The nascent personal communi-cations services (PCS) industry has faced so many problems, it's difficult to see how it could be considered a success. News of failed service launches, bankruptcies from the C-block licensees, and antenna siting nightmares suffered by nearly every carrier, has swirled around the industry for months. Yet dozens of PCS carriers have risen above the problems to gain a solid footing in the competitive marketplace, and they are giving the incumbent cellular providers a run for their money. According to a recent report by the Strategis Group, there will be an estimated 8.2 million PCS subscribers in the United States by the end of this year. The top 50 markets all have at least one operating PCS carrier and nearly 50 markets have at least two. Many analysts predict that PCS carriers will surpass the incumbents in the number of new subscribers within the next few months.
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