Dish Network proposes merger with Sprint Nextel for $25.5 billion

[WiWavelength]

You lost me halfway through.

 

I guess you just do not understand the perfectly sensical world of high finance.

 

AJ

[WiWavelength]

Unlimited is the least of my concerns. All my concerns about DISH takeover begin and end with Charlie Ergen. He is a ruthless, tyrannical megalomaniac. And furthermore, he will not keep any of his promises, so I wouldn't bother reading any of them.

 

If Dish does somehow manage to snag Sprint, we may all look back and wonder how circumstances could have been different if only Charlie Ergen had instead found his true calling as the wealthy, despotic ruler of a small, impoverished Latin American or Southeast Asian country.

 

AJ

[Guest 503ducati]

Here's an interview 2 months ago from fiercewireless:

 

'Dish's Ergen: Without wireless partner, we'll put 'for sale' sign on spectrum'

 

http://www.fiercewir...2#ixzz2QZQhMSPV

[ericdabbs]

Here's an interview 2 months ago from fiercewireless:

 

'Dish's Ergen: Without wireless partner, we'll put 'for sale' sign on spectrum'

 

http://www.fiercewir...2#ixzz2QZQhMSPV

 

Well then Ergen should instead focus on putting up that "for sale" sign for their spectrum. Coldwell Banker and REMAX can help Dish with making signs for them. Sprint and Tmobile should both turn Dish down and force Charlie to squirm.

[Guest 503ducati]

Well then Ergen should instead focus on putting up that "for sale" sign for their spectrum. Coldwell Banker and REMAX can help Dish with making signs for them. Sprint and Tmobile should both turn Dish down and force Charlie to squirm.

It seems like Dish is a day late and a dollar short.

[Guest 503ducati]

So Barclay's was against the proposed T-Mobile/MetroPCS merger but is advising Dish on this one, interesting.

[dedub]

Admiral Ergen: Any attack made by the Rebels against this station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they have obtained. This station is now the ultimate power in the universe! I suggest we use it!

 

Darth Son: Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

 

or possibly better yet;

 

Darth Ergen: I've been waiting for you, Obi-Son. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now *I* am the master.

Obi-Son: Only a master of evil, Darth.

[Guest 503ducati]

Admiral Ergen: Any attack made by the Rebels against this station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they have obtained. This station is now the ultimate power in the universe! I suggest we use it!

 

Darth Son: Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

 

or possibly better yet;

 

Darth Ergen: I've been waiting for you, Obi-Son. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now *I* am the master.

Obi-Son: Only a master of evil, Darth.

YES! several nice one liners in that scene. "sorcerer's ways", "clairvoyance", "conjure up" lol

 

[WiWavelength]

Admiral Ergen: Any attack made by the Rebels against this station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they have obtained. This station is now the ultimate power in the universe! I suggest we use it!

 

Darth Son: Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

 

or possibly better yet;

 

Darth Ergen: I've been waiting for you, Obi-Son. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now *I* am the master.

Obi-Son: Only a master of evil, Darth.

 

Many Dish employees (aka Bothans) died to bring us this information.

 

AJ

[Bob Newhart]

Dish said they'd aim for service in rural areas.

Something that the other main cell companies have not mentioned, they concentrate on the cities.

[ericdabbs]

Dish said they'd aim for service in rural areas.

Something that the other main cell companies have not mentioned, they concentrate on the cities.

 

Dish can say a lot of things but I doubt rural areas is of their main concern. Dish right now is playing politician making promises like keeping unlimited data and deploying voice and LTE into rural areas to try to win Sprint shareholders over. It remains to be seen what Dish's plans are for deploying LTE in the S-band.

