Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 12:18:15 CDT
From: acg@hermes.dlogics.com
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Ameritech Testing Digital Cellular Phones
Reply-To: acg@hermes.dlogics.com
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 585, Message 1 of 4

(Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a telecom professional, so bear
with me if I inadvertently get my terminology mangled in the following.
Details were gleaned from a phone conversation with Mr. Tay Kim of
Ameritech, who added that extra volunteers were welcome -- see
restrictions below. I have no connection to Ameritech.)

I've been offered a chance to participate in a long-term test of
Ameritech's Personal Communication Services, which is essentially a
cellular-phone type of network, but uses digital-transmission radio
frequencies between the user's portable phone and local transceivers.
I'm taking the liberty of calling it a "cellular" phone network to
save explanations, though they themselves do not use the term.

Ameritech, one of the Chicago area cellular providers, is conducting
an 18-month test of various prototype telephones with several hundred
people in the area of downtown Chicago, the Lincoln Park area of the
city on the north side, and the suburb of Arlington Heights, to the
northwest beyond O'Hare Airport.

The Personal Communication Service, or PCS, consists of a very small
handset resembling a typical cellular phone, though without the large
battery pack, cord, etc. A short antenna of about 5" is used, with the
flip-type handset having a pivoting cover holding the microphone,
closing over the keypad. The phone transmits a digital signal with
10mW of power to a radio transceiver located on some nearby (two or
three city blocks or approx. 1/4 mile) building or other high point,
where it connects to the normal telephone system. The phones generate
true DTMF for operating voice mail systems, etc., at the called
number. The test areas have been populated with small transceivers
consisting mainly of a box with a 12" antenna connected to AC power
and a phone line.

Ameritech is now rolling out various prototype telephones to test this
system over the next 18 months in the area I described. They're
recruiting people for the test in various ways (I assume); I was
approached at the Arlington Heights train station on my way to work.
You're asked to fill out a short questionnaire on your daily
activities and phone usage, and mail it in. The results are tabulated
in a database, and people fitting the profile (mainly by living and
working in the test service area) will be given the phones to use.
The first month of local calls will be completely free; following
months will be charged approximately 25 cents per call or less (one
portion of the test is apparently on varying fee scales!). Long
distance calls will be handled by Sprint at their normal billing
rates; alternative LD carriers may not be selected.

LIMITATIONS: I was told that these phones are intended primarily for
people on foot, or otherwise NOT traveling rapidly from one area to
another. Using the PCS in a car or steel-framed building may or may
not work; however, if it does work in your car, you're advised to pull
over and stop, since the handoffs cannot keep up with car speeds.
Walking-speed handoffs are intended, and you will receive an
out-of-range warning before you lose a call by blundering out of the
test area. Due to present technical limitations, the phones cannot
take incoming calls.

The prototype phones will be configured in different ways, most
notably that some will permit hand-off from one transceiver to the
next, but others will not. I was told that this is an effort to
determine whether the hand-off capability is really necessary as a
standard feature, since these phones are intended primarily for foot
traffic.

The only charges billed to the user will be for calls made after the
first month (and any long-distance calls made IN the first month).
Ameritech gets the phones back at the end of the test period, and will
issue refunds for lost calls or poor quality connections if you have
difficulty.

IF YOU WANT TO JOIN IN THE TEST: You must live in Arlington Heights,
the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, or downtown Chicago, and you MUST
NOT be a member of a telecommunications company (unless it's
Ameritech, I'll bet :-). Call Mr. Tay Kim or one of his associates at
(800) 640-6472 for details. He told me that they are a small group in
charge of running the whole test; in fact I discovered that he was the
one who'd handed me the brochure at the train station, after which
he'd rushed back to his office to field calls at the 800 number, plus
he appeared in the glossy brochure handout posing as a commuter at the
train station. A small group indeed!

All told, this sounds pretty interesting, despite the current
limitations. Biggest danger I can think of is adding to the number of
bozos who babble into portable phones at the top of their voice in
crowded areas when others are trying to concentrate, causing others to
search around for large heavy objects to throw, but I think I can
behave myself. If there's sufficient interest (and they deign to issue
me a PCS phone), I can post a progress report as things develop.

Disclaimer #2: Speaking only for myself, not Datalogics or Ameritech.


Andrew C. Green
Datalogics, Inc.      Internet: acg@dlogics.com
441 W. Huron          UUCP: ..!uunet!dlogics!acg
Chicago, IL  60610    FAX: (312) 266-4473


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