Dear friends of Wireless Messaging and Paging,

I am sorry that today's newsletter is a little late in coming out. I was on a trip out of town doing some consulting on a "Broadband Wireless Internet Access" business. It is really an interesting project. A young man wants to become a "WISP" or a Wireless Internet Service Provider. I personally think that there is a good business opportunity in this field, and that starting next year when the new WiMAX systems start to become available, it will become a GREAT business opportunity. People want a fast connection to the Internet that isn't expensive. They need another option to DSL and Cable Modem services, especially since there are many areas where these services simply are not available.

I frequently refer to a quotation from a modern-day philosopher who said that the crust of the earth does not contain enough metal, to make enough wire, to meet the networking needs of the future. We must do it with wireless technology! I have seen engineering studies show that a properly designed wireless network is more reliable than a wire network. The Internet is one of the greatest developments of technology since Johan Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1455. At least, like the ability to print books that we got from the first printing press, the Internet gives us the ability to get mass amounts of information out to common men and women all over the world, and to do it very quickly.

Without a doubt, wireless will play an important role in extending the ever-increasing-bandwidth-hungry reach of the Internet. Maybe someone reading this newsletter would like to get involved in helping us build some new WISPs. It can be done today, using license-exempt equipment, as the existence of over 2,000 small businesses already in operation will illustrate. Call me; we have a plan. The Wireless Broadband revolution is starting, and now is the time to get involved.

Worldwide Internet Population Forecast:
   2004 934 million
   2005 1.07 billion
   2006 1.21 billion
Source: Computer Industry Almanac

Don't forget about the AAPC 2004 Fall Conference, "Answering the Challenges of Today & Tomorrow" to be held November 3-5 at the beautiful Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.

1. AAPC Conference Brochure CLICK for pdf file
2. AAPC Vendor Prospectus CLICK for pdf file

Now on to the Wireless Messaging 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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Personal Technology

Posted on Mon, Oct. 04, 2004

Keep it simple

By Mike Langberg
Mercury News

Ogo is an intriguing new wireless device with more than just an odd name—it's testing the idea that consumers want simple and inexpensive products more than costly and complicated ones.

Launched last week by AT&T Wireless for $99, Ogo does only one thing: send and receive text, whether in the form of instant messages, e-mail or cell-phone messages.

It's not a phone, a digital camera or a music player. It won't browse the Web or store your electronic calendar. So it offers much less than smart phones such as the T-Mobile Sidekick II or Treo 600 that cost $300 to $600.

The target market for Ogo is teens and twenty-somethings, a generation sometimes called the "thumb tribe" for their enthusiasm and skill at punching out SMS messages, the short text messages sent from one cell phone to another.

I'm too old for the thumb tribe, but I still found the Ogo (www.attwireless.com/ogo) worked well for IM and the short cell-phone messages called SMS. Unfortunately, Ogo is only middling for e-mail.

What sets Ogo apart is that it's a single-function device, the only one of its kind as far as I can tell. I've never been a believer in the Swiss Army knife approach to gadgetry, where you too often get multiple functions done badly instead of a single function done well. If I'm right, Ogo should outsell smart phones. We'll see.

In appearance, Ogo resembles a laptop shrunken to about the size of mobile phone. The top half of the silvery six-ounce clamshell has a color screen, at 1 3/4 inches high by 2 3/4 inches wide, that's about twice the size of what you see on most mobile phones, and is big enough to read text comfortably. The keyboard in the bottom half of the clamshell provides only enough room for thumbs, and it takes practice to avoid hitting the wrong key in such a minuscule layout.

Connecting through the AT&T Wireless network, Ogo can be used with any of the Big Three instant messenger programs: America Online Instant Messenger (AIM), Microsoft's MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger. Ogo also retrieves and sends e-mail through AOL, MSN Hotmail and Yahoo Mail. SMS messages can be sent or received from any SMS-capable mobile phone.

Ogo sells at AT&T Wireless stores and the company's Web site for $129, with a $30 mail-in rebate reducing the final price to $99. Service is $17.99 a month for unlimited access to IM and e-mail through your choice of AOL, MSN or Yahoo. If you want to use two of the three, you pay an extra $3 a month. If you're already an AT&T Wireless customer, the base monthly fee drops to $14.99.

Battery life is respectable, with 120 hours of standby time and 2.5 hours of active messaging time. Ogo also slips easily into a pocket, since it's only slightly wider than the average mobile phone.

There's also a local angle. While AT&T Wireless came up with the overall concept for Ogo, the hardware and software design comes from IXI Mobile of Redwood City. Ogo is a unique offering for now, although IXI Mobile could develop similar products for other wireless carriers.

