Sprint makes official offer to acquire Clearwire

[Thomas L.]

 

I don't think Mr. Son would be keen on the idea. I'm pretty sure he wants TD-LTE 2600 for global scale of economies.

 

I personally would be OK with it...IF...Sprint hosted a TD-LTE 2600 network for DISH' date=' DISH persued hotspot coverage for Sprint like Clearwire and Sprint customers could roam on it for reasonable terms. Because it will take a few years for Sprint to get the S band up and running. Getting LTE approved on it, getting devices starting to be built and a network deployed. Probably take 30-36 months. And Sprint will need a back up hotspot plan in the interim.

 

But now that I type that, it makes more sense to keep Clearwire and its assets. But the S Band is not the end of the world.

 

But no matter what, SoftBank wants Clearwire. Maybe as much as Sprint. I'm almost sure of that.

 

Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk[/quote']

 

The value of having a 2.6ghz band TD-LTE network with devices and infrastructure that would work in Japan, in the US, plus so many other countries including China with China Mobile - that largest mobile service provider in the world, is just huge, absolutely huge, both in terms of economies of scale and roaming. The 2.6ghz band is shaping up to be one of the most important in the world for LTE, probably the biggest followed by 1800mhz, and Son realizes that. I think that Son has some really disruptive stuff planned for the American market, and I'm very excited to see what he has planned.

 

Tommy

[bigsnake49]

What if Ergen is protesting the Sprint-SoftBank-Clearwire transactions in an attempt to finagle a trade of his nationwide 40 MHz of S-band/AWS-4 (FDD) spectrum for Clearwire's nationwide but variable BRS/EBS (TDD) spectrum? Would you take that deal?

 

AJ

 

The 2.6GHz band is actually one of the few global LTE bands. So it has some value. Personally, I would make that trade with the proviso that Dish pays Sprint to host that spectrum, but I don't think that Masyoshi Son will. I would rather have Sprint try to acquire as much PCS spectrum as possible than anything else out there including PCS H, than anything else.

 

I think that Dish has uses for all that spectrum, but I don't think that Sprint does. It will sit there unused. It will be interesting to see it unfold.

[bigsnake49]

I don't think Mr. Son would be keen on the idea. I'm pretty sure he wants TD-LTE 2600 for global scale of economies.

 

I personally would be OK with it...IF...Sprint hosted a TD-LTE 2600 network for DISH, DISH persued hotspot coverage for Sprint like Clearwire and Sprint customers could roam on it for reasonable terms. Because it will take a few years for Sprint to get the S band up and running. Getting LTE approved on it, getting devices starting to be built and a network deployed. Probably take 30-36 months. And Sprint will need a back up hotspot plan in the interim.

 

But now that I type that, it makes more sense to keep Clearwire and its assets. But the S Band is not the end of the world.

 

But no matter what, SoftBank wants Clearwire. Maybe as much as Sprint. I'm almost sure of that.

 

Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

 

Ergen wanted Clearwire on the cheap. They bought almost $900 million of their debt. They probably wanted them to go into receivership so they could acquire them or finangle some spectrum out of it. Sprint acquired Clearwire to keep them out of Ergen's hands. If he wants clearwire and their spectrum they want him to pay full price.

 

Again, I direct people to Tim Farrar's blog:

 

http://blog.tmfassociates.com

Edited December 22, 2012 by bigsnake49

[dedub]

I think clear has been a lot closer to bankruptcy than the public realizes and that ergen wanted them to fold so he could pick up some juicy pieces.

 

I also find it ironic how some people go on and on about how crappy 2500/2600 is, and how it will be used only for hotspots, but the wimax coverage in st louis is pretty decent, and while I don't know the details of clears tower structure/spacing elsewhere, 2500/2600 is much more usable as more than just 'hotspot areas' than some people want to think.

[bigsnake49]

I think clear has been a lot closer to bankruptcy than the public realizes and that ergen wanted them to fold so he could pick up some juicy pieces.

 

I also find it ironic how some people go on and on about how crappy 2500/2600 is, and how it will be used only for hotspots, but the wimax coverage in st louis is pretty decent, and while I don't know the details of clears tower structure/spacing elsewhere, 2500/2600 is much more usable as more than just 'hotspot areas' than some people want to think.

 

We are not saying that, we are saying that it is a lot more expensive to cover an are with 2600MHz than 1900Mhz. Sprint's bread and butter frequency is 1900MHz, their sites are spaced for it, their network optimized for it. 800Mhz is going to be an overlay and 2600MHz an overlay.

 

From past interviews it is evident that Sprint thinks they will absorb T-Mobile (maybe even the combo with Metro). Even the leadership of T-Mobile thinks it will happen. It's a matter of when, not if. I personally think that it will happen sooner rather than later, since the stock prices of both T-Mobile and Metro are relatively cheap. I think Masayoshi Son is very ambitious man and wants to play with the big boys.

[ericdabbs]

We are not saying that, we are saying that it is a lot more expensive to cover an are with 2600MHz than 1900Mhz. Sprint's bread and butter frequency is 1900MHz, their sites are spaced for it, their network optimized for it. 800Mhz is going to be an overlay and 2600MHz an overlay.

