Mobile communications and the Federal Telecommunications System

The first major radio program of the Federal Telecommunications System has been the installation of an extended-coverage VHF Mobile Telephone System for evaluation of the common-user concept of reducing the number of frequencies required by several users by timesharing. Subscribers are provided three-channel full-duplex dial-up service, with such features as direct dialing of any other mobile, as well as any telephone, in the Federal Telecommunications System, automatic busy-channel lockout, manual operator access to all three channels, automatic calling channel reverting, and repetitive ringing to the mobiles. Coverage is provided over 40 percent of the State of Massachusetts and parts of the States of Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. For the pilot study, 40 vehicles belonging to 15 separate users will share the system. After system evaluation, the number of channels will be increased to allow system expansion for coverage of 90 percent of the New England area, with a corresponding increase in the number of vehicles and users. Federal Telecommunications System programs of the future include the installation of systems in other areas to study common-user inter-city emergency systems and extended coverage multipurpose telephone/dispatch systems on a common-user basis.