USCellular 700, AWS Spectrum, PCS Spectrum

[lynyrd65]

 

Yes, that is correct. Now that it has given approval to the VZW-SpectrumCo transaction, the FCC has also given the go ahead to the much smaller VZW-Leap transaction. However, the question remains: will Leap do anything with an isolated Lower 700 MHz A block in Chicago or just turn around and sell it off to USCC?

 

AJ

 

USCC needs it bad. Chicago is their biggest market and ironically the one with the least spectrum. They probably cant deploy lte with just their pcs spectrum there.

 

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[WiWavelength]

USCC needs it bad. Chicago is their biggest market and ironically the one with the least spectrum. They probably cant deploy lte with just their pcs spectrum there.

 

I might not call it ironic in the most literal sense, but USCC in Chicago is spectrum constrained (20 MHz PCS), and it is one of USCC's newest markets. In fact, USCC long did not have a wireless presence in its hometown and might not still today if the merger consent agreement that created VZW in 1999-2000 did not entail that PrimeCo PCS in Chicago go independent, then be sold to USCC a few years later.

 

USCC's parent company, TDS, also owned Aerial Communications, before it merged with VoiceStream. Aerial won PCS A/B block 30 MHz licenses in Tampa, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Kansas City, Minneapolis, and Houston. I would have to go back and check the bidding in the very first PCS 1900 MHz license auction in 1994-1995, but I would bet that Aerial did bid on the Chicago MTA but lost out to AT&TWS and PrimeCo.

 

AJ

[supert0nes]

Great info. Thanks for going through this history. It clears up a lot of details regarding how they got PCS in MN and their current situation in Chicago.

[lynyrd65]

Interesting new development from USCC. Their coverage maps now show where future LTE will be deployed. My cabin and nearly everywhere I go is covered! They must be deploying on cellular 850 or pcs 1900 as their AWS license doesn't cover many of the areas they are calling future 2012 coverage. I may need to get a US Cellular Mifi.

 

[Rawvega]

Interesting new development from USCC. Their coverage maps now show where future LTE will be deployed. My cabin and nearly everywhere I go is covered! They must be deploying on cellular 850 or pcs 1900 as their AWS license doesn't cover many of the areas they are calling future 2012 coverage.

 

 

Actually it looks like USCC's AWS license with the call sign of WQGV753 covers most, if not all, of that area that you have depicted.

[lynyrd65]

Actually it looks like USCC's AWS license with the call sign of WQGV753 covers most, if not all, of that area that you have depicted.

 

yes, however such large coverage swathes (without holes) would require an absurd site density with a higher frequency spectrum like AWS 1700.

 

Also there are other parts to the map I didn't show that are not AWS licensed

 

[Rawvega]

Interesting. Is it possible that USCC might use their 700MHz spectrum to cover some of those areas?

[lynyrd65]

Interesting. Is it possible that USCC might use their 700MHz spectrum to cover some of those areas?

 

Not likely unless they got a new license.

 

 

I think/hope it's cellular 850

 

[Rawvega]

Ah, I see. That's potentially exciting news if/when USCC begins to refarm cellular spectrum for LTE since, of course, band class 26 also encompasses the cellular band. Could set up a nice roaming agreement for Sprint consumers.

[lynyrd65]

Ah, I see. That's potentially exciting news if/when USCC begins to refarm cellular spectrum for LTE since, of course, band class 26 also encompasses the cellular band. Could set up a nice roaming agreement for Sprint consumers.

That and I'm seriously thinking about using a mifi device (as my permanent ISP) of theirs in an area that only gets lower band signal to avoid purchasing super pricey $60 a month 512k DSL.

[Bob Newhart]

Can we roam on US Cellular?

 

My phone was roaming on US Cellular in the Rainier National Park, got several bars.

NetMonitor said it was US Cellular. I could not send a txt message, dial or use any data, yet it shows I was roaming.

 

Also, when the phone (GNex) shows roaming, it doesn't display on the top status bar whether it is 3G or 1x.. how come?

[lynyrd65]

Can we roam on US Cellular?

 

My phone was roaming on US Cellular in the Rainier National Park, got several bars.

NetMonitor said it was US Cellular. I could not send a txt message, dial or use any data, yet it shows I was roaming.

 

Also, when the phone (GNex) shows roaming, it doesn't display on the top status bar whether it is 3G or 1x.. how come?

 

Yes we can and I do, a lot. It sounds like you have roaming disabled on your phone. Go to Settings then under network hit more settings then enable roaming this will enable data roaming. You may also need to enable voice roaming which is probably in settings somewhere but I couldn't tell you either way.

[kct1975]

 

Yes we can and I do, a lot. It sounds like you have roaming disabled on your phone. Go to Settings then under network hit more settings then enable roaming this will enable data roaming. You may also need to enable voice roaming which is probably in settings somewhere but I couldn't tell you either way.

