Why is Sprint taking so long to come out with new phones

[mase31]

Why is Sprint taking so long to come out with new phones everybody eles is coming out with new phones fast why not Sprint?

[BenChase7]

Why is Sprint taking so long to come out with new phones everybody eles is coming out with new phones fast why not Sprint?

 

Sprints network is in a transitional phase (so to speak).. Sprint is upgrading the network. 4G LTE will be taking the place of 4G WiMax and 3G coverage/speeds will also improve (known as Network Vision). As a result, they are most likely waiting to release new high-end phones until the network upgrades are more widespread.... this way the new phones can take advantage of LTE. I know it kind of sucks right now, but there should be some new phones coming in a few months. I think the wait will be worth it! Shouldn't be too much longer.

[lrmcgarvey]

The downside to this is that Sprints "new phones" will be months old releases in reality.

 

I really don't know why they don't go ahead and sell some LTE phones now. They sure didn't have any problems selling wimax phones in places that were never going to get wimax.

[blkmiles]

I really don't know why they don't go ahead and sell some LTE phones now. They sure didn't have any problems selling wimax phones in places that were never going to get wimax.

 

http://www.sprintfeed.com/2012/02/sprint-to-offer-early-upgrade-buyout-program/

Might be something to the date that the promotion runs through. Drive sales up with LTE phones and surcharges, or it could be the opposite. Just my musings at this point.

[WiWavelength]

The downside to this is that Sprints "new phones" will be months old releases in reality.

 

I really don't know why they don't go ahead and sell some LTE phones now. They sure didn't have any problems selling wimax phones in places that were never going to get wimax.

 

Be careful. Your logic is flawed on several levels.

 

One, Sprint did not intentionally sell WiMAX devices "in places that were never going to get WiMAX" because Sprint did not control the WiMAX roll out. That was Clearwire's responsibility, and Clearwire botched it in many, many markets.

 

Two, numerous Sprint subs who bought WiMAX capable devices were exceedingly unhappy that WiMAX deployment was delayed, limited, or non existent in their home markets. Why in the world would Sprint want to risk that customer relations nightmare again with early release of LTE devices?

 

AJ

[pyroscott]

Be careful. Your logic is flawed on several levels.

 

One, Sprint did not intentionally sell WiMAX devices "in places that were never going to get WiMAX" because Sprint did not control the WiMAX roll out. That was Clearwire's responsibility, and Clearwire botched it in many, many markets.

 

Two, numerous Sprint subs who bought WiMAX capable devices were exceedingly unhappy that WiMAX deployment was delayed, limited, or non existent in their home markets. Why in the world would Sprint want to risk that customer relations nightmare again with early release of LTE devices?

 

AJ

 

Yes, but ask those Hero, Moment and Optimus owners who are sitting on an upgrade credit waiting for LTE phones to release if they care how long NV takes to get to their area. I got so fed up with my Hero that I bought a WiMax phone even though my city will never see WiMax. You can only limp along with a outdated phone for so long... Maybe they are trying to sell some more iPhones?

[lrmcgarvey]

 

 

Be careful. Your logic is flawed on several levels.

 

One, Sprint did not intentionally sell WiMAX devices "in places that were never going to get WiMAX" because Sprint did not control the WiMAX roll out. That was Clearwire's responsibility, and Clearwire botched it in many, many markets.

 

Two, numerous Sprint subs who bought WiMAX capable devices were exceedingly unhappy that WiMAX deployment was delayed, limited, or non existent in their home markets. Why in the world would Sprint want to risk that customer relations nightmare again with early release of LTE devices?

 

AJ

 

Ok. First point I will agree with. I was more stating that they had no issue selling wimax devices in areas with no wimax service. Same as att and verizon will sell you an lte phone in an area with no lte.

 

Second point you bring up was due to two issues. First us early 4G buyers were clearly told our $10 was a 4g fee. And a lot of idiots sadly listen to store reps saying 4g was coming in a month or two. Just to sell phones.

