Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.telcom From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: telcom Fri, Feb 21 1992 Date: Fri, 21 Feb 92 06:00:50 EST Message-ID: DECISIONLINE: Telecommunications USA TODAY Update Feb. 21-23, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network BELLS OFFER NEWS SERVICES: As Congress debates bills to limit regional Bell companies from offering electronic newspapers and information services, the Bells are taking action. Three of the seven Bells have already said they'll launch services that will send news and sports, yellow pages information and advertising to consumers. The others are expected to follow soon. (For more, see special Information package below.) FIRMS AGAINST LEGISLATION: In a letter to members of Congress distributed Thursday, a group of 70 firms involved in electronic publishing said they opposed congressional bills that would prohibit the regional Bells from participating in electronic publishing services. The group, however, supports Federal Communications Commission's regulations that ensure the Bells promote competition in the industry. GTE IS PARTNER IN JAPAN FIRM: GTE says it has become a partner in TU-KA Cellular Tokai, a Japan-based cellular communications company that was formed by Nissan Motor Ltd. and DDI Corp. In 1994, TU-KA, - operating out of Nagoya, Japan - plans to begin operating a high-capacity, digital, cellular system. By 2000, the goal is for the firm to serve more than 200,000 customers, GTE says. DEAL IS GTE'S THIRD IN JAPAN: GTE says its deal with TU-KA Cellular Tokai is its third cellular partnership in Japan. GTE also owns a 3% equity stake in TU-KA Cellular Tokyo and TU-KA Phone Kansai. GTE has operated in Japan since 1974 and is listed of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. GTE is the second-largest cellular service company in the USA. Its net income for 1991 was $1.6 billion. PHONE CHARGE CAN BE IGNORED: Anyone in South Dakota who was billed $15.60 to call an 800 number that offered sweepstakes prize should ignore the bill, the State Public Utilities Commission said Wednesday. Texas-based Audio Telecom billed residences for "interactive information services" at $3.90 a minute for 4-minute calls. The calls yielded discount coupons to callers for costly merchandise. ZILOG UNVEILS ACCESS PROTOCOL: Zilog says it has introduced a LocalTalk Link Access Protocol (LLAP) driver for its high-performance, 8-bit Z181 microprocessor. The LLAP is the data-link access protocol used to deliver data packets from any node of a LocalTalk network to any other node on that network. The driver includes codes to link it to the AppleTalk Open Systems Interconnect stack. The price is $5,000. ARDIS LINKS RADIO STATIONS: Ardis Co., the wireless radio network company owned by IBM and Motorola, Inc., says it has develop a new terrestrial backbone to link the 1,250 base stations supporting its radio net in the largest 400 U.S. metropolitan areas. Called Ardisnet, it will operate under a 5-year, $70 million agreement with AT&T and IBM. SONATEL CHANGES NAME: Sonatel Telecommunications Corp. said Thursday that it has filed to change its name. The corporation's new name will be Cycomm International Inc. The move was approved at a special shareholders meeting held Thursday. Cycomm's stock will be traded over the Alberta Stock Exchange. PLAYBOY TO HAVE 900 NUMBER: Playboy magazine and the famed Masters and Johnson Institute have joined forces to provide monthly reports on sex and sexuality. The service will be available nationwide through a special 900 telephone number. The number, 1-900-646-INFO, will be activated on March 1. Callers can select one or more of three monthly reports averaging six minutes in length for a fee of $1.95 per minute. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON INFORMATION: PAPERS FEAR COMPETITION: The decision of three of the Regional Bells to offer information services comes as a battle rages in Congress over whether the Bells should be allowed to do so. The Bells' phone lines reach 95% of U.S. households. A Washington, D.C., federal court let the Bells into the field last summer. Newspapers - fearful the firms will siphon off ad revenue - are lobbying lawmakers to keep them out. DEBATE WILL LAST FOR YEARS: Phone firms are launching services now to prove they're no threat to newspapers - and before Congress can act. The debate should go on for years. At stake is a business that had $19 billion in revenue last year and will grow to a $35 billion industry by 1995, says market researcher Link Resources. NYNEX OFFERS NEW YELLOW PAGES: NYNEX Corp. Wednesday launched an electronic yellow pages with 1.7 million listings that can be tapped through the phone lines via personal computer. NYNEX said its service will ultimately include advertising. For 61 cents a minute, consumers can choose information from among 7,000 headings and 1.7 million listings from about 300 NYNEX directories. BELLSOUTH HAS BUSINESS SYSTEM: BellSouth Corp. has gotten 630 Atlanta businesses to sign up for a service that will let consumers call them 24 hours a day, place orders for products, hear ads and leave messages. In time, the service may let businesses capture consumer phone numbers. (End of package.) Telecommunications Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. 08:0002210000D0221 TREN- R J Hashing-is-for-the-immature........... A D0221 This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. 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