Top 25 Carriers

The following top 25 U.S. wireless carriers list was compiled from information supplied by the individual carriers, including subscribers, revenues, states in which they offer service, technology and Web sites.

The information is based on the carriers' 1Q99 results, since some carriers did not have 2Q99 numbers ready for release. Wireless carriers are ranked according to number of total subscribers as of March 31, 1999. Subscriber numbers are rounded to the nearest 100th, if available. Revenues are rounded to the nearest 10th, if available. Each carrier's 2Q98 subscriber number was subtracted from its 1Q99 subscriber number, resulting in "subscribers added." Carriers with proprietary subscriber information were not included in this ranking.

Callie Pottorf (cpottorf@idc.com), IDC research analyst, wireless and mobile communications, analyzed the top 10 carriers' strengths and weaknesses, as well as what the future may hold for them.

SELL LIKE HELLIf growth means change, and change involves risk, Sprint PCS is the industry's biggest risk-taker. Almost every one of last year's Top 25 carriers experienced subscriber growth between 2Q98 and 1Q99, but Sprint PCS blew its competitors away, upping its subscriber base by a whopping 145%. The only carrier to come close was Omnipoint, which trailed at 88%.

In addition to subscriber growth, the company's coverage grew from 110 million POPs to 170 million in one year, said Andrew Sukawaty, Sprint PCS president & COO. Sukawaty attributes the increase in subscribers to this geographic growth, strong marketing and nationwide pricing plans. Sprint PCS' Free & Clear Plans, nationwide service plans that let customers call from anywhere on the network for one price, include free long-distance calls anywhere in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These plans make up the bulk of its sales.

"A broad-based consumer market wants to use the phone the same way wherever they go, not just within a city or region, but within the country," he said. "The national drum is being beat and is getting very loud, and consumers are hearing it and are receptive."

With growth, however, came challenges.

"Did we have issues? Sure," he said. "Did we have Christmas holidays when we were deluged with more sales than we expected, and did we have backup at our customer-care operation and not enough seats? Yes. Did we fix it and fix it quickly? Yeah, we did. Did we have a city where we sold double what we thought we were going to sell and a short-term capacity issue? Yeah. Did we address that issue quickly? Yes. We added capacity as quickly as we could get it in. We made the investment."

Sprint PCS' adaptability could be its saving grace as customers who crave a flat-rate pricing plan are becoming dissatisfied with some carriers' "national" coverage and capacity. Customers have recently criticized AT&T Wireless, for instance, for dropped calls and poor coverage, despite its aggressive Digital One Rate marketing campaign. Sukawaty said Sprint PCS has not run into the same problems because its strengths were right for a nationwide flat-rate pricing campaign. Some strengths are the voice quality associated with CDMA technology, resulting in its clarity message; service in the top 50 cities, which created its nationwide theme; and a large network with a lot of capacity.

"The proposition we put in the marketplace was very much keyed to our strengths as a company. If you look across the board to some carriers who have not grown as fast, a lot of them are promoting things just to match the other guy that are, in fact, their weaknesses," he said. "When you are a cellular carrier who has congestion in a city, and you go out with a big bundled minute plan, that is playing to your own weaknesses."

ALL FOR ONE? MAYBE.Launching anything nationally in an efficient, coordinated way is an enormous challenge for any carrier. In its first year of operations, Sprint PCS launched city after city with different propositions in each. Today, the company executes everything in a coordinated way across the country.

"I think that has really shown that we have tackled the logistical issue in a big way," he said.

Logistics become a bit tricky when you are involved with affiliates. As of February, Sprint PCS had signed 16 affiliates representing licensed PCS coverage of more than 45 million people in 30 states. Sukawaty said this agreement is different from other affiliations because it offers independent companies a long-term business. Sprint PCS does not own any part of the business, but it does require each affiliate to construct an all-digital CDMA network, the majority of which will operate on the PCS licenses owned by Sprint PCS. Each company operates and markets its network as Sprint PCS service, leveraging Sprint PCS' branding, marketing and distribution programs. The deal appeals to long-term players, including telephone and utility companies.