 

When I look at what leadership is best to drive the Sprint ship going forward, I don't see how Dish can do it any better than Softbank. With Softbank's proven record over the best few years to leapfrog from 3rd place to competing for 1st place in just a few years, I feel hopeful that Softbank can turn Sprint into a similar situation. Maybe Sprint could demand Softbank to come back with a competing offer to be similar to Dish but I feel that Softbank and Sprint are more aligned in terms of their strategy outlook since they have been working together on this since October 2012. I just don't see Dish and Sprint aligning themselves and Dish keeping Sprint management around after a merger. I see Dish being more concerned about selling cable TV services and bundling it with wireless services than they are about building out the LTE in the 800/1900/2500 MHz bands. Maybe Dish would only be concerned with building out LTE in the S-band.

[Fraydog]

Before people judge SoftBank, look at what they did in securing the Platinum Band in Japan. That band has allowed SoftBank to increase their rural coverage. Now I realize that Japan is a much smaller country, but the way they turned around SoftBank Mobile is impressive to me.

[JeffDTD]

Dish said they'd aim for service in rural areas.

Something that the other main cell companies have not mentioned, they concentrate on the cities.

 

Captain Howdy would say just about anything right now. If the verb he used was "aim", what he really means is "we might do it" , just like when someone asks you to go hang out with them and you say "oh, I don't know, I might come", really meaning "I'm 90% certain I won't be doing that". You think Sprint & Tmobile have been stingy about capital expenditures in areas where the return is not guaranteed? Captain Howdy is a penny pinching maniac.

 

I expect him to go on a big media blitz in the next few weeks if he gets the feeling Sprint isn't going to take his deal, especially if we get FCC approval of the Softbank deal. SO, expect more rosy promises from Charlie.

 

And in the event he sugar lips his way into being the Fuhrer of his new media dynasty, he won't bat an eye at throwing hot coffee on the first person at the table who asks him to consider something that doesn't guarantee him immediate return.

[Fraydog]

http://www.softbankmobile.co.jp/en/design_set/data/news/press/2012/20120301_01/pdf/20120301_01.pdf

 

http://www.softbankmobile.co.jp/en/design_set/data/news/conference/pdf/material_20120919_01.pdf

[ericdabbs]

Captain Howdy would say just about anything right now. If the verb he used was "aim", what he really means is "we might do it" , just like when someone asks you to go hang out with them and you say "oh, I don't know, I might come", really meaning "I'm 90% certain I won't be doing that". You think Sprint & Tmobile have been stingy about capital expenditures in areas where the return is not guaranteed? Captain Howdy is a penny pinching maniac.

 

I expect him to go on a big media blitz in the next few weeks if he gets the feeling Sprint isn't going to take his deal, especially if we get FCC approval of the Softbank deal. SO, expect more rosy promises from Charlie.

 

And in the event he sugar lips his way into being the Fuhrer of his new media dynasty, he won't bat an eye at throwing hot coffee on the first person at the table who asks him to consider something that doesn't guarantee him immediate return.

 

Exactly. Lets say for instance that Dish did end up buying Sprint. Dish could come back later and say "we discussed about expanding to rural areas but it turns out it didn't mean economic sense to do so ...so we are not doing anymore. We certainly aim to do so in the future if the opportunity presents itself but at this time it does not make economic sense". BAM at that point, Dish is able to weasel out of that hole. Words like "aim" are not contract binding words. Its very easy to talk your way out of it.

[Fraydog]

Then we have editorials like this...crap.

 

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprints-plans-limbo-thanks-dishs-255b-offer-and-verizons-play-clearwire/2013-04-15

 

Keep it.

[xcharles718]

I wonder what would Moffett would say...

[ericdabbs]

AWS-4 band: 2000-2020 MHz x 2180-2200 MHz (nationwide)

Lower 700 MHz E block: 722-728 MHz (nationwide, except New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco)

 

AJ

 

Without 700 MHz in 5 of the largest markets, its garbage. Who holds the 722-728 MHz market in these 5 markets? AT&T?

