News Briefs – Friday, June 2, 2006
Verizon offers E911 services
Verizon Wireless recently announced that 95% of the handsets used by its customers are GPS-enabled phones that let public-safety authorities determine the location of callers if the call is placed from an area with E911 capabilities. The company is offering its VoIP-based product, VoiceWing, to new customers in areas where E911 service is provided or in areas served by public-safety answering points that are not connected to the local wireline 911 system but agree to accept emergency calls from VoIP customers, in compliance with FCC rules, a Verizon Wireless spokesman said.
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International praised the company in a statement issued after the announcement.
Marine antenna provides continuous coverage on unstable surfaces
Astron Wireless introduced the VG2400 and V900 antenna series. The waterproof omnidirectional antennas are suited for marine applications in fresh- and salt-water environments and offer wide-area coverage even when installed on unstable surfaces, according to the company.
The company also recently announced that it received a Small Business Innovation Research Phase II award from the Department of Defense to develop an adaptive bandwidth high-power RF antenna for the non-lethal use of RF energy.
Transistor broadens WiMAX power options
Cree announced sample availability of its CGH35015, a 15-watt packaged gallium nitride, high-electron mobility transistor optimized for broadband wireless access and WiMAX applications operating between 3.3 and 3.9 GHz. It provides 2.5 W of average output power, 11 dB of small signal gain and a 2% error vector magnitude under orthogonal, frequency-division multiplexing modulation when operated at 28 volts.
Grand River Dam Authority selects MPLS network
The Grand River Dam Authority in Plano, Texas, chose Alcatel to deliver a microwave and optical communications network powered by multi-protocol label switching technology. The network features unified communications, VoIP, WLAN, digital microwave and LAN switching for advanced voice, video and data capabilities, according to Alcatel.
Wireless base stations support hospital communications
N.C.-based Rex Hospital installed 88 Ascom Wireless base stations throughout its 439-bed facility for campus-wide wireless coverage. Staff working in and supporting 12 operating rooms received 64 handsets and will receive 270 additional handsets by August 2006, according to Ascom. The handsets will deliver automated text messages and alerts to caregivers, including patient charts, tests results and more.