"We don't do what some of the other deals do. We don't have buy-out rights in the fifth year and force them to sell it to us or own a piece of the company and sit on the board and second-guess their business decisions," he said.

The affiliations were complicated to put together on the front-end, Sukawaty said, and Sprint PCS still is pulling together many of the elements. Each affiliate's culture is different, and it takes awhile to decide what parts of the business to standardize.

Although Sprint PCS' affiliations cover 45 million people, they make up a small percentage of its overall subscriber base. Of the top 100 cities in the United States, Sprint PCS covers 80% of the POPs with its own homegrown network. Affiliations cover between 10% and 15%, and roaming agreements cover approximately 5%. The company will build out any rural areas where it can't get roaming agreements.

FALSE ADVERTISING? NO.Competitors have criticized Sprint PCS for touting a 100% digital, 100% PCS nationwide wireless network since it offers some analog roaming, but Sukawaty said the words it uses to describe its service are accurate.

"Most of the packages we are promoting are on-network; they are not off-network. The customer has the option to use the off-network," he said. "We are very clear about it. The customer has to go through multiple steps to use the analog when they buy a dual-mode phone, so I believe we have been straight with customers, and our customer feedback says we have been straight with the customers. We would do it different if our tests showed that our customers were being confused by that."

Industry skeptics also have questioned whether national flat-rate pricing is profitable. Sukawaty pointed out that AT&T's Digital One Rate is not profitable because the company subsidizes off-network minutes. If customers are heavy off-network users, that is a lot of subsidizing. Sprint PCS offers a good rate for on-network minutes and does not subsidize the off-network minutes.

"If you believe that your customers are going to spend most of their time where you build your system, then that should be a better proposition for you and the customer," he said.

Now that it has achieved the top place in subscriber growth, the company hopes to hit another goal. Sukawaty wants to be No. 1 in revenue growth. The market is starting to segment, and the company is getting picky about its customers. People who use the phone only for safety are not its target.

"We try to offer value packages for people who like to talk," he said. "That can happen over time, due to the value and strength of our marketing proposition, but also due to the strength of our network."

To get there, the company's strategy for the rest of 1999 is "sell like hell." Sukawaty called 2Q99 the quiet before the storm. April, May and June brought advances in the business market, and the rest of the year is aimed at consumers. Look for more segmented offers, including some niche offerings that will answer the demand for stylish phones and accessories. Consumers have started to take their phones personally, Sukawaty said, and no company can get away with all-black sets of phones.

"Style is very hard to predict, and the soft part is not well understood by a lot of telcos. They think it is all functionality driven. We know phones are going smaller, but style is anybody's guess," he said.

Where Sprint PCS will land next year is anybody's guess, too. Despite the fact that it grew its subscriber base faster than any other carrier, it still has a long way to go to reach AT&T Wireless' number one position on the Top 25 list. At number nine, Sprint PCS moved up only two places from last year. Is Sukawaty worried? No.

"If you are growing faster than anyone else, it is only a matter of time," he said.

1. AT&T WIRELESS (1998: 1)Subscribers: 10.18 million -- Revenue: $1.56 billion -- Service in: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV -- Technology: TDMA 800MHz and 1.9GHz -- Ticker Symbol: T (NYSE) -- Web Site: www.attws.com -- Subscribers Added: 1.08 million

ANALYST PERSPECTIVEAT&T Wireless has several strong advantages over other carriers, including its strong nationwide brand name, its large coverage area, and that it was the first to market with a flat-rate pricing plan, which affected the entire industry.

Because AT&T Wireless attracted so many new subscribers with its flat-rate plans, its capacity is challenged. Subscribers in some markets are having difficulty completing calls during peak hours. AT&T Wireless is working hard to keep up with capacity demands, but due to equipment-supply problems, capacity may be an issue for a while. AT&T Wireless needs to keep its customers updated on its progress in improving capacity in order to prevent churn.

