Report No. WT 99-6  WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACTION March 5, 1999
                                                                             
         LOCATION AND MONITORING SERVICE AUCTION CLOSES
                                   
     Today the Commission's Location and Monitoring Service (LMS) auction, which began
on February 23, 1999, closed after 54 rounds, raising a total net revenue of $3,438,294.00.  The
auctioned spectrum is located in the 904.000 - 928.000 MHz Band.

     "Today's results can only mean good things for American consumers.  The Commission
has added new competitors to this exciting marketplace," said FCC Chairman William E.
Kennard. "These licensees have the opportunity to make our highways safer as well as improve
productivity in transportation."   

     A total of 528 multilateration LMS licenses were simultaneously auctioned. One license
for each of the three spectrum blocks in each designated Economic Area (EA) was auctioned:
Block A has a total bandwidth of 6.00 MHz; Block B has a total bandwidth of 2.25 MHz; and,
Block C has a bandwidth of 5.75 MHz. 289 licenses, representing 84.8 % of the population were
sold in the auction.
         
     "The LMS auction is another example of the way the Commission is opening up
opportunities and helping the industry deliver new products," said Thomas Sugrue, Chief,
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.  "These entrants should create a competitive environment
with the development of diverse and alternative technologies providing consumers with a variety
of locating services."

     LMS refers to advanced radio technologies designed to support the nation's transportation
infrastructure and facilitate growth of Intelligent Transportation Systems.  LMS systems are
designed to improve the efficiency and safety of the highways of the United States. LMS systems
are permitted to transmit voice or non-voice status and instructional messages as long as such
messages are related to location or monitoring functions.  

     License winners must make the downpaynment on their licenses ten business days after
the release of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's Public Notice announcing the close of
the auction. Winning bidders must also file their long form applications with the FCC within the
same time period.
                             -FCC -

News Media Contact:  Meribeth McCarrick at (202) 418-0654
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau contacts: Bob Reagle (Auctions) at (202) 418-0792 or 
     Linda Chang (Commercial Wireless) at (202) 418-7240