Boeing

Boeing today announced the successful completion of a GTE field trial of its AutoClear smart antenna interference reduction system. The trial with GTE started in November 1997 in Northern California.

Due to the positive results of the trial, GTE Wireless has ordered AutoClear systems for use in its cellular network in California. AutoClear will be used to improve digital network efficiency and call quality. GTE's trial of the Boeing AutoClear product marks the fifth successful trial for AutoClear since its first trial with Bell Atlantic Mobile last year.

"Through advances in DSP (digital signal processing), we have been able to create a powerful technology that enables the re-use of previously unusable frequencies in the network," said Dr. Monty Frost, executive director of wireless products at the Boeing Sunnyvale, Calif., facility.

"This technology also can be used to improve call quality for existing wireless customers. Our recent improvements in these very complex DSP algorithms have shown AutoClear's ability to eliminate interference and provide this powerful benefit in real-time to the network. For the cellular service provider, this results in a more efficient network and an improved level of service."

"As we migrate to digital, we must meet many technical challenges while continuing to give our customers excellent service, both now and in the future," said John Boyer, network director, GTE Wireless in California. "AutoClear allows us to help meet these challenges. We were very pleased by AutoClear's ability to install easily into existing cell sites and to seamlessly integrate with our Lucent infrastructure."

AutoClear uses the existing cellular antennas and a non-proprietary interface that is fully compatible with most base stations, those designed by Lucent, Ericsson, and Motorola. No modifications to existing base station equipment are required. To increase the efficiency of the carrier's network and achieve significant performance benefits, AutoClear uses an implementation of a proprietary adaptive beamforming technology.

"The results of the field test show that by improving network efficiencies, AutoClear can provide payback in less than one year," said Bill Jensen, national sales manager for AutoClear. "Working closely with GTE engineers has allowed us to define our position in the network and clearly prove the business case for deploying AutoClear." GTE Wireless provides wireless products and services to more than 4.5 million customers. GTE Wireless is a part of GTE Corp. (NYSE: GTE).

With 1997 revenues of more than $23 billion, GTE is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies and a leading provider of integrated telecommunications services. In the United States, GTE provides local service in 28 states and wireless service in 17 states; nationwide long-distance service and internetworking services ranging from dial-up Internet access for residential and small business customers to Web-based applications for Fortune 500 companies; and video service in selected markets.