The carrier has opportunities to provide integrated services to high-end corporate users and to use its vast service offerings (Internet, long distance, cellular/PCS, paging and satellite air-phones) to provide bundled offerings to high-end users.

2. VODAFONE AIRTOUCH (1998: 2)Subscribers: 8.7 million -- Revenue: $1.05 billion -- Service in: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, ID, IN, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NM, NV, OH, OR, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WY -- Technology: CDMA 800MHz and 1.9GHz, TDMA 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: VOD (NYSE) -- Web Site: www.airtouch.com -- Subscribers Added: 1.4 million -- Pending: Purchase of CommNet Cellular

ANALYST PERSPECTIVEAirTouch merged with Vodafone this year, but it is doubtful the Vodafone name will help AirTouch with nationwide brand recognition. However, AirTouch does have a strong brand name in the PacTel region.

AirTouch Vodafone must overcome some weaknesses, including its slow roll-out of digital services, the fact that it is a regional player and its limited availability of bundled services.

Other challenges facing AirTouch are competition from AT&T Wireless and Sprint PCS, price competition from cheaper carriers, and competition from carriers that extensively have rolled out digital services, which provide better voice quality.

3. SBC WIRELESS (1998: 3) (includes brands Southwestern Bell Wireless, Pacific Bell Wireless, SNET Wireless, Nevada Bell Wireless and Cellular One)Subscribers: 7.2 million -- Revenue: $1.1 billion -- Service in: AR, CA, CT, DC, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, MO, NV, NY, OK, TX, VA, WV -- Technology: GSM 1.9GHz, TDMA 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: XTS (NYSE) -- Web Site: www.sbc.com -- Subscribers Added: 1.2 million -- Pending: Merger with Ameritech

ANALYST PERSPECTIVESBC Wireless made an excellent decision to keep the separate companies' brand names in their various regions, since they already are recognized in these regions. SBC has grown its subscriber base successfully through all of the acquisitions. Now it needs to focus on increasing its penetration in its wireless markets.

SBC Wireless has a great opportunity to provide a strong bundled service to target high-end users. However, it must be able to win customers despite competition from Sprint PCS and AT&T Wireless in many of its regions.

4. BELL ATLANTIC MOBILE (1998: 4)Subscribers: 6.4 million -- Revenue: $908 million -- Service in: CT, GA, MA, MD, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, WA -- Technology: CDMA 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: BEL (NYSE) -- Web Site: www.bam.com -- Subscribers Added: 700,000 -- Pending: Merger with GTE

ANALYST PERSPECTIVEBell Atlantic Mobile's (BAM's) brand name is relatively strong across the nation and extremely well-known in its RBOC region. The carrier also has a high percentage of digital subscribers and a churn rate well below the industry average.

Like SBC, BAM will find tough competition from AT&T Wireless and Sprint PCS, which bring strong brand names, and it faces price competition from lower-priced players. In addition, BAM faces challenges because it is only a regional player.

5. BELLSOUTH MOBILE SYSTEMS (1998: 5)Subscribers: 5.01 million -- Revenue: $701 million -- Service in: AL, CA, FL, GA, IN, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA -- Technology: GSM 1.9GHz, TDMA 800MHz and 1.9GHz -- Ticker Symbol: BLS (NYSE) -- Web Sites: www.bellsouthmobility.com, www.bellsouthdcs.com -- Subscribers Lost: 290,000 (due to property sales)

ANALYST PERSPECTIVEBellSouth has a relatively strong brand name nationwide and an extremely strong brand name in its region. The largest problem that it faces is three of its markets use GSM, making roaming impossible for TDMA customers. Although it is a regional player, it will have to compete with national players in most of its markets.

BellSouth has an opportunity to provide bundled services and use its strong brand name to attract high-end users in its region.

