US Cellular and nTelos?

[briankwest]

Who do you think will end up with either of those networks?  Sprint or Verizon?  I didn't find any one else talking about it but I did read a few stories about US Cellular stock going up on speculation since Leap fell to AT&T Friday.

[wyatt:-)]

Sprint should definitely acquire US Cellular. USCC covers Northern California well, while Sprint is nonexistent. 

 

[supert0nes]

Sprint should not overpay for any more spectrum (including PCS H).  Demand is not going up nearly as high as originally predicted and Sprint is sitting pretty well with what they have.  Also US Cellular has a lot of Spectrum (AWS/Cellular) that Sprint would probably sell.  Let these companies continue to dwindle and buy up their spectrum when the yard sale starts.

 

nTelos - Just buy the BRS from whoever buys them.

[WiWavelength]

Who do you think will end up with either of those networks?  Sprint or Verizon?  I didn't find any one else talking about it but I did read a few stories about US Cellular stock going up on speculation since Leap fell to AT&T Friday.

Neither, I hope.

 

Consolidation is profit centric, not consumer centric.  Those consumers who have regional operators -- USCC, nTelos, C Spire, Viaero -- that focus on their specific areas tend to have better wireless coverage and customer service.

 

If we are going to consolidate down to only a few wireless network operators, then we might as well nationalize the whole damn thing.  It should be like the Interstate Highway System, with dozens, hundreds, even thousands of virtual providers operating on top of the publicly owned network.

 

AJ

[ChadBroChillz]

Sprint should not overpay for any more spectrum (including PCS H).  Demand is not going up nearly as high as originally predicted and Sprint is sitting pretty well with what they have.  Also US Cellular has a lot of Spectrum (AWS/Cellular) that Sprint would probably sell.  Let these companies continue to dwindle and buy up their spectrum when the yard sale starts.

 

nTelos - Just buy the BRS from whoever buys them.

 

Softbank's CEO Masayoshi Son mentioned matching Verizon's high speed coverage. I do not believe they will be able to meet that claim without buying most of that coverage.  Also, USCC sold most if not all their AWS to T-mobile. They only have 700A/B/C, 850Mhz, and 1900Mhz, which Sprint has already mentioned supporting for roaming. 

 

Sprint would not have to sell the spectrum. the build out requirements are likely complete, and Sprint's network already supports all the frequencies besides 700Mhz. 

[briankwest]

Sprint also has some WCS licenses that AT&T will need.  As for the 700mhz licenses that USCC has aren't those somewhat linked with King Street Wireless?  Not sure the relationship there.

[jefbal99]

All sprint devices support cellular 850, so integrating that into the network shouldn't be to bad. Swap the AWS and 700 for PCS

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

 

[briankwest]

Also Sprint should go finish off SouthernLinc while they are at it!

[briankwest]

Handy tool to have http://specmap.sequence-omega.net

[lordsutch]

In the case of nTelos, I'm not sure they actually "focus on their specific areas tend to have better wireless coverage and customer service" as AJ says. That might be true of some of the better-run regionals like USCC, Cincy Bell, and C-Spire, but nTelos always struck me as being rather half-assed even on the retail side.  Their passage into the arms of Sprint or another suitor will be lamented by few, if any, in their region.

 

As for nationalization + MVNOs, not even the Europeans have tried that for wireless; if anyone thought it would work, the French would have jumped at it rather than embracing this bizarre Anglo-Saxon idea of companies competing with each other to provide public services (incidentally, where new entrant Free is disrupting the 3 incumbent providers). And in cases in the US where infrastructure ownership has separated from service ownership (for example, the states that have competitive retail electricity for consumers over a common grid, like Texas - essentially the electricity "retailer" acts an MVNO over the grid) the main effect has been higher prices than under regulated vertical integration or public utilities.

 

Plus under the Nationalization+MVNO model, there'd be no price signal to the network operator to upgrade the underlying network; Sprint is doing NV not as a public service, but because their network sucks and they've lost customers as a result. Politics, not customer demand, would drive upgrades by a nationalized infrastructure provider. That might be great for farmers in Iowa to get rural broadband as part of the quadrennial efforts by presidential candidates to suck up to Iowans, but a lot of folks in places with limited political power will get the shaft (much as many communities, some very large, were shafted when they picked the routings of the Interstates, like the Central Valley of California and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas).

[Nickel]

As someone in a US Cellular area, while I believe that if Sprint acquired them it would be good for Sprint I don't believe it would be good for the area. It would essentially make Sprint and Verizon a duopoly with everyone else fighting for scraps. 

