MAITLAND, Fla.-Nextel Communications Inc., which is in the process of merging with Sprint Corp., said it plans to invest $384 million in its Florida network in 2004 and 2005 to improve capacity and enhance coverage.
The enhancements will include 500 new cell sites this year, which Nextel said equates to almost 20 percent of the total sites the company built nationwide in 2004, and the deployment last year of its 6:1 vocoder designed to nearly double network voice capacity. The carrier also said it plans to add permanent backup generators to 600 sites by the end of the second quarter and have 350 additional portable generators standing by in Florida in the event of a power loss.
Nextel noted its current network, which is operated in conjunction with affiliate Nextel Partners Inc., covers 99 percent of Florida’s potential customers.