In my tests, Ogo excelled at IM and SMS. It's easy to carry on multiple text conversations, and most of my IMs zipped back and fourth in two to four seconds. You can even set the device to change your IM status when the clamshell is closed. So your IM buddies will see you as available when the lid is open, but "away" or "busy" when the lid is shut.

E-mail is more of a challenge. First, you won't be able to tap your primary e-mail account unless that account is already with AOL, MSN or Yahoo. Second, Ogo sucks in all messages in your inbox, not just new ones. If you've accumulated a long list of messages, Ogo gets clogged—it overflows at about 500 messages—with no easy way to delete the excess. Third, it takes a tiring four to six key strokes to delete the current message and move to the next message in the list.

If you want to receive SMS messages, you'll have to explain to friends that the phone number you're giving them is only for messages, not for voice calls—a confusing distinction.

Ogo is a bargain if you're a thumb-tribe activist, eager to spend several hours a day in IM and SMS conversations. But the monthly fee is too high for occasional users who might only want to check e-mails a few times a week. I'd urge AT&T Wireless to consider an "infrequent user" plan, perhaps charging $3 to $5 a month for three to five hours of message time.

Two smaller gripes: The backlight automatically turns off after 30 seconds to preserve the battery, a setting that can't be changed and is too quick. Also, the surface of the keys is too shiny, making it difficult to recognize the almost microscopic special characters that you get when hitting the "Alt" key, such as @ and #.

Finally, there's also a big yellow caution light flashing over AT&T Wireless. The company made a deal earlier this year to merge with Cingular Wireless, a transaction that should be completed by early 2005. This isn't a merger of equals; Cingular Wireless is much bigger and existing AT&T Wireless customers will be switched to service under the Cingular name. There's no guarantee Cingular Wireless will want to continue with Ogo, although I think the odds are slim that Ogo would be killed outright anytime soon.

Source: The Mercury News

Google Launches Mobile Messaging Service

Putting some truth the rampant rumors that Google was getting into the instant messaging business, the company has announced the beta test release of Google SMS, the mobile phone equivalent of IM. The new service will be available to mobile phone users, and is really designed for much more than personal messaging.

In fact it might be considered more of a mobile version of the company's Froogle comparison shopping service. That's because its real focus is helping users find businesses and products in their areas.

If, for example, a hungry user is traveling in San Francisco he or she can send Google SMS the zip code and the desired type of food. The system will list local delis, pizzerias, or whatever was desired.

The system also enables users to look up personal and business telephone numbers and addresses, compare product prices, prices, and look up dictionary definitions of words.

You can get more information about the product at sms.google.com. The service is available through U.S. cellular phone service providers including AT&T Wireless, Cingular, Nextel, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint PCS.

Source: InternetWeek.com

Metrocall, Arch Schedule Special Meetings of Stockholders to Vote on Proposed Merger

Wednesday October 6, 8:53 am ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va., and WESTBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—Metrocall Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: MTOH - News) and Arch Wireless, Inc. (Nasdaq: AWIN, BSE: AWL) today announced that they have scheduled special meetings of stockholders of each company for 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 8, 2004 to vote on their proposed merger. The record date for both meetings is October 7, 2004.

The special meeting of Metrocall stockholders will be held at Sheraton Suites, 801 North Saint Asaph Street, Alexandria, Virginia. The special meeting of Arch stockholders will be held at the offices of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, LLP, 60 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts.

Metrocall and Arch previously announced a merger agreement that would result in a combination of the two businesses into a holding company to be called USA Mobility, Inc. The transaction is subject to several conditions, including stockholder and regulatory approvals.

A definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus and related proxy materials is expected to be mailed to stockholders of each company on or about October 8, 2004. Metrocall and Arch investors are urged to read the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials on the proposed merger because they contain important information about Metrocall, Arch, USA Mobility and the proposed transaction.

Arch Wireless, Inc., headquartered in Westborough, Mass., is a leading wireless messaging and mobile information company with operations throughout the United States. It offers a full range of wireless messaging and wireless e-mail services, including mobile data solutions for the enterprise, to business and retail customers nationwide. Arch provides services to customers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and in the Caribbean principally through a nationwide direct sales force, as well as through indirect resellers, retailers and other strategic partners. Additional information on Arch is available on the Internet at http://www.arch.com.

Metrocall Wireless, Inc., headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is a leading provider of paging products and other wireless services to the business, government and healthcare communities. In addition to its reliable, nationwide one-way networks, Metrocall's two-way network has the largest high- powered terrestrial ReFLEX footprint in the United States with roaming partners in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Metrocall Wireless is the preferred ReFLEX wireless data network provider for many of the largest telecommunication companies in the United States that source network services and resell under their own brand names. In addition to traditional numeric, one-way text and two-way paging, Metrocall also offers wireless e-mail solutions, as well as mobile voice and data services through AT&T Wireless and Nextel. Also, Metrocall offers Integrated Resource Management Systems with wireless connectivity solutions for medical, business, government and other campus environments. Metrocall focuses on the business-to-business marketplace and supports organizations of all sizes. Additional information on Metrocall is available on the Internet at http://www.metrocall.com.

