1986-1988

1986

• MRT grapples with the coming of the cellular age. A survey asks readers if they would like more, or less, coverage of the cellular industry. Result: a 50/50 split.(The times, they are a changin'.)
• Motorola is named the "best managed company in America" by New Management Magazine. (My, times have changed!)
• Motorola's anti-dumping suit against Japanese manufacturers ends. The Japanese firms are found guilty of dumping, and must have cash deposits, of a weighted average of 58%, collected by U.S. Customs.
• The battle over wireline and non-wireline cellular systems, "who can do what," heats up. The PacTel-CI merger brings to light issues, both legal and regulatory, that will be discussed for many years to come.
• PacTel and Tandy form a pact to activate all cellular phones sold in Radio Shack stores on PacTel's cellular system. Radio Shack also enters into an agreement with A Beeper to bring pagers sold in their stores up on A Beeper's service.
• Cellular service comes to Las Vegas. (So now we can call home for cash from Expo!)
• "Technical Tips" prints a TRS-80 BASIC program to calculate ERP. (If only we knew how important computers will become.)
• More and more MRT articles contain the words "digital" and "mobile data" in their titles.
• A new cellular trade association, the North American Mobile Association, is formed by Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems, Bell Cellular, Nynex Mobile Communications, and Sonecor Cellular.
• Certification exams offered by NARTE as alternatives to the defunct FCC exams.
• Legislation is approved by Pres. Ronald Reagan that allows the FCC to charge processing fees. (Riots occur.)
• Gary Stanford succeeds the late Eugene Bowler as the FCC's acting chief of the PRB's Land Mobile and Microwave division.
• Frequency coordination rules are just around the corner. The FCC issues a code of conduct for squabbling coordinators and to insure non-discriminatory treatment of all applicants.
• Somewhere along the line, E.F. Johnson becomes a subsidiary of Diversified Energies.
• Cincinnati Bell acquires Cellular Business Systems.
• Cellular service shows up on the New York-to-Washington Metroliner. The first three minutes costs $5 with $1 for each additional minute-the system accepts major credit cards.
• Voice mail shows up on radio paging and mobile telephone services from McCaw Telepage.
• Robert Galvin resigns as CEO of Motorola.
• Telocator finally votes to admit wireline memberships.
• Nynex acquires Page Boy.
• Robert Foosaner, FCC Private Radio Bureau chief, leaves for private law practice. Deputy Chief
• Mike Fitch assumes the helm.
• The FCC allocates 27MHz of L-band spectrum to MSS (mobile satellite service).
• Intertec Publishing buys MRT, and folds Land Mobile Product News into it.
• Don Bishop becomes editorial director of MRT.

1987

• Encryption is the hot topic of the day.
• The PacTel purchase of CI finally goes through.
• The Telecommunications Privacy Act goes into effect.
• The first data radio network, based on Motorola's commercial data networking service, opens in Chicago.
• The Fred M. Link award is established by the RCA, and the first award is presented to-who else-Fred M. Link!
• Retail cellular phone centers start popping up.
• FCC auctions elicit emotional and heated debates. Nevertheless, ever any doubt that they would not be implemented? Riots occur- again.)
• Telocator secures its first wireline carrier, Bell Atlantic Network Services.
• Mark Fowler resigns as the FCC's top dog, leaving a "deregulation" legacy.
• Rumblings arise that Telocator and CTIA are discussing a possible merger.
• A cellular system coming on line is no longer national news.
• Dennis Patrick becomes the FCC's interim Chairman.
• Vehicle tracking technology starts to pique the interests of major wireless players.
• Paging subscribers hit the 6.5 million mark.
• Hertz car rental starts to offer cellular phone rentals to go with their cars.
• Nokia-Mobira purchases Cue Paging and changes its name to DiversiCom.

1988

• We start to hear the rumblings of the "demise" of two-way as cellular becomes more ubiquitous. (An argument that will continue for years.)
• Maxon Electronics spins of Maxon Paging Products.
• Alliance Telecom of Dallas merges with Decibel Products.
• Bradley Holmes is still waiting to become the permanent FCC chairman after Fowler's resignation last year.
• Willam Hotes is elected to the post of president for Telocator and Jai Bhaget is elected chairman.
• Technology marches on-fax units for mobile radios are being developed by Midland and Medbar Industries.
• U.S. West Paging buys A Beeper.
• Novatel wins the Canada Award for Business Excellence.
• More and more noise is being made for trunking below 800MHz.
• The FCC adopts a national plan for public safety that, finally, decides what to do with the 6MHz of spectrum in the 800MHz band.
• Susan Wing is nominated as an FCC commissioner. She replaces Mimi Weyforth.
• Russell K. Fox becomes ASMR's CEO.
• Temporary licensing for new specialized industrial radio band customers is proposed by SIRSA. This is to eliminate the 30-day plus waiting period, currently the norm. NABER jumps on the bandwagon too.
• N.V Phillips becomes yet another player in the paging industry.
• The FCC considers loosening technical and service restrictions for cellular service. Private radio rushes to protect its interests-going so far as to imply that the FCC is attempting to rewrite the Communications Act. (A harbinger of things to come.)
• Digital Cellular is being tested and demonstrated. AT&T and International Mobile Machines (IMM) both show their stuff. Astute players see this as the ultimate cellular solution.
• BellSouth buys MCCA, making BellSouth the second largest U.S. paging company behind Southwestern Bell.
• A Frost & Sullivan report indicates that 900MHz will show the greatest growth in the mobile two-way market. They predict almost 8.5 million users by the end of 1992.
• Selectone acquires Airwave.
• It finally happens-Motorola makes a bid for MDI. (Is there any doubt, anymore, that mobile data is here to stay?)
• A respondent's comment from the 1988 salary survey may speak for much of the two-way industry. Quote: "The two governing bodies, NABER and the FCC, do not know which way is up. The FCC doesn't do much anymore, and NABER does whatever it wants, right or wrong. I believe coordination is a thing of the past."
• Spectrum licensing fees rear their ugly heads.
• Glenayre Electronics acquires a majority stock position in Kustom Electronics.
• Motorola's Radius line explodes. The age of low-cost off-of-the-shelf mobile radios is upon us.
• Centel acquires United TeleSpectrum.
• Public safety still can't get together on a trunking standard.
• TIA is formed.
• The FCC votes to permit cellular licensees to offer advanced services-including paging on cellular frequencies. Is the end of paging in sight?
• GE and E.F. Johnson join ASMR.