What will USCC do with all of their towers? (update on 2nd page!!)

[shaferz]

As I am in Central IL, we are in an area where Sprint purchased 'spectrum' from USC.  As I understand it, USC customers in this area were more or less told that they would need to switch providers.

 

We are fairly rural here.  2-3 years back, USC put up a tower in nearly every down in this area.  These are actual USC towers and not owned by one of the tower companies.

 

My question is:  Will USC service simply be 'stopped' in this area?  If so, what will they do with the towers?

 

My home is located in a town without a Sprint tower, but has a USC tower.  Multiple Sprint subscribers here have called to complain and express the need for a Sprint tower here, and the last few that have called have suggested the USC tower (as they were presuming USC would no longer be needing it.)  Each call (from what I am told) had the Sprint rep acting very interested - actually asking for the exact street address and/or GPS coordinates of the USC tower location.

 

Everyone has read the numerous press releases and stuff regarding the USC/Sprint deal, and they generally all say that Sprint is not aquiring the towers, and if that is the case... WTF is USC going to do with the towers? 

[WiWavelength]

We are fairly rural here.  2-3 years back, USC put up a tower in nearly every down in this area.  These are actual USC towers and not owned by one of the tower companies.

Are you sure that USCC is the owner of record for all of these actual tower structures? What verification do you have?

 

Everyone has read the numerous press releases and stuff regarding the USC/Sprint deal, and they generally all say that Sprint is not aquiring the towers, and if that is the case... WTF is USC going to do with the towers?

Financially, USCC has been performing poorly in its PCS 1900 MHz only markets in Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. That is the reason why it decided to exit those markets. And USCC may very well have overextended itself in your area with insufficient subscriber uptake. Regardless, any infrastructure that can be sold will be sold. The rest may be written off.

 

AJ

[shaferz]

Are you sure that USCC is the owner of record for all of these actual tower structures? What verification do you have?

 

Financially, USCC has been performing poorly in its PCS 1900 MHz only markets in Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. That is the reason why it decided to exit those markets. And USCC may very well have overextended itself in your area with insufficient subscriber uptake. Regardless, any infrastructure that can be sold will be sold. The rest may be written off.

 

AJ

 

Yes, I am positive.  The 3 towers in question have registrations & permits that say:

 

 

Owner Company: UNITED STATES CELLULAR CORPORATION Contact: Not Recorded Phone: **register_for_full_phone** Email: **register_for_full_email**@USCELLULAR.COM Attn: RENEE MAZUR - 8831534 MW/JJ Address: 8410 W. BRYN MAWR AVE #700

CHICAGO, IL, 60631

 

 

Your last few sentences that say "Regardless, any infrastructure that can be sold will be sold. The rest may be written off."  is exactly what I presumed and hoped would happen.  The other two big players (VZW/ATT) already have tower space here, so the hope was that if enough people call Sprint and push the issue - they would hopefully work, at minimum, to lease space on the US Cellular tower... who could then sell the tower to American Tower or SBA Towers.

[lilotimz]

Plans call for all USCC gear to be uninstalled, packaged, and shipped back to warehouses to be accounted for and then sent back out west for LTE deployments and equipment replacement. Any towers owned by USCC will also be decommissioned and sold off to a tower company.

 

Note - vast majority of USCC sell out area towers have AAV, Fiber, or Microwave deployed and vacant if Sprint decides to colocate. 

[WiWavelength]

...so the hope was that if enough people call Sprint and push the issue - they would hopefully work, at minimum, to lease space on the US Cellular tower... who could then sell the tower to American Tower or SBA Towers.

 

That is likely wishful thinking.  If USCC was unable to make serving your area at high density financially sustainable, then Sprint may not either.  This is why we caution the buildout hawks who want Sprint to expand its rural footprint.  What looks good on a coverage map may not look good on the bottom line because it is not guaranteed to attract a sufficient number of new subs or even to retain existing subs.

 

AJ

[The Dave]

Maybe they could convert the towers into a zip line adventure over the corn fields and cow pastures. That might bring some much needed revenue and growth. Perhaps then Sprint might see it as a newly emerging market to expand into.

[Yuhfhrh]

Maybe they could convert the towers into a zip line adventure over the corn fields and cow pastures. That might bring some much needed revenue and growth. Perhaps then Sprint might see it as a newly emerging market to expand into.