Source: Yahoo! Finance

Nighthawk Systems Ships Units to Alabama Power Supplier

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—Nighthawk Systems, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: NIHK), announced today that it has shipped 920 paging-based load control units to Alabama Municipal Electric Authority ("AMEA"), completing the original order for a total of 5,000 units. These 5,000 units were the first stage of an anticipated multi-year program by AMEA, which provides service to in excess of 110,000 customers in eleven member cities in southern and eastern Alabama. Load control systems allow utilities to manage energy demand at peak times. Electric utilities such as AMEA are seeking solutions that offer benefits to their customers while allowing the energy provider to better manage distribution and control of electrical power. Nighthawk offers low cost, reliable load control management solutions. Using existing paging infrastructure, the need to deal with telecom infrastructure is eliminated. The microprocessor-based control receiver can distinguish between multiple commands, allowing for easy group control. The software allows for "on demand" user control, eliminating the need for pre-programmed or scheduled applications. Individuals interested in Nighthawk Systems can sign up to receive e-mail alerts by visiting the Investor Relations page of the Company's website at http://www.nighthawksystems.com.

About Nighthawk Systems, Inc.
Nighthawk Systems, Inc. provides wireless, remote monitoring and power control equipment and services that save customers time, effort and money. Nighthawk products allow for on-demand processing at single or multiple widespread sites, and are easily installed and operated by anyone, regardless of technical capability. Nighthawk services customers in a variety of markets including electric utilities, traffic control, computer systems, commercial lighting, and irrigation. For more information visit http://www.nighthawksystems.com.

Forward-looking statements
Statements contained in this release, which are not historical facts, including statements about plans and expectations regarding business areas and opportunities, demand and acceptance of new or existing businesses, capital resources and future financial results are "forward-looking" statements as contemplated by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, government regulation, taxation, spending, competition, general economic conditions and other risk factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements. There may be other factors not mentioned above that may cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking information.

Source: PR Newswire

Searching on the Run

by Carol Tenopir—10/1/2004

With wireless connectivity and small laptop computers, we are no longer tied to the desktop for online searching. Handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) offer even greater portability. So far, the most common uses of PDAs are as calendars and address books, or to interface with a laptop or desktop machine. More advanced PDAs, like Research in Motion's BlackBerry Wireless Handheld™, as well as new versions of the Palm PC, add email, paging, a telephone, and limited Internet surfing.

Hard-to-read screen displays and small keyboards (or no keyboard) have been a barrier to using PDAs for online searching and reading. As the technology improves (and as people get accustomed to doing everything digitally and on the run), PDAs may become the hot device for accessing databases and electronic publications. Already there are reports of BlackBerry addiction.

LexisNexis
LexisNexis is one of the first to offer online services to BlackBerry users. Those whose companies subscribe to LexisNexis (LN) Publisher can get current news on a limited set of predefined topics delivered directly to their BlackBerry. LN Publisher "pushes" targeted information to a company's web site, portal, or intranet. The company administrator of LN Publisher (such as the corporate librarian) sets up the topical profiles and determines to whom incoming stories are delivered. Users see a similar display as they would on their desktops, at no extra charge.

BlackBerry users can also search more than 14,000 sources in the LexisNexis database (for an add-on fee). This is a special interface and simplified search tool especially designed for the PDA market. LexisNexis services don't run on other PDAs, and even BlackBerrys must be Java-enabled, have BlackBerry Enterprise Server version 3.5 or higher, and be Mobile Data Service enabled.

Physicians and PDAs
Doctors are early adopters of PDAs, with an estimated 35–50 percent of physicians (and 80 percent of U.S. medical students) currently using them. These users are most likely to be male, in an urban community, and in training or a recent medical school graduate. They are less concerned about small screen size than memory limitations. The most common uses are for drug reference, personal scheduling, and medical calculations. I recently surveyed members of the American Academy of Pediatrics and found that about half of the respondents use a PDA—mostly for personal use. Hardly any use their PDA to download articles, but over a quarter of respondents indicated they would "definitely or probably" use a PDA in the future to search and access articles. PDAs are particularly suited to fact checking in structured information sources, such as drug or disease handbooks.

Capturing the physician market
Information providers that serve the medical market are aggressively developing special search options for PDAs. Ovid, Elsevier, and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) are all targeting the medical end user on the run. Others, such as Thompson's Westlaw, offer wireless access to special content.