6. GTE WIRELESS (1998: 6)Subscribers: 4.9 million -- Revenue: $714 million -- Service in: AL, CA, FL, HI, IA, IL, IN, KY, NC, NM, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA -- Technology: CDMA 800MHz and 1.9GHz -- Ticker Symbol: GTE (NYSE) -- Web Site: www.gte.com -- Subscribers Added: 261,000 -- Pending: Merger with BAM

ANALYST PERSPECTIVEGTE Wireless' brand name is a true strength over some other players. However, its coverage area is not contiguous. Also, GTE Wireless still has a relatively large percentage of analog users. GTE Wireless has opportunities to offer bundled services, but has not done so yet. In addition, it should concentrate on promoting its digital service and value-added services to increase its revenues.

7. ALLTEL (1998: 7)Subscribers: 4.2 million -- Revenue: $582.8 million -- Service In: AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, NC, NE, NM, NV, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV -- Technology: CDMA 800MHz and 1.9GHz, AMPS 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: AT (NYSE) -- Web Site: www.alltel.com -- Subscribers Added: 500,000

ANALYST PERSPECTIVEBefore Alltel can gain considerable market share and move up in the ranking, it needs to educate its prospects and customers about the Alltel brand. Alltel also should revise some of its mediocre rate plans and offer new and innovative value-added services to be more competitive with other carriers in the market. AT&T Wireless, Sprint PCS and low-rate carriers will continue to threaten Alltel's growth.

8. AMERITECH CELLULAR SERVICES (1998: 8)Subscribers: 3.7 million -- Revenue: Proprietary -- Service in: HI, IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, OH, WI -- Technology: CDMA 800MHz and 1.9GHz -- Ticker Symbol: AIT (NYSE) -- Web Site: www.ameritech.com -- Subscribers Added: 200,000 -- (This information was compiled during pending review of Ameritech's merger with SBC.)

ANALYST PERSPECTIVEOnce Ameritech's merger with SBC is finalized, it will have one of the largest wireless footprints in the United States. The carrier's brand equity is low in markets outside of the Ameritech region, and only mediocre within its region. Ameritech should not spend money improving its brand equity because it is unknown which brand will be used to market services if the merger is completed.

9. SPRINT PCS (1998: 11)Subscribers: 3.35 million -- Revenue: $604 million -- Service in: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV -- Technology: CDMA 1.9GHz -- Ticker Symbol: PCS (NYSE) -- Web Site: www.sprintpcs.com -- Subscribers Added: 1.98 million

ANALYST PERSPECTIVESprint PCS moved up from number 11 last year, due to subscriber growth spurred by its flat-rate pricing plans. Sprint had an excellent 4Q98, gaining 836,000 subscribers in one quarter, an industry record.

Sprint PCS also has excelled because it has added many new markets during the past year. In addition, it is working on making the Washington, DC, market CDMA, which will allow these customers to roam into other Sprint PCS markets, and vice-versa. Sprint PCS has great opportunities to increase penetration in its markets and to offer bundled services to attract more high-end users.

10. NEXTEL (1998: 9)Subscribers: 3.15 million -- Revenue: $663.8 million -- Service in: AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WY -- Technology: iDEN, SMR -- Ticker Symbol: NXTL (NASDAQ) -- Web Site: www.nextel.com -- Subscribers Added: 358,000

ANALYST PERSPECTIVENextel did a good job in expanding its coverage areas to most major cities in the United States. With this expansive coverage area, its service is becoming more appealing to consumers, in addition to business users. The best way to attract consumer users was to offer cellular-only rate plans that did not include direct-connect minutes. This way, potential customers who see Nextel only as a cellular or PCS service can buy Nextel service as if it were cellular or PCS.

The marketing challenge for Nextel is to ensure that potential and current subscribers realize the value of its unique product offering. It could increase its share by targeting its distribution channels to consumers, improving coverage, providing a variety of end-user devices and clearly articulating the value of an integrated service offering.

