Page 1 of 2 Page 1 of 2 | FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 18, 2005 - ISSUE NO. 187 |
Dear friends of Wireless Messaging, Each week I am amazed at how interest in the newsletter grows. Since I have recently attended two major events in the world of Wireless Messaging—the AAPC conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the EMMA conference in Helsinki, Finland—several things have become very clear:
I have been receiving some really great information about Wireless Messaging in Australia. I spent about a half-hour on Skype the other day with two colleagues down under, Stewart Buber and Terry Crawn, getting educated about the history and status of their market. Australia has always been a leader in Wireless Messaging. They enthusiastically adopted alphanumeric display paging while the rest of the world was largely stuck on numeric display paging. I have asked Stewart and Terry to contribute articles to the newsletter. I have also received a terrific whitepaper from Infostream that I hope to bring to you next week. Since I have been very outspoken about one advantage of our technology over all the other wireless or wireline technologies: called "common-cap-code-group call," or "point to multipoint," or "one to many," I have been doing some homework on the topic of "cell broadcast." The cell phone networks are experimenting with simultaneous transmission of text messages (not voice) to all phones in a common cell coverage area. This will be an improvement and as I have said before, our goal is to get a national emergency warning system that can send alerts to a multiplicity of devices, pagers (1w & 2w), PDAs, cellphones, Amber alert signs, etc. In Europe the idea of including a paging chip in all smoke detectors is being promoted. It could be something as simple as a unique audio alert—at least that would be better than sirens. Remember that the newsletter has been divided into two pages (may soon go to 3). Don't miss the new EMMA news section at the top of page 2 and the thought-provoking letter to the editor from Alex Gorlatov, president of TWP Wireless Electronics in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Now on to the rest of the news and views. |
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 central 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 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.) | |||||||||||
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| “Your Business Communications Partner” | News Release |
| For Immediate Release | Contact: Bob Lougee (703) 721-3080 |
| Wednesday, November 9, 2005 |
USA Mobility Reports Third Quarter Operating Results;
Board Declares Special Dividend on Common Stock
Subscriber and Revenue Trends Continue to Improve
Merger Integration Substantially Complete
Bank Debt Repaid, Company Debt Free
Alexandria, VA (November 9, 2005)—USA Mobility, Inc. (Nasdaq: USMO), a leading provider of wireless messaging services, today announced operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2005 and a special dividend of $1.50 per share payable in December. USA Mobility was formed on November 16, 2004 by the merger of Arch Wireless, Inc. and Metrocall Holdings, Inc. USA Mobility’s historical financials are those of Arch Wireless, which was deemed the accounting acquirer in the merger.
Reported revenue for the third quarter of 2005 was $152.0 million, compared to $109.4 million in the third quarter of 2004, with the increase due entirely to the inclusion of Metrocall revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2005. Third quarter revenue decreased 3.5% from $157.5 million reported for the second quarter of 2005.
Reported net income for the third quarter was $355,000, or $0.01 per fully diluted share, compared to net income of $6.7 million, or $0.34 per fully diluted share, in the third quarter of 2004.
USA Mobility reported a reduction of 232,000 units in service in the third quarter. Units in service totaled 5,116,000 at September 30, 2005, with 4,342,000 direct units in service and 774,000 indirect units in service. One-way units in service at the end of the third quarter totaled 4,662,000 while two-way units in service totaled 454,000. Average revenue per unit for the quarter was $9.04, with revenue per direct unit in service of $9.81 and revenue per indirect unit in service of $4.81.
“We continue to see positive trends in the rate of unit and revenue decline,” said Vincent D. Kelly, president and chief executive officer. “Unit losses of 232,000 during the third quarter compared to 272,000 during the second quarter, 347,000 in the first quarter and 388,000 in the fourth quarter of 2004 (reflecting the inclusion of Metrocall for the entire quarter). This is an improvement in the sequential rate of decline from 6.1% to 5.8% to 4.8% to 4.3% over the past four quarters. In addition,” Kelly noted, “third quarter revenue declined 3.5% compared to a decrease of 4.9% in the second quarter. Although current trends do not predict future results, we are very encouraged by these quarterly results.”
Kelly also noted that USA Mobility made significant progress during the quarter toward completing its merger integration goals. Key achievements included further consolidation of the company’s operating and management structure, repositioning of the company’s sales and marketing strategy, and making substantial progress in network rationalization, including the decommissioning of the Arch two-way network and most notably a long-term master site lease agreement with Global Signal, Inc. that is expected to greatly reduce USA Mobility’s network costs. “We have spent the first half of the year integrating the operations of the two companies in order to create a low cost operating platform with which to service our customers and generate cash flow. More recently we have focused on longer-term strategic initiatives on both the revenue and cost side of our business. While we cannot share every detail of our plans with you for competitive and other reasons, we look forward to providing more information at an investor meeting we plan to host in the first quarter of 2006 in New York City. We will provide the exact date and details of the meeting in the coming months.” Thomas L. Schilling, chief financial officer, said the company continued to improve its financial position in the third quarter. “During the quarter we repaid the remaining $26.5 million balance on our bank credit facility, resulting in a debt free balance sheet and enhanced financial flexibility,” he said. “In addition, our cash balance at September 30th was $43.3 million.”
