FierceWireless: A recent LA Times article about the MetroPCS launch focuses on the gaps in MetroPCS's coverage. How are you educating new users about these gaps when they sign up for the service?
Keys: Thanks for bringing that up--honesty of coverage. We have to discern what's not covered, which is actually more important than what is covered. We deliver maps once a week to our distribution partners, who were lining up in droves to join us. We tell the consumer that if they live, work and play in the areas that are covered.We absolutely ask them to join. If they do not, then we ask them to hold off on their purchase. If by chance, they've made a bad purchase decision because they were too aggressive in their choice, we offer a money-back guarantee called "Metro Promise" that in the first 30 days of purchase or 60 minutes of use, you can bring the phone back to get a full refund. We absolutely believe in honesty and coverage for consumers, it's the thing we pride ourselves on. In every one of our launches there have been gaps. It is a phased build with phased launches, there is no other way to cover a city.
FierceWireless: So, the Northeast Corridor is the next area for deployments from MetroPCS?
Keys: Well, actually in Q2 of 2008 we will be launching in Las Vegas.
FierceWireless: Any update on the proposed deal with Leap Wireless?
Keys: You know there is nothing there right now. What's out is out and at this point we don't have any other comment on that deal right now.
FierceWireless: Next year you have plans for a lot more expansion in the Northeast-what percentage would that expand your footprint next year?
Keys: We believe we will cover 30 million to 33 million POPs with the deployment [in the Northeast Corridor, which includes New York City, Boston and Philadelphia].
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[1] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/hot-seat-metropcs-president-thomas-keys/2007-09-21