Ovid@Hand works with Palm or Pocket PC handhelds. Customers with access to Ovid's full-text Journals@Ovid can browse through tables of contents, mark articles of interest, and have them delivered to their PDA when they "sync" to the MyLibrary feature of the Ovid online system. Updated table of contents for selected journals are sent automatically, and searches can also be formulated on the PDA for later uploading. In addition to journal searching, Ovid PDA users have access to drug information through several sources and to disease information, including etiology, symptoms, and diagnostics.

Elsevier recently launched the POCKET Consult platform for Palm OS or Pocket PC users. Physicians who have access to MD Consult can set up a POCKET Consult account to access various Elsevier medical titles and services on their PDA. They can download information that will be used frequently, including selected medical e-books on a title-by-title basis, or tables of contents and abstracts from Elsevier journals. Some information is updated automatically or allows interactive searching.

Access to PubMed from PDAs is being tested by NLM's PubMed On Tap project, which works with Palm OS or Pocket PC PDAs with wireless connections. Users can do simplified searching of Medline, save or email retrieved citations, and link out to full-text articles. NLM seeks feedback on the development of PubMed on Tap through its web site (archive.nlm.nih.gov/proj/pmot/eval.php)

Future users
If you are a medical librarian, many of your constituents may already be accessing information through their PDAs. Businesspeople are right behind. Since early adopters tend to be recent graduates and those who need their information wherever and whenever, it may not be long before students, faculty, and other researchers look for high-quality information on their PDAs.

Source: LibraryJournal

PubMed on Tap

Just a reminder that the special room rate for the PTC meeting and AAPC conference will expire on October 10th.  Please make your reservations by then to take advantage of the great rate at the wonderful resort hotel (Pointe South Mountain, Phoenix, AZ) for the meeting.  You can find out more info about the conference at the AAPC web site www.pagingcarriers.org.

Here is the info about the hotel rooms:

AAPC has set aside rooms at the resort at the special rate of $149 per night. The special rate is available through Sunday, October 10. To make your reservation call 1-877-800-4888, extension 2. We suggest calling soon to ensure a room at the hotel. For more information about this event, contact AAPC at (651) 203-7243.

Thanks,
Stephen Oshinsky

From: Steve Walters
Subject: Job
Date: October 8, 2004 3:24:50 PM EDT
To: Brad Dye

Brad:

FYI—there is an open sales position on the Zetron web site that might be of interest to your newsletter readers.

PRODUCT SPECIALIST II - LATIN AMERICA (201-016W)
http://www.zetron.com/pages/english/aboutz/jobs.html#0917200402

Steve

Dear PTC Members:

Here is the proposed agenda for the PTC meeting to be held on November 3rd in Phoenix (at the same location as the AAPC conference). We will be meeting at 8 AM to 12 Noon. Lunch will be served. A PWG subcommittee meeting is scheduled for the afternoon of the 3rd.

1) Intro and Welcome
2) Subcommittee Reports
    2a) DSG
    2b) PWG
    2c) 1-way
    2d) Developers Forum
3) Discussion Topic - What should PTC be doing as Technical Committee for the Industry?
4) Chair and Vice-Chair Nominations
5) Meeting Schedule - 1, 2 or 3 times a year and when?
6) New Business
7) Close

You can go to the AAPC website (www.pagingcarriers.org) to see details about the AAPC conference. Please let me know if you plan to attend and how many from your company may be attending. I need the info in order to make sure we have a large enough room and to accommodate the luncheon. Please pass this note along to anyone that may be interested in attending the meeting.

Thanks
Stephen Oshinsky

Enclosed below PTC agenda for November meeting. The Protocol Working Group meeting will start at 1:30pm and end by 4pm.

Tentative PWG agenda:
1) Finalize RFCs for ReFLEX v2.7.4
2) Finalize RFCs for WCTP v1.3

Regards,
Gagan Puranik

From: John Deboer
Subject: [PTC-1WAY] Followup to Ron's Dangerous Curves Ahead article in last Friday's Brad Dye newsletter
Date: October 4, 2004 3:29:22 PM EDT
To: ptc-1way@yahoogroups.com

I did a little research into the "crackability"of the AES-128 encryption algorithm that the PTC has selected for 2-way device security and is being discussed as an alternative for a possible 1-way secure device. Based on this I believe AES is the right choice from the cracking perspective.

From the government NIST AES Facts site (http://csrc.nist.gov/CryptoToolkit/aes/aesfact.html):

QUESTION 1: Approximately how big are the AES key sizes?
ANSWER: The AES specifies three key sizes: 128, 192 and 256 bits. In decimal terms, this means that there are approximately:

3.4 x 10^38 possible 128-bit keys;
6.2 x 10^57 possible 192-bit keys; and
1.1 x 10^77 possible 256-bit keys.

