Shentel / Sprint LTE - (was ntelos - West & N&W Virginia)

[blackwaterstout]

Beckley?

[shawneyboy123]

Beckley?

Yes? What about it?

 

 

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[blackwaterstout]

Yes? What about it?

 

 

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just curious if the tower pic you took was located in Beckley. What area?

[shawneyboy123]

just curious if the tower pic you took was located in Beckley. What area?

Dropped Pin

near 1 Chesapeake Ln, Beckley, WV 25801

http://goo.gl/maps/Hzn9c

If you go there and look you can see that there was nothing there, and google maps just recently updated the map data for my area (End summer early fall).

Or a more simple answer. Across from the Beckley Plaza Mall beside Dominos and Dunkin Donuts.

 

 

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[urbaniter]

The lies from social team are always so funny

[S4GRU]

The lies from social team are always so funny

 

I commiserate with what you're saying.  Sprint reps are just not trained well.  It's not a lie, really.  They are told that Sprint is upgrading their entire network.  And Sprint is.  So they feel like they can say that to every Sprint customer.  They don't know what nTelos is, or that Sprint customers in nTelos areas need a different and more specific answer.

 

It's poor training.  And when you fail at training, bad information gets disseminated.  

 

Robert

[Mattaddison]

Any news on when Wytheville, VA might get nTelos LTE? I've been waiting for what feels like forever. I called and they said maybe Q4 of 2014. I really do hope we get it. Cause their LTE speeds are great.

[bbostwick8]

*sigh* :-(

[S4GRU]

*sigh* :-(

I'm confused. Are you lamenting the fact that there is LTE in Edinburg (Shentel), but not in nTelos land?

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

[bbostwick8]

Just wishing that Sprint customers in the nTelos markets would have access to the LTE network.

[marioc21]

Damn. As a Sprint customer heading out into nTelos land next week it's sad to see that there isn't yet access.  Hopefully atleast the nTelos 3g network has been improved. 

[marioc21]

So the nTelos 4th Qtr earnings call is about to start. Maybe we'll get some LTE info. If anyone wants to listen in go here http://ir.ntelos.com/CorporateProfile.aspx?iid=4110676

[S4GRU]

So the nTelos 4th Qtr earnings call is about to start. Maybe we'll get some LTE info. If anyone wants to listen in go here http://ir.ntelos.com/CorporateProfile.aspx?iid=4110676

I'm in meetings this morning. Please provide a recap if you can. Thanks!

 

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

[Cubbiefan82]

They will finish there 4g lte network by the end of this year, only big highlight so far

[marioc21]

Minor stuff so far. 

 

1. Postpaids up. Total subs at 464,000.

2. ARPU up. Will start new metric called ARPA (Avg. revenue per account)

3. Initial LTE buildout will go on through 2014. Reach 50% of pops by end of year.

4. Agreed to expanded market trial with DISH. Initial testing will finish at end of Q1. Will begin limited marketing of service in Q2.

5. Launched first 4 LTE markets over Christmas.

6. Launched new family plans.

7. Won't provide additional "color" on relationship with Sprint. They have a good relationship and hope to continue providing service to Sprint for years to come. Asked that no question about future of relationship be asked during Q&A. 

 

That last part is interesting. Must mean negotiations are still ongoing. 

 

Q&A is going on now.  Nothing interesting so far. 

 

Someone did ask about sprint. Same answer as before. Can't provide any additional "color" on relationship beyond their existing agreement.

 

Equipment used in Dish fixed wireless trial does support band 41. Vendor they selected uses equipment that supports it. 

 

Not aware of any overbuild activity currently being performed by Sprint. 

 

Question about LTE rollout. Early days since first market was launched. Should progress quickly. Speeds are 11-12 mbps down and 4 up in first markets. 80 cell sites so far up and going. Hoping to hit 70%+ covered pops by end of year. 

 

Also asked how much of nTelos 1700mhz overlaps with TMo. Answer was "not much". 

 

And the call is now over. So there you go. 

