NextLink Makes a Local Phone Call Here in Southland

Southern California’s already crowded telecommunications market is about to get a bit cozier.

On Thursday, Bellevue, Wash.-based NextLink Communications Inc. opens its regional corporate offices in Santa Ana and begins offering local phone service to residents in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

Dubbed NextLink California L.L.C., the company wants to grab the telecommunication dollars of the small and medium-sized business world, said President Donald Sessamen. “I think there’s always enough room for another telecommunications company, especially one that wants to redefine your telephone service,” he said.

NextLink Communications, founded by cellular communications guru Craig McCaw, has offices in 12 other markets, from Akron, Ohio, to Allentown, Pa.

In February, the company acquired Linkatel’s fiber-optic lines and expanded the network, now a 182-mile loop stretched between Irvine and Los Angeles. It plans to expand into the San Francisco and San Jose areas in September.

Like its competitors--”Pacific Bell, GTE, US West and aggressive local services”--NextLink plans to offer a range of options, from local and long-distance calling to virtual communications centers for mobile professionals.

In related news, NextLink Communications filed a registration statement Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering. The company plans to raise $184 million but has not determined how many shares of common stock it will sell or set a share price.

*

P.J. Huffstutter covers high technology for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com.