[maximus1987/lou99]

As someone in a US Cellular area, while I believe that if Sprint acquired them it would be good for Sprint I don't believe it would be good for the area. It would essentially make Sprint and Verizon a duopoly with everyone else fighting for scraps.

?

ATT doesn't have service in your area? ATT said 300 mil LTE end of 2014. Not sure what you're referencing.

[Nickel]

?

ATT doesn't have service in your area? ATT said 300 mil LTE end of 2014. Not sure what you're referencing.

Does AT&T have service in my area? yes it does, but it isn't very popular. If you stray away from the bigger cities you quickly find yourself in either EDGE or no service. My area is CDMA heavy and if you can't roam onto someone else's CDMA, you're going to have a bad time.

[Rawvega]

Sprint should definitely acquire US Cellular. USCC covers Northern California well, while Sprint is nonexistent. 

 

 

Oh wow, the infamous Mendocino County. IF Sprint were to buy USCC, I'm sure that rather annoying OCD guy over on HoFo that has made around 25K posts about Mendocino County would blather on incessantly about it. 

[lynyrd65]

?

ATT doesn't have service in your area? ATT said 300 mil LTE end of 2014. Not sure what you're referencing.

 

if you want to get an idea of the disparity look at this

 

US Cellular in Nebraska (checkered is roaming, uncheckered is native) 

 

 

Verizon in Nebraska (mostly native I think) 

 

 

AT&T Native coverage in Nebraska 

 

[WiWavelength]

Oh wow, the infamous Mendocino County. IF Sprint were to buy USCC, I'm sure that rather annoying OCD guy over on HoFo that has made around 25K posts about Mendocino County would blather on incessantly about it. 

 

Ha, I see that you have encountered ilvla2.  He and I do not get along.  I believe that I once called him the "Rose Nylund" of HowardForums because, like Betty White on "The Golden Girls" always prattling on about St. Olaf, ilvla2 is constantly writing about Lake and Mendocino Counties.  His local schtick gets really old, really fast.

 

AJ

[MacPCS]

if you want to get an idea of the disparity look at this

 

US Cellular in Nebraska (checkered is roaming, uncheckered is native) 

 

[uS Cellular]

 

Verizon in Nebraska (mostly native I think) 

 

[Verizon]

 

AT&T Native coverage in Nebraska 

 

[AT&T]

Just for fun, I had a look at Sprint's woeful Nebraska coverage.  Maybe marginally better than AT&T... but I'm not sure how.  

 

[lynyrd65]

Just for fun, I had a look at Sprint's woeful Nebraska coverage. Maybe marginally better than AT&T... but I'm not sure how.

 

With SMR it will cover more than 3x the area. If AT&T is overstating their coverage (which they likely are due to all areas running on PCS only) then Sprint already has them beat by that much.

 

It still pales in comparison to uscc or vzw though....

 

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Mobilesolutions]

Sprint should definitely acquire US Cellular. USCC covers Northern California well, while Sprint is nonexistent. 

 

 

PSDHOIJHROEIWJH we will have Sprint on the top of Mt. Shasta one day. 

[bigsnake49]

ivivla2 aside, it does point out how pathetic Sprint coverage is in some places. Some of us insisted that Sprint merge with Alltel & USCC and RCC a a few other regionals. At least the customers would have probably stayed instead of leaving in droves. I know that there are some here and Sprint management at the time that only want to concentrate on urban areas, but there are bragging rights when you have rural coverage and that translates to customer goodwill and customer retention. You also get money from the  USF fund when you also have a local landline co. 

 

I wish that the FCC had given Sprint a full 10+10 everywhere by moving some 800Mhz denizens to 900Mhz but then imposed buildout requirements on them. Of course also insist that PS get off their butt and re-effing band instead of dragging their feet.

[WiWavelength]

PSDHOIJHROEIWJH we will have Sprint on the top of Mt. Shasta one day. 

 

You may have to be satisfied with using your Sprint handset while just drinking a Shasta.

 

 

AJ

[Mobilesolutions]

You may have to be satisfied with using your Sprint handset while just drinking a Shasta.

 

 

 

AJ

 

I'll have internet everywhere one day. 

[WiWavelength]

I'll have internet everywhere one day. 

 

Even inside Uranus?

 

AJ

[Mobilesolutions]

Even inside Uranus?

 

AJ

Yes, And yours too.

 

In all seriousness I'd be willing to work with you. I know you are the most versed network guru in the US.