 

From past interviews it is evident that Sprint thinks they will absorb T-Mobile (maybe even the combo with Metro). Even the leadership of T-Mobile thinks it will happen. It's a matter of when, not if. I personally think that it will happen sooner rather than later, since the stock prices of both T-Mobile and Metro are relatively cheap. I think Masayoshi Son is very ambitious man and wants to play with the big boys.

 

Where did you read that the leadership at Tmobile thinks they will be consolidated into Sprint? I think Tmobile thinks very highly of themselves right now with the Tmobile/MetroPCS merger. They will get significant amount of AWS spectrum which will be very useful to their Challenger plan. Obviously I know that the Tmobile leadership team won't straight up say it but I don't get that sense at all that they feel they will be acquired in the next few years.

[lynyrd65]

 

Where did you read that the leadership at Tmobile thinks they will be consolidated into Sprint? I think Tmobile thinks very highly of themselves right now with the Tmobile/MetroPCS merger. They will get significant amount of AWS spectrum which will be very useful to their Challenger plan. Obviously I know that the Tmobile leadership team won't straight up say it but I don't get that sense at all that they feel they will be acquired in the next few years.

 

Only because you mentioned it, the challenger plan short of something ridiculous they haven't revealed yet (free tethering / international roaming?) Is a sham. LTE will only come to current 3G areas and no new 3G areas are planned. Besides, their DC-HSPA+ is as fast as a lit of their LTE is, so the upgrade is mostly moot anyway.

 

My sister on T-Mobile barely gets GPRS outside of major cities (10~20 kbps down). I wonder what the hell they're thinking over there?

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[bigsnake49]

Where did you read that the leadership at Tmobile thinks they will be consolidated into Sprint? I think Tmobile thinks very highly of themselves right now with the Tmobile/MetroPCS merger. They will get significant amount of AWS spectrum which will be very useful to their Challenger plan. Obviously I know that the Tmobile leadership team won't straight up say it but I don't get that sense at all that they feel they will be acquired in the next few years.

 

Since you asked so nicely :

 

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/t-mobile-sees-more-industry-consolidation-following-metropcs-deal/2012-11-16

 

 

T-Mobile USA expects its merger with MetroPCS (

NYSE:PCS) to be followed by increased consolidation in the U.S. wireless industry in the future, according to a senior T-Mobile executive.

Alling

Speaking in Barcelona at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, T-Mobile COO Jim Alling said that the carrier sees more consolidation coming, and that when one factors in the cable and satellite industries, "there could be some other things that could take place."

"Is it possible that four major players could go down to three?" Alling said, according to Bloomberg. "I think that is possible, and likely in the longer term.

[iansltx]

What if Ergen is protesting the Sprint-SoftBank-Clearwire transactions in an attempt to finagle a trade of his nationwide 40 MHz of S-band/AWS-4 (FDD) spectrum for Clearwire's nationwide but variable BRS/EBS (TDD) spectrum? Would you take that deal?

 

AJ

 

I'd take the deal. Flip the duplex gap and interference concerns with the H block go away. Sure, you lose range if you're planning on doing S-band only Tx/Rx, but realistically you won't ever be doing that, with a nationwide PCS G license, nationwide PCS A-F of some sort, and nationwide SMR of some sort.

 

The disadvantage? It will be 2014 before you can get an S-band network overlay online, maybe longer if you switch the duplex gap and recertify the band. But if Sprint can survive with that, it ends up with a network that, from a coverage planning standpoint, looks a lot like T-Mobile's (~200MHz between bands, so not much coverage diference), but with the addition of SMR...and with more overall spectrum by a slight margin (they'd have 94MHz). That's a good place to be.

 

EDIT: This would be much more likely in a vacuum, without SoftBank, than now SoftBank has a real hankerin' for pushing mobile usage of TD-LTE 2600 hard and fast. S-Band? Not so much.

Edited December 24, 2012 by iansltx

[bigsnake49]

I'd take the deal. Flip the duplex gap and interference concerns with the H block go away. Sure, you lose range if you're planning on doing S-band only Tx/Rx, but realistically you won't ever be doing that, with a nationwide PCS G license, nationwide PCS A-F of some sort, and nationwide SMR of some sort.

 

The disadvantage? It will be 2014 before you can get an S-band network overlay online, maybe longer if you switch the duplex gap and recertify the band. But if Sprint can survive with that, it ends up with a network that, from a coverage planning standpoint, looks a lot like T-Mobile's (~200MHz between bands, so not much coverage diference), but with the addition of SMR...and with more overall spectrum by a slight margin (they'd have 94MHz). That's a good place to be.

 

EDIT: This would be much more likely in a vacuum, without SoftBank, than now SoftBank has a real hankerin' for pushing mobile usage of TD-LTE 2600 hard and fast. S-Band? Not so much.

 

There are more deals coming, this is not over by a long shot. Once Sprint/Softbank closes, just watch....

