PCS Goes National

August 1997 / Special Report / Air War / PCS Goes National

When the FCC divvied up the 1850- to 2200-MHz part of the radio spectrum into 10-MHz bands, many industry pundits saw the fores hadowings of a revolution in low-cost cellular communications.
This narrowband part of the radio rainbow was dubbed Personal Communications Services (PCS). Various cellular carriers began snapping up the six bands for consumer use, lettered A-F, beginning in 1994. When will enterprises be able to enjoy national PCS coverage? All major licensees are vying for cross-carrier agreements. Some analysts believe th at by early 1998, at least two carriers will offer free roaming across the U.S.
Freed from the legacy of analog technology, PCS promises high-capacity digital communications. Voice pagers that can deliver up to 20 seconds of clear audio are already available in some areas. PrimeCo's new phones (available in parts of the midwest and southeast) show customers their account balances and provide caller ID. Some PCS handsets provide links to e-mail and encryption. They feature lower power requirements (that can extend standby time on some phones for up to 60 hours). A new technology called Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), which is much like a smartcard, allows you to plug your SIM into any GSM handset and then make calls billed to your account.

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Matthew Wilson
My approach to software engineering is far more pragmatic than it is theoretical--and no language better exemplifies this than C++.

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