Vanguard Cellular Systems, Inc. was a
mobile phone
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
carrier with headquarters in
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...
. It was the largest independent non-wireline cellular carrier in the 1990s. It was acquired by
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
in 1999.
History
In September 1982, the company Collins, Hagel, and Clarke was formed by Bill Collins, Don Clarke, Dave Smith, and
Chuck Hagel
Charles Timothy Hagel ( born October 4, 1946)[AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...]
.
Operations
Vanguard Cellular Systems operated cellular systems in Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida and owned interests in other systems throughout the United States and internationally.
Orlandosentinel.com: Vanguard Cellular Systems
/ref> Vanguard initially deployed the analog Nortel
Nortel Networks Corporation (Nortel), formerly Northern Telecom Limited, was a Canadian multinational telecommunications and data networking equipment manufacturer headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in Montreal, Quebec, ...
AMPS technology, and later migrated to the TDMA-based Digital AMPS (D-AMPS) technology.
Founders
There were three founders of Vanguard: Haynes Griffin, Rich Preyer and Steve Leeolou.
Founder Steven R. Leeolou is now CEO at Conterra Ultra Broadband in Charlotte, NC which employs several former Vanguard employees. Haynes Griffin, founding CEO of Vanguard, has been active in several telecom businesses. He is the currently chairman and CEO of SmartSky Networks which is deploying a nationwide air to ground wireless network to serve the aviation industry. He is also chairman and CEO of Greensboro-based Insect Shield, which makes insect repellent apparel. Rich Preyer, the third Founder, has been a very meaningful leader in area activities.
See also
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References
Defunct mobile phone companies of the United States
AT&T
Defunct companies based in North Carolina
Companies based in Greensboro, North Carolina
Telecommunications companies established in 1984
Technology companies disestablished in 1999
1984 establishments in North Carolina
1999 disestablishments in North Carolina
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