Wireless summer Pacific Bell Mobile Service leads launch spurt

Personal communication services providers are coming out of a long winter's nap, as evidenced by the number of market launches that were announced last week.

Pacific Bell Mobile Service expanded its GSM network into the San Francisco Bay area after overcoming the zoning issues that had prevented the company from erecting enough antenna sites in the region, said Terrence Valeski, area president and general manager of the San Francisco region for PBMS. Valeski was formerly vice president of marketing for the company but was reassigned as regional president after Pacific Telesis and SBC Communications completed their merger.

PBMS, which also offers PCS in the San Diego market, is relying on the voice quality provided by the enhanced full-rate vocoder and its brand recognition on the West Coast as its primary strengths, Valeski said. "The Pacific Bell brand has held us in good stead," he said. "We are able to go out in the market with a strong value proposition and don't have to be the low-price leader."

Airadigm Communications is continuing its reign as the only C block PCS operator to launch service by turning up its GSM network in Green Bay, Wis. The company debuted its Einstein PCS offering in March in Appleton, Wis., and will introduce the service in 13 other Wisconsin and Iowa markets this year.

Airadigm attributes its lead on other C block operators to its collective telecom experience and its marketing efforts.

"It tells you how important it is to have a good business partner, a good vendor and people who know the business," said Bob Schulze, senior vice president at Airadigm. He said customers in Green Bay are already familiar with Airadigm because the two regions are in the same TV market as Appleton and have seen the company's advertisements.

Fellow C block hopeful NextWave Telecom announced last week that it has begun operating a demonstration code division multiple access (CDMA) system in San Antonio, joining its other testbeds in San Diego and Washington. Meanwhile, Sprint PCS is keeping the commercial CDMA fires burning by expanding its Southern California network into San Diego. The service is now available to the Orange County/San Diego border.