Dear Friends of Wireless Messaging,

There was considerable interest in last week's report on the PAD (Personal Annunciation Device) developed by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). A short description of the PAD from their web site follows. There are also some links to more information about licensing this technology for commercial use. Also anyone wanting me to help with this process is welcome to send me an e-mail so we can discuss this possibility. Please send me more comments about this product. I am very interested in your views of the commercial viability of the PAD. I think it has the potential to catch-on, like the "Post-it® Note."

This week, another reader asked for details about how many people read this newsletter. As most of you know, the Public-US Subscriber Paging Industry has dropped from a high of approximately 45 million subscribers in 1999 to approximately 6 million now. Naturally readers of this newsletter have decreased by a corresponding amount. Unfortunately the advertising has decreased as well. Some of this decrease has been political and malicious — the rest of it was the natural result of our industry's decline.

My usual response is to say something like this:

“The newsletter is read weekly by several thousand people in nearly fifty countries. It is hard get exact statistics, but 4,000 to 5,000 different readers visit my web site each week and most of them read the newsletter.”

If that sounds like I am trying to vague — it is not meant to. Since I would really like to get more advertising to replace recent losses, I am publishing a very detailed report — immediately following — on my website traffic during the 07/17/2007 to 07/23/2007 time period (last week). You may have heard people talking about how many "hits" certain web sites get, but this is misleading since hits include every graphic on a web page as well as the text itself. This page, for example, would register 80-some hits when you read it.

A much better indicator is "sessions" which are "a series of hits to a web site over a specific period of time by one visitor." The following report from Urchin Software (a Google company) shows 5,631 sessions in the one week of the analysis. So I think this is a good number, considering the current state of the wireless messaging industry. I am certain that most of our industry's decision makers read it regularly,

Several companies have told me that they want to expand their advertising or begin advertising here. Now would be a good time to do just that. All you have to do is send me the text that you want to include and a graphic or two, and I will be happy to work up a draft advertisement for your approval.

Now on to more news and views.

Wireless Messaging Newsletter
VoIP Wi-Fi Paging WiMAX Telemetry Location Services Wireless Messaging	WIRELESS MESSAGING

This newsletter is brought to you by the generous support of our advertisers and the courtesy of iland Internet Solutions Corporation. For more information about the web-hosting services available from iland Internet Solutions Corporation, please click on their logo to the left.

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 readers' 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 web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it.

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.)

AAPC Bulletin www.pagingcarriers.org • 866-301-2272 The Voice of US Paging Carriers

AAPC to send representatives to the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) Convention in August.

APCO is the world’s largest organization dedicated to public safety communications, their members consist of emergency call centers, law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, fire departments, forestry services, and others who work with communications systems that safeguard the world’s citizens.  AAPC will be sharing a booth with one of our vendor members, Critical Response Systems to help promote the benefits of utilizing paging technology to this targeted audience. 

AAPC working with you to advance your business and the paging industry!

Thanks to our Gold Vendor member! PRISM Paging
Thanks to our Silver Vendor Members!
ISC Technologies, Inc.	Recurrent Software Solutions, Inc.
Thanks to our Bronze Member Vendors!
Commtech Wireless Critical Response Systems, Inc. DX Radio Systems, Inc. Global Technical Engineering Solutions (GTES) Hark Technologies Inilex, Inc. Microspace Communications Corporation Minilec Service, Inc. Motorola Inc. Nighthawk Systems, Inc. United Communications Corporation Zetron, Inc.

Advertiser Index

What might have been

The Nortel team that designed it more than a decade ago says their machine could have become a combination BlackBerry/iPhone, if a lot of things had gone right. They did not. Associate Business editor James Bagnall examines the strange tale of the Orbitor that never achieved liftoff.

The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, July 21, 2007

Thirteen years ago — an eon in high-tech terms — a small group of psychologists, industrial designers and engineers invented the future at Nortel. The result can be seen today in a stunning 18-inch by 24-inch photo that hangs on the home office wall of John Tyson, the man who ran Nortel's Corporate Design Group for many years.

The image is a highly stylized, eerie evocation of Apple's more recent ads. Inside the frame, a female model holds a working prototype of a phone that slides out to produce a full keyboard and a large screen. Touching different parts of the device with a stylus or finger transforms the device into a pager, voice mailbox, wireless phone or fax machine.

John Tyson, former head of Nortel's design group, with a photo of the prototype of Nortel's Orbitor — the original iPhone say company engineers. (credit original poster photo by Richard St. John). —Rod MacIvor, Ottawa Citizen

The device was called Orbitor and had Nortel played things differently, it could have engineered a brilliant exit from the great telecom crash of 2001.

Instead, a pair of high-tech icons — California-based Apple and Research in Motion of Waterloo, Ont. — exploited the opportunities that Nortel and so many others missed.

They are now establishing just how valuable the franchises are. Paced by sales of the iPod (music downloads) and the iPhone (wireless Internet phone), Apple has seen its market value surge nearly 160 per cent from a year ago to $121 billion (all figures U.S.) At the same time, RIM is riding a surge in popularity for its BlackBerry devices -- which make possible e-mail on the go. The company's share price has soared 264 per cent from a year ago, giving it a market capitalization of almost $44 billion.

In sharp contrast, Nortel's one-year return has been a relatively pedestrian 18 per cent, for a market value of $11 billion.

The question of how Nortel missed the mark fascinates because there is no doubt among the Orbitor's designers that they had the smarts to beat Apple in particular to the iPhone.

"Yes, absolutely!" Mr. Tyson said in response to a query about whether Nortel could have managed the trick. Certainly the technical and design talent was there.

Consider, for instance, the experience of Don Lindsay who developed the Orbitor's user interface — the combination of software and design that makes the device easy to use.

Mr. Lindsay, a protege of Mr. Tyson, left Nortel in 1994 to join Apple. There, he hired the team that created the Macintosh computer's OS X operating system. Although Mr. Lindsay now works at Microsoft, where he run a design group at Microsoft Live Labs, his influence at Apple would remain profound. His OS X team created the user interface for the iPhone.

