"Unless they want to wind up in the buggy whip business, they had better get more cellular franchises."

In every cellular market, there are two cellular franchises.

The regional telephone company owns cellular franchises in the United States that have about 30 million potential customers.

He has spent more than $1 billion acquiring cellular franchises.

The company attributed much of its success to its booming cellular franchise.

But in the last year, the number of cellular franchises for sale has soared.

The cellular franchise for Mexico City has already been awarded.

By comparison, cellular franchises in the United States have been bid up to $150 to $300 an inhabitant, he said.

Each of these licenses will cover 30 megahertz, a bit more spectrum than is now offered to an existing cellular franchise.

And local telephone companies, which all own cellular franchises as well, face the prospect of more competition in their core wired business.