Good news for OMPT???
MCI WorldCom Wants Wireless Purchase, if Price Right (Update1)
Jackson, Mississippi, Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) -- MCI WorldCom
Inc., the No. 2 U.S. long-distance phone company, said it wants
to acquire a wireless carrier, though it won't hurt earnings to
do so.
Chief Executive Bernard Ebbers, who's built the company into
a telecommunications powerhouse by acquiring 50 companies in 10
years, said that while the wireless business is attractive, it's
expanding at a slower rate than the rest of the industry because
it can't be handled data dependably.
Last week, the Jackson, Mississippi-based company decided
not to bid for AirTouch Communications Inc., the world's largest
wireless phone company. Such an acquisition would have hurt per-
share earnings, Ebbers said, and ''we will always be a
shareholder-driven company.''
Some analysts speculated MCI WorldCom didn't want to acquire
AirTouch's customer base of 16.1 million, largely consumers who
use their phones less than businesses. MCI WorldCom, which
targets business customers, may also want a nationwide wireless
network. AirTouch primarily covers the western U.S. |