Of course, the same group might not have produced a similar product within Nortel, where the R&D culture revolves around the heavy-duty technology that lies at the core of large communications networks.

However, Ken Blakeslee, the former vice-president of business development who led the Orbitor project, recently shed light on just how close Nortel came to selling the Orbitor concept to one of Europe's biggest cellular phone operators.

"We had 80 finished units going into market and service delivery trials with CellNet (now O2 Telefonica) in 1998," noted Mr. Blakesee, who advises wireless carriers through his British-based consulting firm WebMobility Ventures.

"We were so close to bringing (Orbitor) to life," he said.

What happened? The short answer is that Nortel's top brass briefly considered the enormous risks involved and took a pass.

A host of factors went into this decision, not least of which was the company's relative inexperience with wireless technology and consumer electronics. Nortel acquired much of the wireless know-how for Orbitor through its 1992 purchase of a stake in France-based Matra. But this investment was aimed more at acquiring the wireless technology that drives GSM-standard networks -- and not the consumer-style electronics typical of mobile handsets that link to the networks.

"We simply could not design and manufacture cost competitive (handsets)," former CEO John Roth noted this week in response an e-mail. "Nortel's circuit design skills were in large systems and not in consumer products." The wireless services industry was also in a state of flux in the late 1990s. There were three prevailing technical standards for wireless networks (TDMA, GSM and CDMA) and the industry was moving rapidly to third-generation systems that offered higher speeds.

Finland-based Nokia and Chicago-based Motorola were generally considered the favorites to win in the transition. Nokia has a superlative logistics system, along with the ability to design attractive, low-cost handsets. Motorola at the time had the advantage of manufacturing its own semiconductors, which also contributed to lower cost phones.

Mr. Tyson noted that Nortel faced an additional problem. Its engineers at the time were used to designing products that had a life expectancy of five years or more. With Orbitor, they would have to create fresh models every 18 months — even faster later on. This would demand another level of productivity from the designers.

Even so, the decision to build the initial Orbitor prototype was fairly easy.

"You can do wonders with temporary tools to create prototypes for customer trials," said Mr. Tyson. "The key, though, is to commit tens of millions of dollars to go to high-volume manufacturing." The Orbitor group was forced to fight other units within Nortel for these kinds of resources.

And it lost.

It had taken nearly four years to move from concept to customer trials early in 1998. Then followed a period of hiatus as Nortel considered whether to move to the next stage and begin high-volume manufacturing.

Finally, in 2001, as the telecom crash got underway, Nortel killed the entire 120-strong Corporate Design Group — the unit that concerned itself with ergonomics and designs that appealed to the eye and hand (as distinct from Nortel's thousands of electronic engineers and network design specialists).

For senior Nortel managers, killing the group was an easy call. The company was losing buckets of money and the group was not contributing to the revenues. It was a matter of survival. Mr. Tyson, who had retired in 2000, believes it was a false economy.

"They really underestimated the value of the unit," he said.

The reason: The Group came as close to anything else within Nortel to replicating the freewheeling design culture at Apple — perhaps because Mr. Tyson's charges spent their days tweaking devices used by consumers, not telephone engineers.

No doubt, Nortel's executives saw in Nokia's dominance in the field of wireless handsets confirmation of their decision not to back Orbitor.

Yet, that's only part of the story. Nokia, after all, simply stuck to its strengths. There was plenty of room, it turned out, in a couple of very lucrative new niches.

Had Nortel committed to Orbitor, there's no telling what direction the design effort might have gone. Nortel, an early pioneer in the use of e-mail in its internal communications, could have challenged Research in Motion. And Mr. Roth's company certainly had enough time to produce an iPhone to rival that of Apple.

In fact, it's worth examining the state of RIM and Apple in 2001, the year Nortel killed its Corporate Design Group, along with Orbitor.

RIM, for instance, had very little heft in 2001 when it posted sales of just $221 million — while Nortel the same year recorded a lofty $17.5 billion in revenues.

RIM was completely focused on wireless data technology, and growing swiftly. Nevertheless, it remained vulnerable. Company prospects stalled in fiscal 2003 and RIM co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie would spend the next few years persuading the planet's biggest carriers to equip themselves with BlackBerry servers. This is what laid the groundwork for RIM's recent explosion in new sales.

At Apple, the prospects actually looked bleak in 2001. Company revenues had sunk to $5.4 billion — the lowest since the late 1980s and only half the level of 1995. But 2001 also marked the debut of the iPod. This is the music carrying device that last year for the first time accounted for more revenues at Apple than the sale of computers.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs followed this coup last month with the introduction of the iPhone, further pushing the company into the realm of consumer electronics.

It is far from clear that the iPhone will be a commercial success. The design is undeniably beautiful but it works so far only on AT&T's network. But that's the thing about Apple — you can be sure its technocrats are resolving the issue of coverage even as the firm's overactive design group is coming up with fresh models.

Apple saw an opportunity and went for it, fully confident in the ability of its designers to measure up.

When Nortel closed Mr. Tyson's design group in 2001, it stuck to what it knew best — the complex networks that allow the BlackBerry and iPhone to function. Nortel has been a player in the industry long enough to appreciate this may yet prove to be the right call. It's just difficult to believe amid the noise generated by a pair of firms that were mere pipsqueaks when Nortel got out of their way.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2007

Wireless Messaging Software

AlphaPage® First Responder (Windows 2000, XP, Vista). When the message matters, AlphaPage® First Responder is the fast, reliable, and secure solution Emergency Management Professionals choose. AlphaPage® First Responder is designed for the modern professional who requires full-featured commercial wireless messaging capabilities that include advanced features such as automated Route-on-Failure, custom message templates, and secure messaging with SSL encryption. AlphaCare™ extended premium support plans are also available. For more information on all InfoRad Wireless Messaging software solutions, and fully supported free demos, please click on the InfoRad logo.

