Below is Reuters article on Sprint PCS:
Sprint sees PCS back on target by March
Reuters Story - December 04, 1996 16:07
NEW YORK, Dec 4 (Reuter) - Sprint PCS Chief Executive
Andrew Sukawaty said on Wednesday that the delay in rolling out
its wireless Personal Communications Services should soon be
put right, with targets met by end-March.
"We decided not to (go live) because we were not happy with
the operating and maintenance systems provided by one vendor,"
Sukawaty told a Salomon Bros investor conference.
Sprint PCS said on Tuesday that only five to 10 cities
would be operational by the end of 1996 instead of 15 to 20.
This was the second lowering of targets, because the company
originally forecast 20-25 markets live by end-1996.
The vendor involved is Northern Telecom Ltd , which
told Reuters it expected to resolve this issue by mid to late
January.
Sukawaty said that Sprint PCS, which is owned by Sprint and
three cable TV firms, was committed to having the majority of
its markets operational by March, and 65 by mid-1997.
Sprint shares were 1-1/8 down at 39-1/2 at 1530 EST/2030
GMT. NorTel shares were 2.55 off at 84.25 in Toronto.
"We don't see this as a big issue," Sprint PCS spokesman Ed
Mattix told Reuters. However investors at the conference said
they compared the Sprint slippage with an apparently error-free
PCS launch in 16 cities last month by PrimeCo.
PrimeCo is owned by AirTouch Communications Inc , U
S West Media Group , and merger partners Bell Atlantic
Corp and NYNEX Corp .
Sprint PCS's cable TV shareholders are Tele-Communications
Inc, Comcast Corp and Cox Communications Inc . |