[pyroscott]

I know this probably won't be a popular speculation, but maybe the delay is to sell as many wimax phones as they can with the $10 fee to keep people grandfathered on that fee from upgrading to LTE for a while and then raise the "smartphone fee" to $20. This would keep traffic on the wimax network and let sprint advertise the super fast LTE speeds before it is loaded with all the wimax users.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[legion125]

I know this probably won't be a popular speculation, but maybe the delay is to sell as many wimax phones as they can with the $10 fee to keep people grandfathered on that fee from upgrading to LTE for a while and then raise the "smartphone fee" to $20. This would keep traffic on the wimax network and let sprint advertise the super fast LTE speeds before it is loaded with all the wimax users.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

That's an interesting theory. I think we who share on these blogs get a little shortsighted about the masses in general.. Just being here shows we want to know more and want to educate ourselves about what is going on with Sprint and the industry as a whole. Most consumers don't know squat or know just enough to be dangerous when they walk into a Sprint store, BB or the Shack and purchase a new phone without knowing the strategic implications of their decision (my Admin Assistant @ work would be a perfect example).

 

I'm positive that any WiMax sales occurring now is because someone truly needs a phone or they fall for what looks cool or any simple variation of a theme. And I'm sure Sprint and store reps are happy to take advantage of the situation. If a customer (or sucker in the retail world) falls into that trap, then they just help Sprint with reducing churn and Clear with a revenue stream although as we discussed earlier, the iPhone is killing Clear since its not WiMax and doesn't qualify for the $10 ransom Sprint must pay Clear.

 

Since I've been a Sprint customer, I've begin to hate this time of year. There usually no news to speak of (although the GNex & LG phone announcement at CES was a surprise) and certainly no info on new releases until we get close to CTIA which now falls in May instead of April. January to April traditionally is a wasteland for information pertaining to Sprint. If it wasn't for the Rollout Updates Robert is providing we would be in for a long boring wait until May.

[McDroidBurger]

The $10 charge is for smart phone data not for WiMax access. My friend is the regional sales director for Sprint and I was under the same assumption that the fee was for 4G. But the fact that I activated an old Blackberry for brother the other day proves it has nothing to do with 4G but rather the higher data usage by smartphone over a "standard" phone. In my area the only thing keeping Sprint from losing customers is their extremely reliable 3G. We have one WiMax tower and the avg person doesn't care because VZWs LTE is so bogged down most of us Sprint users get a faster speed on 3G. Everything will differ in each market. Some market will sell Wimax devices because people don't care and other markets will care and will hold off until the new LTE devices roll out or just change carriers.

 

The Android Strikes Back 4G

[lrmcgarvey]

The $10 charge is for smart phone data not for WiMax access. My friend is the regional sales director for Sprint and I was under the same assumption that the fee was for 4G. But the fact that I activated an old Blackberry for brother the other day proves it has nothing to do with 4G but rather the higher data usage by smartphone over a "standard" phone. In my area the only thing keeping Sprint from losing customers is their extremely reliable 3G. We have one WiMax tower and the avg person doesn't care because VZWs LTE is so bogged down most of us Sprint users get a faster speed on 3G. Everything will differ in each market. Some market will sell Wimax devices because people don't care and other markets will care and will hold off until the new LTE devices roll out or just change carriers.

 

The Android Strikes Back 4G

 

The $10 fee now is for all smartphones. But when the Evo 4G first came out it was a 4G fee. Sorry but thats just the way it was. Fee was to cover the charge that Sprint had to pay Clear for each device that would access its wimax network.

 

Now why Sprint changed it to a generic smartphone fee may never be known.

1)Was it because of all the 4G phone buyers who were paying the fee when no access to wimax was avaliable and would never be avalible?

Or

2) Was it because Sprint saw an easy way to get extra money for data from everyone without officially "raising" thier prices, and as a separate fee it is not subjected to any corportate discounts.

 

Most likey it was a combo of the two.

[McDroidBurger]

 

The $10 fee now is for all smartphones. But when the Evo 4G first came out it was a 4G fee. Sorry but thats just the way it was. Fee was to cover the charge that Sprint had to pay Clear for each device that would access its wimax network.