CLICK HERE

Newsletter repair prices—starting at:

• $6.50 labor for numeric or alphanumeric pagers
• $12.00 labor for 2-way pagers
• $19.50 labor for cellular phones

**Special pricing on cellular and pager refurbishment**

Motorola Authorized Service Center for Paging and Cellular.

Ask for Special Newsletter Pricing.

Please call: (800) 222-6075 ext. 306 for pricing.

Contact

E-mail: info@minilec.com  CLICK HERE

Minilec Service, Inc. Suite A 9207 Deering Ave. Chatsworth, CA 91311

Minilec Service

The Best in Paging Is Also the Biggest!

Zetron’s Model 2700:
Our largest-capacity paging terminal.

• Supports over 1,000,000 subscribers.
• Fully redundant design features RAID-1-mirrored, hot-removable disk drives.
• Supports remote access to Windows®-based user-management software.
• Supports E1 trunks, T1 trunks, analog trunks, and dial-up modems.
• Includes extensive voice-messaging features.
• Provides Ethernet interface for e-mail and paging over the Internet.
• Provides an ideal replacement for Unipage or Glenayre™ systems.
• When used with the Model 600/620 Wireless Data Manager, a simulcast network can be connected to the Model 2700 over Ethernet links.

Contact Zetron today to discuss your paging needs.

Zetron, Inc.
P.O. Box 97004
Redmond, WA 98073-9704 USA
Phone: 425-820-6363
Fax: 425-820-7031
E-mail: zetron@zetron.com
Web: www.zetron.com

SATELLITE CONTROL FOR PAGING SYSTEMS

$500.00 FLAT RATE

TAPS—Texas Association of Paging Services is looking for partners on 152.480 MHz. Our association currently uses Echostar, formerly Spacecom, for distribution of our data and a large percentage of our members use the satellite to key their TXs. We have a CommOneSystems Gateway at the uplink in Chicago with a back-up running 24/7. Our paging coverage area on 152.480 MHz currently encompasses Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Kansas. The TAPS paging coverage is available to members of our Network on 152.480 MHz for $.005 a transmitter (per capcode per month), broken down by state or regions of states and members receive a credit towards their bill for each transmitter which they provide to our coverage. Members are able to use the satellite for their own use If you are on 152.480 MHz or just need a satellite for keying your own TXs on your frequency we have the solution for you.

TAPS will provide the gateways in Chicago, with Internet backbone and bandwidth on our satellite channel for $ 500.00 (for your system) a month.

Contact Ted Gaetjen @ 1-800-460-7243 or tedasap@asapchoice.com CLICK TO E-MAIL

www.daviscommsusa.com

Daviscomms – Product Examples

For information call 480-515-2344 or visit our website
www.daviscommsusa.com
Email addresses are posted there!

Personal Annunciation Device

The invention is described as both the means to provide alternate notification and the ability to receive the notification in security areas. The means to provide notification is made by interfacing the detection signals that are represented in an alarm panel or Emergency Notification System SCADA by a Remote Terminal Unit to a paging terminal. The means to receive the signal is accomplished through the PAD receivers.

Features

The ability to provide remote receive-only emergency notification independent of detection circuitry for accident condition located through out a specified area Ability to provide and recognize highly reliable coded signal to a receiver (one test, one alarm) from a multiplicity of fixed detection locations. Ability to provide automatic power on/off to PAD receivers by Active RFID as an individual enters and leaves the required areas through a portal system. Ability to provide a robust receiver with no external controls, buttons or pre-select capability that could defeat system. Ability to provide uniform non-defeating alarm for same alert condition. Ability to provide automatic and redundant self-checking, low battery, low signal alternating tone. Ability to provide notification of event in specific areas. Ability to provide a wireless transmission either directly or indirectly with detection instrumentation to transmission protocols. Ability to provide an alternate notification scheme. Ability to be integrated into a personal identification badge.

Benefits

The ability to provide immediate alert notification in specific areas where receivers are energized.

Inventors

• James Russell Younkin
• Paul D DeMint
• Peter L Angelo

NEWS FLASH — SATELLITE FAILURES

• January 11, 1997—Telstar 401 suffers a short in the satellite circuitry—TOTAL LOSS
• May 19, 1998—Galaxy 4 control processor causes loss of fixed orbit—TOTAL LOSS
• September 19, 2003—Telstar 4 suffers loss of its primary power bus—TOTAL LOSS
• March 17, 2004—PAS-6 suffers loss of power—TOTAL LOSS
• January 14, 2005—Intelsat 804 suffers electrical power system anomaly—TOTAL LOSS

DON’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT SATELLITE OUTAGE

Allow us to uplink your paging data to two separate satellites for complete redundancy! CVC owns and operates two separate earth stations and specializes in uplink services for paging carriers. Join our list of satisfied uplink customers.

• Each earth station features hot standby redundancy
• UPS and Generator back-up
• Redundant TNPP Gateways
• On shelf spares for all critical components
• 24/7 staffing and support

For inquires please call or e-mail Stephan Suker at 800-696-6474 or steves@cvcpaging.com

New ReFLEX Telemetry Module

Easy To Use Small Reliable Data Communications

  ATM300

	RF Protocol:
		ReFLEX™ 2.7.2
	Interface Protocol with host:
		CLP (Motorola FLEXsuite™)
	Parameter Settings:
		PPS Software (PC application)
	Message size — Transmit and Receive:
		Up to 8 Kbytes, depending on carrier)

 Download the complete specification here.

