Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 4, 1994 TAG: 9402040053
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The Federal Communications Commission passed a pair of rule changes Thursday that help clear the way for what many believe will be a revolution in wireless communications.
The changes illustrate how innovations in technology and marketing can create a new industry and create jobs, said FCC Chairman Reed Hundt.
"Innovative and feature-rich services" will be encouraged under rules changes covering mobile communications, said Ralph Haller of the commission staff.
These complex rule changes replace a patchwork set of mobile-radio rules - which include cellular telephone operations - with a comprehensive set of regulations, the agency explained.
Under this framework, Haller said, companies would be able to develop services such as an individual telephone number that follows the holder anywhere in the country, with calls forwarded to that number.
And, he said, there is potential for developing a single portable handset that could provide such services as paging, digital messaging, voice communication and sending and receiving faxes.
In the second action, the commission set up rules for a series of new services known as narrow-band personal communications services.
Unlike mobile radio and telephone service, which use a wider broadcast frequency, the newly approved service uses a set of 26 narrow frequencies to handle communications services.
These services are expected to include advance voice paging with the ability to acknowledge receipt of the page, two-way messaging and other services.
If businesses are able to provide two-way voice or other services on these bands, that, too, is all right, officials said. Fax service also would be allowed if the technology can be developed to permit it.
by CNB