The Teleputing Hotline The Worldwide Network Letter Volume 3 Number 81 -- October 16, 1990 215 Winter Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30317 FAX: 404-378-0794 Phone: 404-373-7634 MCI:409-8960 GEnie: nb.atl CompuServe: 76200,3025 Editor: Dana Blankenhorn European Editor: Steve Gold Associate Publisher: Lamont Wood Correspondent: Masayuki Miyazawa Sales Manager: Hiro Nakamura EUROPE PLANNING ANTI-TRUST LAWS FOR TELECOMS INDUSTRY The European Commission (EC) will rely on regulation like that in the UK to keep state telecoms monopolies from taking advantage of their position. In the U.S. the danger is called cross- subsidization. In the UK, Oftel prevents British Telecom from subsidizing trunk and international services from profits on local call services. According to Reuters and Nikkei news services, draft proposals have been circulated to all 12 member state governments in the EC. A conference to discuss them has been scheduled for later this month. IMM ANNOUNCES NEW WIRELESS PHONE International Mobile Machines, makers of the UltraPhone, announced a new phone for the U.S. market offering Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) digital cellular service on the same 4,400-square-mile cells used by the Ultraphone. The new product takes advantage of an FCC ruling permitting mobile service on Basic Exchange Telecommunications Radio Service, (BETRS) frequencies. This could bring cellular communications to rural America ahead of digital cellular in the urban market. HONG KONG WORKS AROUND AUDIOTEX CENSORS Norman Wingrove of Newsbytes reports Hong Kong Telecom revised the code of practice for its Infoline audiotex service, giving a monitoring body more flexibility in censoring message contents. Infoline offers messages ranging from fortune telling and horse racing to financial and property information. The problem began when Call Line was ordered to stop a sex- oriented message service. Call Line obtained a court injunction halting Telco's order, but a day later this was overturned. Telco maintained the order was a product of strict official regulations, and there was a need for looser rules. The revised code gives official monitors greater freedom to judge the acceptability of Infoline messages. Telco issued a reminder to customers who fear their children will be corrupted, that specified Infoline services can be screened out from a phone line at the customer's request. SUPREME COURT BACKS BABY BELLS IN INFO PROVIDER CONTROVERSY U.S. Bell companies won a battle in their war to enter the news business when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by MCI and others challenging a ruling on standards for keeping them out. U.S. District Court Judge Harold Greene had ruled in 1987 the Bells should stay out of "information services" on antitrust grounds. The Appeals Court said such a decision must meet a less-strict "public interest" test. The ruling does not force Greene to let the Bells into information services or manufacturing. But he must reconsider his decision based on the new grounds, and justify any prohibition based on the public interest. The Bells could also win more freedom if the U.S. Congress passes a deregulation bill, which would replace the 1982 consent decree Greene oversees. EASYPHONE CLAIMS IT HAS THE PCN SOLUTION EasyPhone announced a new technology for Personal Communication Networks which it says solves problems in the "spread-spectrum" technology now being offered. EasyPhone's system, called PCI, sends a call on the microwave band in many directions at once. If it senses interference it moves the call to another channel. PCI is an adaptation of the Cordless Telephone-2 technology used in England. PCI makes use of the vacant frequency bands 930-931 MHz and 940-941 MHz and permits frequency sharing with fixed microwave users at 900 to 1000 MHz. EasyPhone wants to test its technology in San Francisco and Los Angeles. U.S. LOSES BID TO BUY HALF OF ARGENTINE PHONE SYSTEM Bell Atlantic lost its bid to run the northern half of Argentina's phone system after a group led by Manufacturers Hanover failed to come up with financing. Bell Atlantic had been signed to run the network by Manny Hanny. But, like Chemical, Chase, and other New York banks, Manny Hanny is having difficulty raising funds, and failed to meet an October 8 deadline to provide a $100 million down payment. Instead, Stet of Italy will take over half of the ENTel network November 8. Contracts should signed October 31 once new phone charges are agreed on and tax problems are sorted out. Argentine authorities must refinance $500 million owed to the German company Siemens. The government is studying a proposed 42% hike in phone charges. The buyers are asking for a further 25% rise. ONLINE FACTOIDS ARCHE of the UK launched the Messenger 386SX notebook PC. It weighs 3 kgs (6.6lbs) and features a hard disk and the 80386SX chip. Prices start at UKP 1,795, ($3,500). BRITISH TELECOM announced the Videocodec VC2100, offering improved picture quality at lower data rates under the new CCITT H.261 standard for videoconferencing. The VC 2100 is priced at $44,500. DIGITAL EQUIPMENT will open a Singapore Telecommunications Center. EXECUTIVE TELECARD said its EXTL calling services will be offered by Metromedia/ITT Long Distance for automated worldwide calling from 21 countries. Rollout is slated for the first quarter of 1991. GREENPEACE is setting up an information network on Suzy, the Canadian online service in Vancouver. Software for Suzy costs C$29.95 ($36) and access costs C$12 ($15) per hour in prime time, and C$10 ($12.50) off-peak. Greenpeace will post press releases and environment-related news, while letting users exchange messages and participate in live conferences. IBM JAPAN entered the market for computer virus software with Virus Scan, developed in the U.S. It costs 5,000 yen or $36. MCI opened the first of 4 140 million bit/second fiber lines to Mexico. By year-end, MCI will have 7,600 circuits to Mexico. MCI CALL USA service has begun operating from Saudi Arabia, as well as Argentina, Austria, Israel, Panama, Turkey, and Uruguay. PERTH, AUSTRALIA opened satellite and fiber cable links the same day. SANYO revealed it is making the new COMMODORE laptop computer, the MBC17NB, which costs UKP 1,995 ($3,990). A Sanyo version of the same unit costs UKP 1,699 ($3,390). TELECOM AUSTRALIA will phase in phone cards, which are widely used in Japan. The pre-paid cards come in $2, $5, $10 and $20 sizes and have long been used as advertising and as business gifts. CONTACT: Arche Technology, +0602-862700 British Telecom, Barry Cress, +212-297-2672 EasyPhone, Charlie Mason, +415-342-6014 Executive TeleCard, Robert N. Schuck, +914/627-2060 HK Telephone, +852 808 6200 IBM Japan Corp., +03-586-1111 IMM, John A. Goetz, +215-278-7800 MCI, Alan Garratt, +914-934-6484 Newsbytes, Wendy Woods, +415-550-7334 Sanyo, Nick Brooks, +0296-661883 Suzy, Terry McDonald, +604-439-1311