The European Commission has announced rules that would allow air lines to offer passengers midair mobile phone calls across the European Union. The technology to be covered by the Commission's rules links passengers' phones to onboard cellular networks that are then connected to the ground via satellite, while ensuring that transmission levels for outgoing and incoming calls … [Read more...]
NextWave Wireless Moves to Sell Its U.S. Spectrum Holdings
Wireless telecom provider, NextWave Wireless, Inc. recently announced that it has retained Deutsche Bank and UBS Investment Bank to explore the sale of its extensive spectrum holdings in the United States. NextWave's U.S. footprint covers more than 251 million people in the United States and includes major markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, … [Read more...]
EMI Causes Washington, DC Metro Trains to Switch to Manual Operation of Doors
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has announced that for the immediate future the opening of all doors on its trains will be controlled by train operators. On rare occasions, doors have opened on the wrong side of the car as the train comes to a stop at a station. This problem has occurred as Metro officials have been working to upgrade power substations and … [Read more...]
Schaffner Group AG Moves Last of EMC Production from Western Europe to Hungary
The Schaffner Group AG is relocating its European production activities for EMC components and standard power quality products to Hungary. The focus of activities at the Schaffner Group's Luterbach, Switzerland headquarters will be strategic management, the global innovation center, and other tasks involving global marketing. Schaffner Jacke in Buren, Germany, will continue to … [Read more...]
Australia Launches Consultation on Future Use of the Electromagnetic Spectrum
In a move reminiscent of actions taking place around the globe, Australian telecom regulator ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) is seeking public and industry feedback on two documents that indicate ACMA's strategies for meeting the future demands for spectrum allocation. The two consultation papers, Spectrum Management and Principles and Five-Year Spectrum … [Read more...]
Antenna Manufacturer Includes 60-Ft. Tapered Anechoic Chamber in New Test Facility
Dielectric Communications, a manufacturer of broadcast antenna systems has included new state-of-the-art test equipment in its new high-performance testing facility in Raymond, ME. With its new facility, company test personnel hope to expand their RF testing capabilities and to achieve full isolation of the variables that affect the performance of its antennas, filters, and … [Read more...]
Ofcom Publishes List of Qualified L-Band Bidders
British telecom regulator Ofcom has published the list of approved bidders for the upcoming auction of L-Band spectrum. L-Band designates the spectrum from 1452 MHz to 1492 MHz. Ofcom has split the spectrum offerings, each of which is 1.7 MHz wide. One larger swathe at the top of the range is 12.5 MHz wide. As the UK media have pointed out, the list of bidders is not … [Read more...]
EM Measurement Technology Firms Team to Create Global Presence
U.S. technology firm Orbit/RF Inc. and French technology firm SATIMO have entered into an agreement that will allow the firms to merge their technological efforts to serve a growing number of international customers. Both Orbit/RF and SATIMO provide antenna and electromagnetic measurement technology. SATIMO plans to use a "cross-fertilization" of SATIMO and Orbit/RF … [Read more...]
New Agers Protest Effects of WiFi
The UK’s Telegraph reports that new agers in Glastonbury have mounted protests against the town’s £34,000 free WiFi network. It seems that the electromagnetic fields associated with WiFi are being blamed for interfering with positive energy fields—i.e., chakras of the human body and ley lines of the earth. To counter this damage, astrologers, soothsayers, and alternative … [Read more...]
UNESCO Seminar Focused on Terrorism and Electromagnetics
Wired’s Blog Network reports that a UNESCO seminar that concluded last month was officially titled “Electromagnetic Fields: Mechanisms of Action and Health Effect” although its original title had been “Electromagnetic Fields: Mechanisms of Action and Potential Threat as a Terrorism Agent." The original subject matter for discussion is posted on the International Council for … [Read more...]