 

I feel like I have had a dream about this before.  

[lilotimz]

Maybe they could convert the towers into a zip line adventure over the corn fields and cow pastures. That might bring some much needed revenue and growth. Perhaps then Sprint might see it as a newly emerging market to expand into.

 

[WiWavelength]

Maybe they could convert the towers into a zip line adventure over the corn fields and cow pastures. That might bring some much needed revenue and growth. Perhaps then Sprint might see it as a newly emerging market to expand into.

 

Oh yeah, hit all that fresh nar.  Shaka bra!

 

AJ

[dedub]

farcry 3 was fun climbing up those towers and ziplining down

[Fraydog]

I'm sympathetic because I live in an area where there's no Sprint coverage. That said, if Sprint can't make coverage out in certain areas where coverage is not extended, then what happens when service is shut down on USCC's towers? Is it expected customers just transfer to Verizon or AT&T?

[Rocket87]

I'm sympathetic because I live in an area where there's no Sprint coverage. That said, if Sprint can't make coverage out in certain areas where coverage is not extended, then what happens when service is shut down on USCC's towers? Is it expected customers just transfer to Verizon or AT&T?

 

The buy out was not about the customers it was the spectrum. They probably don't care since these people live where sprint has no coverage so there is no over head in that area and it's not like sprint is losing these people since they were never sprint customers.

 

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 4

 

 

[bcltoys]

Chop them down with and axe.

[WiWavelength]

Is it expected customers just transfer to Verizon or AT&T?

 

Probably so.  USCC is basically saying to these subs, "Hey, we're outta here.  You can go with Sprint.  Otherwise, you're on your own."

 

AJ

[shaferz]

That is likely wishful thinking.  If USCC was unable to make serving your area at high density financially sustainable, then Sprint may not either.  This is why we caution the buildout hawks who want Sprint to expand its rural footprint.  What looks good on a coverage map may not look good on the bottom line because it is not guaranteed to attract a sufficient number of new subs or even to retain existing subs.

 

AJ

 

Yep... agree.  I'm not suggesting that Sprint plops equipment on every USCC tower in the affected areas.  There is actually a fair amount of overlap when it comes to USCC and Sprint in this this general area, but my specific area/zip code is one that is seriously lacking.

 

Do I think Sprint would be able to grow subs if they placed Equipment on a tower here?  Absolutely.  Do I think sprint would be able to retain subs who are considering jumping ship to a different provider?  Absolutely.  I obviously cant place any hard numbers on them (market research is not my specialty) - but I do think Sprint could gain some traction here if they actually had reliable service.

 

I'll continue to sit here and cross my fingers and complain on a weekly basis to Sprint - and hope to hell they come through.   

[Cubbiefan82]

Yep... agree.  I'm not suggesting that Sprint plops equipment on every USCC tower in the affected areas.  There is actually a fair amount of overlap when it comes to USCC and Sprint in this this general area, but my specific area/zip code is one that is seriously lacking.

 

Do I think Sprint would be able to grow subs if they placed Equipment on a tower here?  Absolutely.  Do I think sprint would be able to retain subs who are considering jumping ship to a different provider?  Absolutely.  I obviously cant place any hard numbers on them (market research is not my specialty) - but I do think Sprint could gain some traction here if they actually had reliable service.

 

I'll continue to sit here and cross my fingers and complain on a weekly basis to Sprint - and hope to hell they come through.   

They could use 800, that is a nationwide license. We have found that 800 can gp a long ways, but the problem come can they make enough money off the tower with fiber costing 1,000 to 1,500 a month plus other expenses for the tower

[Fraydog]

Yep... agree. I'm not suggesting that Sprint plops equipment on every USCC tower in the affected areas. There is actually a fair amount of overlap when it comes to USCC and Sprint in this this general area, but my specific area/zip code is one that is seriously lacking.

 

Do I think Sprint would be able to grow subs if they placed Equipment on a tower here? Absolutely. Do I think sprint would be able to retain subs who are considering jumping ship to a different provider? Absolutely. I obviously cant place any hard numbers on them (market research is not my specialty) - but I do think Sprint could gain some traction here if they actually had reliable service.

