ST. LOUIS-Roberts Wireless Communications and Lucent Technologies Inc. announced a three-year, $32 million contract to construct a personal communications services network throughout Missouri (except the St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan areas), the southern tip of Illinois, the southeast corner of Kansas and the northeast corner of Oklahoma.
Under terms of the contract, Lucent will supply the switching hardware and software, as well as radio hardware and software needed to build the Code Division Multiple Access-based network.
The Sprint PCS service area managed locally by Roberts Wireless encompasses 14 basic trading areas.
The company said it will build out and manage Sprint PCS service in Columbia, Jefferson City, St. Joseph, Sedalia, Lake of the Ozarks, Springfield and Joplin, Mo.; Pittsburgh, Kan.; and Miami Okla.; with service expected to be launched early next year. By mid-2000, Roberts Wireless said it expects to offer service in Rolla, Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Sikeston, Hannibal and Kirksville, Mo., as well as Carbondale and Quincy, Ill.
Roberts Wireless, the only wholly owned African-American PCS company in the United States, is owned by brothers Michael and Steven Roberts. They also established Roberts Broadcasting in 1989, and own TV stations in several medium-sized markets throughout the country.