In comparison, DES keys are 56 bits long, which means there are approximately 7.2 x 10^16 possible DES keys. Thus, there are on the order of 10^21 times more AES 128-bit keys than DES 56-bit keys.

QUESTION 2: What is the chance that someone could use the "DES Cracker"-like hardware to crack an AES key?
ANSWER: In the late 1990s, specialized "DES Cracker" machines were built that could recover a DES key after a few hours. In other words, by trying possible key values, the hardware could determine which key was used to encrypt a message.

Assuming that one could build a machine that could recover a DES key in a second (i.e., try 2^55 keys per second), then it would take that machine approximately 149 thousand-billion (149 trillion) years to crack a 128-bit AES key. To put that into perspective, the universe is believed to be less than 20 billion years old.

QUESTION 3: Will NIST continue to monitor the algorithm's security, and how will it handle security issues that may arise in the future?
ANSWER: Yes. As is the case with its other cryptographic algorithm standards, NIST will continue to follow developments in the cryptanalysis of Rijndael. The AES will be formally reevaluated every five years. Maintenance activities for the standard will be developed at the appropriate time, in full consideration of the situation's particular circumstances. Should an issue arise that requires more immediate attention, NIST will act expeditiously and consider all available alternatives at that time.

QUESTION 4: How long will the AES last?
ANSWER: No one can be sure how long the AES - or any other cryptographic algorithm - will remain secure. However, NIST's Data Encryption Standard (DES) was a U.S. Government standard for approximately twenty years before it was known to be "cracked" by massive parallel network computer attacks and special-purpose "DES-cracking" hardware. The AES supports significantly larger key sizes than what DES supports. Barring any attacks against AES that are faster than key exhaustion, then even with future advances in technology, AES has the potential to remain secure well beyond twenty years.

Thx
JdB

[Used with permission.]

From: Bill Tartaglia
Subject: RE: [PTC-1WAY] Followup to Ron's Dangerous Curves Ahead article in last Friday's Brad Dye newsletter
Date: October 4, 2004 5:53:15 PM EDT
To: PTC-1WAY@yahoogroups.com

As you probably recall, we discussed this at length when we reviewed encryption options for 2 way devices in 2002 and 2003. The choice came down to AES over 3DES. However your comparison of DES to AES is not fair. FWIW we considered 3DES, not DES as an option.

Answer extracted from the Internet:

• It depends on how much throughput you're talking about.
• It depends on how much traffic will be encrypted vs. how much won't be encrypted.
• It depends on which model of CPU processing power you have, and how much RAM is on it.

In general, it also depends on how secure you want to be! Whether a file is being transferred, an Excel spreadsheet with salary information, or the images that you're looking at, the amount of encryption you choose has more to do with your belief in the likelihood of someone sniffing your network and decoding information.

Perhaps 56-bit DES is enough for the application. Fifty-six bits supplies a little over 72 quadrillion possibilities. So, in and of itself, it CAN be decrypted, but not very easily. Triple-DES gives 168-bit encryption, or in technical terms, what amounts to a "whole lot" of possibilities!

Even ignoring the raw-throughput CPU power consumed, for security concerns, you also need to look at how often you update your encryption keys. Remember that DES and 3DES *can*, indeed, be broken. It just takes time to do it. So how often do you update your keys? If it takes 20 hours to break a key (it takes more than that—Its just an example) and you exchange keys only once every 24 hours, then there's a potential for four out of every 24 hours where someone could read what you're sending.

In terms of processing power, just for theoretical math, 3DES take 2.5 times more CPU power than DES does. Once you start looking at your encrypted bandwidth needs and your CPU/memory on the device, then you start seeing the reality in the decision needed to be made.

AES vs. 3DES

The only underlying issues are:

1) The patent on the DES encryption algorithm expired and is now free to use. It won't be too much longer before there are cracking engines, but enough processing power for a 168 bit key?
2) The US Govt has decreed AES to be the new encryption standard for use on Gov't networks

No encryption method will protect you any more than another unless you have the proper policies, meet proper regulations, and deploy it using industry standard best practices. However, since one of the major customers for a 1 way device with encryption would be the US Government AES offers a good head start.

Source: 3DES vs. AES-256

Brad, you can use my comments about DES vs. 3DES vs. AES if you wish.  There are still much deeper issues to explore regarding the tradeoffs between device cost, network bandwidth utilization, latency, key exchange algorithms, and customer expectations that we have not scratched the surface on yet, however. My $000.015. . .

Bill Tartaglia

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Motorola Introduces Two New Pagers Ideal for Health Care, Hospitality, Manufacturing, and Utilities Markets

Motorola's newest one-way pagers—the Advisor II pager and the LS355 pager—are ideal for users in demanding business environments who need a convenient and cost effective way to stay in touch.