 

I'll continue to sit here and cross my fingers and complain on a weekly basis to Sprint - and hope to hell they come through.

Here in Chester people are so damn locked on Verizon that Sprint would roll out here with the works (800 CDMA and LTE, 1900 CDMA and LTE, and 2600 TD-LTE), offering the best service in the world, and people wouldn't budge a damn bit. 98% of people here are on Verizon, the other 2% on AT&T.

[Nickel]

Here in Chester people are so damn locked on Verizon that Sprint would roll out here with the works (800 CDMA and LTE, 1900 CDMA and LTE, and 2600 TD-LTE), offering the best service in the world, and people wouldn't budge a damn bit. 98% of people here are on Verizon, the other 2% on AT&T.

Didn't you say that your area is one of the ones where Verizon owns both Cellular blocks?

[Fraydog]

Didn't you say that your area is one of the ones where Verizon owns both Cellular blocks?

No, that's A belonging to Verizon and B now belonging to AT&T through the recently approved ATNI buyout of the remaining Alltel markets.

[Nickel]

No, that's A belonging to Verizon and B now belonging to AT&T through the recently approved ATNI buyout of the remaining Alltel markets.

Hmmm, I'd say that'd help competition but it probably won't.

[Fraydog]

ATNI, unfortunately had the nasty tendency to not upgrade networks. I suspect they were looking for the cash out all along. If they ran their affairs like they wanted to compete, they'd probably still be around. They were a non-presence in Randolph County with only 25 MHz of CLR spectrum and 12 MHz of 700 they never used for LTE. I only knew 2-3 people here who had Alltel.

[gnoj]

Here in Chester people are so damn locked on Verizon that Sprint would roll out here with the works (800 CDMA and LTE, 1900 CDMA and LTE, and 2600 TD-LTE), offering the best service in the world, and people wouldn't budge a damn bit. 98% of people here are on Verizon, the other 2% on AT&T.

 

So before your options were Alltel, USCC, or VZW, and now it's just the duopoly? Any T-Mobile EDGE out there?

 

At least there will be more than one LTE option once AT&T gets around to upgrading the Alltel sites. If VZW's LTE is getting slow like it is elsewhere, it seems like there could be a window of opportunity for Sprint to move in and pull some people over.

[shaferz]

Here in Chester people are so damn locked on Verizon that Sprint would roll out here with the works (800 CDMA and LTE, 1900 CDMA and LTE, and 2600 TD-LTE), offering the best service in the world, and people wouldn't budge a damn bit. 98% of people here are on Verizon, the other 2% on AT&T.

 

There is still a fairly big number of folks on Illinois Valley Cellular around here.  Off the cuff guessing would have me guess market share in this zip code is ~ 30% Verizon, 25% IVC,  20% AT&T, 15% Sprint, 10% US Cellular.  Again - thats just a guess based off of folks who I know in town - I am by no means a market research guy. 

 

All I was thinking about before was the boost for Sprint if they could gain with subs from the US Cellular crowd - I had never even considered the pickup they would possibly get from picking up IVC subs.  Most IVC customers are old folks, or farmers.  They want reliable voice service that works outside of town. 

 

Dear Sprint - put a tower up here with 3 sectors that aim NNE, SE, and W.  Make it a full build site with 800 & LTE.  This would make everyone in town happy, pick up US Cellular subscribers, and ADVERTISE to the farm crowd and manufacturing facilities, and rip some subs from the IVC grips. 

 

I understand the NV push, but it feels like around here they are just trying to stop some of the bleeding.  We need some bags of blood and a transfusion!     

[shaferz]

I just was searching through older posts of mine and came upon this thread.  I have an interesting update on this one!

 

Sprint must have done some deal with USCC, because guess what is going up on the tower that USCC owns that has been 'decommissioned' ??  THAT'S RIGHT - FULL-BUILD SPRINT EQUIPMENT!                

 

I've also posted about this update in the Premier Sponsor section - but wanted to update the remainder of the masses as well.  Oddly enough - the sectors are pointing in the exact directions I suggested in the above post - W, NNE, and SE.  I'm sure this is just a coincidence - but extremely satisfying regardless.  My excitement is impossible to contain.  Its actually sort of sad.  Since seeing the equipment myself - I STILL wonder when I'm going to wake up from this dream!