Kelly added: “As a result of our current and projected cash position at year end, our Board of Directors has declared a special one-time dividend of $1.50 per common share, to be paid on December 21, 2005 to shareholders of record on December 1, 2005.” Kelly said the Board has made no determination on future uses of cash beyond the one-time dividend, “but we will regularly evaluate our options for returning capital to shareholders based on the company’s operating performance and future capital investment requirements.”
Among other highlights of the third quarter, Kelly noted, was the company’s outstanding performance in the immediate aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. “Due to the reliability of our networks as compared to competing wireless services, plus the preparedness of our technical and customer support teams in the field, we were able to provide one-way and two-way paging and text-messaging services when most other wireless networks had not yet been restored,” Kelly said. “As a result, hundreds of emergency service responders — including hospitals, utilities, police, firefighters and government agencies — were able to maintain critical communications. We also supplied thousands of additional pagers to federal, state and local emergency response organizations to help respond to the crisis. While these disasters were devastating for those affected,” Kelly added, “we were pleased to do our part.”
* * * * * * * * *
USA Mobility plans to host a conference call for investors on its third quarter results at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, November 10, 2005. The call-in number is 866-802-6730 (toll-free) or 913-643-4200 (toll). The pass code for the call is 3544544 (followed by the # sign). A replay of the call will be available from 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 10 until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, November 23. The replay number is 888-203-1112 (toll-free) or 719-457-0820 (toll). The pass code for the replay is 3544544 (followed by the # sign).
* * * * * * * * *
About USA Mobility
USA Mobility, Inc., headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is a leading provider of paging products and other wireless services to the business, government, healthcare and emergency response sectors. USA Mobility offers traditional one-way and advanced two-way paging via its nationwide networks covering more than 90% of the U.S. population. In addition, the company offers mobile voice and data services through Nextel, Sprint and Cingular/AT&T Wireless, including BlackBerry and GPS location applications. The company’s product offerings include wireless connectivity systems for medical, business, government and other campus environments. USA Mobility focuses on the business-to-business marketplace and supplies mobile connectivity solutions to over two-thirds of the Fortune 1000 companies. For further information visit www.usamobility.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act: Statements contained herein or in prior press releases which are not historical fact, such as statements regarding USA Mobility’s expectations for future operating and financial performance, are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause USA Mobility’s actual results to be materially different from the future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expectations include, but are not limited to, declining demand for paging products and services, the ability to continue to reduce operating expenses, future capital needs, competitive pricing pressures, competition from both traditional paging services and other wireless communications services, government regulation, reliance upon third-party providers for certain equipment and services, the timely and efficient integration of the operations and facilities of Metrocall and Arch as well as other risks described from time to time in periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although USA Mobility believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. USA Mobility disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Source: USA Mobility 8K 
Click here for the complete report with financial tables
A complete transcript of the conference call for investors, as referenced above, is available here.
FDA Public Health Notification: Risk of Electromagnetic Interference with Medical Telemetry Systems Operating in the 460-470 MHz Frequency Bands
(You are encouraged to copy and distribute this information)
Issued: November 16, 2005
This is to notify you that after December 31, 2005, any medical telemetry systems operating in the 460-470 MHz frequency bands will be at increased risk for interference, which could compromise patient safety. In January 2006 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will begin issuing new licenses for mobile radio transmitters to operate in the 460-470 MHz band.
Background
In 2000, the FCC dedicated a portion of the radio spectrum for wireless medical telemetry. This part of the spectrum is known as the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS). The WMTS bands include 608-614 MHz, 1395-1400 MHz, and 1427-1432 MHz. With Spectrum dedicated for medical telemetry use, the FCC’s intent for the past several years has been to grant new licenses to higher power mobile radio users in the 460-470 MHz band. However, because of the potential for serious interference with existing medical telemetry systems the FCC has delayed implementing this change in order to allow time for medical facilities to migrate out of the 460-470 MHz band. This freeze on new land mobile licenses in the 460-470 MHz band will expire on December 31, 2005.
After December 31, 2005, the FCC will begin granting a great many licenses for mobile radio transmitters that will use new channels in the 460-470 MHz band. The new licenses will be for transmitters of 2 Watts or higher. It is estimated that there are several hundred thousand users waiting for these new channels. Most of the radio users in this band will include hand-held and other mobile transmitters such as those operated by police; fire and rescue; taxis; and commercial trucks. These users could likely operate in and around your hospital.
Wireless medical telemetry equipment still using channels in the 460 – 470 MHz band after December 31, 2005, could be adversely affected by mobile radios operating under the new FCC licenses. According to tests conducted by the FDA, the transmitters operating under new licenses in this frequency band can interfere with medical telemetry systems. This could lead to lapses in patient monitoring and missed alarm events, putting patients at risk. The anticipated interference will not be limited to urban areas. Any medical facility in the vicinity of a mobile radio could be affected.