 

Now why Sprint changed it to a generic smartphone fee may never be known.

1)Was it because of all the 4G phone buyers who were paying the fee when no access to wimax was avaliable and would never be avalible?

Or

2) Was it because Sprint saw an easy way to get extra money for data from everyone without officially "raising" thier prices, and as a separate fee it is not subjected to any corportate discounts.

 

Most likey it was a combo of the two.

 

It's still cheaper than VZW or ATT and still unlimited unlike anyone else. The fee was always for smartphone data use because the initial $15 unlimited fee was before Android and Sprint needed money to cover the increased data traffic.

 

The Android Strikes Back 4G

[autoprime]

im pretty happy with my epic 4g touch. wimax supported thru 2015... what's the rush?

 

and outside of the lte option.. what phones better than a galaxy s 2 right now? ya.. all the other carriers are getting new phones.. but what are they? yet another droid.. yet another razr.. yet another galaxy s 2 variation..

 

even though nothing is coming out right now.. we still aren't missing much.

[lrmcgarvey]

It's still cheaper than VZW or ATT and still unlimited unlike anyone else. The fee was always for smartphone data use because the initial $15 unlimited fee was before Android and Sprint needed money to cover the increased data traffic.

 

The Android Strikes Back 4G

 

I agree its cheeper than Verizon for me. But not at&t. Since corp discounts apply to every line, your text package and the data packages you buy, and at&t's fees are cheeper. AT&T would actualy be cheeper for me with three smartphones on a family plan (granted with 3 3GB data plans and not unlimited).

 

So if Sprint ever did away with unlimited then they would have really nothing left to offer honestly.

 

As for the $10 "premium data fee". As much as Sprint wants to state otherwise it was originally a 4G fee. And it was only charged to 4G devices. It didn't become a "smartphone fee" until January 30th of 2011.

 

Below is a quote about the new fee that was going into effect in Jan 2011.

 

"Sprint first introduced a premium data charge on 4G devices like the Evo, saying it was necessary so it could offer unlimited data on its 4G network. But now, even users who don’t benefit from 4G will still need to pay the extra $10. trying to push people to buy its 4G devices, because what’s the point in getting a 3G device now if you’re going to be charged like a 4G subscriber anyway? The new charge may suggest that Sprint is having trouble keeping up with traffic on its existing 3G network. By pricing 3G data the same as 4G for smartphone users, Sprint can try to accelerate the migration to 4G, where Sprint and Clearwire have a lot more available spectrum for consumers."

 

Sadly clearwire sucked and couldn't buildout the 4G network even with the fees, So the big 4G offload that sprint expected never took place, and sprints 3G service in a lot of areas in the US continued to decline until now it is almost useless in a lot of places.

Edited February 21, 2012 by lrmcgarvey

[lrmcgarvey]

Ok....

So now to get back on topic. LOL

 

All I am saying is that there are a lot of people who would like new phones. But are not going to buy new wimax devices when they know that sprint is moving to LTE. So I believe Sprint is costing themselves in device sales and churn by not offering anything to these customers. And that the LTE devices that they have listed are going to be pretty out of date by the time Sprint starts to sell them.

 

Galaxy nexus is nice. And I'd probably buy one right now. But who is going to pay the normal $199 or so upgrade price in a few months, when the phone has already been discounted to $99 on verizon?

 

Oh just wanted to add the Galaxy Note to this also. Would have been nice for sprint, (who is rumored to be getting the note), to have it avalible pretty soon while the hype is still high for the device and Sprint could ride the wave of Samsung spending millions advertising for it.

Edited February 21, 2012 by lrmcgarvey

[S4GRU]

I knew this device black hole was coming back in September last year and knew people were going to get antsy. But I actually expected the uproar to be worse. I think for the most part, people understand.

 

However, they won't understand for much longer. Sprint needs to get these on the market soon. Original Evo buyers start coming off contract on June 4th, and are qualifying for upgrades a few months earlier. Its good to give them an upgrade opportunity before they come off contract.

