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MVNO's and Tri Band Support?

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maxsilver Member Level: 3G EVDO

maxsilver

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I don't think I've seen a definitive answer on this. Do we know if Boost/Virgin users will have access to 2600LTE and 800LTE. What about 800CDMA? What about Sprint As You Go?

 

No one (to my knowledge) has a 'definitive' answer yet.

 

But the 99% likely answer is "yes". MVNO's have gotten equal access to everything they've ever wanted before. The only reason they don't offer certain features is them not choosing to pay for it. (For instance, MVNO's have the option to access to Verizon Data Roaming, most just don't choose to pay for it)

 

When Tri-band LTE devices are affordable and hit the prepaid / MVNO lineup, they'll almost certainly have access, if not instantly, then soon after. (Just like, when the first PCS LTE devices hit the lineup at Virgin / Boost / MVNO's, they also got access)

 

If Sprint wants to block access, you'll probably see them block devices, not services. (Similar to how Pay as You Go blocks most nicer / high-end phones from activation)

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gnoj Member Level: eHRPD

gnoj

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I personally don't think MVNO's should have access to 800 CDMA.   It should be reserved for all the loyal Sprint post paid customers.  We pay a little more every month to enjoy premium services like this.   

 

I disagree. Sprint needs 1x 800 rolled out to as many people as possible to improve the reputation of their network. The 'perks' that Sprint postpaid retail customers get include truly unlimited (non-throttled) data, voice and/or data roaming (for non-emergency calls), and a device subsidy (albeit with a lengthy contract). For those that don't need any of that, in the long run prepaid or an MVNO financially makes much more sense.

 

Regardless of what MVNO is used, Sprint is getting some or all of the money back for the use of their network, so if someone stays with them for awhile I'm not sure why they wouldn't be considered "loyal" to Sprint, unless profitability is considered equal to loyalty. Postpaid is, after all, much more profitable than prepaid or wholesale.

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MacinJosh Member Level: LTE Advanced

MacinJosh

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Virgin Mobile will start selling the iPhone 5C and 5S starting tomorrow. It's only going to be a matter of time before Sprint allows them access to 1x 800 and LTE 800.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2

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cletus Member Level: 4G WiMax

cletus

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I personally don't think MVNO's should have access to 800 CDMA.   It should be reserved for all the loyal Sprint post paid customers.  We pay a little more every month to enjoy premium services like this.   

A few things to note:1) Sprint has enough spectrum to go around 2) These MVNOs are very valuable for poaching customers from other carriers. Ting for instance has the following breakdown: 30% Verizon 28% Sprint  21% AT&T 12% T-Mobile 9% Other.  Rather than think of MVNOs like competing carriers it would be more apt to think of them as low cost plans to draw in people who don't want/need unlimited data/minutes/texts or are adverse to signing contracts at a carrier. 

 

My personal view is that Sprint MVNOs are great (full disclosure, I currently have 2 lines on Ting). Why? There are plenty of customers seeking to pay less and if those subscribers are going to leave, which they absolutely will, you may as well steal subscribers from yourself. If Ting and other MVNOs didn't offer cheap Sprint network plans I would have moved to AT&T/Verizon or one of their MVNOs. I don't see myself signing a carrier contract unless my job starts paying for it or my data usage goes up considerably. My price to pay for this is unsubsidized phones and often a delay in the availability of new phones. That seems a fair trade off while segregating the availability of service does not. 

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superbluepsd Member Level: 1x Advanced

superbluepsd

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A few things to note:1) Sprint has enough spectrum to go around 2) These MVNOs are very valuable for poaching customers from other carriers. Ting for instance has the following breakdown: 30% Verizon 28% Sprint  21% AT&T 12% T-Mobile 9% Other.  Rather than think of MVNOs like competing carriers it would be more apt to think of them as low cost plans to draw in people who don't want/need unlimited data/minutes/texts or are adverse to signing contracts at a carrier. 

