Metro PCS 2008 Annual Report Download - page 4

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During 2008, we also continued to bring our unlimited service to new
metropolitan areas as well as expanded coverage in existing areas. Early in the
year, we launched service in Las Vegas and Bakersfield, both of which
complement our existing service in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In April,
we expanded our coverage in Florida with our introduction of service in
Jacksonville. It is now possible for subscribers to drive from Jacksonville, through
Miami and all the way to Key West uninterrupted, and unlimited, on MetroPCS
service. In June, we expanded service in the Dallas / Ft. Worth metropolitan area
to include Shreveport and Bossier City. In July of 2008, we were pleased to
launch service in our first Northeast market, Philadelphia. In November of this
past year, we further expanded our coverage in the Detroit area by adding Flint,
Lansing, Saginaw and Bay City, Michigan. Recently, in early 2009, we had
concurrent launches in both the New York City and Boston metropolitan areas.
We began 2008 with 54 million covered POPs and ended 2008 with
approximately 64 million covered POPs, an increase of 19%. Including the recent
launches of service in the New York City and Boston metropolitan areas in
February of 2009, MetroPCS now provides service in areas with approximately
80 million POPs across the United States, and we see outstanding potential for
the future. Importantly, we will continue to expand coverage where appropriate,
and by the end of 2010 we project our service will be available to approximately
100 million in population.
In addition to expanding service areas, we have continued to innovate. We
continually add value to our pricing plans in order to stay competitive. During
2008 we introduced ChatLink™, a push to talk service, MetroFlash™, Loopt®, a
wireless caller name service, and MetroPCS Unlimited Nationwide(SM). These
services add to the array of services we currently offer, including premium 411,
MapQuest mobile, Facebook, plus many more. While all these services are
exciting, I would like to highlight two services we introduced in 2008.
MetroFlash™ enables consumers to use their compatible CDMA handsets on
MetroPCS' network. During these difficult economic times, MetroFlash™
eliminates the barrier of having to purchase a new handset. In November, we
introduced our MetroPCS Unlimited Nationwide(SM) service. With coverage in
more than 4,600 cities and towns in the United States, it provides an incredible
value to our subscribers as they now have the opportunity to travel and talk using
their unlimited service outside their home markets. Additionally, the availability of
this service could attract a new user segment to our service as the U.S. economy
continues to motivate consumers to seek out the greatest value for their money.
“Phones are fashion” in this competitive industry and we realize the importance
of offering handsets that consumers want. In March of 2009, we launched our
first BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone. With a full-QWERTY keyboard and
advanced multimedia capabilities, the handset is an ideal smartphone for
customers that want to stay connected and demand value, performance and
convenience. Concurrent with the BlackBerry handset launch, we also introduced