11. U.S. CELLULAR (1998: 10)Subscribers: 2.4 million -- Revenue: $315.2 million -- Service in: CA, FL, GA, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, MA, ME, MO, NC, NH, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV -- Technology: CDMA and TDMA 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: USM (AMEX) -- Web Site: www.uscellular.com -- Subscribers Added: 478,000

12. PRIMECO PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS (1998: 14)Subscribers: 1.1 million -- Revenue: Proprietary -- Service in: AL, FL, IL, LA, TX, VA, WI -- Technology: CDMA 1.9GHz -- Ticker Symbol: Joint venture of VOD and BEL (NYSE) -- Web Site: www.primeco.com -- Subscribers Added: 400,000 -- Pending: Property division by Bell Atlantic Mobile and Vodafone AirTouch

13. WESTERN WIRELESS (1998: 13)Subscribers: 695,500 -- Revenue: $115.9 Million -- Service in: AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, KS, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, SD, TX, UT, WY -- Technology: 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: WWCA (NASDAQ) -- Web Site: www.wwireless.com -- Subscribers Lost: 100,400 (Due to split from VoiceStream)

14. CENTURYTEL (1998: 17)Subscribers: 639,000 -- Revenue: $98.5 million -- Service in: AR, LA, MI, MS, TX, WI -- Technology: TDMA 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: CTL (NYSE) -- Web Site: www.centurytel.com -- Subscribers Added: 55,071

15. OMNIPOINT COMMUNICATIONS (1998: 23)Subscribers: 478,000 -- Revenue: $69.7 million -- Service in: CT, DE, FL, IN, MA, MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI -- Technology: GSM 1.9GHz -- Ticker Symbol: OMPT (NASDAQ) -- Web Site: www.omnipoint.com -- Subscribers Added: 223,000 -- Pending: Merger with VoiceStream Wireless

16. VOICESTREAM WIRELESS (1998: -)Subscribers: 450,000 -- Revenue: $55.9 million -- Service in: AZ, CO, HI, IA, ID, KS, NM, OK, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY -- Technology: GSM 1.9GHz -- Ticker Symbol: VSTR (NASDAQ) -- Web Site: www.voicestream.com -- Subscribers Lost: 345,900 (Due to split from Western Wireless) -- Pending: Merger with Omnipoint

17. CENTENNIAL COMMUNICATIONS (1998: 21)Subscribers: 426,700 -- Revenue: $98 million -- Service in: AZ, CA, IN, LA, MI, MS, OH, PR, TX -- Technology: TDMA 800MHz, CDMA 1.9GHz -- Ticker Symbol: CYCL (NASDAQ) -- Web Site: www.centennialcom.com -- Subscribers Added: 72,066

18. FRONTIER CELLULAR (1998: 20)Subscribers: 425,000 -- Revenue: $51 million -- Service in: NY -- Technology: CDMA 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: FRO (NYSE) -- Web Site: www.frontiercellular.com -- Subscribers Added: 50,000 -- Pending: Sale to BAM

19. PRICE COMMUNICATIONS (1998: 19)Subscribers: 419,000 -- Revenue: $62 million -- Service in: AL, FL, GA -- Technology: TDMA 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: PR (AMEX) -- Web Site: None -- Subscribers Added: 35,000

20. DOBSON CELLUALR SYSTEMS (1998: -)Subscribers: 381,850 -- Revenue: $68.1 million -- Service in: AZ, CA, KS, MD, MO, NY, OH, OK, PA, TX, WV -- Technology: CDMA 800MHz, TDMA 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: Private Company -- Web Site: www.dobson.net -- Subscribers Added: 230,627

21. COMMNET CELLULAR (1998: 22)Subscribers: 358,700 (managed markets) -- Revenue: $52.1 million -- Service in: CO, IA, ID, MT, ND, NM, SD, UT, WY -- Technology: 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: CELS (NASDAQ) -- Web Site: www.commnetcellular.com -- Subscribers Added: 38,224 -- Pending: Sale to Vodafone AirTouch

22. POWERTEL (1998: 25)Subscribers: 338,000 -- Revenue: $61.9 million -- Service in: AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MS, SC, TN -- Technology: GSM 1.9GHz -- Ticker Symbol: PTEL (NASDAQ) -- Web Site: www.powertel.com -- Subscribers Added: 138,000

