ROW Update

Industry Canada sets 2300/3500 MHz auction for January 2005The auction of unassigned 2300/3500 MHz spectrum licences has been scheduled to start on January 10, 2005. Industry Canada revealed the auction timeline late last week. As Report on Wireless noted in its last issue, battlegrounds appear to be shaping up with the large wireless operators seeking to bolster existing holdings. But there are some smaller players that seem poised to battle for a substantial number of licences as well. Report on Wireless will provide daily coverage of the auction. For more information on the daily briefing service, contact Ryan O’Neill at (613) 230-1984. Comments on MCS/MDS spectrum made publicIndustry Canada has received comments from a number of parties relating to the consultation on changes to MCS and MDS spectrum (2500-2696 MHz bands). The department has proposed a number of changes to licensing in these bands. It also sought comment on whether it should grant MDS licensees (wireless cablecos) greater flexibility in using their spectrum for non-programming related services such as high-speed Internet access. Report on Wireless will have a full account of interested parties’ comments in an upcoming issue. AirIQ expands consumer offering through car dealership agreementsToronto-based AirIQ Inc. is expanding the reach of its consumer telematics offering, MobileIQ by securing agreements with automobile dealerships throughout Ontario. Thirteen Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mitsubishi and Mazda dealerships will sell AirIQ’s consumer intelligent vehicle protection system, marking the first stage in the company’s North American consumer service rollout. “The first group of automobile dealerships selling MobileIQ is located within the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). Our strategy is to start in our local market as the first step in our launch throughout North America,” AirIQ’s consumer division VP Miguel Gonsalves said in a news release. C-COM reports net income in Q3C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. has reported net income from operations of nearly $35,000 on revenue of $1.3 million in the third quarter ended August 31. Year to date income from operations is $14,391. Revenue continues to increase for the Ottawa-based satellite services provider, jumping from $2.7 million in last year’s first nine-month period to $3.5 million for the first three quarters of 2004. Sales for Q3 increased 33.4% compared to levels in the same period last year. “We expect to see further sales increases in our last quarter of the fiscal year and are working hard to continue to keep the company profitable going forward. The company continues to remain debt free with a significantly increased cash position,” C-COM president and CEO Leslie Klein said in a news release. SIRIT Technologies lands $12-million orderRFID reader technology provider SIRIT Technologies Inc. has inked an agreement with the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) in Southern California that the TCA purchase $12 million worth of RFID technology. SIRIT says in a news release that product shipments will begin in January 2005 and the entire order will be shipped over a 36-month period. The Toronto-based company notes that this is the largest deal in its history. “This is a very significant contract for SIRIT and further solidifies SIRIT as one of the leading suppliers of hardware solutions in the RFID industry,” company president and CEO William Staudt said in a news release. PolarSat receives satcom equipment orderMontreal-based satellite communications equipment manufacturer PolarSat has received an order from China Aviation Supplies International Tendering Co. Ltd. PolarSat has been contracted to supply, install and provide technical services for a complete VSAT Plus II satellite communication systems. The system, valued at nearly $12 million, will be used by the Air Traffic Management Bureau (ATMB), a division of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China. The network will connect the ATMB headquarters and regional centres in a full mesh network. All sites will support a complex mix of voice and data communications. Wavesat secures additional financingBroadband wireless chipmaker Wavesat Inc. has landed $8 million in fresh financing from a number of new and existing investors. Participating in this round were Skypoint Capital Corp. BDC Venture Capital, Innovatech Montreal, as well as Taiwan-based Pac-Link Management Corp. The additional funding will allow the company to accelerate marketing and sales in support of its soon-to-be-released WiMAX compliant chip. The financing will also be used to provide additional resources to continue development on other 802.16e compliant chips. “This financing represents an important validation of our leadership. Over the last four years, we have successfully transformed our comprehensive knowledge of the OFDM technology and IEEE 802.16 standards into a series of chip designs for the next generation of BW (broadband wireless) equipment,” Michel Guay, president and CEO of Wavesat, said in a news release. Convention centre in Toronto gets Wi-Fi phonesThe Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) has deployed more than 100 Wi-Fi phones throughout its campus. The MTCC is using phones from SpectraLink Corp. This is the latest announcement from the MTCC, which is highlighting the innovative uses of its campus wide wireless local area network. The network can handle more than 1,000 simultaneous users.“This is next generation communication technology to benefit both our clients and our staff. We expect it will lead to a wide variety of cost savings, efficiencies and productivity gains for everyone,” MTCC director of technology Bill McDonald said in a news release.

ROW Update

News | October 12, 2004

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