 CONTACT:
 Cory Edwards
 Director of Sales & Operations
 ATCOM Wireless
 Telephone: 800-811-8032 extension 106
 Fax: 678-720-0302
 E-mail: cory.edwards@suntelecom.com
 Web site: www.atcomwireless.com

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* cost per week—six-month minimum—or 26 issues

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Intelligent Solutions for Paging & Wireless Data

WiPath manufactures a wide range of highly unique and innovative hardware and software solutions in paging and mobile data for:

• Emergency Services Messaging
• Utilities Job Management
• Telemetry and Remote Switching
• Fire House Automation
• Load Shedding and Electrical Services Control

PDT2000 Paging Data Terminal
FLEX & POCSAG Built-in POCSAG encoder Huge capcode capacity Parallel, 2 serial ports, 4 relays Message & system monitoring
Paging Controlled Moving Message LED Displays
Variety of sizes Integrated paging receiver
PDR2000/PSR2000 Paging Data Receivers
Highly programmable, intelligent PDRs Message Logging & remote control Multiple I/O combinations and capabilities Network monitoring and alarm reporting
Specialized Paging Solutions
Remote switching & control Fire station automation PC interfacing & message management Paging software and customized solutions Message interception, filtering, redirection, printing & logging Cross band repeating, paging coverage infill, store and forward Alarm interfaces, satellite linking, IP transmitters, on-site systems
Mobile Data Terminals & Two Way Wireless  Solutions
	Fleet tracking, messaging, job processing, and Field service management Automatic vehicle location (AVL), GPS CDMA, GPRS, ReFLEX, conventional, and trunked radio interfaces

Contact
Postal Address:	WiPath Communications LLC 4845 Dumbbarton Court Cumming, GA 30040
Street Address:	4845 Dumbbarton Court Cumming, GA 30040
Web site:	www.wipath.com CLICK
E-mail:	info@wipath.com CLICK
Phone:	1-805-907-6707
WiPath Communications

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

 SEE WEB FOR COMPLETE LIST:
www.preferredwireless.com/equipment CLICK HERE

Too Much To List • Call or E-Mail

Preferred Wireless Rick McMichael 888-429-4171 rickm@preferredwireless.com CLICK HERE www.preferredwireless.com/equipment OR HERE

Preferred Wireless

Microsoft Authorizes Cutting-Edge Wi-Fi Technology Licensing Agreement for Companies and Entrepreneurs that Want to Tap the Billion Dollar Wi-Fi Marketplace

7/26/07 — To spur commercial development of two mature Wi-Fi technologies invented by its Networking Research Group, Microsoft is now offering intellectual property (IP) licenses to entrepreneurial-spirited companies capable of deploying them as viable products or services for the billion-dollar-plus Wi-Fi marketplace.

"Intellectual property generated by Microsoft can turn into opportunities for others," says Louis Carbonneau, General Manager for the IP Licensing Group at Microsoft. "Our research labs generate more IP than our product groups can absorb."

"Right now, our goal is to see our new Wi-Fi technologies around RTLS and hot spots deployed as great new products or services for businesses or consumers. Companies that license our IP have fabulous new opportunities to gain access to best of breed IP and the cachet of deploying technologies coming out of our renowned Microsoft Research Labs. We can help companies enter new markets or expand current lines of business," adds Carbonneau.

The following two Wi-Fi technologies have enormous commercial potential as they both sit squarely in two very fast-growth markets.

Microsoft's RADAR

First, RADAR—an indoor real-time location system (RTLS) that's optimized for Wi-Fi but can be used in any wireless network—can be deployed to guide people through large buildings, to keep track of unauthorized individuals within a high-security environment, and to locate equipment within large premises.

Cost effectiveness is one of this technology's chief selling points. The WLAN infrastructure that already exists inside many businesses can be used to support RADAR. In general, since RADAR is completely software-based and uses existing wireless access points (APs), there are no new hardware installation requirements.

While a user with a Wi-Fi enabled device wanders through a building that supports a wireless RF LAN, the signal strengths that the device measures from the building's wireless APs vary depending on its location. RADAR measures signal strength at the receiver and transmitter.

RADAR's precision in RF profiling serves to map out environmental objects and different signal strengths throughout the indoor area. This capability rests on two breakthroughs by Microsoft researchers: the first involves the use of advanced algorithms that can locate a wireless device to within one-and-a-half meter; and the second involves the newly created system called LOCADIO, which uses probabilistic modeling to overcome noise distortion when measuring Wi-Fi signals so that the final location answer is more accurate.

LOCADIO also takes account of a motion model to make RADAR cognizant of walking speeds, and it creates a model of feasible paths within a floor plan, since people don't walk through walls. These two models work together to calculate the data so that it makes sense. For example, it may look like the user followed a feasible path, but the speed that the user is traveling at may look unreasonable. Under this scenario, RADAR will make appropriate adjustments to improve the final calculations to determine the precise location.

Of course, RADAR does an excellent job of locating fixed assets as well. Microsoft's licensing package for RADAR includes software code, documentation, know how and close to 40 U.S. and International patents, both issued and pending.

Microsoft's CHOICE

Second, CHOICE—a Wi-Fi network system that is also available for Microsoft IP licensing—can be leveraged by the licensee to deploy a new wireless "hot spot" service or to augment an existing Wi-Fi deployment.

Because this network access system allows different service providers to offer separate and concurrent services to the same user, CHOICE's flexibility differentiates it from its competitors.

The CHOICE system consists of five key technologies:

• The Global Authenticator maintains a databank of all the legitimate users who have subscribed to the CHOICE network access service. This databank is then used to securely establish the identity of users.
• The Network Admission Server (NAS) only allows authenticated users access to the public network through the traffic control gateway. When a user first enters a network, the Dynamic Host Configuring Protocol (DHCP) server running on NAS provides an IP address to a user client installed on the user's device.
• The Traffic Control Gateway (TCG) handles policy verification and enforcement on a per-packet basis for users authorized by NAS. The TCG checks whether each packet is encrypted with the correct key and tagged with the corresponding token.
• The Client Module is a software component installed on user devices. It tags all outgoing packets with the key/token pair obtained from NAS, and can be downloaded from the host organization's Web server.
• The Policy Manager ensures the availability of various services to the user. It allows the host organization to set policies that may be pre-negotiated with other corporations.