Both the Advisor II pager and the LS355 pager were developed for use in hospitals and medical facilities, manufacturing environments, utilities, hospitality applications, campus settings, and for businesses that own and operate their own paging systems.

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.

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

PAGING SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACTOR NEEDED

I’m working with a client on a proposal for a large, private paging system in the Buffalo NY area and we need a quality organization to assist with system implementation and on-going maintenance activities. If you, or someone with whom you have worked in the past could be interested, please contact Ron Mercer at (631)266-2604 or by e-mail at ronofglobal@yahoo.com. Thanks

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.

hmce@bellsouth.net CLICK HERE

To inquire about this equipment, please send me (Brad Dye) an e-mail and I will put you in touch with the seller.

Update: The Glenayre is a FLEX System with 12 Transmitters in the Frequency Band 150-174 Mhz (166.2375 MHz). There are 4 Motorola Systems, all POCSAG, in the Frequency Band 150-174 Mhz, with about 25 Transmitters (166.3625 MHz).

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. ()

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

AAPC Mission Statement

To represent paging carriers throughout the United States to ensure the success of our industry by:

• 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.

AAPC links:

• Newsroom
• Paging Technical Committee
• Printed Newsletter archive
• Dues
• Membership application
• E-mail (more information)

Zetron Simulcast System

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

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

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

www.zetron.com/paging. CLICK HERE

CONTACT

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

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

Prism Message Gateway Systems
Modular and Configurable

Your Choice of Options

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

Popular Choice for Domestic and International

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

Logical Choice

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

Go ahead… be choosy… choose Prism Systems International

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

More information

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

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

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

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

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

Features*

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

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

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

Download Mr. Mercer's resumé. CLICK HERE

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

Firewall protects your Internet enabled paging system:

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

SPAM blocker eliminates un-wanted email:

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

Virus blocker:

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

CONTACT

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

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

SECOND TERM SUPPORTER

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

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

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

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

	PUBLIC NOTICE
	Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554	News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322
	DA 04-3050 September 29, 2004 WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU BEGINS AN AUDIT OF SITE-SPECIFIC LICENSES IN THE PAGING AND RADIOTELEPHONE SERVICE (PART 22) AND SITE-SPECIFIC LICENSES OPERATING ON 929-930 MHz EXCLUSIVE PRIVATE CARRIER PAGING CHANNELS (PART 90) Licensees Must Respond to the Audit Letter by November 12, 2004      On September 28, 2004, the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (Bureau) began its license audit of the operational status of all site-specific licenses authorized in the Paging and Radiotelephone Service, Part 22, Subpart E, and site-specific licenses authorized on private carrier paging exclusive channels in the 929-930 MHz band, Part 90, Subpart P. This audit was announced by Public Notice on August 24, 20041 and includes licenses in the following radio services: “CD” – Part 22, Paging and Radiotelephone Service, Subpart E “GS” – Part 90, Paging Operations, Subpart P, exclusive channels Note: This audit does not affect geographic-area licenses granted following an FCC auction or licenses authorized on the 929 MHz private carrier paging shared channels under Section 90.494.2 The Audit Letter      On September 28, 2004, letters were mailed to all licensees operating in the “CD” and “GS” (exclusive channels) radio services inquiring into the operational status of each license held. Every licensee being audited must respond and certify, by November 12, 2004, that its authorized station(s) has not permanently discontinued operations from the date of initial construction and operation.3 The audit letter, mailed to each licensee at its address of record, included the call signs of the licensee’s authorizations involved in this audit. As requested in the previous Public Notice announcing the audit,4 if the licensee, by September 25, 2004, verified the address was listed correctly in ULS, obtained its FRN, and associated its call signs with the FRN, it will receive only one audit letter for all of its “CD” and “GS” (exclusive channels) authorizations. However, if the licensee did not ensure the address was correct in ULS, did not obtain its FRN, and did not associate its calls signs with the FRN by September 25, 2004, the Bureau attempted to include all of a licensee’s call signs subject to this audit in one letter, but may have issued more than one letter for an entity due to slight variations in licensee name or address in the Commission’s records.5 If this is the case, the licensee must respond to each letter sent by the Commission in order to account for all of its call signs that are part of the audit. If a licensee holds an authorization(s) in the CD or GS (exclusive channels) and does not receive an audit letter, the licensee must still respond to the audit. Licensees can use the Audit Search at http://wireless.fcc.gov/licensing/audits/paging to determine if a particular license is part of the audit. If the Audit Search shows an audit letter was mailed, the licensee is required to respond to the audit even though the audit letter was not received. For instructions on how to proceed in this instance, call the Commission at 717-338-2888 or 888-CALLFCC (888-225-5322) and select option #2.      A response to the audit letter is mandatory. Each licensee is required to submit its response(s), electronically, by November 12, 2004. Specific instructions for responding to the audit, including the internet site, were included in the audit letter. Failure to provide a timely response may result in the Commission presuming that the station(s) has permanently discontinued operations as described under 22.317, and thus the license may be presumed to have automatically cancelled. Failure to provide a timely response may also result in enforcement action, including monetary forfeiture, pursuant to Section 503(b)(1)(B) of the Communications Act and Section 1.80(a)(2) of the Commission’s Rules.6      For assistance in registering with CORES and associating your call sign with the FRN, call 717-338-2888 or 888-CALLFCC (888-225-5322) and select option 2. For additional information on this license audit, visit the audit web site at http://wireless.fcc.gov/licensing/audits/paging or contact Denise Walter of the Bureau’s Mobility Division at 202-418-0620 or denise.walter@fcc.gov. 1     See Public Notice, “Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Announces An Audit Of The Operational Status Of Stations Authorized In The Paging And Radiotelephone Service (Part 22) And Stations Operating On 929-930 MHz Private Carrier Paging Exclusive Channels (Part 90),” DA No. 04-2596 (rel. August 24, 2004). 2     The shared channels are 929.0375 MHz, 929.0625 MHz, 929.0875 MHz, 929.1625 MHz, and 929.2625 MHz.See 47 C.F.R. § 90.494. 3     Section 22.317 provides that: “any station that has not provided service to subscribers for 90 continuous days is considered to have been permanently discontinued, unless the applicant notified the FCC otherwise prior to the end of the 90 day period and provided a date on which operation will resume, which date must not be in excess of 30 additional days.”See 47 C.F.R. § 22.317. 4     See Public Notice, “Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Announces An Audit Of The Operat0ional Status Of Stations Authorized In The Paging And Radiotelephone Service (Part 22) And Stations Operating On 929-930 MHz Private Carrier Paging Exclusive Channels (Part 90),” DA No. 04-2596 (rel. August 24, 2004). 5     In this case, each letter will have a unique audit reference number and will list the call signs associated with that exact licensee name and address. 6     See 47 U.S.C. § 503(b)(1)(b); 47 C.F.R. § 1.80(a)(2).

