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Thomas Farely

Tom has produced privateline.com since 1995. He is now a freelance technology writer who contributes regularly to the site.

His knowledge of telecommunications has served, most notably, the American Heritage Invention and Technology Magazine and The History Channel.
His interview on Alexander Graham Bell will air on the History Channel the end of 2006.

Ken Schmidt

Ken is a licensed attorney who has worked in the tower industry for seven years. He has managed the development of broadcast towers nationwide and developed and built cell towers.

He has been quoted in newspapers and magazines on issues regarding cell towers and has spoke at industry and non-industry conferences on cell tower related issues.

He is recognized as an expert on cell tower leases and due diligence processes for tower acquisitions.

« Family tree of Southwestern Bell up until 1984 | | More on cellular carrier names »

August 17, 2004

Posted by Tom Farley & Mark van der Hoek at 10:28 PM

Wireless company names and the technologies they use

Let's figure out these wireless company names and the technologies they use, okay? I'd like to develop a table or chart with this information. Contact me with contributions and comments, please! (internal link). Here's what I have so far, updated for today, August 17th:

T-Mobile. Originally VoiceStream. Re-named after Deutsche Telekom AG paid over $30 billion for it. Uses GSM exclusively. Years before VoiceStream had aquired both Omnipoint and Aerial Communications. VoiceStream Wireless Corporation came into being after Western Wireless spun it off in October, 1998.

Verizon Wireless is America's largest carrier. It is from a merger of the Bell Atlantic/GTE wireless divisions and the Vodaphone/AirTouch group. Along with wireless holdings from US West and NYNEX. AirTouch Communications came from PacTel Cellular, first part of Pacific Telesis. PacTel Cellular may have early on been called PacTel Access. Vodaphone plc was the wireless subsidiary of Racal, a British defense contractor. AirTouch and U S West early on were joint cellular partners. Vodaphone now controls. Their legacy means Cingular has no presence in the 11 former U S West states.

Cingular Wireless. Formed from SBC Communications and Bell South. Bell South's original wireless company was called Bell South Mobility. Bell South bought Metro Mobile for $2.45 billion in stock in September 1991. They had earlier bought half of Mobile Communications of America.

The wireline SBC parent company includes former regional Bell operating companies Ameritech, Southwestern Bell, Southern New England Telephone (SNET), and Pacific Telesis (Pacific & Nevada Bell).

Nextel Communications Inc. uses iDen, a Motorola proprietary TDMA technology. Originally Fleet Call, the name changing to Nextel on March 24, 1993.

AT&T Wireless. A product of more mergers and aquisitions than I can list. McCaw Cellular was the biggest network they bought. For the most part uses TDMA.

Sprint PCS. The first two letters reflect the original parent company: Southern Pacific .

How about listing old names? Like PCS PrimeCo, the wireless divisions of NYNEX, US West, Bell Atlantic, and Air Touch, formed to put together an early but limited in coverage, nationwide cellular network. I welcome your comments. (internal link)

Latest wireless carrier rankings:

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