Dobson pursues Alaska upgrade

Dobson Communications has tapped Nortel Networks and Ericsson in a $10 million deal to migrate the carrier’s TDMA infrastructure to GSM/GPRS with EDGE software enhancements by the middle of next year.

Nortel will be installing a GSM/GPRS switch in Anchorage, Alaska, while Ericsson delivers about 15 base stations and software to cover several service areas, according to Dobson. The ninth largest carrier in the U.S. said it is investing a total of $24 million in its Alaska network through this year and 2004. Dobson has operated in Alaska since 2000, and increased its holding this year by purchasing Anchorage licenses from AT&T Wireless.

Just a few months ago, Dobson announced after acquiring American Cellular Corp that it was speeding up its GSM/GPRS/EDGE migration, with the intent of completing it in the first half of 2004.

More recently, at the end of October, the Oklahoma City-based company reported a 50% quarter-over-quarter increase in operating income. Also, earlier this week, the company’s stock was approved for trading again on the Nasdaq national market after being delisted in 2002. Since then, it was being traded as a Nasdaq SmallCap.