 

Ya when I was on a couple of business trips to West VA earlier this year, I was roaming just fine.

 

KCT - "No Matter Where You Go, There You Are!"

[Bob Newhart]

Yes we can and I do, a lot. It sounds like you have roaming disabled on your phone. Go to Settings then under network hit more settings then enable roaming this will enable data roaming. You may also need to enable voice roaming which is probably in settings somewhere but I couldn't tell you either way.

 

If I had roaming disabled, it wouldn't have showed that the phone was roaming, it would've shown no signal.

 

All roaming is enabled, voice and data, it roams on Verizon daily.

[lynyrd65]

huh, that's strange

[supert0nes]

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/t-mobile-scoops-some-us-cellulars-aws-spectrum-308m/2013-06-28

 

The spectrum covers a total of 32 million POPs in 29 markets in the Mississippi Valley region, including Kansas City, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans and St. Louis. T-Mobile said the additional spectrum will allow it to launch "an incremental roll-out" of LTE network coverage to new markets and expand its existing LTE bandwidth in the region.

U.S. Cellular said it will partition and retain a portion of the license covering its markets in Knoxville and eastern Tennessee "to meet future operating needs."

 

 

It's great to see US Cellular focusing their spectrum holdings and coverage regions.  They are absolutely doing the right thing.  They're also divesting spectrum while it is still valuable, much better than the fire sale I thought was coming.

[supert0nes]

Before you call USCC's Mississippi Valley AWS E block 10 MHz license "useless," take into account a few considerations.

 

USCC does not have a great many major markets, but it does have several within its core territories. In the Mississippi Valley REA, USCC has current major markets St. Louis (PCS) and Knoxville (Cellular). Plus, potential major markets Kansas City, Memphis, and Nashville are proximate to its current footprint.

 

Also, USCC does not hold the Mississippi Valley AWS E block 10 MHz license directly. Rather, Barat Wireless, a designated entity, actually controls the license. USCC has only authorization from Barat to use the license for USCC deployment. USCC is in the process of acquiring full interest in Barat, but the FCC has not yet approved the transaction. See the application linked below:

 

http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applMain.jsp?applID=6837973

 

So, if USCC does swap any AWS spectrum to VZW, it will not likely dump its entire Mississippi Valley license. But it might partition and trade off AWS in some Mississippi Valley BEAs outside of its current/potential core markets.

 

That is my expert analysis. And that will be $2000. You can cut Robert a check.

 

 

AJ

 

This looks to be the cut up you expected, except the potential markets were included too.  I wonder how Barat/USCC split the check?  Hopefully USCC will just acquire Barat.  It seems to me like USCC has shelved plans to expand.

 

On the other side of this purchase, this should allow T-Mobile to compete immediately in these pretty good sized markets.

[IamMrFamous07]

Can sprint get more US cell spectrum. Especially their 800/850 spectrum

[ericdabbs]

Can sprint get more US cell spectrum. Especially their 800/850 spectrum

Why would sprint want the 850 mhz spectrum? Im sure that sprint already owns all of the 800 mhz esmr spectrum in those areas.

 

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[Rawvega]

Why would sprint want the 850 mhz spectrum? Im sure that sprint already owns all of the 800 mhz esmr spectrum in those areas.

 

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Though they probably aren't interested, it would be intriguing if Sprint offered to buy some cellular A side spectrum. It's adjacent to their SMR spectrum and thus would theoretically allow them to deploy 15x15 LTE if I'm not mistaken.

[MacPCS]

USCC is bound to be acquired by someone in the next few years.  Verizon, Sprint, T-Mo or Dish.  It'll be interesting to watch the divesting of the spectrum bands that X carrier doesn't want to use as well.  I could also very easily see the same thing with Leap happening.  A "Big Crunch" is coming in carriers and we're already seeing the first wave of it with VZW eating Alltel, AT&T eating a ton of small carriers, MetroPCS eating T-Mobile and Softbank eating Sprint and Clearwire.  

[WiWavelength]

A "Big Crunch" is coming in carriers and we're already seeing the first wave of it with VZW eating Alltel, AT&T eating a ton of small carriers, MetroPCS eating T-Mobile and Softbank eating Sprint and Clearwire.  

 

Eat fewer other wireless operators.  Eat more clams.

 

(Trust me.  Read the the rest of the thread.)

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/548-the-totally-off-topic-thread-for-the-hell-of-it/?p=160434

 

AJ

[maximus1987/lou99]

If Sprint buys USM, will it trade the 850 for PCS? That'd be its only market with 850 and the whole ATT, AWS and scale thing comes to mind.

[Rawvega]

Why would they want to do that though?

 

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[lynyrd65]

If they bought USCC they ought to use the 850 spectrum. They would only need to buy a new rru for each site. Sprint phones already support 850 1x and Evdo. New phones will support 850 LTE. So the only barrier to its use is a new RRU.

 

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