T-Mobile/MetroPCS Merger

[bollar]

 

You could do the Sense thing. Also, the iPhone5 does not have this feature. Maybe the 6 will.

 

I think that's unlikely. Apple's already gone with a single antenna design and a Qualcomm chipset that theoretically supports SVLTE. My take is that they're giving operators a reason to support VoLTE.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[hescominsoon]

sense? that's worse. I've had my fill over overlays..sticking with my nexus.

[twospirits]

I may be in the minority, but I kinda like the new Touchwiz on the Note 10.1 tablet and in the videos of the Note 2, it looks even better.

 

TS

[digiblur]

 

I think that's unlikely. Apple's already gone with a single antenna design and a Qualcomm chipset that theoretically supports SVLTE. My take is that they're giving operators a reason to support VoLTE.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

Call it a feature. I call it a lack of planning.

 

Plain and simple the phone is here now, volte will not be here during this phones life cycle. The tower spacing is not there yet.

 

Sent from my C64 w/Epyx FastLoad cartridge

 

 

[digiblur]

sense? that's worse. I've had my fill over overlays..sticking with my nexus.

 

Your choice to run sense or touchwiz. Just flash something else on it or remove the pieces you want. No big deal.

 

Sent from my C64 w/Epyx FastLoad cartridge

 

 

[bollar]

 

Call it a feature. I call it a lack of planning.

 

Plain and simple the phone is here now, volte will not be here during this phones life cycle. The tower spacing is not there yet.

 

 

I didn't call it a feature. You suggested the problem might be fixed in a later iPhone and it will not.. The point is that iPhone 6 isn't going to have a dual antenna design either, so will also depend on VoLTE being offered by operators. .

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bob Newhart]

We know with T-Mobile's network vision type project, they will be utilizing most all of their PCS and AWS spectrum in every market. Companies don't have to have the network built yesterday when they acquire spectrum. A company like T-Mobile will put any available spectrum they can to use as fast as possible.

 

I realize that NewCo will have some excess in certain markets like AJ's article shows, but I also expect them to have to sell that excess off to make for a much more fair and competitive spectrum landscape.

 

T-Mobile has nationwide licenses, real nationwide spectrum in every squ inch of the country. Look at their actual markets and coverage.

 

See this article here: http://www.tmonews.com/2012/10/what-will-a-t-mobile-metropcs-merger-look-like-on-a-spectrum-map/

 

See this image here: http://www.tmonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/tmobilemetro3.png

 

Does T-Mobile actually serve even 35% of that area? No, they should be forced to release the spectrum to rural carriers, as should the other larger cell companies.

[supert0nes]

I'm fine with rural carriers getting to use that spectrum, but I don't think there needs to be any more fragmentation of spectrum in the US. I don't expect carriers to deploy complete nationwide on >1ghz spectrum.

[WiWavelength]

Does T-Mobile actually serve even 35% of that area? No, they should be forced to release the spectrum to rural carriers, as should the other larger cell companies.

 

Okay. How many rural carriers do you seriously think are prepared to undertake that endeavor?

 

AJ

[JeffDTD]

Few to none, of course. The cash flow of the potential pops doesn't justify the deployment investment in many places.

[digiblur]

TMobiles coverage around my area is quite laughable. I have never even seen someone with their phone. They don't even have the interstate corridors covered here. It's the coverage/customer rut they are stuck in here.

 

Their maps are very exaggerated too. But who's isn't? Sprints voice coverage one is pretty close for my market. Next market over they are exaggerated a bit.

 

Sent from my C64 w/Epyx FastLoad cartridge

 

 

[Bob Newhart]

Okay. How many rural carriers do you seriously think are prepared to undertake that endeavor?

 

Who knows, some might. I just feel that large companies should be not be able to hang on to spectrum they might never use, ever.

Otherwise other carriers will never have a shot.

 

Even clearwire had to build the protection sites, which is a start.

[WiWavelength]

Who knows, some might. I just feel that large companies should be not be able to hang on to spectrum they might never use, ever.

Otherwise other carriers will never have a shot.

 

I think you fail to understand FCC construction requirements. The carriers have used their spectrum, have satisfied the construction requirements. MTA based PCS 1900 MHz licenses, for example, are huge in area, and licensees were never expected to cover their entire licensed areas. High frequency spectrum just does not lend itself to that type of buildout. So, MTA based PCS license construction requirements are population based: 33 1/3 percent POPs after five years, 66 2/3 percent POPs after 10 years. All the relevant carriers satisfied those requirements years ago.

 

Even clearwire had to build the protection sites, which is a start.

 

Plenty of other carriers besides Clearwire have been compelled to do likewise because of unsatisfied area or population based construction requirements. I am not sure why you would think otherwise.

 

AJ

[digiblur]

Why would you sell any spectrum when it is so hard to bid and win spectrum licenses at auctions and in this case the MetroPCS AWS spectrum are in a lot of major markets in the US which is served to Sprint on a silver platter. Do not waste it by selling it. If anything Sprint should sell all of its WCS spectrum for cash.

