Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : NEXTEL -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Al Gutkin who wrote (4025)	1/8/1998 8:55:00 PM
From: Arnie Doolittle	Respond to of 10227

Al, here's the reason for the weird action the last few days: Thursday January 8, 5:49 pm Eastern Time Peru names three firms to bid in cellular auction LIMA, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Peruvian privatization officials named Thursday two U.S and one local company who have pre- qualified for the February 10 auction of a concession to run cellular telephone services in the provinces. The officials said U.S. companies GTE Corp (NYSE:GTE - news) and BellSouth Corp (NYSE:BLS - news), and Peru's Tele 2000 (TEL2.LM), had individually pre-qualified to bid for what would be the second cellular frequency band in the provinces. But as BellSouth has a majority stake in Tele 2000, those two companies must present a joint offer, meaning there will only be two bids, the officials added. Market sources in Peru estimate the 20-year concession could fetch about $50 million. The concession will cover an area that includes 15.7 million of Peru's 24 million inhabitants, the officials said. With the awarding of the concession, the country's leading telecom Telefonica del Peru (TELb.LM) (NYSE:TDP - news) will lose its monopoly on cellular telephone services in the provinces. The telecom -- controlled by Spain's Telefonica de Espana (TEF.MC) -- currently has the only concession for the provinces, known as frequency band A. It is prohibited from bidding on the second, known as the B band. Tele 2000 is currently Telefonica's only competitor for the cellular telephone market in Lima and the neighboring Callao port area. Other than the three companies named Thursday for the auction of Band B, a further six had originally shown interest. They were Nextel Communications Inc (Nasdaq:NXTL - news) of the United States, Japan's Mitsui & Co. Ltd (8031.T), a unit of Telecom Argentina (NYSE:TEO - news; TEC2.BA), France's France Telecom (NYSE:FTE - news; FTE.PA), Peru's Ingenieria Celular Andina, and another unnamed local company. The future operator of Band B must start operating the service 12 months after signing the concession contract.

To: Al Gutkin who wrote (4025)	1/8/1998 10:42:00 PM
From: Ed Pittman	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10227

Al... I talked to a sales person today..The phone cost in Southern Calif. $ 125.00 per phone...If you sign up for 5 or more phones the rate for one year is $ 25.00 per month...If under 5 its $ 35.00 per month... And here I'm talking about 4 phones..i may have to give away another phone to get the discount.<G> Anyway, they are pushing the phone and the prices are getting better each month...it shouldn't be long before I give up on Air Touch..i'm going to run numbers this weekend.. later. Ed