Local tech exec joins U.S. Senator in hall of fame

SARASOTA — The chairman of xG Technology, a firm that markets and sells a patented system for Internet-based phone calls, joined a U.S. senator in being inducted into the wireless hall of fame.

The chairman, George Schmitt, was honored recently along with four others by the Wireless History Foundation at an event in San Jose, Calif. The other honorees were Kris Rinne, senior vice president of network technologies for AT&T Labs; Craig Farrill, chief technology officer for FirstNet; and U.S. Senator Mark Warner, D-Va. Warner was in the wireless industry for more than 20 years before he was elected to the Senate in 2009. He formed a venture capital firm in 1989, and he co-founded FleetCall, the predecessor to Nextel, according to a statement.

Schmitt received the pioneer award at the event for his work with xG and other firms and entities, including helping to build a wireless network in South Korea. xG Technology went public earlier this year on the Nasdaq, raising more than $7 million. (symbol XGTI, recent price: $3.50)