News
IWCE ’98 focuses on technology, business strategy
Technology, regulatory issues and business strategies for the land mobile communications industry were explored at the 22nd annual International Wireless Communications Exposition (IWCE ’98) in Las Vegas, April 22-24.
The show, sponsored by Intertec Publishing’s communications magazines, drew 10,348 U.S. and international attendees. Wireless technologies and services were exhibited by 368 companies, a 9% increase from 1997. Sixty-two companies made first appearances as exhibitors.
Industry news announced or celebrated at the show included a joint Memorandum of Understanding between the FCC and ITA on interference enforcement and a major reseller program launched by Ericsson (see following stories); Centurion’s celebration of its 20th anniversary, 15th anniversaries for Kenwood Communications and MRT, and numerous new product introductions. A reception for international attendees was hosted by IMTA and Telewave. Lawrence Behr, LBA Group, addressed the Radio Club of America breakfast.
Conference tracks included panel discussions and presentations on mobile radio business success, regulatory issues, public safety, technology and applications. Special events included a base station workshop series, a Marconi museum historical display on the history of communication and a PCIA licensing seminar. A concurrent RF Design seminar provided education for RF design engineers and managers.
Opening plenary session talks were given by the FCC on regulatory programs and by the Strategis Group on strategies for the two-way radio marketplace (see sidebar below).
Millennium bug
John Clark, deputy chief for public safety, Public Safety and Private Wireless Division, of the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB), related growing bureau concerns about impending “millennium bug” computer problems in the industry. [The glitch prevents many computers from recognizing or calculating information past the year 2000 (Y2K) because the date would be coded “00.”] The problem is “a lot more complicated and more deeply rooted,” than many businesses and agencies realize, Clark said.
“Any smart system that is time-based is at risk,” he said, because in many cases, the machine may be new, but the microcode that runs it was copied from old-style-date programs.
Seeking solutions to the problem, the FCC added a “Year 2000” page to its Web site in April, Clark said. FCC Commissioner Michael Powell, the designated FCC commissioner for defense and emergency preparedness matters, is also serving on the President’s Council on Year 2000 Conversion set up in February. Michael R. Nelson, of the FCC’s Office of Plans and Policy, is managing an internal bureau task force on the problem, Clark said.
Universal licensing
Stephen Markendorff, deputy chief for operations in the Commercial Wireless Division, WTB, presented an historical review of the development of various radio services and the FCC’s licensing procedures. The review was a prelude to Markendorff’s discussion of the “revolutionary changes” signified by the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS), announced in a February Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The proposal would “consolidate, revise and standardize rules governing radio services licensed by the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau,” Markendorff said.
ULS adoption would delete 196 rules from various parts of the FCC rules and combine 11 licensing systems into one browser-based licensing system and database. Required forms would be reduced from 40 to five, with full electronic-filing capability and full online access for license searches, Markendorff said. Review comments and replies were to be concluded in May. Markendorff concluded his presentation by conducting the audience on a big-screen tour of the FCC’s Web site.
Industry feedback
The closing session on April 24 featured the results of MRT’s “oldest issue contest” (see following story) and selected results of a 1998 MRT reader survey presented by Editor Don Bishop. Survey findings included:
* End-user readers report that two-way communications will continue to account for about 60% of their communications infrastructure through the year 2000; cellular technology, 16%; paging, 12%. * Dealers and service operators expect two-way to continue to account for most of their business, 46% (three times any other technology segment), through 2000, eroded by slight increased sales in paging, SMR and ESMR. * Reliability, two-way communication, convenience and quick access were considered to be the most important systems features wanted by end users. * System improvements that end users most want to adopt are digital enhancements, trunking and radio security. * APCO was viewed as the most valued trade show by end-users; IWCE was rated as the most useful show by dealers and service providers.
Analyst outlines challenges and business strategies for two-way radio industry The future of the land mobile radio marketplace was forecast by Steve Virostek, director of messaging and dispatch for the Strategis Group, Washington, during the opening plenary session of IWCE ’98 April 22.
Virostek, pointed out that in 1998, the 60th anniversary of the first U.S. police car radio installations in Detroit, and of the launch of Galvin Manufacturing (now Motorola) in Chicago, traditional land mobile radio is a mature market. That market faces four specific challenges, he said: market penetration, a “low-tech” image, wireless competition and minimal access to new spectrum.