Microsoft's licensing package for CHOICE includes software code, documentation, know how and around 10 U.S. patents, most of which issued and some of which are considered to be fundamental in that space.

GTES, LLC
Russ Allen, President
2736 Stein Hill Lane
Custer, WA 98240
Tel: 360-366-3888
Cell: 360-820-3888
russ.allen@gtesinc.com

www.sherlocgps.com

GTES has recently made the strategic decision to expanding its development activities to include wireless location technologies; a market that researchers forecast could reach $3.6 billion by 2010. In support of this new strategic direction, GTES has developed SHERLOC™ a complete one-stop wireless location service, providing the flexibility of being protocol neutral and network agnostic. Targeted at business customers who need to track their high-value shipments or better manage their service or delivery fleets, SHERLOC™ is a hosted application that combines configuration flexibility with ease of use.

GTES is offering SHERLOC™ services both directly and through authorized resellers. If your company has an interest in finding out how location services can enhance your revenue stream, and has the contacts and expertise to make you successful in the location marketplace, please contact us for further information at www.sherlocgps.com and select “Reseller Opportunities,” or call us at 770-754-1666 for more information.

www.gtesinc.com
Your Professional Services Partner

GTES is the only Glenayre authorized software support provider in the Paging industry. With over 200 years of combined experience in Glenayre hardware and software support, GTES offers the industry the most professional support and engineering development staff available.

Continued Support Programs
GTES Partner Program
Product Sales
On-Site Services
Software Development
Product Training

Prism Message Gateway Systems
Modular and Configurable

Your Choice of Options

• Radio Paging Terminals
• Voicemail Systems
• E-mail 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

Contact

Prism Paging 300 Colonial Center Parkway, Suite 100 Roswell, Georgia 30076 USA

Telephone: 678-353-3366

Internet: www.prismpaging.com CLICK HERE

E-mail: prismsales@prismpaging.com CLICK HERE

Prism Paging

See the Prism Paging video

Streaming Video from the
World Business Review web site

BEACH BUTLER

Contact:
Kevin Hosey
Marketing Manager, Long Range Systems
1-800-437-4996, khosey@pager.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Beach Butler™ lets guests call for food service from the beach or pool

Dallas, TX – Lying on the beach or sunbathing by the pool, guests should never have to get up to order food and drinks. With the Beach Butler™ outdoor paging system from Long Range Systems (LRS), they won’t have to.

“Beach Butler is the only product of its kind in the world,” explains Jim Livingston, vice president of sales at LRS. “Perfect for hotels and resorts with beach or poolside service, it helps sell more food and drinks by giving guests the convenience of on-demand service.”

This unique system is simple to use. When a guest is ready to order, they just press a button on the unit and it instantly sends a silent page to a server wearing an LRS alphanumeric pager. Using silent paging eliminates disruptive overhead paging so guests can relax. A message on the alphanumeric pager lets the server know exactly where the guest is sitting so they can serve them faster.

Beach Butler is 100% waterproof with a tamper-resistant bright yellow casing that’s easy to spot. It measures 14.5" x 3" x 1.75" and attaches to any umbrella or lounge chair.

For more information, call 1-800-437-4996, or visit www.pager.net. Beach Butler is the latest in a full line of hospitality performance products from LRS.

LRS has been the innovation leader in guest and server paging and management systems since 1993.

# # #

Unication’s Paging Products

The Paging Industry expects quality, reliable, and high performance paging products.

We at Unication have listened and delivered.

M90™ Messenger™—Our newest ReFLEX 2-Way Advanced Messaging solution. Finally the Industry has a true replacement for the Motorola T900 but with more features and improved RF performance.

• One-Way Pagers
  • Alpha Elite and Alpha Gold—Our top of the line FLEX™ / POCSAG, 4-line alphanumeric pagers with an identical user interface and comparable RF performance to the Motorola Elite and Gold pagers.
  • NP88—Our newest numeric FLEX / POCSAG pager with the best backlight in the Industry.
• Telemetry
  • We offer RF and decoding solutions.

About Unication Co., Ltd.

• A Taiwan company founded in 1992 with extensive experience designing and manufacturing paging and broadband products.
• An ODM to major telecommunications companies.
• More than 300 associates worldwide with Engineering Design Centers in Taipei, China and Vancouver, BC. The engineering team has years of experience in wireless systems, embedded SW, RF design and protocols for infrastructure and pagers.
• Our Accelerated Life Testing facility ensures the highest quality of products for our customers.
• ISO 9001 and 14001 Certified
• Fully licensed by Motorola for product design technology and the FLEX Family of Protocols.
• Sales and Engineering support office in Arlington, Texas.

Contact Information   Kirk Alland   Unication USA   1901 E. Lamar Blvd.   Arlington, TX 76006   (817) 926-6771   kirk@unication.com

Wireless Communication Solutions

ISI-LX Internet Serial Interface with Protocol Conversion Converts Serial TAP message to SNPP, SMTP, or WCTP Pass through Serial Data to TCP/IP and TCP/IP back to Serial Supports Ethernet or PPP Connection to Internet w/Dial Backup Includes 4 Serial Ports for Multiplexing Traffic

IPG Internet Paging Gateway No Moving Parts Such as Hard Drives or Fans to Fail Supports 10Base-T Network Connection to Internet Accepts HTTP, SMTP, SNPP, and WCTP from Internet Sends TAP or TNPP to Your Paging Terminal

PageTrack Inexpensive method of automating your paging monitoring Uses standard paging receiver Available in 152-158 POCSAG or 929 FLEX (call for others)

Omega Unified Messaging Server Full Featured Internet Messaging Gateway TAP Concentrator and TNPP Routing Functions w/TNPP over Internet Serial Protocols Supported: GCP, SMDI, SMS, TAP, TNPP Internet Protocols Supported: AIM, HTTP, SMPP (out only), SMTP, SNPP, and WCTP Full Featured, Easy-to-use Voice/Fax/Numeric Mail Interface One Number For All Your Messaging Optional Hot-swap Hard Drives and Power Supplies Available

Please see our web site for even more products designed specifically for Personal Messaging carriers. For example, the Omega Messaging Gateway and Email Throttling Gateway (anti-spam).

