Softbank - New Sprint - Discussion

[dstar2002]

I don't think this is a spending issue at all. I think the word needed is accountability. No one was held accountable for missing deadlines, particularly backhaul providers.

[Johnner1999]

I don't think this is a spending issue at all. I think the word needed is accountability. No one was held accountable for missing deadlines, particularly backhaul providers.

Throwing money at a problem typically only makes the problem more distant.

[jamisonshaw125]

Throwing money at a problem typically only makes the problem more distant.

I would've fired them and then hired someone new. ASAP.

[Johnner1999]

I would've fired them and then hired someone new. ASAP.

I'm curious if the "lack" urgency in areas overlapped with better known TMO coverage. I mean why invest in an area that could be "fixed" with the merger.

 

Not saying that was a bad idea IF true.

[jonathanm1978]

I think they should start hauling backhaul provider in to court for causing them undue harm ..or financial burden via churn...whatever they want to use...I know for a fact AT&T in this area is in no hurry, whatsoever, to run some fiber for competition to start hitting at their numbers here. Sprint has 1 tower on LTE, and another tower that's sitting dark just waiting and has been waiting for 3-4 months now. It's not even turned on because it has no backhaul to it...

[dnicekid]

Everyone is to blame. More money if that meant hiring more crews or flying in personnel to certain areas for faster deployments.. Like a rapid reaction team. These guys would go to D.C. to help expedite the rollout then leave when certain% is completed.

 

Sprint should have focused on its markets that have the most customers and the move outward. Out here I can be in the middle of nowhere, pick up LTE get into a largely populated area and bounce back and forth because not all of the towers are down.

The largely populated should have these extras helping out then move to the next market and leave the others to finish remaining towers.

This is the only way I see sprint getting closer to finishing..

 

Yes they need to spend a little more

Yes who ever planned the rollout made a mistake

Yes they made a mistake with backhaul contracts

Yes who ever signed off on all it should have asked about the "what ifs"

 

My opinion, yes a lot of people were responsible..

 

But, it is getting better

[dstar2002]

I'm curious if the "lack" urgency in areas overlapped with better known TMO coverage. I mean why invest in an area that could be "fixed" with the merger.

 

Not saying that was a bad idea IF true.

If they did this, it would be stupidity. It would of taken a year for the deal to be approved, a year for benefits to take place. 2 years easily of stalled progress. The opposite of a network visioned to be superior.

[jamisonshaw125]

Pretty sure that deployment was not affected by the merger rumors. In fact, during that time period I believe it increased significantly across the country. I know my market went insane, and has now cooled down unfortunately :/

[S4GRU]

Double post because latest tapatalk update sucks.

It does. I installed their latest extensions last week and we've had more problems. *sigh*

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

Pretty sure that deployment was not affected by the merger rumors. In fact, during that time period I believe it increased significantly across the country. I know my market went insane, and has now cooled down unfortunately :/

Same here. They went all gangbusters in the Jax market - most of Florida, actually.

 

Sent from my LG G3 using Tapatalk

[Johnner1999]

Okay sorry about my last post. Honest :-)

[jamisonshaw125]

Same here. They went all gangbusters in the Jax market - most of Florida, actually.

 

Sent from my LG G3 using Tapatalk

Still waiting for that next massive round of b26 acceptances for the rest of the state. Should be any day now.

 

To edit: and by acceptances, I mean confirmed user reports of b26 anywhere south of the edge of cocoa beach on the east coast. I know Kris will be so happy. 

[jonathanm1978]

Pretty sure that deployment was not affected by the merger rumors. In fact, during that time period I believe it increased significantly across the country. I know my market went insane, and has now cooled down unfortunately :/

 

 

I'd love to see just ONE tower here that's converted from a ground mount to LTE full-build. I'm really dreaming in hopes of seeing 800LTE on something near me ...but I know that's far-fetched...I'd settle for some b25 LTE though.

I don't even have a glimmer of hope for seeing b41 around me, except maybe Birmingham, AL within the next couple years... But, I'd love to be proven wrong and shown-up by Sprint..if they would just rush to convert GMO sites as soon as possible...that would help tremendously in "somewhat rural" Alabama.

[S4GRU]

I think they should start hauling backhaul provider in to court for causing them undue harm ..or financial burden via churn...whatever they want to use...I know for a fact AT&T in this area is in no hurry, whatsoever, to run some fiber for competition to start hitting at their numbers here. Sprint has 1 tower on LTE, and another tower that's sitting dark just waiting and has been waiting for 3-4 months now. It's not even turned on because it has no backhaul to it...

It's not that easy. Sprint has a lot of the backhaul blame too. They tried to do 'just in time' backhaul ordering. If they had ordered all of their backhaul at the beginning of NV, this would not be as big of a problem.

