TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Pacific Bell to Adopt European Wireless Standard: The San Francisco-based phone company said it will adopt the standard for new mobile communications service it is developing in California and Nevada. The decision is part of a five-year, $300-million agreement with Ericsson Corp., a Stockholm-based telecommunications equipment company, to purchase and install Ericsson’s PCS 1900 network system. The system is based on technology known as the Global System for Mobile Communications, which divides radio spectrum for multiple transmissions. It is used in 70 countries but is strongest in Europe, where people can travel from country to country and use the same cellular phone.