Merger won’t hamper Las Vegas growth, Nextel officials say

Kevin Rademacher

Friday, March 4, 2005 | 11:10 a.m.

Nextel Communications Inc. officials said on Thursday that a little thing like a merger will not get in the way of plans to expand its Southern Nevada presence.

"Regardless of what we're going to look like in a year, we're still going to have customers," said Bob Halcrow, Nextel's vice president and general manager for Southern Nevada. "I think our plans from a building standpoint have accelerated."

In December, Nextel and Sprint, the dominant local telephone service provider in the Las Vegas Valley, announced merger plans. Under that plan, Sprint's local telephone service business is expected to be spun off in 18 markets, including Nevada.

The rapid growth in the Las Vegas area would make any delays in the wake of the merger announcement strategically impossible, Halcrow said.

"We are trying to get out in front of the building and construction," he said. "It's a challenge. I don't think it's different here that other parts of the country. The problem is the same. It's just accelerated here."

In addition to adding to system coverage, Halcrow said Nextel plans to expand its monorail coverage with a second themed train, this one promoting its NASCAR Nextel Cup Series sponsorship.