Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Report: Competition Alive In Wireless

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 15:02:33 -0400

Report: Competition Alive In Wireless
BY MARK ROCKWELL
JUNE 26, 2003

WASHINGTON -- The FCC reported today the wireless market continues to be a
competitive marvel.

'We see this as an extraordinary bright spot' in an increasingly gloomy
telecommunications market, said FCC Chairman Michael Powell at today's FCC
meeting, where the study was released.

In issuing its eighth annual report on the state of competition in Commercial
Mobile Radio Services, the commission found during 2002, 'the mobile telephone
sector generated more than $76 billion in revenues, and the number of mobile
telephone subscribers rose from 128.5 million to 141.8 million, resulting in a
nationwide penetration rate of roughly 49 percent,' said the report.

Broadband PCS and digital SMR licensees also were actively deploying networks last
year, according to the study. 'To date, 270 million people, or 95 percent of the
total U.S. population, live in counties with three or more different mobile
telephone operators, and more than 236 million people, or 83 percent of the U.S.
population, live in counties with five or more operators competing to offer
service,' according to the report.

Digital data is another growing area. About 278 million people, or 97 percent of
the total U.S. population, live in counties where operators offer digital mobile
telephone service, and digital subscribers made up about 88 percent of all mobile
telephone subscribers at the end of 2002, up from 80 percent at the end of 2001.

There was some tension surrounding the study among some commissioners, however.
Commissioner Michael Copps said he had some difficulty with how data for the study
was gathered. 'As the report states, the commission did not receive from licensees
any new data on subscribership, ARPU, usage, churn, or pricing, or maps of their
coverage areas. In other words, we asked industry to help us with our effort and
they said 'no,'' he said.

'If industry does not assist us in this effort, I believe the commission has a
responsibility to contract with outside, independent researchers,' to gather the
data, he added.

http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=newsat2direct&starting=3&pubdate=06/26/03

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