KANSAS CITY, Mo.-Sprint Spectrum L.P. said it completed its purchase of the remaining shares in its partnership with American Personal Communications to make the venture wholly owned by Sprint Spectrum.
Also, cellular and personal communications services pioneer Wayne Schelle-APC’s founder and chairman-announced his retirement and his son, Scott, resigned as president.
Wayne Schelle’s departure from the telecom industry is a notable event, as he and Sprint launched the first PCS network in the United States.
Schelle, named RCR’s 1995 Person of the Year, built one of the first two experimental cellular systems and ran Cellular One, the first commercial nonwireline cellular system in Washington, D.C.
He left the cellular industry in the late 1980s, but reappeared seeking a pioneer’s preference 1900 MHz PCS experimental license in 1989, spurred by the British development of personal communications networks. Schelle later was forced to pay $100 million for the license. He is credited with coining the term PCS.
Sprint Spectrum, branded as Sprint PCS, previously had a 58.5-percent interest in the partnership and had been the managing partner since November. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“This acquisition will be virtually transparent to our Sprint Spectrum customers,” said Andrew Sukawaty, Sprint PCS chief executive officer.