Virostek said Strategis’ data indicates that for the two-way market, basic push-to-talk, Part 90 devices for UHF, VHF and 800/900MHz account for about 15.5 million units in service in non-federal, non-SMR applications. Federal users account for 1 million units, and SMR/ESMR for about 3 million units, for a total of about 20 million units nationally, representing a 15% penetration rate.
Consequently, Virostek said, there is slow growth in the number of units added each year. Also, dealers surveyed in 1997 reported portable sales supplanting sales of mobile units because of expanded features and decreases in price. Consequently, dealers have seen lower equipment margins, down about 10%. One solution to this problem, Virostek said, is expanding the customer base. Dealers surveyed reported 80% of their sales went to an established customer base and 20% to new business development.
He defined the “low-tech” image problem as potential customers who have a limited perception of the potential of two radio-a “taxicab squawk box”-or a fallback position if preferred communications technology is unavailable or unaffordable. Radio people must ask “‘Has the digital revolution passed us by?'” Virostek said. Progress in the telecom industry as a whole has been “phenomenal,” he said, with 20% growth rates driven by PCS and cellular. “But land mobile is not there.” In a typical metroplitan area like Las Vegas, he pointed out, customers are presented with multiple cellular, PCS, ESMR, SMR, paging and mobile data providers. “Customers are confounded by communications choices … and the competitors have intelligent networks and slick new handsets.
Spectrum issues also present challenges to land mobile, Virostek said. The FCC is not opening new spectrum for land mobile, a tough refarming process has just been completed, and narrowband technology is emerging. “My sources say that refarming is really a non-event thus far,” Virostek said. “The industry is paralyzed by uncertainty as to what the rules mean. The coordinators have yet to get down their new coordination plans.” There are auction opportunities at 220MHz and 800MHz, he said, but added that 800MHz is already full of incumbent users. “The spectrum outlook is not good,”Virostek said, adding that working on ways to make narrowband technology afforda ble is a critical issue.
Strategies for success
“Can radio compete in this environment? Yes!” Virostek said. To focus exclusively on the challenges would be to ignore the opportunities for growth and success that exist, he said. “Think not as a two-way radio dealer, but as a telecommunications professional, looking to provide value-added services and a blend of services.” The industry’s two critical assets, Virostek said, are telecom know-how and a relationship with customers. The technical expertise allows for a consultative sell and post-sales support. “This industry, more than any other gets closest to customers … compared to other services, the radio customer service record is heads and tails above the rest.
“Database mining,” a strategy used by other businesses to increase penetration, has applicability to the radio industry, he said, allowing a search for potential expansion of services within the existing customer base. “Telcom bundling” is another trend that Strategis is closely tracking, Virostek said. A survey of business managers showed 80% wanted to bundle their information/communications services together. Advantages these managers sought were a single point of contact, interoperability of all equipment, efficiency and price discounts.
Other strategies outlined by Virostek included: * riding the trend of portables relacing mobiles to open new market segments such as schools and retail businesses, where all staff or employees can be equipped with duplex two-way units, replacing fixed-station simplex intercoms. * alternative plans using 900MHz SMR spectrum that has not been built out yet. * increasing use of the Internet as a business tool, including sales, product information and exploring the possibility of becoming a reseller for Internet service providers.
Finally, Virostek said, there is the opportunity of mobile data, which has shown “so much promise, so little results.” Why has there been slow adoption? “Commercial data services telling customers what they need hasn’t worked.” Mobile data requires a “consultative sell,” Virostek said, and integrating newer technologies like automatic vehicle location (AVL) and Global Positioning System (GPS).
The way to get business solutions expertise quickly is to acquire or merge with companies that have it, Virostek said, suggesting potential partners such as fixed wireless, wireless local loop, wireless PBX and telco installation companies.
“The question is: What business are you in today, and what business do you want to be in tomorrow?” Virostek said. He pointed to similarities between the emergence of new technologies in the communications industry and the way the railroads were surmounted by trucking in the transportation industry after the 1940s because of reluctance to change ways of doing business.
“Let us not make the same mistake. The challenges are formidable, but the telecom opportunities are really tremendous,” Virostek said.
AMTA takes steps to strengthen position on Capitol Hill
The American Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) and the Argus Group, a Washington law, public policy and economics lobbying firm, are working together to develop an enhanced profile in the regulatory and legislative arenas.