 

EDIT: It looks like AT&T hold the 722-728 MHz licenses in these 5 markets. I wonder why Dish decided not to buy up the licenses for these 5 large markets. I wish there would be a way for Dish to buy up the 5 missing markets from AT&T.

[chamb]

Good article on ZDnet. Gives a a clue as to what Dish & Sprint might do.

http://www.zdnet.com/dish-and-sprint-can-they-really-deliver-on-a-unicast-vision-7000014032/

[Fraydog]

I wonder what would Moffett would say...

 

[WiWavelength]

Without 700 MHz in 5 of the largest markets, its garbage.

 

So says the guy simply because he lives in LA. How inconvenient for you.

 

EDIT: It looks like AT&T hold the 722-728 MHz licenses in these 5 markets. I wonder why Dish decided not to buy up the licenses for these 5 large markets. I wish there would be a way for Dish to buy up the 5 missing markets from AT&T.

 

AT&T acquired the Lower 700 MHz D block licenses nationwide and E block licenses in those five large markets when Qualcomm shuttered its MediaFLO broadcast system and sold off the spectrum.

 

AJ

[utiz4321]

 

 

EBITDA CAPEX GAAP AARP CSI UCLA TNT. I think you know what I mean.

 

 

AJ

That is why I used the term if dish's deal is better than softbank's, it is not obvious either way. In the end it will come down to equity holders and people who get paid a hell of a lot figuring out guesses on valuations of these two offers.

 

Ps the board of directors of any publically traded company has one function and that is to maximize share holder value. That is it, that is their function. No law degree is required to know that, just a passing knowledge of modern American cooperate structor.

[JohnHovah]

I only like this deal for the spectrum. It would definitely make sprint/dish wireless competitive against vzw and att. Like what if sprint does get Clearwire? Sprint's spectrum would be 800/850/1900/2500 and plus Dish Spectrum in 700/2GHz. That's amazing. I'm sure the FCC wouldn't allow that but that would be freaking sweet.

 

 

But Im not feeling the name DISH as my cell phone provider. I still want the SoftBank acquisition to go through I just feel its a better fit for sprint and better in the long term

 

 

The divestiture that would result would probably be quite problematic. Sprint is already trying to consolidate, repurpose, refarm and refine its existing available spectrum. adding 2 more bands just doesn't make logical sense and we would either see a loss at the high end: clear's 2.5ghz or dish's 2ghz or the SMR at 850mhz or dish's AWS in the 700's. something would have to give in this scenario and I can't help but feel that the petulant charlie ergen has some serious narcissistic issues that would not benefit such an arrangement in the future. On the surface it looks legitimate, but you only have to peel the onion a few layers to see the harsh reality. Softbank synergies seem better at this moment in time given spectrum ranges and I feel that dish should be a partner and not an owner in such a venture going forward.

[JohnHovah]

Without 700 MHz in 5 of the largest markets, its garbage. Who holds the 722-728 MHz market in these 5 markets? AT&T?

 

EDIT: It looks like AT&T hold the 722-728 MHz licenses in these 5 markets. I wonder why Dish decided not to buy up the licenses for these 5 large markets. I wish there would be a way for Dish to buy up the 5 missing markets from AT&T.

 

either way it is still only 6mhz of spectrum. if it cannot be properly paired with adjacent bands or efficient use given the intereference from adjacent broadcasters I cannot see it being worthwhile for the pittance it offers. Sure a voice carrier could be priortized to properly use that frequency, but I think we would see the network balk if data was its primary function.

[WiWavelength]

either way it is still only 6mhz of spectrum. if it cannot be properly paired with adjacent bands or efficient use given the intereference from adjacent broadcasters I cannot see it being worthwhile for the pittance it offers.

 

Well, the Lower 700 MHz D/E block 6 MHz licenses have made it into 3GPP standards. Classified as band 29, one or both are paired with band 2 PCS 1900 MHz or band 4 AWS 2100+1700 MHz using downlink carrier aggregation.

 

AJ