Source: FCC web site (pdf)

TOWERS FOR SALE
New, never installed, complete with hardware.
Please call or e-mail with questions.

TOO MUCH TO LIST • CALL OR E-MAIL

Rick McMichael 888-429-4171 rmcm@preferredwireless.com CLICK

SECOND TERM SUPPORTER

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

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

GTES Sales Brooks Marsden 340 Bethany Bend Alpharetta, GA 30004 Tel: 770-754-1666 Cell: 404-518-6632 brooks.marsden@gtesinc.com

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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.

---

New Product Development

New Hardware Platform
New Data Protocol Support
Small Campus Two-Way Systems
Location LSP
Hosted Two Way Support

Please call GTES Sales at 770-754-1666 for more information on the above.

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.

Patent landrush threatens Wi-Fi standards

By Wireless Watch
Published Monday 4th October 2004 12:45 GMT

We have examined before how patent lawsuits are threatening to stifle the adoption of wireless standards. Symbol, fresh from an intellectual property victory over rival Proxim, is the latest to assert sweeping licensing rights in 802.11 technology, while VIA is seeking to extend its proposed ‘intellectual property pool’ to WiMAX.

With the emerging WiMAX and RFID wireless technologies both subject to major patent claims, as well as numerous intellectual property disputes in Wi-Fi, the arguments are growing louder that standards are kept royalty-free. This would basically give companies—particularly start-ups—the choice of keeping their inventions proprietary and seeking to build a de facto standard with a full royalty revenue stream, Qualcomm-style; or donate the innovations to industry bodies for free, but with the hope of creating a far larger market in a shorter timescale, in which to sell products and services.

Call for royalty-free standards
Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web and director of the W3C standards consortium, is one of the high profile supporters of the royalty-free view. Speaking at MIT’s Emerging Technologies Conference this week, he said it was important that the web, whether wireless or not, is not “tripped up by software patents”.

"If you want a good laugh, go look at patent applications," he said, claiming that all companies developing products in emerging markets feel threatened by the possibility of a sudden patent lawsuit that could change their cost base entirely. "You could never find out what patent could possibly apply to what technology," he said. "You could never guess what things people might have the gall to say they have patented already. It really is a universal fear."

Symbol’s move
Hard on the heels of WiMAX vendor Wi-Lan asserting its intellectual property rights in OFDM technologies used in both 802.16 and 802.11a, wireless switch maker Symbol is claiming that the patents concerned in its Proxim dispute are included in all Wi-Fi products.