“AMTA members serve a unique role in offering vital business-to-business communications and must assume a front-row seat in policy decisions that uniquely affect them. AMTA has made a concerted choice to become a player in the debates,” said Alan R. Shark, AMTA president.
AMTA will work primarily with Argus principals Dan Mastromarco, David R. Burton and Barry Pineles, each of whom has experience on Capitol Hill.
Test equipment companies Wandel & Goltermann, Wavetek merge
Wandel & Goltermann Management Holding, Eningen, Germany, and Wavetek, San Diego, CA, have reached an agreement in principle to merge the companies. The agreement, announced in March, is subject to execution of definitive agreements and approval by stockholders and regulatory agencies. The merger would create a communications test company with annual revenues in excess of $400 million.
The merger of Wandel & Goltermann, a telecommunications and data communications test equipment company, with Wavetek, a cable television test and wireless communications test company, is projected to provide customers with products for the development, integration, type testing, installation, diagnostics, maintenance, and operation of communications networks.
The combined company will employ more than 2,400 people in 11 operating units and 29 sales and service companies, with presence in 87 countries.
“Wandel & Goltermann and Wavetek are very nicely matched,” said Albrecht Wandel, chairman of the supervisory board of Wandel & Goltermann Management Holding. “Unlike many mergers that have a rationale based on decreasing costs, this merger is based on combining two highly synergistic organizations with very few overlaps and a strong potential for growth in the years ahead.”
The parent company of the combined organizations will be incorporated in the United States and will operate from corporate offices in both Germany and the United States. Terence Gooding will serve as chairman of the board of directors, and Albrecht Wandel will serve as vice chairman. Peter Wagner will be the president, and Derek Morikawa, currently president of Wavetek, will be chief operating officer.
Demonstrating that Mobile Radio Technology is a magazine of long-term reference, a 15th anniversary “oldest issue contest” was held at IWCE ’98 in Las Vegas. Winners who brought the oldest copies to the show were announced at the closing session on April 24. Prizes for the contest were supplied by Intertec Publishing and its advertisers.
The first place winner with the oldest issue-our first, January/February 1983-was Don Heidner, service manager for Electronic Specialties, Algona, IA. His reward included a lifetime subscription to MRT, a classifed advertising schedule in the magazine, a television monitor from Sinclair Technologies, and FreeTalk FRS radios from Kenwood Communications.
Also possessing that first issue was first runner-up Maria Inglut, catalogs sales specialist with TX RX Systems, Angola, NY. Her prizes included FRS radios from ICOM America, a power amplifier from ICT, and a connectorization kit from Telewave.
The third winner, bringing the August 1984 issue, was James Swanson, owner of J.S. Electronics, Menominee, MI. His prizes included technical textbooks on public networks and wireless communications from the Intertec Book Division and sportswear and golf supplies from Centurion International.
All the winners also received sportswear from Decibel Products Division of Allen Telecom and IWCE ’98 commemorative shirts from Intertec.
Demonstrating that Mobile Radio Technology is a magazine of long-term reference, a 15th anniversary “oldest issue contest” was held at IWCE ’98 in Las Vegas. Winners who brought the oldest copies to the show were announced at the closing session on April 24. Prizes for the contest were supplied by Intertec Publishing and its advertisers.
The first place winner with the oldest issue-our first, January/February 1983-was Don Heidner, service manager for Electronic Specialties, Algona, IA. His reward included a lifetime subscription to MRT, a classifed advertising schedule in the magazine, a television monitor from Sinclair Technologies, and FreeTalk FRS radios from Kenwood Communications.
Also possessing that first issue was first runner-up Maria Inglut, catalogs sales specialist with TX RX Systems, Angola, NY. Her prizes included FRS radios from ICOM America, a power amplifier from ICT, and a connectorization kit from Telewave.
The third winner, bringing the August 1984 issue, was James Swanson, owner of J.S. Electronics, Menominee, MI. His prizes included technical textbooks on public networks and wireless communications from the Intertec Book Division and sportswear and golf supplies from Centurion International.
All the winners also received sportswear from Decibel Products Division of Allen Telecom and IWCE ’98 commemorative shirts from Intertec.
