ELI to wire up more cities, compete against monopolies. (Electric Lightwave Inc.)

Telecommunications provider Electric Lightwave Inc. plans to expand into another two dozen cities over the next four years. And as they expand, they plan to begin offering conventional local telephone service in competition with monopoly providers such as U S West and GTE.

The company has targeted mid-sized cities in the West and Rocky Mountain states, said Susan McAdams, assistant vice president. "We're targeting places where we see economic vitality," she said. "We can't be specific just yet about which cities, but we are focusing on the West."

That does not necessarily rule out points east, however. "Our focus doesn't preclude other locations," said McAdams. …