 

Americans tend to be instant gratifiers. If they can upgrade to an awesome and new device now, they will. But if you make them wait until the day they are off contract, now they can be instantly gratified by your competitors too. At least with an on contract upgrade, they can't upgrade with anyone but you. Unless they pay the ETF, of course.

 

Sprint needs to get those LTE devices on store shelves in the next 30 to 45 days to hit its ideal window.

 

Posted via Forum Runner

[Sgt. Slaughter]

One your not going to see new devices that are not LTE.

And well we have no live LTE markets officially so that's one reason for no new ones now. Least let them have more than 1 market live with LTE before releasing devices.

The fact that they announced some at CES was interesting non the less as they don't usually do that. So you know they are coming.

 

Also, we have MWC here starting this week 2/26. Though sprint usually doesn't do much if any there It's a venue for announcements.

Lastly recent history shows Sprint using CTIA as a place to announce new high end devices so keep eye on this date, 5/8 as that's the events start day. Sprint used this to unveil the last 2 EVOs.

The only thing that is different this year is that it seems the CTIA conference this year is a month later as opposed to the past 2 years which were held in end of March both times...

 

 

 

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk

[jpkjeff]

Absolutely true that original EVO buyers will be able to upgrade as soon as the first week of March (next week, in fact).

I have my final yearly Advantage Club upgrade due on March 1st also, and after thinking long and hard will likely go with the Samsung Galaxy II Epic 4G, despite the fact it's an "older" device and has the Wimax radio in it. I could wait for an LTE 4G device this summer, but at this point I seriously doubt OKC will see a 4G LTE rollout until sometime in 2013, and by then I will be able to upgrade again (in October 2013). In the meantime, I'll have a top of the line Android phone that should serve me well for 18 months and if Sprint can get NV done by the end of this year I can certainly deal with 3G speeds if they are always at least in the 1.0-1.5 Mbps range which is what NV should deliver (if not more).

And I'll keep enjoying my $40 MRC too, of course

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Absolutely true that original EVO buyers will be able to upgrade as soon as the first week of March (next week, in fact).

I have my final yearly Advantage Club upgrade due on March 1st also, and after thinking long and hard will likely go with the Samsung Galaxy II Epic 4G, despite the fact it's an "older" device and has the Wimax radio in it. I could wait for an LTE 4G device this summer, but at this point I seriously doubt OKC will see a 4G LTE rollout until sometime in 2013, and by then I will be able to upgrade again (in October 2013). In the meantime, I'll have a top of the line Android phone that should serve me well for 18 months and if Sprint can get NV done by the end of this year I can certainly deal with 3G speeds if they are always at least in the 1.0-1.5 Mbps range which is what NV should deliver (if not more).

And I'll keep enjoying my $40 MRC too, of course

 

Oh man if you've held that evo4g this long, then do everyone a favor and wait just a few more months and pick up one of the LTE devices they release. No way I'd waste an upgrade on a Wimax phone, esp a device that was released last year...

Just my 2cents

 

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[pyroscott]

Oh man if you've held that evo4g this long, then do everyone a favor and wait just a few more months and pick up one of the LTE devices they release. No way I'd waste an upgrade on a Wimax phone, esp a device that was released last year...

Just my 2cents

 

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk

 

Epic 4G Touch is an AWESOME phone. And you say "last year" as if it is already a year old or something. It was released in September...

That said, jpkjeff, I would try to hold out for an LTE phone, but I wouldn't blame you for upgrading now to the E4GT. It will see ICS soon, but that is probably the last update it will get besides some random bug fixes. It is Sprint's flagship for the moment but it will be the next Samsung Moment once the LTE phones come out. If you are like me and have WiFi at home and work, you could probably "suffer through" the enhanced 3G speeds when away from WiFi once NV sweeps through your town. I wouldn't pay the $200 that the Sprint Store is charging for the E4GT though. I think I saw it on Amazon for $50.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Good phone maybe. But i just feel like its a bad decision to waste an upgrade on a device when you know a flagship device is about to be released in a few months...

Only reason to buy phones now is if u want them for cheap and your 100% sure they will last you 18mo since the whole premier program is done..

