The plan is not quite as ambitious as all those cellular satellite efforts, but Seiko Corp and its Seiko Epson Corp subsidiary want to take the concept of the wristwatch pager global, so that when you are wrecked on a desert island, your office will still be able to command you to phone in. Seiko plans to deploy a high speed global wireless network system that will use FM radio signals to send information to wristwatche pagers, car stereos and other devices with the appropriate chip set inside – and the chips are made for Seiko here in the UK by GEC Plessey Semiconductors Ltd. The two Seiko companies have invested a combined $57m to form a new subsidiary, Seiko Communications, which will focus on implementing the network worldwide. The system is said to be compatible with all existing FM standards and the receiver can be incorporated into any personal electronic device. It is currently available in a wristwatch-cum-pager, and work is under way on the car stereo and personal computer versions. The system is the one originally conceived by failed AT&E Inc, and has been in service in the US Pacific Northwest for two years; the medium is the unused sidebands of FM radio station signals, and the network will also enable FM stations to distribute information to their listeners such as background details related to songs as they play, things like weather and stock reports, general news, emergency broadcast alerts and advertisements.
