Giving wireless an edge

Because new competition now weighs so heavily on the minds of everyone in the telecommunications industry, wireless and otherwise, the theme of how to best prepare for new competition often outweighs all other factors in a trade show setting. That was clearly the case for exhibitors at Supercomm '96 in Dallas that visited the show with wireless wares. Providers of low-tier wireless solutions-everything from low-mobility enhanced cordless solutions to fixed wireless access applications such as wireless local loop-were on hand to market their solutions as one more tool that can help both wireless and wireline network operators differentiate their services. In addition, developers of enhanced services software platforms peppered the show floor, and while their offerings can be integrated into any network format, wireless providers are clearly their current targets of choice. "Wireless providers right now are the hot market," said Dennis Parker, president and chief executive officer of Prairie Systems. The company featured its Multi Applications Platform, which provides Virtual Office single-number service, universal messaging, broadcast capabilities and a host of other applications. Many companies have not been aggressively selling enhanced services to date, Parker said, but the current market situation promises to change all that. "Up to now it's been the world's best-kept secret," he said. "What's picking it up now is competition." Prairie Systems was just one of a flock of software developers positioning products for the wireless market. AccessLine displayed an upgraded version of its One Person, One Number platform featuring ISDN interface and out-of-band signaling for call setup, busy/no answer transfer routing capabilities and other new features. Bell Canada will be the first to implement the new version of the platform into its network. Precision Systems, which demonstrated applications on its UniPort platform, is also in hot pursuit of the wireless market but with a realistic eye toward how quickly PCS providers in particular are going to be leveraging enhanced services. "They're going to be capital constrained and still need to differentiate," said Mike Felix, senior vice president at Precision Systems. "They have to get to market, period. Right now the real differential is just who can get radio service first." The company is focusing on multiplicity and flexibility of applications and in particular on what applications make sense for voice activation. "We're learning a pretty tough lesson: that voice isn't suited for every situation," Felix said. "We have to be realistic about how we implement services." NewNet featured its short message server in multiple demonstrations on the show floor, with the product operating in four different partner company booths. NewNet's SMserver, originally designed for GSM networks, is now available in an IS-41 format that can be implemented in wireless networks based on code division multiple access and time division multiple access. Glenayre demonstrated its Modular Voice Processing system, which has just been adopted for use in PrimeCo Personal Communications' 11 PCS markets (Telephony, July 1, page 12). "We're very aggressively pursing the PCS markets," said Michael Gulledge, director of marketing at Glenayre. Among other exhibitors focusing on enhanced services were Open Development Corp.; Celcore; Centigram, which unveiled new prepaid cellular and debit card applications for its MobileManager service; and InterVoice, which announced that WilTel will implement its VisualConnect system for Internet and voice processing integration. Programmable switching manufacturer Summa Four used Supercomm to showcase its partnerships with two enhanced services platform providers, GTE Telecommunication Services Inc. and Precision Systems. GTE TSI was demonstrating its prepaid calling, calling party pays, FraudChallenger and GlobalRoam applications on a Summa Four VCO open programmable switch platform. Precision Systems used the Summa Four platform as a basis for UniPort. Other programmable switching manufacturers were getting in the wireless game at Supercomm. Excel demonstrated the features of IEX Corp.'s Telestar network switching system, which uses Excel's LNX programmable switch. Telestar is used in GTE AirFone's ground network system and provides the core technology in the network switching center for HighwayMaster Corp.'s enhanced wireless services network for the trucking industry. IEX also has customized Telestar to act as the gate station controller for regional satellite gateways in the Asia Cellular Satellite System operated by Lockheed Martin Corp. IEX supplies its equipment directly to carrier customers but also works in partnership with other switching and transmission vendors. "We take the best technology available and add our software to it," said Stanley Jasinski, marketing director at IEX. "The software architecture allows us to respond," said Ed Neubauer, marketing manager at IEX. "We can get there in