 

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[legion125]

Absolutely true that original EVO buyers will be able to upgrade as soon as the first week of March (next week, in fact).

I have my final yearly Advantage Club upgrade due on March 1st also, and after thinking long and hard will likely go with the Samsung Galaxy II Epic 4G, despite the fact it's an "older" device and has the Wimax radio in it. I could wait for an LTE 4G device this summer, but at this point I seriously doubt OKC will see a 4G LTE rollout until sometime in 2013, and by then I will be able to upgrade again (in October 2013). In the meantime, I'll have a top of the line Android phone that should serve me well for 18 months and if Sprint can get NV done by the end of this year I can certainly deal with 3G speeds if they are always at least in the 1.0-1.5 Mbps range which is what NV should deliver (if not more).

And I'll keep enjoying my $40 MRC too, of course

 

Yes, wait it out. You've had it for this long so another 60-90 days you can do in your sleep. Plus you'll be out of contract, so Sprint may be in the mood to throw some incentives your way when your ready.

[jpkjeff]

Even now I'm still torn on what to do. I currently have the original Samsung Epic 4G Touch (with the slide out keyboard) and I got that phone over the original HTC EVO simply because I felt I still needed a real, physical keyboard. Last winter when I made the decision (I bought it in early March) I still thought there was a chance OKC would see 4G Wimax (I've learned SO much since then, and most of it from this very site).

Still, up until last fall I was satisfied with Sprint's 3G speeds and the fact I could get 4G Wimax at work (if not at home). Then the iPhone came out and 3G slowed to a crawl much of the time, but in the past 2 months it's now acceptable (if not blazing fast) again.

The main reason I'm leaning towards not waiting for an LTE phone is the fact I'm sure that Advantage Club members will have to wait even longer than the general public for one (just like for every hot new device) so I likely wouldn't be able to get one until next fall at the earliest, and I also don't think OKC will see 4G LTE until early or even mid-2013 at the earliest, since we are not traditionally a top market (although both Verizon and AT&T had their LTE here earlier than many other bigger cities/metro areas). Therefore, I would have a phone that would have zero access to an LTE network for at least a year if not a bit more.

On the other hand, if I get the Epic 4G Touch now, I have a newer phone which will get ICS very soon, and can access 4G speeds (albeit only at my workplace and the north side of the city where I travel often), plus I have a buyer for my current phone which will pay for at least half the cost of the Epic 4G Touch...and by the time I'm ready for my next upgrade in September 2013 OKC should have 4G LTE rolled out (or imminent).

Oh-and I forgot to mention that since I'm on an Advantage Club plan (sponsored by an employee/friend who works at Sprint) I am not on a contract, I can cancel at anytime even after I upgrade (although technically you're supposed to keep the line open for 60 days after upgrading, or at least that was the policy when I worked there).

I'll proably make a final decision over the weekend :azn:

Edited February 24, 2012 by jpkjeff

[Sgt. Slaughter]

I never had to wait to get my evo4g nor evo3d. I had the original SERO plans that got converted over to whatever its called now. I have to go through the employee line to get phones as doing so in store(best buy...) is an absolute nightmare and still requires an advanced CS rep to fix if it ever goes through.

 

Called the morning the 3D went on sale and employee line had it shipped the next day no wait at all...

 

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[jpkjeff]

Folks on the SERO (now called the Sprint Employee Referral Plan) are treated like regular retail customers inasmuch as they have access to new devices as soon as the main Sprint warehouse has them (they no longer allow SERO/SERP customers to upgrade via 3rd party channles like Best Buy or Radio Shack, which I feel is actually a good thing since I agree dealing with them especially for out of the ordinary situations is a nightmare).

However, Advantage Club customers are considered to be on actual Employee Plans and as a result must wait when a hot new device is introduced (such as the EVO or last fall when the iPhone 4S was introduced, or back in '09 when the first Palm Pre came out).

Usually the wait isn't terribly long (I'd say about a month, usually) but the wait to order a new iPhone for front line employees and Advantage Club members ended up being almost 2-1/2 months.