Northern Telecom Inc. announced the commercial launch of VoiceStream Wireless service on its Global System for Mobile communications-based personal communications services 1900 network in Hawaii, the second PCS network activated in the United States.
The service, operated by Western Wireless Corp., was launched in Honolulu with an inaugural call from Hawaii Gov. Benjamin Cayetano to Sen. Dan Ikaka and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt in Washington, D.C. Service is initially available throughout Oahu and parts of Kauai and Maui, with plans to expand coverage to neighboring islands by 1998, Nortel said.
Nortel delivered the VoiceStream Wireless network, including radio base stations and mobility switching, under the terms of a $200 million supply agreement, Nortel said. Motorola Inc. and Nokia Corp. are supplying the handsets for the network.
VoiceStream Wireless is the brand name for PCS from Western Wireless, Northern Telecom said. Western Wireless paid $22.4 million at auction for the A-block PCS license in Honolulu, which has 1.1 million pops.
