DALLAS-Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. announced network expansions. Verizon Wireless will provide additional coverage in the Northeast, while Cingular customers will see better coverage in Texas and Alabama.
Verizon Wireless said its expansion reached into York County, Maine, where the carrier has built and activated more than a dozen new cell sites and plans to add more this summer. The expansion was part of the carrier’s $750 million acquisition of spectrum from Northcoast Communications L.L.C. in late 2002.
Cingular’s expansion includes the southeastern Alabama communities of Dothan, Enterprise, Ozark and Troy, where the carrier said it now provides GSM service. Plans for a $98 million expansion for North Texas include adding new cell sites throughout the year on top of the $168 million the carrier said it spent on deploying GSM/GPRS services in the area last year. Cingular also plans to spend $100 million this year to expand and upgrade its network in South Texas, including more than 80 new cell sites. The carrier said the investment builds upon the $200 million it spent in the area last year.