Contact

Hark Technologies 3507 Iron Horse Dr., Bldg. 200 Ladson, SC 29456

Tel: 843-285-7200

Fax: 843-285-7220

E-mail: sales@harktech.com CLICK

Web: http://www.harktech.com CLICK

Hark Technologies

BloostonLaw Telecom Update
Vol. 10, No. 31
July 25, 2007

Two Carriers Hit With $100K Fines For CPNI Violations

The FCC has proposed $100,000 fines against two carriers for violating its Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) rules. The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has been investigating the adequacy of procedures implemented by telecommunications carriers to ensure confidentiality of their subscribers’ CPNI, based on concerns regarding the apparent availability to third parties of sensitive, personal subscriber information. For example, some companies, known as “data brokers,” have advertised the availability of records of wireless subscribers’ incoming and outgoing telephone calls for a fee. Data brokers have also advertised the availability of call information that relates to certain landline toll calls.

As part of its investigation, the Enforcement Bureau sent letters of inquiry to Mechanicsville Telephone Company last December, and to Audio-Video Corporation d/b/a/ A- 1 Communications last January, requesting CPNI compliance certificates for the past five years.

On December 14, 2006, Mechanicsville Telephone provided a three-page document executed by a Mechanicsville Telephone Company general manager on December 14, 2006. The document states that the general manager is not able to locate the 47 C.F.R. 2009(e) compliance certificate for 2005 and that Mechanicsville Telephone did not prepare compliance certificates for the years 2001-2004. Further, Mechanicsville Telephone asserts that it was not aware that a compliance certificate was necessary if it did not use CPNI. However, the FCC found that Mechanicsville Telephone, as a local exchange carrier, clearly receives and possesses CPNI, as defined in section 222 and the Commission’s rules. Thus, Mechanicsville Telephone is obligated to implement procedures to protect its customers’ CPNI, regardless of whether it uses that CPNI for marketing purposes. The FCC concluded that Mechanicsville Telephone failed to comply with CPNI rules, and proposed a forfeiture in the amount of $100,000.

Similarly, on January 5, 2007, Audio-Video submitted its response to the Enforcement Bureau’s letter of inquiry. The response includes a general certification of CPNI compliance for each of the last five years. The document, however, does not contain a statement by an officer “that the officer has personal knowledge that [Audio- Video] has established operating procedures that are adequate to ensure compliance with the [CPNI] rules…” The FCC concluded the Audio-Video failed to comply with the Commission’s CPNI rules, and proposed a forfeiture in the amount of $100,000.

We would like to remind clients that they can now order BloostonLaw’s updated Model CPNI Compliance Certification, and a template for the CPNI Compliance Statement that must be attached to it, to comply with new rules recently adopted by the FCC. The new rules will become effective later this year or early next year.

Please note that the Model CPNI Compliance Certification may be completed for each telecommunications carrier, or for a group of affiliated telecommunications carriers that all follow the same CPNI procedures. Likewise, the CPNI Compliance Statement is a template that should be modified to specify the exact procedures followed by a telecommunications carrier or group of affiliated telecommunications carriers.

CLIENTS SHOULD CONTACT US FOR THESE MODELS AND USE THEM TO COMPLETE THE APPROPRIATE PAPERWORK FOR THIS YEAR, AND FOR EACH SUCCEEDING YEAR GOING FORWARD.

Please note that the completed CPNI Compliance Certification and CPNI Compliance Statement must now be filed annually with the FCC, and also must be placed in a company file where they can be accessed if needed. We will be glad to help our clients to file the certification and obtain a proof-of-filing copy, once the deadline is announced. As noted above, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau continues to fine carriers for not correctly complying with the CPNI Compliance Certification process, so it is important that this requirement be followed to the letter.

SENATE COMMERCE PANEL APPROVES SAME NUMBER ACT: The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has approved legislation to expand number portability rules sponsored by Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii). The Same Number Act of 2007 (S. 1769) would assist consumers who seek to keep the same phone number when switching between voice service providers. S.1769 would expedite the number portability process and ensure that it covers all voice services in order to help consumers take advantage of less expensive and innovative choices. The Same Number Act of 2007 would specifically: (1) direct the FCC to establish porting timelines for different classes of number portability [there are some technical differences depending on the type of provider (wireline vs. wireless) and how many services (voice, data, and video) are being ported]; (2) establish data exchange requirements for each class of number portability; and (3) require annual reports for the first five years from providers so that any needed changes or adjustments can be made. BloostonLaw contacts: Ben Dickens, Gerry Duffy, and Mary Sisak.