Recommendations
We recommend that you:
Getting More Information
Additional information on wireless medical telemetry, WMTS, and frequency coordination can be found on the ASHE web site at http://www.ashe.org/ashe/wmts/registration.html.
Additional information from FCC regarding lifting the freeze on high powered licenses in the 460-470 MHz frequency band can be found at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-2071A1.pdf and http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-249481A1.pdf. General information from FCC on WMTS can be found at http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/personal/medtelemetry/.
Additional and background information from FDA on WMTS can be found on our web site at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety/emimts.html.
If you have questions regarding this Notification that are related to FDA issues, please contact Nancy Pressly, Office of Surveillance and Biometrics (HFZ-510), 1350 Piccard Drive, Rockville, Maryland, 20850, Fax at 301-594-2968, or by e-mail at phann@cdrh.fda.gov. You may also leave a voice mail message at 301-594-0650 and we will return your call as soon as possible.
All of the FDA medical device Public Health Notifications are available on the Internet at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/safety.html. You can also be notified through email on the day the safety notification is released by subscribing to our list server. To subscribe, visit: http://list.nih.gov/archives/dev-alert.html.
Reporting Adverse Events to FDA
FDA requires hospitals and other user facilities to report deaths and serious injuries associated with the use of medical devices. If you suspect that a reportable adverse event was related to interference with medical telemetry, you should follow the reporting procedure established by your facility.
If a telemetry system fails to function due to interference or any other reason, it is a device malfunction. We encourage you to report these malfunctions directly to the device manufacturer. You can also report to MedWatch, the FDA’s voluntary reporting program. You may submit reports to MedWatch by phone at 1-800-FDA-1088; by FAX at 1-800-FDA-0178; by mail to MedWatch, Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857-9787; or online at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.
Sincerely yours,
Daniel Schultz, MD |
Updated November 16, 2005
Source: U.S Food and Drug Administration Safety Alert
Networking: Feds calls BlackBerry essential
Technology : November 14, 2005
The feds are intervening in a 5-year-old patent case against Research in Motion Ltd., the Canadian-based developer of BlackBerry, arguing in court papers filed last week that the networked wireless computing devices are essential and a network outage could cause severe problems for the U.S. government.
"The injunction would, literally, prevent RIM from providing the services that would be essential for the federal government, as well as state and local governments, to continue their use of the BlackBerry devices," the U.S. Department of Justice argued in a court filing.
Experts tell United Press International's Networking that the case—before a federal judge in Richmond, Va., who has promised to move "swiftly" on the matter—could be one of the biggest computer cases in history.
The trial against the maker of BlackBerry opened last week after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant a stay in the patent proceeding. NTP, another technology developer, is suing Blackberry, and if the plaintiff prevails in a request for an injunction, the popular business e-mail service could be shuttered.
"This case is a good example of the power of the patent," said Douglas A. Miro, partner with the intellectual-property law firm Ostrolenk, Faber, Gerb & Soffen LLP of New York. "The implications are enormous. Needless to say, if the district court grants NTP's injunction request, without a last-minute settlement, RIM probably can not stay in business in the United States."
Miro said that RIM's chances of convincing the court not to grant the injunction are minimal—based solely on legal grounds. "NTP is sitting pretty because it knows RIM must pay it an enormous sum of money to stay in business," he added.
Another attorney said the case promises to be one of the most momentous patent cases in history. "This could turn out to be as big as or bigger than Kodak v. Polaroid, in which an injunction based upon Polaroid's patents put Kodak out of the instant camera business," said Bob Fieseler, partner and board member with McAndrews, Held & Malloy, based in Chicago.
The federal government's entry into the case is probably going to have an impact on the outcome of the trial, experts said.
The government asked for 90 days' notice before the trial court enforces any injunction on BlackBerry devices in the United States to ensure government workers can keep using them. BlackBerry devices first came to popularity among government workers when former Vice President Al Gore's campaign used them extensively during the 2000 presidential election.
The U.S. DOJ also argued in court papers that three months were needed to respond to the injunction so the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could reconsider the wireless e-mail patents held by NTP. The Patent Office has overturned the disputed patents filed by the late inventor Thomas Campana Jr., which NTP owns, and which NTP has asked the patent office to reconsider.
There are other complicating factors in the trial. Judge James R. Spencer of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is considering whether a $450 million settlement with NTP, disclosed this past spring, should be enforced.
The deal fell apart three months later after both parties disagreed on the terms of the settlement—but now RIM wants the court to enforce the failed agreement.
Spencer said in open court that he would schedule hearings on the injunction when he decides if the March agreement is enforceable.
The case is NTP Inc. vs. Research In Motion Ltd., 01CV767.
"I intend to move swiftly on this,'' Spencer said Wednesday. I've spent enough of my life and my time on NTP and RIM.''
Source: PhysOrg.com
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