 

My personal view is that Sprint MVNOs are great (full disclosure, I currently have 2 lines on Ting). Why? There are plenty of customers seeking to pay less and if those subscribers are going to leave, which they absolutely will, you may as well steal subscribers from yourself. If Ting and other MVNOs didn't offer cheap Sprint network plans I would have moved to AT&T/Verizon or one of their MVNOs. I don't see myself signing a carrier contract unless my job starts paying for it or my data usage goes up considerably. My price to pay for this is unsubsidized phones and often a delay in the availability of new phones. That seems a fair trade off while segregating the availability of service does not. 

I will agree that MVNO's are good for Sprint financially and that Sprint has enough spectrum to go around.   But do they have enough CDMA 800 spectrum to host all these MVNO customers, all the people with custom PRLS to access SMR only and still have enough for everyone else?   Remember there is only enough spectrum for 1 CDMA 800 carrier nationwide.   

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maxsilver Member Level: 3G EVDO

maxsilver

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A few things to note: These MVNOs are very valuable for poaching customers from other carriers... Rather than think of MVNOs like competing carriers it would be more apt to think of them as low cost plans to draw in people who don't want/need unlimited data/minutes/texts or are adverse to signing contracts at a carrier.

This is 100% correct, and there's a point here I think most people miss.

 

MVNO users often *overpay* for their own network access, and contribute *more* to network funding than postpaid subscribers. It's a simple tradeoff for Sprint -- MVNO customers are riskier, and have a lower ARPU, but they have much higher margins. Sprint likes margins, hence lots of MVNO's.

 

For example, regular pricing on TracFone Minutes on Sprint start at 30 minutes for $10. That's 33 cents per minute, a much higher rate than most Sprint users pay for their airtime. (If you have the Postpaid 450min + Data plan at $79.99, your paying less per-minute than a TracFone user and your getting unlimited data included.) In this example, while total revenue per subscriber is down, the cash per unit of network use (minute) is actually higher with an MVNO -- MVNO's are paying more for their network use than a Postpaid Sprint subscriber.

 

Another example : Ting is a Sprint MVNO. Ting charges roughly $20 per gigabyte. If your on the Postpaid 450min + Data plan at $79.99, and you use more than 4GB of your "unlimited data", your paying less per gigabyte of data use than any Ting MVNO subscriber (and that doesn't include the voice minutes and texting you get included with that base price, Ting charges extra for all of that). In this example, while total revenue per subscriber is down, the cash per unit of network use (gigabyte) is actually higher with an MVNO -- MVNO's are paying more for their network use than a Postpaid Sprint subscriber.

 

Obviously, every dollar collected by an MVNO doesn't go straight back to Sprint, MVNO's take a cut of that. But the majority of it does -- pricing for network use is really high, and Sprint charges plenty for network use. MVNO's aren't getting a free ride, they pay quite a bit to throw devices on the network.

 

Also worth mentioning, MVNO's pay anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 just to offer service for their first customer. This is cash paid directly to Sprint in "start up costs" (read: pure profit for Sprint). So there's no downside for Sprint if a MVNO starts up and then shuts down in six months -- Sprint already got plenty of cash for their involvement, even if the MVNO never sells a single device.

 

(Don't take my word for it, call Sprint Wholesale yourself and ask about starting an MVNO. They'll hit you with the same info I've written above. http://wholesale.sprint.com/contact-us ) 

 

 

(1x 800) should be reserved for all the loyal Sprint post paid customers. We pay a little more every month to enjoy premium services like this.

No, you don't 'pay more every month'. You pay *less* than MVNO subscribers per unit of network use (on average), and get to enjoy *more* services at a lower cost than MVNO users (on average).

 

Your total bill might be higher, due to the amount of services you purchase, or the baked in subsidy and insurance. But most Sprint postpaid subscribers are getting a better network rate than their MVNO friends.

