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Feb. 23, 2010

Sprint again repeated yesterday that it doesn't anticipate any more job cuts for 2010. But things aren't so good for other people employed in the wireline segment, as Verizon Communications says it plans to cut another 13,060 jobs in the U.S. before the year is over.

Sprint, which cut about 2,500 employees in the fourth quarter of 2009 and a significant number of employees earlier in January, said it thinks it has completed its employee reduction program for 2010.

At the same time, mobile satellite operator Globalstar also let a few employees go as the company is trying to operate more efficiently.

Globalstar cut two executive positions: Steven Bell, senior vice president of North American and European Sales Operations, and Robert Miller, Senior vice president of Engineering and Ground Operations, are no longer employed at the company.

Globalstar added that it will also let go a number of other employees but didn't announce the number of positions cut, however. Globalstar said it is the largest MMS provider, with more than 375,000 customers in 120 countries.

Globalstar CEO Peter Dalton says “these changes will also tie management ac“After analyzing our company's operational decision-making processes, we are consolidating our staff in order to better streamline our business and help us reach financial stability. These changes will also tie management accountability with responsibility as we bring to market new consumer retail products and services and prepare to launch our second-generation satellite constellation beginning this summer.”

For its part, Verizon said it is still seeing economic pressures in its landline business.

“The signs of recovery are very slow,” said Verizon Communications CFO John Killian, who said the company will believe the economy is recovering when it sees a return to hiring at large companies.

Verizon Communications said it cut about 13,120 employees in its landline business last year, with about 5,040 of those cuts in November and December.

About 4,000 job cuts came from integrating its Alltel acquisition that closed in June 2009.

Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said the company will make between 30 and 40 percent of its job cuts in the first four to six months of 2010 and another heavy concentration in the fourth quarter of the year.

Seidenberg also noted that the company cut 13,200 jobs in 2008, as well.

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Source: Sprint Nextel, Globalstar and Verizon Communications.