KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Sprint Telecommunications Venture is expected to announce in the next two weeks its choice of equipment vendors for its personal communications services network.
Northern Telecom Ltd., AT&T Corp. and Motorola Inc. are prime contenders, although the companies are tight-lipped about negotiation specifics.
Sprint announced in July that it intends to use Code Division Multiple Access technology. The venture plans to have service in 20 to 25 PCS markets-about 60 percent of its footprint-by the end of 1996, said STV spokesman Mark Bonavia.
STV’s total equipment award could run as high as $3 billion, according to some estimates.
Motorola says it is still very much a part of the negotiations, despite rumors that the Illinois-based firm was unwilling to meet STV’s financing ambitions. Motorola is under contract to build out GTE Mobilnet’s PCS network and has split the PCS PrimeCo L.P. contract with AT&T Network Systems Inc. Motorola also has an arrangement with C-block auction bidder U.S. AirWaves Inc. to provide CDMA equipment.
Northern Telecom Ltd. has a $250 million contract with Omnipoint Corp., a $200 million contract with BellSouth Personal Communications Inc., a $200 million contract with Western Wireless Corp., a role in constructing the American Personal Communications network in Washington, D.C., and an agreement with GO Communications Inc.