Motorola establishes accessories, aftermarket division
Motorola, Schaumburg, IL, has formed a new accessory business organization for product development and sales of accessories and battery products for a wide range of Motorola-branded and non-Motorola wireless communications subscriber units. The business is a joint venture between the the Radio Products Group and the Radio Parts and Service Group, both within Motorola’s Land Mobile Products Sector. The organization will work with Motorola’s distribution channels and network of resellers to expand aftermarket opportunities.
“Aftermarket sales and support are rapidly becoming one of the best ways a reseller can differentiate itself in the eyes of its customers,” said Dave Mason, Motorola’s new vice president of the Accessory and Aftermarket Product division. Nickie Petratos will lead the team as worldwide director, leaving her current position as director of Core Platforms, Radio Products Americas Group.
The Accessory and Aftermarkets Division will manufacture and market Motorola and Mag One brand aftermarket products. These will include accessories and batteries for Motorola and Radius two-way radios, Motorola cellular telephones, Motorola IDEN digital wireless products and Motorola paging products. Other Mag One products include batteries and antennas for many non-Motorola-brand two-way radios and cellphones.
Cartwright Communications integrates with TESSCO Technologies TESSCO Technologies, Hunt Valley, MD, has integrated Cartwright Communications, a wholly owned, Cincinnati-based subsidiary acquired in 1996, with TESSCO/Your Total Source product selection.
TESSCO Chairman Robert B. Barnhill Jr. said, “Cartwright and TESSCO will allow the reselling and service organizations in the wireless communications industry to be better served,” citing advantages in combining Cartwright’s customer service and TESSCO’s product selection. Despite its integration with TESSCO, Cartwright will continue to maintain its sales and service operations in Cincinnati. Cartwright’s product selection, which had remained independent since its sale, now mirrors that of TESSCO/Your Total Source. TESSCO’s inventory consists of 17,500 SKUs by 275 manufacturers.
LMCC encourages FCC to increase PRMS spectrum allocation The Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC), an umbrella association of 22 land mobile radio associations, has petitioned the FCC for new spectrum allocations for private land mobile radio services (PMRS), and requests an immediate allocation of 15MHz to meet pressing needs. LMCC’s petition outlines those needs and examines the unique needs of private systems that commercial systems cannot meet. The petition analyzes current spectrum allocations and suggests the best location for a new allocation.
Although private wireless users subscribe to commercial services such as cellular and paging to meet some of their objectives, it is impractical and often impossible for commercial services to meet each company’s needs for control over its communications network, capacity requirements, reliability during an emergency situation and unique geographic coverage areas.
The LMCC filed the petition in response to the report of the House and Senate Budget Act conferees, which directed the FCC to consider the need to allocate spectrum for the private wireless services. After the passage of the Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, the FCC adopted a regulatory framework for commercial mobile radio services (CMRS) that includes wide-area geographic licenses and competitive bidding for mutually exclusive licenses. The FCC has applied this regulatory structure to the CMRS services that were formerly licensed as private radio in bands that are heavily occupied by systems that remain classified as PMRS. The result has been the removal of large blocks of spectrum from the PMRS allocations, LMCC said.
Because the current spectrum allocations promote the development of CMRS at the expense of PMRS, LMCC said, a spectrum shortage crisis has emerged in the PMRS industry. LMCC’s petition urges the FCC to adopt policies that address the spectrum shortage and recognize the vitality of private radio systems in the U.S. economy and their unique licensing requirements.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) reported in 1995 that private wireless spectrum is congested, and that the need for communications will double over the next 10 years. The LMCC concurred with NTIA’s analysis, saying that 44MHz of additional spectrum will be needed by the year 2000 to meet the growing needs of America’s industrial and business community. LMCC projects that by the year 2010, an additional 81MHz of spectrum will be necessary for U.S. businesses to remain globally competitive.
ITA plan re-energizes FCC interference enforcement ITA plan re-energizes FCC interference enforcement
A program to streamline and toughen interference enforcement for land mobile communications was announced jointly by the Industrial Telecommunications Association (ITA) and the FCC’s Compliance and Information Bureau (CIB) April 21.
