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 Tue, Mar 24 1992 Date: Tue, 24 Mar 92 05:43:45 EST Message-ID: 03-24 0000 DECISIONLINE: Telecommunications USA TODAY Update March 24, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network XEROX UNVEILS COMPUTER FAX: Xerox unveiled a software program Monday that lets people fax instructions to their personal computers. The $249.95 PaperWorks software uses Microsoft Windows operating software. By using a pen to mark boxes on a specially created form, which the users then fax to their PC, users can tell the PC to retrieve a file, copy it and fax it to the user or to someone else. ASTRONAUTS TO HAM IT UP: The Atlantis astronauts will ham it up with people around the world during their upcoming shuttle flight. The seven-member crew will use a hand-held ham radio to talk with amateur radio operators around the globe. The hand-held equipment "will give us the opportunity to talk to ham radio operators on the ground when we're not too busy," said Atlantis mission specialist David Leestma. (For more, see special Ham package below.) NORTHERN OPENS SPANISH VENTURE: Northern Telecom said Monday it has formed a new joint venture company, Northern Telecom de Espana, to expand its business in Spain. The new joint venture will be responsible for marketing in Spain a complete range of Northern Telecom's products, including switching, transmission, private branch exchanges (PBXs), data network systems and telephone terminals. AT&T, AMERCIAN EXPRESS MAKE DEAL: AT&T and American Express Travel Related Services Co. Inc. Monday announced a joint initiative. As part of the agreement, the two companies have introduced the CorporateLink Program, which adds the capability of the AT&T Corporate Calling Card to the American Express Corporate Card. With this new co-branded card, small businesses receive one bill. PLATFORM FOR DEVELOPMENT MADE: AT&T and American Express Monday said they have formed joint forces in research, product development, marketing, customer service and systems management to expand their business services. That includes a co-branded credit card called CorporateLink. In addition to the immediate services, the card establishes a platform for future product and service offerings, the firms say. AT&T GETS DEAL WITH ARMY: AT&T has signed an $9.8-million sole-source requirements contract with the U.S. Army's Communications-Electronics Command for Tactical Fiber Optic Cable Assembly products. AT&T will provide CECOM with more than 30 different fiber optic cables, connectors and apparatus items. The CECOM will replace the copper cables that link battlefield communications equipment with fiber optics. HDTV TEST GOES WELL: General Instrument Corp. and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's test of high-definition television went off without any major problems Monday. The historic transmission included reception both through traditional television broadcasting medium and over an existing cable television system. Dr. Jae Lim of MIT said, "Digital television is a working reality." OAG HAS HIGH-TECH PRODUCTS: The Maxwell Communications problems haven't stopped them from adding new products, most of them high-tech twists on Official Airline Guides information. FlightFax, for instance, gives users up-to-the-minute flight data via facsimile machines. FlightCall is a telephone flight-update service in several major cities. This week OAG will launch products aimed at government-travelers. SPRINT GETS AWARD: Sprint Monday received the U.S. Small Business Administration's Award of Distinction for its outstanding record in using minority, women-owned and small businesses as subcontractors under the company's FTS2000 contract. This is the third time the SBA has recognized Sprint for its efforts on behalf of minority and small businesses. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON HAM: FOUR ASTRONAUTS HAVE LICENSES: Ham radio operators on Earth can use the following frequencies to attempt to contact the Atlantis Space Shuttle during its mission: 144.91, 144.95 and 144.97 megahertz. The astronauts will use 145.55 megahertz to downlink their communications. Four of the astronauts have ham radio licenses: David Leestma (N5WQC), Brian Duffy (N5WQW), Kathryn Sullivan (N5YVV) and Dirk Frimout (ON1AFD). HAMS AROUND GLOBE TO GET CHANCE: Because of the shuttle's flight path, the Atlantis crew will be able to communicate with hams in the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, Europe, South America, Asia, Australia and Africa. Frimout and Sullivan are fluent in several languages - including Dutch, French, German and Norwegian - and are especially looking forward to making contact with ham operators in Europe. SCHOOLS WILL BE CONTACTED: The astronauts plan to use their ham equipment to contact schools in several nations, including Wales, Norway, Canada, Germany, Brazil, England and the United States. "We're looking forward to contacts throughout the world," said Leestma. The astronauts will also attempt to communicate with cosmonauts aboard the Russian space station Mir, who are carrying ham radios. (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. 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