After testing the Augusta market since March, wireless phone company Nextel Partners Inc. is coming out.
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The cellular and two-way communications provider today went public with its plan to extend regional service to the Augusta-Aiken metro area.
The Kirkland, Wash.-based company is opening a sales office and retail store inside the Shoppes at WestTown center at 3836 Washington Road. Nextel said the locations will employ about 15 people.
The retail store, which is expected to be open by early June, will cater to walk-in consumer traffic. The sales office will market Nextel's cellular and digital walkie-talkie services to the company's core clientele: corporate customers.
"Our focus has primarily been business-to-business," said Lee Potter, the general manager of the Augusta Nextel offices. "But we're also starting to move into consumer markets."
Nextel's "four-in-one" wireless service bundles national two-way radio, digital cellular, text messaging and wireless Internet services on a single phone using Motorola's integrated digital enhanced-network technology.
The company, which has 15 authorized dealers in the Augusta-Aiken area, plans to market the four-in-one service to businesses with a mobile work force, such as heating and air conditioning contractors, public works departments and transportation companies.
Today's launch coincides with the donation of six walkie-talkie phones and one year of service to the Richmond County Sheriff's Office
The walkie-talkie service, which Nextel calls Direct Connect, is similar to what Southern Co.'s Southern Linc offers on a regional basis. The two-way service allows company employees to contact each other without dialing a number, using cellular minutes or incurring long-distance charges.
"It's really a great business tool," Mr. Potter said.
Nextel Partners is one-third owned by Reston, Va.-based wireless company Nextel Communications, which provides Nextel brand service in major markets. Nextel Partners provides the service to small- and medium-sized markets.
Nextel Partners is licensed to operate in 31 states and has about 900,000 subscribers.
Reach Damon Cline at (706) 823-3486 or damon.cline@augustachronicle.com.
