This is a Globe & Mail re-hash of previous circumstances:
...To address the problem, Cingular has been installing additional base stations -- radio towers that the handheld devices communicate with -- creating more access points to the network....(see Cingular Interactive below)"It was certainly something we paid a lot of attention to," Mr. Guibert, RIM's director of marketing, said. "But it's less of an issue today. There may be periodic delays as in any wireless network...." Mr. Sanderson concurred, a senior research analyst at Banc of America Securities, , "At one point, I would say it was a very big concern of mine. The really big problems were late last year, and now there have been minor problems since then, but they're much less frequent."...
globeinvestor.com
Cingular Interactive Introduces Operation Platinum Standard(SM) To Continue Meeting Service and Coverage NeedsMulti-Faceted Initiative Designed to Accommodate Future Subscriber Growth and Address the Shifting Wireless Data Usage Environment
WOODBRIDGE, N.J. – February 5, 2001 Wireless data industry leader Cingular Interactive today introduced Operation Platinum Standard, a comprehensive $50 million program designed to enhance the nationwide Cingular Interactive Intelligent Wireless Network(SM) to meet the coverage and performance expectations of customers and partners as forecasted subscriber totals continue growing dramatically during the next few years.
Operation Platinum Standard is an expansion of a series of initiatives undertaken in the past year to augment coverage and service for subscribers, particularly in major metropolitan areas. Under the broad-reaching Operation Platinum Standard program, Cingular Interactive, formerly BellSouth Wireless Data, during 2001 plans to:
-Introduce two major software revisions for the network that are expected to more than double the network’s switching capacity;
-Deploy at least six additional sub-networks to increase the overall efficiency and capacity of the
-Intelligent Wireless Network, doubling the number of sub-networks in operation at the end of 2000.
-Sub-networks are software-based switches that divide the national network into regional entities that are connected together via a frame relay-powered backbone;
-Commission at least 300 new base stations in key metropolitan areas across the country, including on the premises of major customers, and continue adding channels to existing base stations; and
-Continue to provide key customers with multiple connections to the network to more effectively distribute traffic.
Beyond 2001, Cingular Interactive expects to introduce at least one additional major software revision for the network that will utilize next-generation switching platforms so that customers continue to experience low latency and high reliability in a seven-figure subscriber environment.
“All of these initiatives under Operation Platinum Standard are being done with one thing in mind – we want our customers and partners to have an excellent network experience in terms of performance and coverage as our subscriber numbers continue to reach new heights,” said William Hogg, Chief Technical Officer for Cingular Interactive. “This strategic effort is two-pronged – to build capacity within the overall network as well as increase coverage in major metropolitan areas to meet our customers’ wireless data communications requirements.
“The usage paradigm for wireless data is shifting dramatically,” Hogg noted. “Wireless data networks in general were originally built to meet the needs of mobile workforces to stay connected with the office and access critical information while on-the-go. Now, more and more companies are using wireless data in a campus environment so that their employees can use the many new and exciting applications that are becoming available to wirelessly communicate with each other and access information within a single location. Operation Platinum Standard is designed to meet the needs of companies embracing this new usage environment.”
Cingular Interactive is experiencing over 100 percent growth in subscribers annually. The company closed the year 2000 with more than 570,000 total subscribers, up from just over 200,000 in 1999. It added on average about 90,000 net subscribers per quarter in 2000.
Cingular Interactive completed several initiatives during 2000 to address the service and coverage needs of customers and partners. The company installed four new sub-networks in 2000 to boost the total number to six – serving the New York Metropolitan area, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. It commissioned nearly 240 base stations – many of them in high usage areas – bringing the total number to over 2,000, while adding channels to existing base stations. It also gave key customers multiple connections to the network and installed software enhancements to enable the network to operate more efficiently....
bellsouthwd.com
Ericsson Mobitex technology enhancements will expand Cingular Interactive Intelligent Wireless Network(SM)
Ericsson will provide Cingular Interactive (formerly BellSouth Wireless Data) with up to USD 25 million in equipment and software to expand capacity significantly in Cingular Interactive’s existing Mobitex network, also supplied by Ericsson. Mobitex is the core of the Cingular Interactive Intelligent Wireless Network.
Ericsson will supply base stations and new system software to triple Cingular Interactive’s core Mobitex network capacity. Additionally, Ericsson will design and develop new products and software to enhance the network’s performance and functionality. This arrangement supports several initiatives under Cingular Interactive’s Operation Platinum Standard(SM), a $50 million program to build overall network capacity as well as to grow coverage in major metropolitan areas in the U.S. to address projected dramatic subscriber growth.
“The Cingular Interactive Intelligent Wireless Network is already one of the greatest successes in the Mobile Internet market,” said Ericsson senior vice president Torbjörn Nilsson. “Mobile Internet is the future of telecommunications, and Mobitex technology from Ericsson is driving growth of this revolutionary medium in the world’s largest telecommunications market....”
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