SPRINT NEXTEL, CLEARWIRE TO LAUNCH NATIONWIDE WIMAX NETWORK: Sprint Nextel and Clearwire announced that they plan to jointly construct the first nationwide mobile broadband network using WiMAX technology, and promote the global development of WiMAX-based services. The planned arrangement, which is set out in a letter of intent, is expected to provide broad benefits to consumers, businesses, educators, the Federal government and public safety users by fostering quicker, broader and more efficient deployment of a mobile WiMAX broadband network than either company could accomplish on its own. The WiMAX network is being designed to deliver mobile broadband services in urban, suburban and rural markets, and enable significantly greater depth and breadth of services. The arrangement also is expected to enable each company to increase capital efficiency and reduce overall network development and operating costs. Sprint Nextel and Clearwire expect to build their respective portions of the nationwide network, and enable roaming between the respective territories. The companies also will work jointly on product and service evolution, shared infrastructure, branding, marketing and distribution. Additionally, the companies intend to exchange selected 2.5 GHz spectrum in order to optimize build-out, development and operation of the network. The arrangement is subject to the execution of definitive agreements, which are expected to be finalized within the next 60 days. It is also subject to review by the Department of Justice, and approval of spectrum license assignments and transfers by the FCC. Sprint Nextel and Clearwire intend to provide consumers, businesses and distributors across the country with access to the open Internet over a robust wireless broadband network that is being designed to deliver comparable speeds to existing wireline broadband services and offer maximum customer flexibility. Additionally, the Federal government and public safety agencies, which rely heavily on wireless networks during times of crisis, are expected to benefit from the mobility afforded through the WiMAX network to access their Internet-based communications, applications and content. Under the network build-out plan, Sprint Nextel will focus its efforts primarily on geographic areas covering approximately 185 million people, including 75 percent of the people located in the 50 largest markets, while Clearwire will focus on areas covering approximately 115 million people. Initially, the two companies expect to build out network coverage to approximately 100 million people by the end of 2008, with seamless roaming enabled between the deployed areas. The arrangement also will provide for the exchange of spectrum between Sprint Nextel and Clearwire to enable each company to build out its portion of the network and to enhance service in its build-out territory, as well as for the exchange of other assets associated with this spectrum. In addition, Clearwire will have the ability to utilize certain Sprint Nextel infrastructure. Sprint Nextel and Clearwire will market mobile WiMAX services under a common service brand, and Clearwire will offer mobile WiMAX services in Clearwire's territories through Sprint Nextel's retail stores, and through its own distribution channels. Both companies will provide seamless reciprocal roaming service to each others' WiMAX customers, and Sprint Nextel plans to provide dual-mode (CDMA-WiMAX) services nationwide to its customers over both its own and Clearwire's portion of the WiMAX networks. Sprint Nextel will take the lead in establishing relationships with national distributors and other potential strategic partners, including wholesale or mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) arrangements. Clearwire will have the ability to offer Sprint Nextel's third generation voice and data services as part of a bundle or on a stand-alone basis to Clearwire's customers, which will also allow Clearwire to provide dual-mode services to its customers. The initial term of the arrangement is 20 years, with three 10-year renewal periods. Sprint Nextel expects to commence the initial stage of its mobile WiMAX network deployments by year-end 2007 and both companies expect to launch commercial service in the first half of 2008. The companies individually are working with a broad range of manufacturers including Intel, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia and others to create an ecosystem of chips, products and software designed to provide mobile WiMAX access.

VoIP PROVIDER SunRocket SUDDENLY SHUTS DOWN OPERATIONS: SunRocket, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider based in Vienna, Virginia, with some 220,000 customers, shut down its operations last week in what appears to be a “business collapse.” A notice posted on the company’s Web site states: “After significant effort by the Company to avoid this result, SunRocket is in the process of discontinuing its operations as you know it. Therefore SunRocket will no longer be able to provide its customers with the phone service that its customers have been accustomed to.” SunRocket has found two other service providers— TeleBlend and 8x8—to pick up its customers. “Both providers have agreed to become preferred providers with special pricing for the SunRocket customers to enable them to migrate their telephone service. Of course, there are other providers and each individual customer can make their own decision as to which carrier they wish to transition to,” SunRocket says on its Web site. “Creditors to SunRocket will receive a notice within the next 30 days in regards to the general assignment and for the filing of claims in the liquidation process of SunRocket.” As the New York Times reported, the SunRocket collapse comes as small Internet phone companies are struggling but as the broader industry is enjoying explosive growth. At the end of March, the Time said, there were 10.8 million Internet phone subscribers in the United States, nearly double the 5.7 million a year earlier, according to TeleGeography Research, a market research firm. But cable companies are enjoying the biggest growth in the market. In the first quarter of this year they added 1.1 million subscribers, compared with 255,000 by start-up companies. The biggest stand-alone provider is Vonage, which has about 2.4 million subscribers, but it has faced its own challenges, and a steadily falling stock price, in the face of marketing pressure by the deep-pocketed cable companies. SunRocket’s CEO is Lisa Hook, who was the legal adviser to former FCC Chairman Dennis Patrick from 1987-1989.

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 more information

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Your company's logo and product promotion can appear right here for six months. It only costs $600.00 for a full-size ad in 26 issues—that's only $23.08 an issue. (6-month minimum run.)

Read more about the advertising plans here. CLICK HERE

EMERGENCY AUTOMATION & NOTIFICATION

• FIREHOUSES • SCHOOLS • PUBLIC FACILITIES • GOVERNMENT FACILITIES • EMERGENCY ROOMS •

WHAT DO FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES, WISPS, HAVE IN COMMON?

THEY ALL USE NIGHTHAWK.

Nighthawk Systems Inc. manufactures low cost and reliable remote control products for fire house alerting, volunteer alerting, activation of warning signs and sirens, and a number of applications for public safety.  The Company manufactures the EA1 and the FAS-8 which have been designed specifically for these applications.  Both products are paging based and will work with any public or private paging network.  They are available in all VHF, UHF, and 900 MHz paging frequencies.  The products can serve as the primary notification system or an excellent, low-cost backup to existing systems.

The EA1 is the solution for remotely activating public warning signage.  Examples include tornado sirens, flash flood warnings, fire danger, Amber Alert, icy roads, etc.  The EA1 can also send text messages to scrolling signs.  This can occur in conjunction with the activation of audible alarms and visual strobes.  This is ideal for public notification in buildings, schools, hotels, factories, etc. The group call feature allows for any number of signs or flashing lights to be activated at the same time over a wide geographic area.  In addition, the EA1 Emergency Alert is the perfect solution for low cost yet highly effective alerting of volunteer fire fighters in their home.  When activated the EA1 will emit an audible alarm and activate the power outlet on the units faceplate.  A common setup is to simply place the EA1 on a table and plug a lamp into the faceplate.  When paged from dispatch or any touch tone phone the EA1 will awaken the fire fighter to a lit room.  As an option the EA1 can be ordered with a serial cable, allowing for attachment of a serial printer.  When paged the alphanumeric message will be printed out at the same time the alarm sounds and the outlet is activated.  The EA1 is an ideal complement to alphanumeric belt pagers common to volunteers.

