Brief: Acquisitions to speed up phone service starts

Friday, Jan. 15, 1999 | 12:14 p.m.

Bellevue, Wash.-based Nextlink said it is acquiring WNP Communications for $695 million and will acquire Nextel Communications Inc.'s 50 percent interest in a joint venture called Nextband for about $137.7 million. Between the two, Nextlink will have wireless spectrum coverage of 95 percent of the top 30 markets in the United States, including Las Vegas.

Customers who sign on with Nextlink Nevada will be able to hook up to the company's fiber-optic network within a couple days instead of waiting for three to four months, said Kristy Becker, a spokeswoman for the Henderson affiliate. The system provides two-way digital distribution of multimedia -- data, voice and video -- via rooftop antennae.

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