Briefs
The Anoka County Union, Anoka, Minn., reported that the Anoka County Board approved a $10.5 million bond issue to upgrade the county’s public safety communications system. The upgrade includes construction of two new towers to supplement the existing six towers and expand the coverage of the system to the northeast part of the county, and the purchase of new transmitters and receivers. The county has hired Geo-Comm, St. Cloud, Minn., for engineering consulting services.
The New Britain, Conn., Herald Press reported a dispute over a 180-foot tower set for construction at Wethersfield, Conn’s Fire Co. 3 as part of a $3 million public safety radio communications system upgrade. Residents protested both the exemption from public hearings the city exercised because of the tower’s connection with emergency services and the perceived safety issue involving radiation from cell phones and cellular towers. Cellular operator AT&T Wireless has contracted to share the tower, which would abut residential properties.
Nextel Communications, Reston, Va., plans to enter the Wi-Fi business. Laurie Hoyt, Nextel’s director of business development, said the company believes that enterprise customers need wireless local area network connection, but many challenges lie ahead for integrating the technology with mobile networks. The challenges range from security to how a customer accesses the network, Hoyt said.
Officials in James City County, Va., would like voters to endorse a new radio system for police and fire protection, estimated to cost $8 million. The Newport News, Va., Daily Press reported that the county’s finance manager, John McDonald, said that the county’s hopes in the matter “rode on uncomfortable state-budget currents.”
Motorola, Schaumburg, Ill., said on Oct. 16 that it expects fourth quarter 2002 sales of $7.1 billion. The company’s previous guidance for the fourth quarter of 2002 was for sales of $7.5 billion. Investors reacted negatively to the reduced forecast as shares in the company’s stock tumbled $2.25 to close at $7.85, a 22-percent drop and the lowest price for Motorola stock since 1982. Motorola said it expects sales for the full year 2003 to be $27.5 billion.
EFJ, a Lincoln, Neb., company best known for its land mobile radio manufacturing subsidiary, the E. F. Johnson Co., Waseca, Minn., has released details about its third-quarter financial results. EFJ posted a $500,000 profit on $10.1 million in sales for the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared to a net income of $64,000 on $10.3 million in sales for the comparable period last year. EFJ reported a third-quarter gross profit margin of 43%, up slightly from 42% for the comparable period in 2001.
