Nextel

Nextel Communications is a telecommunications firm based in the United States which provides a national mobile communications system. Unlike other cellular operators, Nextel utilizes the specialized mobile radio band (SMR) and was one of the first operators in the United States to offer a national digital cellular coverage footprint.

It has over 11 million U.S. subscribers, and as of 2003, claims to serve "198 of the top 200 U.S. markets."

Nextel also offers pre-paid services through the Boost Mobile brand, currently available in 15 states.

The company works closely with a single vendor, Motorola, on both equipment and standards. The close relationship has yielded the iDEN protocol which uses time division multiple access (TDMA) technology. Some of Nextel's unique features include its push to talk feature, which simulates the half-duplex operation of a two-way radio. A downside of this sole-source and proprietary standard has been a lack of innovation in handset size and weight, compared to mobile telephony industry trends.

Nextel has a huge advantage in the US push to talk industry, though in 2003 Verizon Wireless and Sprint PCS have each launched a push to talk feature and other cell phone providers have announced plans to launch similar half-duplex features. Nextel and Verizon entered into a legal battle in June of 2003 over Verizon's advertising for their push to talk feature. The companies reached a settlement Februrary 13th, 2004.

Nextel announced plans in 2003 for its next generation, or 3G offerings. It will use an extension to iDEN called WiDEN, also from Motorola.

History

FleetCall was founded in 1987 and changed its name to Nextel Communications in 1993. In 1995, wireless pioneer Craig McCaw became a significant investor in the company.

In 2003, Nextel and stock car racing organizer NASCAR announced a sponsorship agreement by which NASCAR's top racing series would be called the Nextel Cup starting in 2004. Many NASCAR fans are outraged at how NASCAR has changed since Nextel began to sponsor the sport.