Commercial PHS service was launched on 8 March 2004 in the towns of Jal and Eunice, Lea County, New Mexico (USA) by LEACO Communications in cooperation with Stellar Holdings. LEACO is an incumbent local exchange carrier based in Lovington, New Mexico and is offering competitive local exchange service in Jal and Eunice. In comparison to the standard wire line service offered by the incumbent local exchange carrier, LEACO is offering a combination of fixed and limited mobile service to subscribers in the towns. In converting customers from the incumbent wire line carrier to the new service, LEACO has provided Fixed Service Units in the subscribers' homes to connect to their existing home wiring allowing them to use their existing telephones. They also offer mobile Personal Stations that can travel anywhere in town as cordless extensions of the home telephone. Subscribers can have both their home phone and cordless phone ring together as extensions on the same number using standard software on the local exchange switch.

The new PHS system was attractive to LEACO as it works with their existing wire line switch in Hobbs, New Mexico, appearing to the existing network as a traditional Digital Loop Carrier (DLC) system connected using GR303 on T1, the North American DLC standard interface. This allows them to offer all of their custom calling features from their existing switching system using their existing voice mail and billing systems to serve their customers. Using PAS (UTStarcom's PHS system) to serve their expanded market allowed them to quickly go into service without incurring the cost of extending wire all through their new territories. It also allowed them to offer their subscribers the option of having additional cordless extensions of their home line that work anywhere in town, as well as in other nearby towns.

As of the first week, LEACO was adding new subscribers to their system as quickly as the existing carrier could reassign the subscribers' phone numbers from their service to LEACO's.

Eunice, New Mexico

US Map Showing Jal and Eunice, NM