>> Ericsson, Aces Test World'S Smallest Satphone
Source: Newsbytes
Publication date: 2000-06-07
Ericsson [NASDAQ:ERICY] says that it has this week been working with the Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS) service to stage the first public trials of the world's smallest satphone, the Ericsson R190.
The trials, held Tuesday at the CommunucAsia 2000 show in Singapore, showed off the R190 handset, which also roams on to terrestrial GSM (global system for mobile communications) 900 networks around the world.
Ericsson says that visitors participating in the first ever live public demonstration of the R190 satellite/GSM dual mode phone, were offered free satellite calls to any destination in the world.
Weighing just over 200 grams, the Ericsson R190 is the world's smallest and lightest satellite/GSM dual mode phone and will soon introduce Asian consumers to the anytime-anywhere convenience of satellite telephony with a handset comparable in size to what they presently use with existing terrestrial wireless services.
The firm says that the R190 satphone will make Asia more accessible, having been developed for people who work, travel and live in remote areas throughout the region.
For added convenience, Ericsson says that users can replace the satellite antenna with a smaller, snap-on GSM-only antenna which enables the phone to work as a regular cellular phone that can be used within GSM 900 coverage areas.
Adi Adiwoso, ACeS' CEO, said that the firm has been working hard with Ericsson to develop a first generation handset that delivers the reach and performance of satellite telephony in a package that doesn't compromise users' size and weight expectations.
"We've been using the R190 for several months, making thousands of test calls on the ACeS network," he said, adding that call quality is "excellent."
Newsbytes notes that the exceptionally small size of the Ericsson R190 is enabled by GMSS (geostationary mobile satellite standard), the satellite technology derived from the GSM standard.
The satphone system uses the main components already present in a GSM handset to transmit at both GSM and satellite frequencies. Pricing on the ACeS network is expected to be charged at US$1 a minute when the service launches later this year.
ACeS' Web site is at acesinternational.com
Ericsson's Web site is at ericsson.se
Reported by Newsbytes.com, newsbytes.com <<
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