23. AERIAL COMMUNICATIONS (1998: 24)Subscribers: 330,000 -- Revenue: $44.1 million -- Service in: FL, KS, MN, MO, OH, PA, TX, WV -- Technology: GSM 1.9GHz -- Ticker Symbol: AERL (NASDAQ) -- Web Site: www.aerial1.com -- Subscribers Added: 126,000

24. US WEST (1998: -)Subscribers: 218,000 -- Revenue: Proprietary -- Service in: AZ, CO, MN, OR, WA -- Technology: CDMA 1.9GHz -- Web Site: www.uswest.com -- Subscribers Added: 161,400

25. RURAL CELLULAR (1998: -)Subscribers: 199,900 -- Revenue: $31 million -- Service in: MA, ME, MN, ND, NH, NY, SD, VT, WI -- Technology: AMPS 800MHz, GSM 1.9GHz, TDMA 800MHz -- Ticker Symbol: RCCC (NASDAQ) -- Web Site: www.rccwireless.com -- Subscribers Added: 78,200

Some moved up; some moved down. Some dropped off, and some joined the Top 25 for the first time. New additions to the Top 25 list include Dobson Cellular Systems, Rural Cellular, US West and VoiceStream.

The Top 25 list lost Pacific Bell Wireless and SNET, since this year SBC included those subscribers in its 1Q99 subscriber numbers. Comcast merged with SBC, and Vanguard faded into AT&T Wireless.

Vodafone AirTouch, Ameritech Cellular Services, Alltel, AT&T Wireless, Bell Atlantic Mobile, BellSouth Mobile Systems, GTE Wireless, Price Communications, SBC Wireless and Western Wireless maintained their positions, while Nextel and U.S. Cellular both moved down a slot. The rest of the carriers climbed the ladder, some more than others.

Last year's Top 25 carriers have become this year's Top 23, due to several mergers and acquisitions. AT&T acquired Vanguard Cellular and assumed day-to-day management responsibility for L.A. Cellular's southern California market, while Bell Atlantic Mobile (BAM) acquired the South Carolina-8 cellular market from South Carolina Cellular.

Powertel completed the sale of its InterCel cellular division to Public Service Cellular. SBC Communications acquired Comcast Cellular and completed its merger with Southern New England Telecommunications.

Not only did Western Wireless spin off VoiceStream Wireless, but it also finalized purchase of the Brownsville and McAllen, TX, cellular markets from CenturyTel and acquired FCC authorization for the Wyoming 4 and Oklahoma 1 RSAs from EJM Cellular. In addition, Western Wireless became a 50% partner in the Cellular One Group. It, along with SBC Wireless, will own, manage and promote the Cellular One brand nationwide.

Several pending mergers could further shorten next year's Top 25 list. BAM announced it will purchase Frontier's wireless properties doing business under Frontier Cellular. The companies expect to complete the transaction by the year's end. Bell Atlantic and GTE expect to close their merger by the end of 1999 or in the first half of 2000, pending further state and federal reviews. GTE also announced it will acquire approximately half of Ameritech's wireless properties, enhancing its portfolio in the Midwest.

Vodafone AirTouch agreed to purchase CommNet, and Omnipoint announced its intention to enter into an operating partnership with NPI Wireless in North Central Michigan. In addition, VoiceStream and Omnipoint boards of directors approved a definitive agreement to merge. Hutchison Telecommunications PCS committed to make an additional cash investment of $957 million in the combined company.

As of press time, there still was no final word on SBC's merger with Ameritech, but both companies expect FCC approval any day. SBC Communications and Telefonos de Mexico agreed to acquire Cellular Communications of Puerto Rico, serving Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Cellular agreed to acquire the controlling interest in GTE Wireless's Jacksonville and Wilmington, NC, MSAs.

PrimeCo's parent companies, Bell Atlantic and Vodafone AirTouch, announced plans to divide the carrier's properties. To BAM: Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa, FL; New Orleans; and Richmond, VA. To Vodafone AirTouch: Chicago; Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, TX; and Milwaukee.