fi network. Donelson said all of the Wi-Fi access points should be installed by next year.

Source: COMPUTERWORLD

If you enjoy reading this newsletter, please help me sign up some new subscribers. 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.

With best regards,	Brad Dye WIRELESS DATA CONSULTANT		WIRELESS DATA
	Voice:
	Fax:
	E–mail:	brad@braddye.com
	Web:	Consulting and Job search page MAY I HELP YOU?
	“If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow, you have no today for which you can be thankful.”
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