cations services primarily in selected Latin American markets. In May 2002, NII Holdings filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code, and by November of that year, had emerged from bankruptcy. Nextel's key service has been Nextel Direct Connect, the long-range wireless service that allows communication at the touch of one button. Direct Connect gives customers the ability to instantly set up a conference on either a private (one-to-one) or group (one-to-many) basis within their local calling area. In 2002, Nextel significantly improved its Direct Connect service by expanding Direct Connect nationwide, allowing any two Nextel customers to instantly contact one another from anywhere on the Nextel national network. Also in 2002, Nextel rolled out its wireless business solutions initiative, designed to address the real-time needs of its business customers. Accessible via Nextel's wireless handsets, as well as handhelds and other devices, Nextel wireless data solutions enable quick response among workers in the field and streamline operations through faster exchanges of information by integrating with corporate intranets and back-office systems. Big shots In July 2003, company president and CEO Tim Donahue was honored as a finalist for the 2003 Entrepreneur Of The Year award by Ernst & Young and was named Master Entrepreneur Of The Year at the Greater Washington awards banquet. VAULT CAREER LIBRARY 2005 Vault Inc. Vault Guide to the Top Telecom Employers Nextel Communications Perhaps as a reward, just one month later, the company announced that it had entered into a new employment agreement with Donahue, under which he will continue to lead the company until at least 2006. Uncertain future In December 2004, Nextel and Sprint tentatively agreed on key terms for a $35 billion merger that would join the two companies into the third-largest cell phone operator behind Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless, with a network of 39 million subscribers. According to the te