SWB Wireless launches service locally

Digital mobile telephone customers now have another option for wireless phone service. Southwestern Bell Wireless formally launched its Springfield service Nov. 10.

Joey Suter, vice president and general manager for Southwestern Bell Wireless' greater Midwest region, said the company is excited about the opportunity to offer wireless communications to southwest Missouri customers from a name they know and trust.

"They're comfortable with the quality of service they receive from Southwestern Bell telephone company. They know when they pick up the receiver, they have a dial tone, so we're taking that to the next level," Suter said.

Southwestern Bell Wireless has a personal communication system network that's 100 percent digital, Suter said, which provides customers "the best quality in wireless communications."

"Because we're 100 percent digital, it's going to allow us to provide a better quality of signal to customers. It's the newest technology, therefore, we can carry a larger capacity of calls on our network, compared to the old, analog networks," he said. Additional services available as a result of the entirely digital PCS service include short messaging. According to Suter, short messaging is the process by which a text message can be sent over the PCS network from one phone to another.

Bill Bryan, regional marketing manager for Southwestern Bell Wireless, said the company is pleased about the network being built here for southwest Missouri customers.

"The cell-site density in this area will be remarkably thick," Bryan said.

He added that Southwestern Bell Wireless has an advantage over its competitors, because its network is designed for smaller, low-powered modern phones, while existing networks that were designed for older, larger phones have to be modified to continue clear coverage.

Another competitive advantage Southwestern Bell Wireless has, according to Suter, is its 15,000-square-mile home calling coverage area. That area includes Springfield, Joplin, Nixa, Carthage, the Kansas City area, Lake of the Ozarks, Jefferson City, Columbia and Fulton. By the end of the year, it also will include Branson, Suter said.

"If you get in your car in Springfield and head north, you will still be covered by our network by the time you reach St. Joseph. Basically, we're covering the entire western half of Missouri, that's considered local coverage for southwest Missouri customers," Suter said.

"It will be one of the largest local coverage areas offered by any wireless company in Springfield to date," he added.

Bryan said the local calling plan "allows customers to better tailor their calling plans to include only areas they need."

Prior to bringing its services to Springfield, Suter said Southwestern Bell Wireless compared southwest Missouri to other markets around the country, and found it to be underserved in terms of wireless telephone options.

Southwestern Bell Wireless' Springfield location is temporarily housed in the Hammons Tower, 901 E. St. Louis St. Bryan said the office will move in mid-December to a facility now under construction at 4160 S. Campbell Ave.

In addition to the company-owned store, Southwestern Bell Wireless' service also will be available from authorized agent locations and national retailers. A direct sales force also will call on businesses, to make services available to companies in their own offices.

"Our overriding business philosophy is customer convenience. We want to do business on our customers' terms, not ours," Suter said.

Bryan said originally, Southwestern Bell Wireless offered only regional and national plans. The regional plan covered a five-state region and the national plan covered the United States. He said response to the local plan has been excellent.

"We've increased our traffic in retail stores that we have currently, remarkably well. We're starting to generate a lot of excitement in town, and we're very happy about our progress," Bryan said.

He said Southwestern Bell Wireless will have about 40 employees total in Springfield and Joplin once operations in those cities are fully staffed. He said Springfield will be fully staffed by the end of the year, and Joplin by the end of January 2001.