PacTel Mobile Access to Operate in Stockton

PacTel Mobile Access of Costa Mesa has received permission from the Federal Communications Commission to build and operate a cellular mobile telephone system in the Stockton area.

The permission gives PacTel, which already operates cellular systems in the Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento regions, the largest cellular network in the nation. The company currently has an estimated 50,000 customers in the state.

Before beginning service in the Stockton area, the state Public Utilities Commission must approve PacTel’s plans and the FCC must issue an operating license. The company, a subsidiary of Pacific Telesis, said it expects to begin service late this year to an estimated 1,000 customers.