less time and at a much lower cost." Excel also touted its line of open programmable switches for use in wireless local loop solutions. Wireless local loop applications provide carriers with faster time-to-revenue and offer lower cost and higher performance capabilities, said Richard Rotondo, marketing manager at Excel. "Wireless access is bringing a new way to deploy basic telephone service," he said. What distinguishes wireless systems as ideal access methods is the scalability provided by a programmable switching foundation, he said. Tadiran also highlighted wireless local loop applications at Supercomm, displaying its MultiGain system, which is based on its proprietary Spread Spectrum Frequency Hopping technology. The system has been implemented in Argentina, Israel, Peru, the United Kingdom and Russia. "In most of these countries there's a problem with telephony penetration rates," said Joel Tieger, vice president of sales for network systems at Tadiran. Wireless local loop provides speed to market at low cost, he said. "The combination of cost and the need for fast layout of infrastructure is the driver. The only way to do it rapidly is with wireless technologies." Although not many equipment providers chose Supercomm '96 to display wireless network infrastructure gear-switches, base stations, antennas and the like-a handful of radio manufacturers were on hand to target both wireless and wireline attendees. Western Multiplex, which was recently acquired by Glenayre, was showcasing its Lynx line of spread spectrum point-to-point radios, which can be used for microwave backhaul and wireless interconnect and are approved for unlicensed operation. "If you're a PCS service provider unable to plan location of your cells, you want something you can put in quickly," said Barry Foster, vice president of sales at Western Multiplex. "Unlicensed radio is ideal for that purpose." Adtran featured its Tracer digital spread spectrum radio, the first component of a line of wireless infrastructure products the vendor plans to develop. The product, which is also approved for unlicensed operation, is geared toward telcos, PCS providers and cellular service providers looking to expand coverage with low-cost wireless links. "Leased T-1 services in less than or equal to a 10-mile radius are fairly cost-effective," said Everett Brooks, wireless sales manager at Adtran. "Once you get beyond 10 miles, you want to start moving into microwave." The Tracer uses spread spectrum technology and supports up to two T-1 or one E-1 lines for wireless connection at distances up to 23 miles. On the wireless data front, Inet used Supercomm '96 to announce that its Spider cellular digital packet data modem has been approved by two cellular service providers and will be commercially available later this summer (Telephony, June 29, page 1). The development of the Spider was sparked both by the growing importance of data transport and by the blossoming of the Internet, said Kevin Keough, vice president of business development at Inet. It joins a growing number of wireless Internet access devices that promise to push CDPD technology further into horizontal markets. "This will prove the value of CDPD," Keough said. Supercomm '96 also provided a forum for manufacturers of low-tier wireless systems to show off their gear. Siemens-Stromberg Carlson featured a live demonstration of the PACS Edge system, which recently gained its second contract from a C block PCS provider (Telephony, July 1, page 12). The wireless portion of the PACS Edge system was operational in SSC's booth on the show floor and connected via T-1 to a switch and intelligent network equipment in the company's lab in Boca Raton, Fla. In addition, Ericsson was demonstrating its SuperCordless low-tier PCS solution, which conforms to the North American enhanced personal wireless telecommunications standard, adapted from the global digital enhanced cordless telephone standard. Ericsson hopes the system, which will be ready for delivery in the first quarter of 1997, will prove to be another wireless milestone for the company. "We were the first to bring the high-tier technology to the marketplace," said Dick Hayter, director of SuperCordless for Ericsson. "Now our aim is to be the first to bring low-tier." The company has signed a SuperCordless supply agreement with 21st Century Telesis-which also has a contract with SSC for PACS Edge equipment-and a letter of intent from Personal Technology Services, which is planning to bid in the Federal Communication Commission's upcoming F band 10 MHz PCS auction (Telephony, June 3, page 16). Although it may not draw such a heavy wireless crowd as other trade shows throughout the year, Supercomm did highlight important parts of any wireless provider's strategy. With its range of solutions that can help wireless network operators differentiate themselves-and help wireline carriers add a wireless access strategy to the mix-Supercomm '96 succeeded in proving itself as an important stop on the wireless trade show circuit.