 

Sprint apparently had a reason to sell with this transaction:

 

https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/attachments/attachmentViewRD.jsp?applType=search&fileKey=187192468&attachmentKey=18614988&attachmentInd=applAttach

[Fraydog]

The only providers with the capitalization to cover anywhere close to the entire US are the Bell Duopolies. Even with that, Verizon and AT&T are looking for rural partners to help them with the task. That's how monumental it is.

[iansltx]

IMO the key to rural wireless development is getting availability of cheap base stations and fixed terminals for LTE. With fixed terminals you can get one PCS or AWS site to cover a 10 mile radius, and if you've got 10x10 of unused spectrum you'll be able to give satellite and even DSL a run for its money. The issue of course is that those sites would be spaced too far out for total rural coverage, bu it would at least be a start...too bad FCC subsidies don't cover that sort of thing directly (e.g. Stelera Wireless).

[cdiao]

I didn't know that, thanks for the info. I learn from every post on this forum

 

because you know "prepaid" i.e. pay for in advance. whereas off-network roaming is billed in arrears, often a couple of months later. by that time, assuming that you even had a mechanism to bill your prepaid customer, he may be long gone.

 

Roaming is accomplished by the customer "prepaying" for a certain bucket of off-net minutes -- use or lose, sort of liek those car rental companies that make you buy gas up-front.

[ericdabbs]

Ouch. Tmobile is coming out with fighting words commenting on Sprint's latest attempt to counter offer the Tmobile bid. Lets just say Neville Ray is less than pleased with Sprint's latest efforts calling CDMA a "dying" technology as well as bringing up how Sprint failed horribly with the Sprint/Nextel merger with trying to maintain 2 different technologies. Also he couldn't help but bring up about the fact that Sprint's spectrum is incompatible with MetroPCS since MetroPCS mainly uses AWS spectrum vs. Sprint's PCS spectrum.

 

Boy I really hope Sprint snaps up MetroPCS.

 

http://www.kansascit...-at-sprint.html

[centermedic]

Ouch. Tmobile is coming out with fighting words commenting on Sprint's latest attempt to counter offer the Tmobile bid. Lets just say Neville Ray is less than pleased with Sprint's latest efforts calling CDMA a "dying" technology as well as bringing up how Sprint failed horribly with the Sprint/Nextel merger with trying to maintain 2 different technologies. Also he couldn't help but bring up about the fact that Sprint's spectrum is incompatible with MetroPCS since MetroPCS mainly uses AWS spectrum vs. Sprint's PCS spectrum.

 

Boy I really hope Sprint snaps up MetroPCS.

 

http://www.kansascit...-at-sprint.html

Must have hit a nerve. Nice to see Sprint taking the high road and not commenting.

[WiWavelength]

Must have hit a nerve. Nice to see Sprint taking the high road and not commenting.

 

One of the dirty little secrets in the T-Mobile-MetroPCS merger is that MetroPCS subs would lose fairly significant Extended Home Area, TravelTalk, and Unlimited Texting (i.e. different levels of roaming coverage) footprint. CDMA2000 coverage in the US is simply superior to that of the GSM ecosystem, plus T-Mobile has the most limited roaming footprint of all the major carriers.

 

AJ

[JeffDTD]

Yeah, if cdma is a dying technology, he obviously has no idea about how his company and its spectrum will fare with volte in its present incarnation.

 

The 3g tmo chooses to market as 4g is in fact wcdma... hmm.

 

 

Did att shove something in their breakup agreement that forbid tmo from talking smack about them? Again, if it werent for sprint tmo would have be a baby bell right now, either literally or in practice via plans=limited data, no anymobile, higher prices

[centermedic]

Yeah, if cdma is a dying technology, he obviously has no idea about how his company and its spectrum will fare with volte in its present incarnation.

 

The 3g tmo chooses to market as 4g is in fact wcdma... hmm.

 

 

Did att shove something in their breakup agreement that forbid tmo from talking smack about them? Again, if it werent for sprint tmo would have be a baby bell right now, either literally or in practice via plans=limited data, no anymobile, higher prices

The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if this was motivated by the need for revenge.

[WiWavelength]

Yeah, if cdma is a dying technology, he obviously has no idea about how his company and its spectrum will fare with volte in its present incarnation.

 

The 3g tmo chooses to market as 4g is in fact wcdma... hmm.

 

I am sure Ray intends that CDMA2000, not CDMA in general, is the dying technology because, yes, indeed, W-CDMA is CDMA. But the GSM/3GPP zealots like to disguise that their airlink is, in fact, a mimic of the cdmaOne/CDMA2000 airlnk and relies upon numerous Qualcomm patents.

 

AJ

[supert0nes]

I think Ray is having a hard time detaching CDMA 1x and EVDO. The more I hear about 1x and it's tiny sliver of spectrum and hd voice combined with LTE for data, it seems like the perfect match. Sprint can drop EVDO a hell of a lot sooner than T-Mobile can drop HSPA+.

[Guest 503ducati]

Sprint Is Said to Hold Off on MetroPCS Counterbid for Now

 

http://www.bloomberg...?cmpid=msnmoney