Nextel opens new coverage areas

Nextel Communications Philippines, Inc. announced recently an aggressive coverage expansion and improvement program aimed at further strengthening its presence in key business and industrial centers in the country.

Nextel chairman Antonio Urera said the company is adding more cellsites in Metro Manila and several provinces in the Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog regions which will open new coverage areas.

Among the most important new coverage areas are the Subic Bay Special Economic Zone and Olongapo City.

Close to 50 percent of the additional cellsites will be in Metro Manila in a bid to further improve Nextel’s service in the area, Urera said.

The multi-million peso program is in response to the growing demand for Nextel’s integrated communication services particularly in high business growth areas, Urera added. He said the company will continue to focus on places with significant volumes of commercial transactions, as well as special economic zones and industrial estates.

Among these are Sta. Rosa, Cabuyao, Calamba, Binan, San Pablo and San Pedro in Laguna; Sto. Tomas, Batangas City, Lipa and Malvar in Batangas; Angeles City, Dau, Apalit, Mabalacat, San Fernando and the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga; Dasmariñas, Silang, Imus, Tagaytay City, Rosario Tanza, Trece Martires and Naic in the Cavite area; new areas in Bulacan will cover Malolos, Baliuag and Meycauayan. Likewise an improvement will be felt in Bocaue.

Urera said the expansion has been timed with the expected rebound of the economy. "We expect a significant improvement in the investment atmosphere and the resulting positive effects on business activities beginning the second quarter of this year." He said.

He said there are indicators that local businesses are gearing up for the expansion of their respective operating sales expansion which would require efficient mobile communications support.