Verizone to spend $3.1 billion to upgrade to 1X MC in early 2001 adding 144K data, doubling voice capacity, and increasing subscribers from 24MM to 27MM in a short time.
JohnG
Verizon Wireless Sees Cap Spending Of
$3.1B In 2000
By JOHNATHAN BURNS
ATLANTA -- Verizon Wireless, the joint venture between Bell Atlantic
Corp. (BEL) and Vodafone AirTouch PLC (VOD), will spend $3.1 billion
on capital projects this year and should see its customer base swell to 27
million, said Gerry Flynn, the company's director of technical development.
"That level of investment is likely to continue, if not accelerate, over the
next few years," he said Monday during a presentation at Supercomm
2000, a telecommunications conference here.
Flynn made the comments during a workshop on the evolution to
third-generation wireless networks. Those networks will be designed to
carry more voice traffic and data and Internet applications.
Flynn said Verizon will deploy 1XRTT CDMA technology early next year.
That technology is a more data-centric wireless platform than Verizon
currently uses.
"It nearly doubles our voice capacity," Flynn said. "Secondly, it gives us the
opportunity to offer (faster rates) of data."
Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile phone service provider in the U.S.,
currently has about 24 million customers.
-Johnathan Burns; Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-2020 |
