Jul 21, 1997 12:00 PM,

Wireless at work, U.S. Cellular, Nortel enter the building

JASON MEYERS, Wireless Networks Editor

United States Cellular and Northern Telecom are working together to meld wired and wireless within the corporate environment.

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The two companies announced last week that Nortel's Companion microcellular system can be used to extend the digital wireless capabilities of U.S. Cellular's Digital PCS into office complexes and corporate campuses.

To achieve that, the Nortel system is integrated with companies' PBX systems and uses wireless capacity on U.S. Cellular's 800 MHz IS-136 time division multiple access network. Other in-building wireless extension products operate on unlicensed frequencies and don't offer the same level of reliability, said Char Chase, product development manager for U.S. Cellular.

"We take a block of channels from the external network and dedicate them to the internal solution," she said. "[Customers] can be assured of always having coverage, and they can be assured of no interference.

Because the Nortel system is integrated with the PBX, it duplicates the features of that system, not the features available on the external digital cellular system. No alterations need to be made to the cellular network beyond allocating digital channels.

"The model is really tied to the wireline business system," said Gordon Payne, general manager for the Enterprise Mobility division of Nortel. "There's very little impact on the macrocellular network." Customers using the Companion system receive building- or campus-wide service from U.S. Cellular at a flat rate within the microcellular coverage area.

Once customers move out into the public network, they are charged per-minute for airtime. Currently, the system is not able to make seamless handoffs between the microcellular and macrocellular systems, but that capability is in the works, Chase said.

Both Nortel's and U.S. Cellular's sales forces will be involved in marketing the service to customers, Payne said. U.S. Cellular will provide the network capacity and terminals, and Nortel will be responsible for installing and supporting the Companion system.