This means that all the vendors could, in theory, be liable for royalty payments Proxim had to pay $23m in damages and 2 percent royalties, though other vendors would owe 6 per cent says Symbol.

Cisco has already been sued by Wi-Lan and, with its deep pockets, is the obvious target for any form of royalty hunting. However, if it does not choose to pay up voluntarily, getting aggressive with the giant would also carry a serious risk for Symbol, since Cisco has greater resources than Proxim to fight the basis of the patent claims and try to get the recent rulings reversed. Proxim gave in largely because, to continue the legal battle, it would have had to post a bond for a large part of the $26m it now owes, and, given its recent financial tribulations, did not want that additional pressure.

If Symbol decides, like Wi-Lan, to chase large numbers of vendors, it raises the issue, once more, of how far such actions will hold back the WLan market. While vendors have the right to defend their intellectual property, equipment makers could find themselves paying several percentage points in royalties on so many aspects of the product that it becomes price prohibitive to launch one at all.

Symbol holds 702 patents. The one at issue here concerns power management in a frequency hopping environment and, according to Proxim, is a standard feature in every 802.11 access point. According to the recent jury decision, Symbol’s patent is only infringed at the point that a chipset is built into a system, so it will be the equipment makers, not the chipmakers, that are faced with demands for royalties, which Symbol is setting at 6 per cent. That could add up to a revenue stream of tens of millions of dollars a year.

Symbol is keen not to be over aggressive and said it only resorted to lawcourts when Proxim “made an enormous effort to stop our licensing effort. They failed, and our entitlement to a six-percent royalty has now been tested and validated by jury and judge,” as Symbol's general counsel, Peter Lieb, told Techworld.

Ironically, Symbol also expects to gain licensing revenues from some patents it has acquired from Proxim. The latter handed over some patents, also in the power management field, to reduce its royalty burden from 6 per cent to 2.3 per cent. These last until 2014, while Symbol’s own expire in 2009.

Via’s WiMAX licensing program
One company that has been active in trying to find a middle ground between inventors’ intellectual property rights and the rapid uptake of standards is Via Licensing, a subsidiary of Dolby. Earlier this year it proposed bringing 802.11 patent holders together in a unified system that would streamline the process of licensing Wi-Fi technology and collecting royalties. Now it is aiming to set up a similar scheme for 802.16. Via this week issued a call for essential patents related to 802.16, with the aim of identifying the owners of those patents that are “necessary for the practice of the IEEE 802.16 standard.

Essential patents are understood to be issued patents that have one or more claims that would necessarily be infringed by the implementation or use of the IEEE 802.16 standard”. Via then plans to convene the claimants of these patents, to work out common and “fair” licensing terms. Such a process has the advantage, while not going as far as royalty-free standards, of at least making licensing more transparent to equipment makers.

Pressurizing patent holders to show their hand upfront and agree on common terms removes the nervousness that many smaller players feel—as alluded to by Berners-Lee—that patent suits or royalty demands will appear unexpectedly and force a major shift in the business plan. The other main carrot is lower litigation costs, since the group will provide a one-stop shop for patent licenses, saving the holder having to get protection from each vendor individually.

Via Licensing has created a business in administering licensing programs, or patent pools. It has formed similar groups for the MPEG 2, MPEG 4 and H.264 consumer electronics standards and in March branched out into Wi-Fi, with the aim of stemming a wave of destructive lawsuits that was rising in the 802.11 world—including those between Proxim and Symbol, Agere, and Intersil, and Standard Microsystems and Wayport.

Another development that may reduce licensing costs in wireless is the tendency of major players to offer their technologies royalty-free in order to encourage the adoption of their inventions by the IEEE. This has been particularly visible in the bitter battle to provide the 802.15.3a standard, based on UltraWideBand, with both contenders making promises of free technology if their platforms are adopted.

Source: Wireless Watch via The Register

Well, that's all for this week folks. If you enjoyed this issue, please recommend it to someone.

I was reminded of the Robert Frost poem—part of which appears below—today while driving south on an crowded Interstate Highway. I came upon a huge traffic jam. Cars and trucks were stopped and were filling all the lanes as far as I could see. Fortunately I was able to get into an exit lane before I got trapped. I got some gas and a sandwich, and thinking about "the road less traveled" took a different highway that turned out to be a wonderful trip through the countryside on a good road, frequently 4 lanes, and one with little traffic. So I got home safely and calmly—a good trip. I think there is a lesson to be learned here somewhere.

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?
	Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. —Robert Frost (1874–1963)
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FLEX, ReFLEX, FLEXsuite, and InFLEXion, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola, Inc.
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