Software to ease cell congestion

New software meant to help wireless carriers create room on their networks for more calls will get its first U.S. test by AT&T Wireless, the company announced Monday. AT&T Wireless Chief Technology Officer Rob Nelson said at the CTIA Wireless 2002 trade show here that the company will use the software, known as AMR, to help find paths for voice calls through areas of overworked spectrum. The software will be installed on the new network that AT&T Wireless began building last year, which uses the cell phone standard known as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). The handsets that contain AMR will be available by the end of the year, Nelson said, and will be manufactured by most of the leading handset suppliers the carrier uses. --Ben Charny, Special to ZDNet News