Sprint PCS Chief Business Development Officer Appointed CEO of Pegaso PCS
--From AOL. A solid development for the Americas, at least. -- Cooters
KANSAS CITY, Mo. & MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 11, 2000--Sprint (NYSE: FON/PCS) and Pegaso PCS of Mexico today announced the appointment of Bernie Bianchino, as chief executive officer for Pegaso PCS. Bianchino was formerly the chief business development officer for Sprint PCS.
"Bernie has been involved in many critical and innovative business developments that have helped Sprint PCS become the authority in North America on the wireless market," said Alejandro Diez Barroso, president of Pegaso. "We, together with our board of directors and top management, are confident this is what he will do for Pegaso PCS in Mexico."
As chief business development officer at Sprint PCS, Bianchino was responsible for initiating and implementing key business relationships from distribution to network coverage, including those with RadioShack, Sony, Samsung, Denso, Lucent and the company's national roaming and affiliation agreements. He also negotiated the terms of Sprint PCS' investment in Pegaso PCS.
The Sprint and Pegaso PCS agreement was the first international affiliation for Sprint PCS and includes a governance role for Sprint PCS on Pegaso's governing board and an investment by Sprint PCS in the Mexican carrier. Also, Sprint and Pegaso PCS of Mexico have a preferred roaming agreement that enables cross-border service resulting in access for PCS customers in major cities in North America and Mexico. Bianchino will remain a Sprint employee with offices in both Kansas City and Mexico City.
"This agreement is an important step in offering a ubiquitous CDMA network in North America with a strong Mexican partner in Pegaso PCS," said Ronald T. LeMay, interim president of Sprint PCS and COO and president of Sprint Corporation. "Investing our top talent, such as Bernie, strengthens our ability to seamlessly offer customers on both sides of the border the superior clarity, nationwide coverage and value of our national PCS networks."
"I have been involved with startup businesses - such as Sprint PCS
- for more than 20 years," stated Bianchino. "I am looking forward to shifting this expertise to Pegaso PCS and duplicating Sprint PCS' leadership position in Mexico through the excellent Partnership we have formed with Sprint, Pegaso and the other investors."
About Pegaso PCS
Pegaso PCS is a telephone and telecommunications company composed of Grupo Pegaso, Sprint PCS, Leap Wireless, Citicorp, LAIF and Nissho Iwai. With an initial investment greater than 1.3 billion dollars, Pegaso is deploying the first hundred-percent digital network in Mexico. Pegaso PCS is licensed to offer PCS and WLL (Wireless Local Loop) service throughout Mexico and currently offers PCS service in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Tijuana having amassed more than 315,000 customers since it launched service less than a year ago.
About Sprint PCS
Sprint PCS operates the largest 100 percent digital, 100 percent PCS nationwide wireless network in the United States, already serving the majority of the nation's metropolitan areas including more than 4,000 cities and communities across the country. Sprint PCS has licensed PCS coverage of nearly 270 million people in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, visit the Sprint PCS web site at sprintpcs.com. Sprint PCS is a wholly owned tracking group of Sprint Corporation trading on the NYSE under the symbol "PCS."
Sprint is a global communications company - at the forefront of integrating long-distance, local and wireless communications services, and a large carrier of Internet traffic. Sprint built and operates the United States' first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network and is a leader in advanced data communications services. Sprint has $20 billion in annual revenues and serves more than 20 million business and residential customers.
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CONTACT:
Pegaso PCS
Roberta Lopez Negrete, Director of Strategic
Communications
525/261 66 38
E-mail: rlopez@pegasopcs.com.mx
or
Sprint PCS
Nancy Sherrer, Media Relations Manager
816/559-1413 (O); 913/706-9051 (PCS)
E-mail: nsherr02@sprintspectrum.com
KEYWORD: MISSOURI INTERNATIONAL LATIN AMERICA
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