Pacific Communications Sciences, Inc. (PCSI)

History

Pacific Communications Sciences, Incorporated (PCSI) is a San Diego based developer of wireless communications equipment founded in 1987 and sold to Cirrus Logic in 1993. PCSI’s co-founder Martha Dennis moved to San Diego in 1970 and began work at Linkabit at the time of its 1973 founding. Dennis was later offered employment at San Diego’s Qualcomm but decided to start PCSI instead. The company received initial capital from Idanta Partners and is founded with five former Linkabit executives: Martha Dennis, Mike Lubin, David Lyon, Philip Wilson, and Warren Weiner. The company was non-military and began work with speech compression and Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) created to transmit wireless digital data over analog cell phone networks. By 1991, PCSI operated as a subsidiary of Cirrus Logic. In 1993, Mr. Warren Weiner led a $70 million acquisition of PCSI by Austin based Cirrus Logic who later sold the bulk of the company to Rockwell International in 1997. PCSI’s greatest success came from making radio frequency circuits for the Personal Handyphone System, a low-cost digital mobile phone network that begins service in Japan in 1995. Both Martha Dennis and Dr. David Lyon went on to form new telecommunication companies in San Diego including WaveWare Communications, and Ensemble Communications, Inc. Dennis Serves on the board of UCSD’s Rady School of Management and Executive Council of the UCSD center for Wireless Communication.