"Well informed people know it is impossible to transmit the voice over wires, and that were it possible to do so, the thing would be ofno practical value. " from an editorial in the Boston Post -1865 Fortunately for the telecommunications industry, the unknown author of the above statement turned out to be very mistaken indeed. Even as he spoke, Alexander Graham Bell was achieving the impossible, with a host of competing inventors close behind. The communications revolution which ensued has changed the way in which we live and work, and the way in which we view the world around us. Wired...

Wireless personal communications, or wireless as it is now being called, has arrived. The hype is starting to fade, and the hard work of deploying new systems and services for personal communications is underway. In the United States, the FCC propelled the wireless era from infancy to mainstream with a $7.7 billion auction of 60 MHz of radio spectrum in the 180011900 MHz band. With the largest single sale of public property in the history of mankind mostly complete, the resources of the entire world are being called upon to develop inexpensive, rapidly deployable wireless systems and sub-...

The wireless industry is growing at a phenomenal rate. Cellular subscribers are increasing at a rate of 45% per year, the market for wireless local loop service is growing at a rate of 42%, and the wireless local area network market is growing at a rate of 61 %. This growth and potential for future growth has motivated companies to commit $20 billion in obtaining 90 MHz of PCS spectrum during the recent FCC auctions in the United States. Obviously spectrum is a costly, but critical, resource. Efficient utilization of this resource is essential for profitable wireless service. To meet this...