The FAS-8 is designed for activating one or more relays in a firehouse and if desired, printing the alphanumeric message to a serial printer.  For this application the FAS-8 is set to activate upon receiving the proper paging cap code sent from 911 dispatch.  Up to eight different devices can be activated all with individual time functions.  The most common devices to turn on include the PA amplifier, audible wake up alarm, and house lights.  The most common device turned off is the stove.  The FAS-8 can accept up to 8 different cap codes and have separate relay and time functions per cap code.  This allows for different alerting to be accomplished at the same physical location depending upon which cap code is sent.  This can be very helpful when fire crews and medical crews are housed in the same building.

FAS8

Put the innovative technology of Nighthawk to work for you. For more information on any of our products or services, please contact us.

Nighthawk Systems, Inc.
10715 Gulfdale, Suite 200
San Antonio, TX 78216

Phone: 877-764-4484
Fax: 210-341-2011
E-mail: sales@nighthawksystems.com
Web: www.nighthawksystems.com

Repair and Technical Support Services Glenayre/Quintron Transmitters, Receivers and Controllers Experienced former Glenayre/Quintron Technicians and Engineers 217-222-5242 410 ½ S. 10th Quincy, IL 62301 Ayrewave@sbcglobal.net

Please click here to e-mail Ayrewave.

Download Mr. Mercer's resumé. CLICK HERE

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

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

Speaker Application — 2008 IWCE Communications Expo

Abstract of Proposed Presentation

Las Vegas, Nevada — February 27-29, 2008

The Radio Paging Advantage In Public Safety Applications

Ron Mercer

Numerous individuals  have observed that paging worked well during the 9/11 disasters in New York City and Washington DC as well as during the three hurricanes that hit central Florida in 2004 and the Katrina/Rita emergencies in the Gulf Coast in 2005. Generally, it is acknowledged, paging, particularly two-way paging using the ReFLEX protocol, outperformed virtually all other forms of communication during these urgent situations.

This session will describe the characteristics that allow radio paging to optimize functionality, cost effectiveness and freedom from service interruption. Particular attention will be focused on the ReFLEX Two-Way paging protocol and the presentation will take account of:

• The narrowband efficiency of radio paging which permits use of less vulnerable satellite and microwave backbone facilities.
• The of ability of paging devices to support E-mail messaging via the Internet which tends to be less prone to overloading during emergencies.
• The use of multiple high power base stations in a simulcast configuration to improve radio coverage, particularly in building coverage.
• The “store and forward/delivery retry” mode, which assures that multiple attempts will be made to deliver messages (assured delivery).
• Efficient  “Group Calling” that permits a message to be sent simultaneously to thousands of users on a single transmission.
• Intersystem roaming that keeps users in full communication when they travel to other parts of the country.

Ronald H. Mercer
Founder and President
Global Fax Network Services Inc.

Ron Mercer, Founder and President of Global Fax Network Services Inc., (Global) is a pioneer in telecommunications engineering with more than 40 years of executive-level experience in both wire line and wireless telecommunications. Under his leadership, Global has grown from a start-up venture in 1993 to a respected consulting firm serving major organizations in the telecommunications industry.

At Global, Mr. Mercer has consulted with a number of leading wireless companies, provided expert witness testimony in several legal actions, obtained FCC Type Acceptance for new equipment designs and co-authored the CALEA (Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement) standard for radio paging. He experience with the various protocols involved in both wire line and wireless telecommunications (CDMA, GSM, TAP, TNPP, Golay, FLEX, POCSAG, ReFLEX, T1/T3, SS7 etc.) has been widely recognized within the industry.

Prior to establishing Global, Mr. Mercer founded and was President of Kerygma Technologies Inc. where he developed and marketed equipment which integrated voice, fax and email technologies to create a suite of “Store & Forward” services today known as “Unified Messaging.” At Kerygma, Mr. Mercer was responsible for general corporate management including overall system design, capital and operating budget preparation and execution, vendor negotiations, documentation, major account interface and advertising. He also received recognition from the Wall Street Journal in an article entitled “Leading the Charge in the Voice/Fax Messaging Field.”

Previously, he was co-founder and President of Spectrum Communications & Electronics Inc. (SCE) which developed and marketed radio paging, telephone answering service, voice mail and cellular telephone infrastructure equipment worldwide. At SCE, he focused on the international marketplace and achieved major sales in France, Kuwait, England, Spain, The UAE, Taiwan, Norway, Sweden and Korea as well as in the USA and Canada. He also managed a staff of up to 150 members including engineering, technical support, financial and general management personnel. Mr. Mercer prepared business plans and presented these to members of the international financial community (“Road Shows”) in pursuit of $100 M public financing.

Prior to SCE, Mr. Mercer founded and managed Acme Devices Inc. which developed and marketed radio paging infrastructure equipment throughout the USA and Canada. At Acme Devices, he was directly responsible for system and circuit design, technical documentation as well as advertising, marketing and sales.

Mr. Mercer started his career in telecommunications at Bell Canada where he gained extensive experience with a variety of PABX, Central Office and other wire line telephone systems. At Bell Canada, he designed and received US and Canadian patents covering “Dial Access” radio paging systems. He was also involved in the development of several “pre-cellular era” wireless mobile telephone systems.

Mr. Mercer received a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Montreal Technical Institute in Montreal Canada. He has been an active member of the IEEE for many years and currently is a member of several technical committees within the wireless industry (AAPC, PTC One-Way Paging and PTC Two-Way paging committees, Voicemail Users Association, etc.)

With best regards,

Newsletter Editor

73 DE K9IQY
39.79654º N
089.69993º W
Grid: EM59dt

Brad Dye, Editor
The Wireless Messaging Newsletter
P.O. Box 13283
Springfield, IL 62791 USA

"Life is just a short walk from the cradle to the grave, and it sure behooves us to be kind to one another along the way."

— Alice Childress, African-american Wisdom