At a Dealer’s Luncheon sponsored by ITA at IWCE ’98 in Las Vegas, ITA President Mark Crosby and CIB Chief Richard Lee announced acceptance by the FCC of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ITA to institute technical and administrative protocols whereby interference by non-compliant and unlicensed users will be addressed first by frequency advisory committees (FACs) such as ITA. The FACs will directly notify non-compliant licensees of their obligations under the Commission’s rules. Irresolvable cases will be forwarded to CIB field offices in a standardized format, identifying the parties in conflict, efforts made to mediate, suggested technical solutions, remaining points of contention, and the FAC’s recommended solution. In its news release following the MOU announcement, the FCC said it will “grant considerable weight and deference” to reports filed by the FACs.
The proposal received approbation from the CIB, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB), the FCC General Counsel’s office and the office of the Chairman prior to the announcement.
“Business as usual at the FCC is no longer business as usual. We are committed to enforcing our rules,” said Lee, provoking strong applause. Lee said that commitment is grounded in three principles outlined by FCC Chairman William Kennard: “competition, community and common sense.”
Common sense is dictated by the fact that the CIB downsized about three years ago and reorganized, Lee said. “So we can’t do it all ourselves; so what we plan to do is build some industry partnerships.”
“In military terms, it’s a ‘force multiplier’ because it gets somebody on the problem quicker and allows for a quick response,” said W. Riley Hollingsworth, CIB legal advisor. “Secondly, it lets the industry attempt to solve its own problems first, and then only if a solution can’t be reached, does the government get in on it to come up with a solution-which might not be as suitable as industry’s solution.” Hollingsworth, former deputy chief of the WTB, joined the CIB in January to develop enforcement plans and coordinated details of the MOU with ITA.
In enforcement cases, “Timing is 50% of the whole matter,” Hollingsworth said. “In interference cases, the longer they go on, the worse they get, that’s well known. The agreement recognizes that the best way to handle these cases is to have the parties, and the technical people, work on the solution-not the lawyers, but the engineers.”
Crosby said harmful interference cases fall into three basic categories: educational, technical and misuse of equipment. About 50% of interference complaints ITA receives simply require education and are easy to resolve, he said, because the interferer is not familiar with the rules or technical aspects of the rules. In the second case, where there are different or incompatible types of technology, the process will get the parties identified and foster mutual agreement, which is “the beauty of MOU,” Crosby said. He added that in the past, some interferers have said ‘Yeah I know, I’m causing it-so what? Take it to the FCC.'”
“That might have worked a while ago, but it’s not going to work anymore,” Crosby said. There will be a formal compliance request report, documenting who the parties are. “If you have a recalcitrant party, we will document that, and the technical solution, and pass it off to the people in the bureau, which will go ‘Oh, who’s not cooperating?’ I would suspect there will be a rapid response.” At which point, Lee slammed his fist to the tabletop for emphasis.
In the third category, Crosby said, interferers have equipment licensed for one application but are using it for other purposes.
Crosby noted that all FACs, not just ITA, can adopt the standard and work with the FCC. “We’re not trying to create a monopoly. This is open to all, but somebody had to take the first step,” he said.
In a press conference following the luncheon, Crosby, Lee and Hollingsworth noted that the 1986 FCC order that defined the FACs’ certification dictates their obligation to help resolve post-licensing conflicts. Additionally, the Communications Act authorizes the FCC to utilize the services of the FACs. “So we have firm legislative authority and firm regulatory authority to do this,” Crosby said. Lee noted that the MOU formalizes that relationship and gives the FCC the authority to go back and audit the work that has been done, including access to all case files.
Early views on administrative procedures were that the ITA will charge fees for handling the second and third types of compliance issues, but not for educational interference issues. Fees incurred in resolving technical issues would cover costs incurred and would be overseen by the FCC to ensure they are fair and reasonable, Crosby said. He also said the FACs should attempt to make the paperwork as complaintant-friendly as possible.
“We don’t want to encumber things with forms. We’ll do the form and get it done or send one if requested,” Crosby said.
Crosby said he expects industry requests for interference resolution to be heavy at first. “I think a lot of people have laid low, because they didn’t think any of this stuff could be resolved.
“There will be a “bubble”-a lot of people have been putting up with this stuff for awhile. Now they’ll know there’s a way to get this addressed.”
Ericsson Private Radio Systems opens EDACS sales to independent resellers Lynchburg, VA-based Ericsson Private Radio Systems has launched a major expansion of its Ericsson Digital Access Communications System (EDACS) sales program.
At an April 22 press conference at IWCE ’98 in Las Vegas, Bill Fredrickson, vice president of North American regional sales for Ericsson, announced the first two independent private radio dealers to join the manufacturer’s new EDACS reseller program. The creation of the indirect sales channel follows an internal review and revision of systems sales policies, Frederickson said.
