A voice scrambler for cellular calls
Article Abstract:
GTE Mobilnet Inc is introducing the $649 Commando 5000 voice scrambler for cellular telephones. The unit may also be leased for $99 a month. Additional charges include an extra six cents per minute of air time, and a monthly fee of about five to ten percent of the monthly bill for owners of the unit. GTE has begun began offering its product in response to requests from the California state government. State officials were concerned about the security of police communications and other departmental communications because cellular telephones use shortwave frequencies which can be accessed by anyone with a shortwave tuner. A representative of NYNEX Mobile Communications Company contends that finding a particular conversation is nearly impossible and that new digital technology which will go into service next year will make eavesdropping more difficult. NYNEX has no plans to introduce a scrambler, citing low customer interest. GTE will expand the area in which the Commando 5000 is available to include Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest and is working with Pac Tel Cellular to make the service available in Southern California.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: News, opinion and commentary
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1991
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ABaby Bell primed for the big fight: Bell Atlantic goes up against everyone to deliver a flood of new services to the home
Article Abstract:
Bell Atlantic Corp, under the leadership of its Chmn and CEO Raymond W Smith, is moving aggressively to meet the challenges of its high-technology future in telecommunications. Smith says the telephone, the television and the computer are coming togeher, so that communications on a full-service network will be needed. Bell Atlantic is hurrying to transform itself into a full-service company, upgrading its networks and experimenting with various new services. Competition could come from cable television companies, long-distance companies and other local phone companies. Bell Atlantic currently is spending about $1.5 billion a year on fiber-optic networks and advanced switching technology, and the company is also investing to connect wireless communications to its telephone networks.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: News, opinion and commentary
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1993
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Craig McCaw's high-risk phone bet; he is gambling everything on a belief that cellular phones will become indispensable
Article Abstract:
McCaw Cellular Communication Inc's recent acquisition of Lin Broadcasting Corp represents Chairman and CEO Craig O. McCaw's vision to create a national cellular telephone service, but it will put the company in debt for years to come. McCaw hopes that cellular telephone usage will increase to 14 percent of the population by the end of the 1990s from the current 1.5 percent in 1990. Subscriptions for McCaw increased 68 percent from the 4th qtr of 1988 to the 4th qtr in 1989. McCaw has a $3 billion credit line against capital investments and may have to use some of that over the next several years as interest payments will exceed the company's ability to pay.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: News, opinion and commentary
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1990
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