On the Line with Sprint PCS's President

Charles Levine talks about the wireless industry's fortunes, in terms of growth, technology, and consolidation

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March 27, 2002 at 5:00 AM UTC

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During the past five years, no wireless carrier has grown as fast as Sprint PCS (PCS ). The Kansas City (Mo.) company has led the industry in subscriber growth for 14 consecutive quarters, adding more than 1.1 million new subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2001. With more than 13.5 million subscribers, Sprint PCS is the fourth-largest carrier in the U.S., behind Verizon Wireless (VZ ), Cingular Wireless, and AT&T Wireless (AWE ).

Even so, Sprint's future is cloudy. Despite its speedy growth, it's losing money -- some $1.3 billion last year -- and its debt is mounting. The result: Investors have bailed. From its peak in 2000, Sprint PCS's stock has plunged 85%, to about $10.50 a share (see BW Online, 3/13/02, "Why Sprint PCS Could Pick Up Speed").