Hypothetical- OS backing swap between Sprint & Verizon

[telefunken]

I wonder what would have happened if Sprint would have lauched the OG Motorola Droid and Verizon had launched the Palm Pre, do you think Sprint would have stopped bleeding customers a while ago? I wonder if it would have helped NV get done faster, less losses=more $=faster rollouts?

[Fraydog]

I am not sure it would change things much as far as Sprint or Verizon goes. I would say that maybe Palm would still be around. Who knows...

[bigsnake49]

It might have helped if Google had backed PalmOS and Palm Android. Of course Verizon had to pour untold billions advertising Droids, so yes. AT&T did not have to advertise iPhone half as much.

Edited October 9, 2013 by bigsnake49

[The Dave]

I don't think the phone has anything to do with it. Sprint lost/is losing customers because it's network went vastly ignored while it deteriorated. Even if we had the Motorola Milestone/DROID, I can't imagine there being much of a difference.

[speed4evr]

I'm going out on a limb here...but I feel the downward spiral of Sprint's network started showing after they outsourced the management of their network to Ericsson back in 2009.

 

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=669095

[mc_gusto]

DROID being on Verizon probably helped android get more popular then the other way around.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 4

 

 

[mozamcrew]

I'm going out on a limb here...but I feel the downward spiral of Sprint's network started showing after they outsourced the management of their network to Ericsson back in 2009.

 

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=669095

 

I think it started a couple years before that, basically right after the Nextel acquisition was complete. Outsourcing to Ericsson was a symptom of the problem, not the cause. Sprint was stuck trying to operate and maintain two different networks and two different pools of customers while getting Nextel's spectrum rebanded so that it could be used on a modern network (Wider channels and moving public safety). This was expensive and didn't leave a lot of money for investing in it's existing network. Hence why Sprint "gave" its 2.6 Ghz spectrum to Clearwire to roll out and outsourced its legacy maintenace to Ericsson. They didn't have the cash to build out Wimax themselves and maintain both of the legacy networks. Ericsson and Clearwire were the answer to that dilema. The problem for Sprint was that Clearwire proved unable to roll out wimax on the scale Sprint needed, thus the legacy network slowly went down the tubes.

[Redx]

If you mean if Sprint would have launched an Android first, then they did.... didn't they with the HTC Hero? Or do you mean the Droid branding?

[The Dave]

T-Mobile launched first with the G1 and followed up with the myTouch. Being first with Android had nothing to do with success/failure of gaining or retaining customers. It's all marketing and the perceived notion that Verizon is the best and only measure of a good network just because they are the biggest and get their way.

[centermedic]

I don't think the phone has anything to do with it. Sprint lost/is losing customers because it's network went vastly ignored while it deteriorated. Even if we had the Motorola Milestone/DROID, I can't imagine there being much of a difference.

I think you are both right. Sprint has had significant subscriber gains with the release of popular phones like the OG EVO and the iPhone. I think the state of the network has not allowed Sprint to maintain those gains.

[S4GRU]

When I got the OG Evo in 2010, Sprint 3G was great everywhere I went.  But within 3 months the network started showing cracks.  After six months half the sites were poor.  After one year it was about 75%.  That seems to be the worst it ever got in New Mexico was about three quarters of the sites dropped below about 500kbps.  Now it's back up to about only 1/3 of the sites are unusable.

 

Sprint raided their 3G capex because WiMax was going to rescue them.  They didn't have funds to have a robust 3G capex.  It was a judgment call based on what they could do.  That ended up being a disaster.  

 

Sprint actually got very lucky.  The two year contract model and the thought of unlimited kept people around.  Otherwise, too many people would have jumped to the duopoly.  Pushing Sprint out of business.  This could have ended up very differently.  And now with SoftBank capitalization, Sprint is going to be a serious contender to the duopoly.  But it's going to take some time.  But every month will be better than the last.  In many parts of the country, the Sprint network is now usable.  Now the next steps are to make the experience ever better and in more places, for a reasonable price and unlimited.

 

Robert

[Celz]

I think the Droid branding would have helped. Palm really missed with "feminine" "nature based" and just straight up weird Pre branding and marketing. The iPhone was somewhat neutral and the Droid was ultra masculine; so when Palm comes with an amazing OS on mediocre hardware with "soft" design language the wow factor is greatly diminished. Palm lost when they bet the farm on the pebble hardware design. 

 

If Sprint would have got the Droid brand it would not have helped much. The Evo wowed almost as much as the Droid did. IMO if Sprint would have got the Droid they wouldn't have got the Evo so they would have cancelled each other out. And the network issues stemmed from running an obsolete and abandonded, 2G only iDen network whose phones went against every trend in the mobile industry..

[Redx]

T-Mobile launched first with the G1 and followed up with the myTouch. Being first with Android had nothing to do with success/failure of gaining or retaining customers. It's all marketing and the perceived notion that Verizon is the best and only measure of a good network just because they are the biggest and get their way.

Im sorry but I meant before verizon I had the G1 but I get what your saying it really didn't catch on until Verizons marketing and didn't Verizon at first not want the iphone thinking it was going to fail?

[The Dave]

I remember reading that Sprint didn't want the G1, believing that Android would fail, too. Unfortunately, hindsight is 20/20.