Margaret Marino spoke at the recent wireless conference in San Francisco. Her bio reads:
"Ms. Marino has over 20 years experience in managing an delivering complex integration programs. She currently serves as Vice President of Network Development of NEXTLINK Communications, Inc. (a competitive local exchange carrier). She is responsible for the evaluationa nd deployment of the LMDS spectrum. Prior to joining NEXTLINK, Ms. Marino was Vice President of Implementation for Fixed Wireless Services of AT&T following the merger of AT&T and McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc. She was also responsible for the successful national implementation of Digital PCS.
Ms. Marino serves on the Corporate Advisory Board for the Women in Engineering Program at the University of Washington and is a licensed engineer in the State of Washington.
NEXTLINK Communications, Inc., a publicly held company traded on NASDAQ under the symbol NXLK, was founded by Craig McCaw in 1994 to provide local, long distance and enhanced communications services to commercial customers. Headquartered in Bellevue, Wash., NEXTLINK became one of the first competitive local exchange carriers in the U.S. to provide facilities-based local dial tone services under the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996. NEXTLINK currently operates 19 facilities-based networks providing switched local and long distance services in 33 markets in eleven states."
Notes from her presentation:
* 27 million business lines targetted by end of 2000
* includes top 30 markets
* 7 major markets in 1998
* 10 more launches in 1999
* 60 markets by end of 2000
* invest in infrastructures/ build robust network
* decentralized company organization: senior local management
* gain control of last mile
* NEXTBAND = Nextlink + Nextell, have bid 42 licenses together
* 82 combined licenses in 65 markets (52 BlockA, 30 BlockB, 17 overlapping)
* technical trials end Q2 99; commercial deployment Q4 99.
* Nextlink + Eagle River = InterNext
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Following Ms. Marino, Tom Jones, President and CEO of WNP Communications, spoke. Since they're merging with NEXTLINK, the following biographical notes may be of interest.
"Incorporated in January 1998, WNP was formed by Jones as a new competitive entrant in the telecommunications market, with the initial objective of winning licenses in the Local Multipoint Distribution Service [LMDS] auction held by the FCC in 1998. WNP attracted more than $192 million in financing from a number of the msot respected telecom investment firms in the nation. WNP was the leading bidder in the auction, winning licenses covering a population of more than 114 million with more than 1000 MHz of spectrum, including eleven of the nation's top twelve markets. WNP is currently the largest corporate holder of wireless spectrum in the world. . . .
Previously, Jones served as vice president of marketing for Netrix Corporation and Microdyne Corporation. While at Netrix, Jones led the creation of the Frame Relay Forum, a non-profit industry organization created to promote the acceptance of frame relay, a communications protocol now widely used in the Internet, and in 1991 was elected to serve as the Forum's first president and chairman. During his tenure, the Forum became an international organization spanning North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan, fostering the growth of frame relay from zero revenues in 1991 to a multibillion dollar market within five years.
Jones began his career in 1973 as a nuclear power project officer on the headquarters staff of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover. He then joined Motorola Codex in 1978, serving in a number of management positions during that company's tenfold revenue growth to $500 million.
Jones was elected chairman of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, a new section of the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA), and serves as a member of PCIA's Board of Directors. Jones also is a charger member of the Board of Advisors of Torrent Networking Technologies, Inc., a gigabit router company, and previously served on the Board of Directors of Data Labs., Inc., an ATM access equipment company acquired by Yurie Systems in 1997. Jones graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He was a Churchill Scholar at Cambridge University, and completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School."
From my notes:
* ATM based switches running IP
* Equipment trials began in November
* January 14, 1999, decided to merge with NEXTLINK, awaiting FCC approval
* Myth of wireless business: there isn't such a thing. People want capacity, mobility, service. . . they don't care what form.
* Three facts: 1) insatiable demand for data/speed, 2) fiber hits only 3% of buildings, 3) location. . . location. . . location. . .
* Three thoughts on the web: 1) biggest changes in the use of communications since the invention of TV, 2) realization of full potential requires bandwidth, 3) never been a more exciting time in this industry.
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I would imagine NN will highlight LMDS at the two shows coming up: CeBIT and the one in Brazil.
Later ---
Pat |
