Quincy, re Someday, this might change (but, it may require Sprint providing the coverage by itself.)
Based on this release, it looks like Sprint is aware they need to speed things up by taking on partners to build and operate in the hinterlands. But I share your impatience. Yesterday, on a 400 mile trip up and down the state of Florida on the turnpike, my Q-phone (Sprint PCS) sat useless on the seat. No service in the heartland north of Palm Beach County, not even Orlando where it seems half of America visits two or three times yearly. My own home is outside of my coverage area due to a bunch of NIMBY's "whinning like 747's" [oops, thats a royalty to M] about proposed tower locations.
Sprint PCS(SM) Announces New Affiliation Agreements - Continuing
the Expansion of Nation's Largest Nationwide PCS Network
Sprint PCS has Signed 17 Affiliation Agreements to Date Representing Licensed PCS Coverage of More
Than 45 Million People in 30 States
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprint PCS Chief Executive Officer Andrew Sukawaty
today announced new affiliation agreements that will bring Sprint PCS wireless service to areas in
Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New
Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Washington. Sprint PCS has signed 17
affiliation agreements to date representing licensed PCS coverage of more than 45 million people in 30
states. Sprint PCS recently signed affiliation agreements with the following organizations:
-- Illinois PCS, LLC of Geneseo, Ill., will serve the Illinois cities of Springfield, Bloomington, Peoria,
Champaign-Urbana, Rock Island, Moline, Decatur, Mt. Vernon, Effingham, Danville, Galesburg,
LaSalle-Peru and Kankakee; and the Iowa cities of Davenport, Bettendorf and Clinton. Total licensed
coverage is 2.8 million people.
-- Independent Wireless One Corporation of Utica, N.Y., will serve the New York cities of Corning, Elmira,
Binghamton, Watertown, Syracuse, Utica, Albany, Glens Falls and Poughkeepsie; the Vermont cities of
Bennington, Burlington and Montpelier; the Massachusetts city of Pittsfield; and the New Hampshire
cities of Manchester, Concord and Portsmouth. Total licensed coverage is 6.2 million people.
-- TriStar Wireless, LLC of Cookeville, Tenn., will serve the Tennessee cities of Cookeville, Crossville,
McMinnville, Manchester, Shelbyville, Fayetteville, Winchester, Lewisburg and Lawrenceburg. Total
licensed coverage is 500,000 people.
-- UbiquiTel, LLC will serve the Nevada cities of Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Gardnerville and Stead; and
the California cities of Auburn and Grass Valley, and the entire Lake Tahoe area. Total licensed coverage
is 875,000 people.
-- US Unwired of Lake Charles, La., will serve the Mississippi cities of Biloxi, Gulfport, Jackson, Meridian,
Tupelo, Hattiesburg, Greenvile, Columbus, McComb, Brookhaven, Natchez, Vicksburg and Laurel; the
Alabama cities of Tuscaloosa and Mobile; the Florida city of Pensacola; the Arkansas cities of Pine Bluff,
Hot Springs, El Dorado, Magnolia and Camden; and the Texas cities of Tyler, Longview, Marshall, Paris
and Texarkana . Total licensed coverage is 5.2 million people. Together with existing affiliation
agreements, US Unwired will operate or manage licensed coverage of 9 million people.
-- VIA Wireless of Fresno, Calif., will serve the California cities of Fresno, Stockton, Modesto, Merced and
Visalia, and will be expanding soon to Bakersfield. Total licensed coverage is 3.5 million people.
-- Washington Oregon Wireless, LLC of Portland, Ore., will serve the Washington cities of Yakima,
Ellensburg, Richland, Pasco, Kennewick, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Ephrata and Moses Lake; and the
Oregon cities of Umatilla, Hermiston, Pendleton, Roseburg, Grants Pass, Medford, Ashland, Klamath
Falls, Madras, Prineville, Redmond, Bend, Sisters, Mount Bachelor, Coos Bay and North Bend. Total
licensed coverage is 1.4 million people.
"Sprint PCS added more subscribers in the fourth quarter of 1998 than any other carrier has ever added in
a single quarter in the history of the U.S. wireless industry," Sukawaty said. "The announcement of new
Sprint PCS affiliates is vital to increasing the scope of our existing nationwide coverage for the benefit of
current and future Sprint PCS customers."
Sprint PCS continues to negotiate affiliate agreements for many other areas and cities across the
country. The agreements call for each company to construct an all-digital, CDMA (Code Division Multiple
Access) wireless network, the majority of which will operate on the FCC (Federal Communications
Commission) PCS licenses owned by Sprint PCS. Each company will operate and market their network
as Sprint PCS service, leveraging the branding and marketing programs of Sprint PCS.
"These new affiliates will be able to offer all the benefits of Sprint PCS, including the clarity, value and
coverage of the only seamless, all- digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in the country," said Bernie
Bianchino, chief business development officer for Sprint PCS. "Though Sprint PCS offers service in the
largest cities across the United States, these new agreements expand our nationwide network into many
markets not currently served and brings the nation's fastest-growing wireless service to more people than
ever before."
Through these agreements, every affiliate will have the opportunity to benefit from Sprint PCS'
relationships with key infrastructure and phone manufacturers, and national retail distribution partners. In
addition, affiliates will be able to utilize the PCS network and customer care support assets of Sprint PCS
including 24-hour network management and monitoring via the Sprint PCS National Network Operations
Control Center; billing, voicemail and prepaid platforms; and Sprint PCS Customer Care.
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
and trades on the NYSE under the symbol "PCS."
Sprint is a global communications company at the forefront in integrating long distance, local and wireless
communications services and is one of the world's largest carriers of Internet traffic. Sprint built and
operates the United States' only nationwide all-digital, fiber optic network and is the leader in advanced
data communications services. Sprint has $15 billion in annual revenues and serves more than 17 million
business and residential customers.
SOURCE Sprint PCS
/CONTACT: Tom Murphy, Director of Media Relations, 816-559-6703 or
888-347-1660 - pager or Ashley Pindell, Manager of Media Relations,
816-559-6702 or 888-661-4589 - pager, both of Sprint PCS/
/Web site: sprintpcsnews.com |
