KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Sprint Spectrum L.P. formed affiliation agreements that will bring Sprint PCS personal communications services to key cities in Georgia, Missouri, Louisiana, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia.
Each of the new affiliates will operate and market their Code Division Multiple Access wireless networks as Sprint PCS, said the company. Sprint PCS in January shut down and pulled employees out of some of its Southeast basic trading areas where it originally had planned to launch service to evaluate whether to sign on affiliates for those markets.
Other PCS carriers are seeking to franchise their licenses to affiliates as a way to more quickly build out markets.
Sprint PCS Chief Executive Officer Andrew Sukawaty announced affiliation agreements with:
Louisiana Unwired L.L.C. and Meretel Communications L.P., doing business as U.S. Unwired, which will serve Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Hammond, Houma-Thibodaux, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Monroe and Shreveport, La.; as well as Beaumont and Lufkin-Nacodoches, Texas, with a licensed coverage of 3.7 million people.
Roberts Wireless Communications L.L.C., St. Louis, which will serve Springfield, Cape Girardeau, Joplin, Rolla, Hannibal, St. Joseph, West Palms and Sedalia, Mo., with a licensed coverage of 1.9 million people.
Horizon Personal Communications Inc., Chillicothe, Ohio, which will serve its headquarter city, Portsmouth, Zanesville and Athens, Ohio; as well as Huntington, Parkersburg and Charleston. W.V.
Horizon Personal Communications has licensed coverage of 1.6 million people.
Georgia PCS Management L.L.C., a consortium of 14 local telephone companies. The agreement will serve Georgia PCS Management’s headquarter city of Macon, as well as Dalton, Romke, Brunswick, Waycross and Valdosta, Ga. The company licenses cover an area of 1.3 million people.
Brookings Municipal Utilities, doing business as Swiftel Communications in Brookings S.D., which will serve Sioux Falls, Brookings and Watertown, S.D., with licensed coverage of 300,000 people.
