Bell Atlantic Corp has bought a stake in CellularVision of New York Inc and will operate a cellular television service in which subscribers in the New York area will be able to receive 100 channels via a small aerial. The CellularVision system is now available in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn and will be phased in across the New York City area, and could be offered US-wide with regulatory approval. Bell Atlantic is interested in its use for interactive and data services, and videoconferencing has already been tested. The system will use the SHF Super High Frequency band at 27.5GHz to 29.5GHz, via local aerials with a range about six miles in diameter and capacity of 400,000 telephone lines. FM signals are received via a 5 diameter flat antenna. The Federal Communications Commission is expected to allow US-wide use of the Super High Frequency spectrum, probably in 1994. Subscribers in Brighton Beach, who can now receive 41 channels, pay $30 a month for the basic service; there are also two pay channels. CellularVision Technologies & Telecommunications Inc holds the patent on the technology, acquired from its affiliate Suite 12 Group, of Freehold, New Jersey.