 

I will agree that MVNO's are good for Sprint financially and that Sprint has enough spectrum to go around.   But do they have enough CDMA 800 spectrum to host all these MVNO customers, all the people with custom PRLS to access SMR only and still have enough for everyone else?   Remember there is only enough spectrum for 1 CDMA 800 carrier nationwide.

Questions like this make zero business sense. MVNO's are typically paying more cash per-minute (often double the cash) than Sprint Postpaid subscribers are, why should they not at least get access to the same network?

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dnwk Member Level: eHRPD

dnwk

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And they could use Ting to sell metered data without damaging Sprint's Unlimited Data Brand Name.

 

A few things to note:1) Sprint has enough spectrum to go around 2) These MVNOs are very valuable for poaching customers from other carriers. Ting for instance has the following breakdown: 30% Verizon 28% Sprint  21% AT&T 12% T-Mobile 9% Other.  Rather than think of MVNOs like competing carriers it would be more apt to think of them as low cost plans to draw in people who don't want/need unlimited data/minutes/texts or are adverse to signing contracts at a carrier. 

 

My personal view is that Sprint MVNOs are great (full disclosure, I currently have 2 lines on Ting). Why? There are plenty of customers seeking to pay less and if those subscribers are going to leave, which they absolutely will, you may as well steal subscribers from yourself. If Ting and other MVNOs didn't offer cheap Sprint network plans I would have moved to AT&T/Verizon or one of their MVNOs. I don't see myself signing a carrier contract unless my job starts paying for it or my data usage goes up considerably. My price to pay for this is unsubsidized phones and often a delay in the availability of new phones. That seems a fair trade off while segregating the availability of service does not. 

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vobguy Member Level: Analog

vobguy

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Millenicom has Netgear 341u

Just found out that Millenicom can no longer offer Sprint service by end of the month.  Something to do with their gateway provider (some third party) being dropped by Sprint.

 

this well and truly sucks, as my main concern for Network vision was to use on my millenicom tri-band that I just had to upgrade to a couple of months ago. Was looking forward to my local tower getting 4G and my family being able to have close to real internet, be able to watch a few movies a month, etc.

 

I also have a Verizon network miFi I planned to drop once Sprint went 4g, saving me about 70 or 80 bucks a month. 

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bandwithhog Member Level: 1xRTT

bandwithhog

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You can bring any Sprint phone to Voyager Mobile and they activate it fully incl. Spark. I bought an LG2 and the phone works great for an unlimited $39 plan. The only negative site with them, prices are going up in January.

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GorkaIQ Member Level: iDEN *chirp*

GorkaIQ

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I personally don't think MVNO's should have access to 800 CDMA.   It should be reserved for all the loyal Sprint post paid customers.  We pay a little more every month to enjoy premium services like this.   

 

the HTC One SV & the GS3 on Boost Mobile are 1x800MHz capable, and the HTC Desire 601 & GS3 on Virgin Mobile too..

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WiWavelength Member Level: LTE Advanced

WiWavelength

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the HTC One SV & the GS3 on Boost Mobile are 1x800MHz capable, and the HTC Desire 601 & GS3 on Virgin Mobile too..

 

While the devices may be capable, their use of CDMA1X 800 will still be PRL and network dependent.  And at this point, we are not sure how Sprint will handle MVNOs with the additional bands coming online.

 

AJ

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dir_d Member Level: Analog

dir_d

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Just got off the phone with Voyager Mobile's GM and he said that they will have Sprint Spark available on in 1 to 2 months from sprint. I guess Sprint is letting the MVNOs have full access to their network which is the right thing to do anyways.

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jthawks Member Level: 4G WiMax

jthawks

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OK so I have the lg g2 and I enabled all bands and made 41 priority one. When I connect to band 25 it doesn't stay connected as long. The bars are full but disconnects quick. Band 41 I pick up allot with low bars. So if I change my priorities will I connect to LTE better or it doesn't matter cause the Denver market isn't fully love and I know about the ecsfb thing or the c one haha. I can't remember the two sorry. I know my phone right now can only handle one thing. I hope this question makes sense

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

 

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