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AT&T Wireless
has put new face
on local operations

The company has shuffled
about 90 positions since buying
Honolulu Cellular in August

By Tim Ruel
Star Bulletin

Since taking over the former Honolulu Cellular Telephone Co., AT&T Wireless Services said it has changed about 90 positions at the company, largely replacing administrative personnel with call center employees, assistant managers and credit checkers.

"We have done a lot of reorganizing," said Gil Mendelson, general manager and vice president for AT&T Wireless in Hawaii, which bought Honolulu Cellular in August.

Mendelson did not provide an exact number of total layoffs, but said only a few employees left the company. He said total AT&T Wireless employees in Hawaii have remained about the same as two years ago, just under 300.

Since the purchase of the state's oldest and largest wireless telephone business, AT&T Wireless has shifted most Hawaii-based finance, purchasing, marketing and billing jobs to central mainland locations to improve efficiency, Mendelson said.

For example, AT&T Wireless cut local marketing staff to two positions from seven, resulting in three layoffs, one worker relocating to a mainland position, and the other three shifting to new jobs at AT&T Wireless in Hawaii.

At the same time, AT&T Wireless increased jobs at its Western regional call center in Mililani to 45 employees from 20, Mendelson said. Call centers employ people to field telephone calls from customers. The company is still hiring in that department.

The company also created new assistant manager positions at all 15 local retail stores, which changed their names to AT&T Wireless Services in May.

AT&T Wireless Services is part of a nationwide wireless network wholly owned by New York-based AT&T Corp.