In the wake of the US Federal Communications Commission’s decision on the mechanics of the auctioning of frequencies for the planned US Personal Communications Services business, MCI Communications Corp told Reuter it had redrawn some of its plans for building a seamless US-wide radio network with a host of partners. It says its goal has not changed, but it might now join with larger companies to create the network, and might also pursue an alliance with a Specialised Mobile Radio provider such as Nextel Communications Inc – a move that would certainly enhance the value of Scottish oil minnow Pittencrief Plc’s Pittencrieff Communications Inc affiliate. MCI says it has a vision for Personal Communications Services to be a complete system so that at home, at the office, on vacation, wherever in a nationwide environment, users will be able to communicate anywhere, anytime and at a reasonable cost. The reason that MCI is having to recast its plans is that the Federal Communications Commission decided against MCI’s idea of awarding any national licences, so that anyone wanting to go national will have to bid separately in each designated market. MCI already has a relationship with Nextel: the Specialised Mobile Radio operator is using MCI’s long-distance network for all its calls.