The program is aimed at creating opportunities for dealers and manufacturer’s representatives to expand their businesses as well, as resellers, he said. Dealers can qualify for either single-site or multisite equipment sales.
The announcement of the program was teamed with the introduction of a new, smaller-scale EDACS system, EDACS Connect, designed for customers making their first foray into trunked radio. The downscaled system, available in VHF, UHF and 800MHz versions, is scheduled to be available in June. The system retains standard EDACS features such as fast channel and system access, high-speed capacity, integrated voice and data trunking on the same system and distributed architecture for fault tolerance and system reliability.
The EDACS Connect system will be available both through resellers and the Private Radio Systems Division sales force, said Product Manager Asif Malik.
The first two business owners to become reseller partners under the new program were present at the conference. Bob Stark, Communications International, Vero Beach, FL, and Mike Wolf, Eastern Communications, Long Island City, NY, were the first dealers to be certified in the program because of their aftermarket expertise, Fredrickson said.
The certification program, which takes from four to six weeks to complete, includes engineering, sales and maintenance training specific to EDACS, as well as instruction on bidding practices, systems planning and aftermarket service.
Stark said the program was attractive to him because of the “ability to take control of systems design solutions” and to strengthen customer relationships. Wolf said speed was a plus for the program because it allows dealers to change directions quickly to solve customer’s problems.
Stark said Communications International has about 90% of its customer base in the public safety market. The company has a professional staff of 75 in five Florida locations. Eastern Communications is the largest Ericsson dealer in the metropolitan New York area. Wolf said its customer base includes public safety, utility and heavy industrial markets.
Fredrickson said the change in corporate philosophy should increase system sales and attract dealers and manufacturer’s representatives that are affiliated with competitors. The program replaces the image of an “out-of towner” corporate sales force with a familiar local business. Additionally, it addresses small-to-medium trunking customers too scattered for a corporate sales force.
The program’s goals include shortening the time to system buildout, and the key to speeding up that process is “giving up control” to the resellers, Fredrickson said. “You’ve got to give up control to get speed.”
220MHz companies form strategic alliances, roaming agreements
In the 220MHz industry, several companies are forming strategic alliances, offering a variety of services and combining markets.
Midland-Roamer One Midland USA, Kansas City, MO, and RoameR One, Torrance, CA, have announced their strategic alliance to offer the advanced technology in mobile wireless two-way communications in the Cleveland and Buffalo markets. The two companies will provide hardware, network services and support combines with wireless channel access to complete the package. The companies began offering those services in Los Angeles, Phoenix-Tucson, Minneapolis and Kansas City, MO, in late 1997.
“Together, we are able to develop reliable, cost-effective integrated voice and data solutions that will create new possibilities for construction, courier, local trucking, delivery, taxi and a variety of other service business applications,” said Scott Henderson, RoameR One’s vice president of sales and marketing.
“More and more businesses are seeing the bottom line value of modern wireless communications for voice and data transmission to their field forces,” said Bob Jehle, Midland USA’s sales and marketing vice president.
Four firms consolidate
Also teaming up are Incom Communications, Irvine, CA; U.S. MobilComm; SMR Advisory Group, Fort Lauderdale, FL; and Narrowband Network System, a subsidiary of SEA based in Mountlake Terrace, WA. The four 220MHz SMRs have agreed to consolidate services in principle. The consolidation and related roaming agreements would result in more than 325 sites operating across the nation in major metropolitan markets, with a total of more than 10,000 units expected to be loaded by the end of this quarter.
Gene Clothier, president of Incom, said, “This consolidation and the soon-to-be-held 220MHz spectrum auction will give this new entity the most significant nationwide 220MHz footprint and a unique opportunity to provide strong leadership for the SMR radio service.”
APCO selects Bevevino as new executive director
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO) has appointed a new executive director, Christopher R. Bevevino. He assumed his duties March 2.
Bevevino, a 30-year association management veteran, was previously president of the International Association for Document & Information Management (IBFI) for 13 years.
As APCO International executive director, Bevevino supervises the headquarters staff, and serves asan ex officio member of the board of officers.
John Ramsey, who was interim executive director, was named deputy executive director. Ramsey was previously director of operations.