[bigsnake49]

Where did you read that the leadership at Tmobile thinks they will be consolidated into Sprint? I think Tmobile thinks very highly of themselves right now with the Tmobile/MetroPCS merger. They will get significant amount of AWS spectrum which will be very useful to their Challenger plan. Obviously I know that the Tmobile leadership team won't straight up say it but I don't get that sense at all that they feel they will be acquired in the next few years.

 

also

 

 

Sprint CEO says industry consolidation could happen soon

By Thomas Gryta, Dow Jones Newswires

Thursday 20 September 2012

U.S. operator will play a role in consolidation, but is reluctant to change network overhaul plan until mid-2013, according to Dan Hesse.

 

Sprint Nextel Corp.'s chief executive expects the company to participate in industry consolidation, and he opened the door to deals happening soon.

 

The third-largest U.S. wireless carrier is in the middle of a major network overhaul, called Network Vision, as it attempts to turn around its business and catch up with....

 

http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=476425

[WiWavelength]

I'd take the deal. Flip the duplex gap and interference concerns with the H block go away.

 

That just robs Peter to pay Paul, so to speak, because then those same interference issues get shuffled to the AWS-3 downlink, J block downlink, and federal spectrum that are adjacent to the current AWS-4 downlink, which your proposal would switch to uplink.

 

AJ

[bigsnake49]

That just robs Peter to pay Paul, so to speak, because then those same interference issues get shuffled to the AWS-3 downlink, J block downlink, and federal spectrum that are adjacent to the current AWS-4 downlink, which your proposal would switch to uplink.

 

AJ

 

Much easier to filter at the basestation than the handset

[WiWavelength]

Much easier to filter at the basestation than the handset

 

I think that you are missing the point. The current problem is that mobile transmissions in the uplink of Dish's AWS-4 band could interfere with downlink reception in the PCS G and AWS-2 H blocks. So, Ian proposes swapping the AWS-4 uplink and downlink so that the latter is then adjacent to the H block downlink. I had the same idea six months ago, but it does not work overall. It would just shift the uplink/downlink interference issue up about 200 MHz.

 

See the band plan (to aid interpretation, I have added a few colored labels):

 

 

AJ

[bigsnake49]

I think that you are missing the point. The current problem is that mobile transmissions in the uplink of Dish's AWS-4 band could interfere with downlink reception in the PCS G and AWS-2 H blocks. So, Ian proposes swapping the AWS-4 uplink and downlink so that the latter is then adjacent to the H block downlink. I had the same idea six months ago, but it does not work overall. It would just shift the uplink/downlink interference issue up about 200 MHz.

 

See the band plan (to aid interpretation, I have added a few colored labels):

 

 

AJ

 

One can devise high attenuation bandpass filters at the the base station level.

[WiWavelength]

One can devise high attenuation bandpass filters at the the base station level.

 

You are still off target. The issue is transmitters in X type mobile devices interfering with receivers in Y type mobile devices because X type mobile devices transmit on an uplink that is proximate to the downlink that Y type mobile devices receive. It has nothing to do with base stations.

 

AJ

[xcharles718]

Who owns the J Block?

[WiWavelength]

Who owns the J Block?

 

The first lien holder is Mother Nature. The second is the American people. And that holds true for all electromagnetic spectrum.

 

AJ

[xcharles718]

The first lien holder is Mother Nature. The second is the American people. And that holds true for all electromagnetic spectrum.

 

AJ

I don't think AT&T would be okay with one entity owning that much spectrum. Must keep Stephenson up at night...

 

Who currently leases the rights to that block of spectrum from the FCC?

[WiWavelength]

I don't think AT&T would be okay with one entity owning that much spectrum. Must keep Stephenson up at night...

 

Oh, I doubt that Randall would be satisfied unless all CMRS spectrum were in the loving arms of Ma Bell. You know, just for warmth and safekeeping.

 

Who currently leases the rights to that block of spectrum from the FCC?

 

That I know of, no one. It is not in use for mobile purposes.

 

AJ

[bigsnake49]

You are still off target. The issue is transmitters in X type mobile devices interfering with receivers in Y type mobile devices because X type mobile devices transmit on an uplink that is proximate to the downlink that Y type mobile devices receive. It has nothing to do with base stations.

 

AJ

 

Not if they're all downlinks.

[WiWavelength]

Not if they're all downlinks.

 

They cannot all be downlinks. They have to be paired with uplinks somewhere.

 

AJ

[bigsnake49]

They cannot all be downlinks. They have to be paired with uplinks somewhere.

 

AJ

 

If the downlinks are 200MHz away from the uplinks, they won't interfere. I agree that they should straighten the bandplan so that all the downlinks are together and all the uplinks together and away from downlinks.

[DaQue]

It my be to late to move all the up and downlinks. Too much stuff in the field is my guess. If they could agree to do it it still might take years to allow for waiting a reasonable time before the old gear is obsolete. If we are talking about millions of cellphones if the up and down links are not in use yet maybe not.

[nmbr1scoobs]

http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/01/08/dish-offers-to-clearwire-3-30/ DISH makes an offer for Clearwire!