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

To: Arnie Doolittle who wrote (8885)	3/9/1999 2:08:00 PM
From: Satellite Mike	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10227

Nextel mentioned just now on CNBC, now mentioned the "shares of Nextel in play today as a takeover play". Earlier, news stated that a meeting was suddenly called off--"possible agreement with an internet servie provider". Mike

To: Arnie Doolittle who wrote (8885)	3/9/1999 3:33:00 PM
From: Paul Smith	Respond to of 10227

NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters) - Shares of wireless phone company Nextel Communications Inc. <NXTL.O> jumped 6 percent on Tuesday, as takeover speculation resurfaced after the company canceled a presentation at an investor conference, analysts said. Nextel's chief technology officer Barry West canceled a presentation at a conference sponsored by BT Alex. Brown. A Nextel spokesman said there were scheduling conflicts but would not elaborate. Shares of Nextel hit an intraday high of $31.25 before settling slightly to $31, up $2.1875 per share, in heavy Nasdaq trading. Nextel's options were also active on Tuesday. Nextel, the last independent wireless company with a national network, has been seen as a takeover target for more than a year. Speculation intensified on Tuesday after the presentation was canceled. Nextel has been seen as a ripe takeover candidate since January, when rival AirTouch Communications Inc. <ATI.N> received acquisition offers from two suitors and agreed to be acquired by Vodafone Group Plc <VOD.L>. Analysts said rumors on Tuesday varied from Nextel announcing a strategic investor, to the company entering new markets, or to Nextel gaining approval to acquire more licenses to operate wireless and paging services. "They don't frequently cancel appearances. Last time they did that was right before Craig McCaw made an investment in them....so people are letting their imaginations run wild," said Chris Larsen, a wireless telecommunications analyst with Prudential Securities. McCaw, the billionaire entrepreneur in wireless communications, said in 1995 he would invest up to $1.1 billion in Nextel to help it build a vast mobile phone network. MCI WorldCom Inc. <WCOM.O>, the No. 2 U.S. long distance company, has been rumored as a potential buyer of Nextel, but analysts on Tuesday downplayed that possibility. "If it were really a strategic partner or takeover announcement, why would they need their chief technology officer back at headquarters? If it were their chief financial officer or CEO that canceled a speech, that would be different, but your don't need your technology officer around to finalize a merger," said one analyst who declined to be named. Analysts said they did not expect MCI WorldCom to pursue a bid for Nextel since MCI WorldCom's stock would likely fall sharply because such an acquisition would dilute its earnings.

To: Arnie Doolittle who wrote (8885)	3/9/1999 3:51:00 PM
From: Paul Smith	Respond to of 10227

"Nextel may have fanned the market rumors and contributed to the stock rise, said one analyst who declined to be named. The presentation had been canceled early in the morning, but the stock did not start to rise until mid-morning, when Nextel's investor relations department began calling certain analysts to tell them about the cancellation, the analyst said. Nextel did not immediately return calls seeking comment on why its investor relations department initiated the calls to analysts." If there is no BIG announcement, this behavior smells fishy.

To: Arnie Doolittle who wrote (8885)	3/10/1999 1:55:00 AM
From: Satellite Mike	Respond to of 10227

Arnie, I hope you have retained a sizable position. Considering the few announcements that Nextel has made, the shares have not done so badly. Companies like Amazon have almost daily announcements. If any type of merger occurs with a "significant" company, a much stronger rally than this could easily by sparked. What a meant about Vodfone is that the debut of the first 120 Billion $ Wireless company really shows the significance of how major a wireless co. can be in today's world. I never thought YOU would sell. Mike