Westinghouse Electric Corp, Pittsburgh has asked 15 cellular and wireless companies for proposals to build a nationwide wireless data network, the Wall Street Journal reported: the company’s idea is to spur the wireless carriers, individually or as part of a consortium, to develop a network that would make it easier and cheaper for users of laptop and palm-top computers and other devices to send and receive information over the air – and in return, Westinghouse promised to buy a substantial amount of transmission capacity for turn-key communications services that it wants to offer over such a network for various types of companies, such as those that manage large fleets of vehicles and security concerns doing remote monitoring – We’re trying to get a national packet data network that covers, at a minimum, the 30 largest metropolitan areas, the company declared.