 

But when Sprint started NV, they worked with backhaul vendors on plans that would minimize their upfront backhaul cash burn. They released backhaul in stages, by area and vendor. This would have allowed Sprint to spread out its huge backhaul costs.

 

If the backhaul companies would have been able to deliver backhaul perfectly to Sprint's schedule, it could have worked pretty well. But it wasn't properly managed by Sprint, and some backhaul vendors appear to be grossly inept. Bad combo.

 

In hindsight, it appears stupid to start a company like CenturyLink toward the end of the project. And it probably was. Because many of these later companies are not meeting their dates. Whereas if all backhaul was released before NV started or at least as NV was starting, then we would just be dealing with a few problematic sites that could likely be bridged with microwave.

 

Even as there are several prominent backhaul providers flailing, Sprint carries a lot of the responsibility. And based on the info coming out of Overland Park these days, it is now being properly managed. It will get done as fast as possible, given the bad position they are in now.

 

Onward and upward!

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[Cubbiefan82]

That is the one thing I always knew would be a issue with network vision, the way they ordered the backhaul. Sprint should have ordered in the beginning like robert said, a lot of there network would be done. It is so sad, how everyone thought they were doing a good job and yet. They messed up this part, which is a big part of network vision.

[sbolen]

I think permitting has a lot to do with the delays in deployment, too. If you combine a completely nutty 'every county/municipality' permitting system with coordinating backhaul requirements, it was a project doomed to fail.

 

Like Robert said, the ship is righted now, so it's just a matter of time before we all start seeing the course correction.

[S4GRU]

Although we can't don't this, it would be interesting to see the contrast of where Sprint would be now in deployment if SoftBank had not bought them. After pondering that, just consider Clearwire as its own entity right now. Let that sink in awhile...

 

Thank you Masa. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[KD8JBF]

Still waiting for that next massive round of b26 acceptances for the rest of the state. Should be any day now.

 

To edit: and by acceptances, I mean confirmed user reports of b26 anywhere south of the edge of cocoa beach on the east coast. I know Kris will be so happy. 

 

Pins and Needles my friend...Pins and Needles...LOL

[WillM]

Thank you Masa. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

It's too bad he wasted all that time trying to do the impossible T Mobile acquisition. Lots of billionaires think they can make a square peg fit in a round hole. Too much time spent on lining up financing and trying to woo regulators who were probably never going to approve. Instead they could've moved Hesse out awhile ago along with others who are used to a more glacial style of progress.

[bigsnake49]

It's too bad he wasted all that time trying to do the impossible T Mobile acquisition. Lots of billionaires think they can make a square peg fit in a round hole. Too much time spent on lining up financing and trying to woo regulators who were probably never going to approve. Instead they could've moved Hesse out awhile ago along with others who are used to a more glacial style of progress.

 

You don't think they have different people working on different things? It's not like the network people were involved in the M&A. Maybe in the beginning a year ago they asked them who to do the network integration, but other than that...

[jeffcarp]

It isn't like Masa is actually sitting at his desk and managing the details. He isn't a successful billionaire without being able to work through multiple strategic ideas at the same time.

 

It's too bad he wasted all that time trying to do the impossible T Mobile acquisition. Lots of billionaires think they can make a square peg fit in a round hole. Too much time spent on lining up financing and trying to woo regulators who were probably never going to approve. Instead they could've moved Hesse out awhile ago along with others who are used to a more glacial style of progress.

[WillM]

You don't think they have different people working on different things? It's not like the network people were involved in the M&A. Maybe in the beginning a year ago they asked them who to do the network integration, but other than that...

 

You've never seen a company get distracted by merger talks or a merger? It's not uncommon. I think it's safe to say the ink was barely dry on the Softbank purchase of Sprint that this guy was already teeing up TMUS despite the overwhelming odds it wouldn't get approved.

 

And what was the first thing they did after throwing in the towel? They fired Hesse. They knew he was ineffective and not the guy for the job anymore but they kept him in place to keep the seat warm for you know who. Without the merger distraction they could've moved him, and others, out a long time ago and gotten someone better suited to the next chapter in the companies history.  

[S4GRU]

It's too bad he wasted all that time trying to do the impossible T Mobile acquisition. Lots of billionaires think they can make a square peg fit in a round hole. Too much time spent on lining up financing and trying to woo regulators who were probably never going to approve. Instead they could've moved Hesse out awhile ago along with others who are used to a more glacial style of progress.

 

I think this has had little to no impact on the network deployment, whatsoever.

 

Robert

[CaptainSlow]

Sprint is purchasing Cellular One's tower leases in Montana/Wyoming:

 

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/cellular-one-shutting-down-service-montana-wyoming/2014-08-13

[EvanA]

Sprint is purchasing Cellular One's tower leases in Montana/Wyoming:

 

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/cellular-one-shutting-down-service-montana-wyoming/2014-08-13

More native coverage coming!