 

I'll attach a link to a written transcript once it's available. Here's the transcript link: http://seekingalpha.com/article/2055603-ntelos-holdings-management-discusses-q4-2013-results-earnings-call-transcript?part=single

[kelmelzer]

Minor stuff so far. 

 

1. Postpaids up. Total subs at 464,000.

2. ARPU up. Will start new metric called ARPA (Avg. revenue per account)

3. Initial LTE buildout will go on through 2014. Reach 50% of pops by end of year.

4. Agreed to expanded market trial with DISH. Initial testing will finish at end of Q1. Will begin limited marketing of service in Q2.

5. Launched first 4 LTE markets over Christmas.

6. Launched new family plans.

7. Won't provide additional "color" on relationship with Sprint. They have a good relationship and hope to continue providing service to Sprint for years to come. Asked that no question about future of relationship be asked during Q&A. 

 

That last part is interesting. Means negotiations are still ongoing. 

 

Thanks for doing this.  I had been doing it lately, but I've been a bit too slammed at work this week that I barely noticed (and maybe getting too cynical too about nTelos/Sprint).  I'm listening now to the webcast for humor.

 

Edit: I think I came in mid-point during the start of Q&A, but there are some very interesting questions being asked.

[Cubbiefan82]

Can't provide any information on sprint contract, they want to re-sign it sooner then later. Sounds like it isn't good and I am ok with shentel over bulid

[Cubbiefan82]

they don't know anything about over build or aware of one. Also haven't seen any signs of one, good question to ask in q&a

[davidtm]

Thanks for this info! If it were juicier, I'd go through the hassle of registering to read the entire transcript. Alas, that doesn't seem to be the case, at least not yet!

 

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[S4GRU]

To me, this "color" comment from nTelos is troubling.  I'm glad I'm not a stockholder.  Sprint's terms for a LTE network deal must be pretty tough.  Because nTelos is not in the shape to let Sprint go.  nTelos wireless without Sprint is sunk.  

They should have had a deal on LTE a long time ago.  If they are still fighting it out, then to me that means that Sprint just wants to overbuild the area with Shentel and would only entertain furtherance of nTelos LTE if the price is so cheap that they cannot afford not to use nTelos.  And I'm not sure nTelos can afford to go that low.

 

This is all completely speculative on my part.  I have no idea what's going on.  But if nTelos is this far along with their LTE and cannot announce a Sprint deal, they have to just be dying on the inside.  

 

I'm sure Sprint will be tough on nTelos about capex, additional LTE carrier requirements, hosting and running B26 and B41.  This will be a complex long term deal.  And nTelos may not even be able to do what Sprint will need them to.  I don't think Sprint will be happy with just a B25 in a single 5Mhz carrier for the next 5-10 years.  And this could be the stumbling block.  Sprint should buy out nTelos and sell it off to Shentel.

 

Robert

[Boosted20V]

Looking at Shentel's moves recently, they clearly would like to grow their Wireless side. They are in a great geographic position to overbuild nTelos and have a proven track record. I'm all for it. It's all about whether they can recoup the investment from gaining enough subs in a relatively sparsely populated area.

[S4GRU]

Looking at Shentel's moves recently, they clearly would like to grow their Wireless side. They are in a great geographic position to overbuild nTelos and have a proven track record. I'm all for it. It's all about whether they can recoup the investment from gaining enough subs in a relatively sparsely populated area.

 

I'm bullish on Shentel.  They have such a good reputation (at least in wireless) and their Sprint stores are some of the busiest in the country I hear.  If they can make it where they currently serve, I feel like they can do very well in the Virginia Panhandle and the more urbanized areas of West Virginia.

 

Robert

 

EDIT:  Heck, I say let Shentel do the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana and Alaska build outs too.  Maybe they can also take over Swiftel.  

[marioc21]

I'm bullish on Shentel.  They have such a good reputation (at least in wireless) and their Sprint stores are some of the busiest in the country I hear.  If they can make it where they currently serve, I feel like they can do very well in the Virginia Panhandle and the more urbanized areas of West Virginia.

 

Robert

 

EDIT:  Heck, I say let Shentel do the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana and Alaska build outs too.  Maybe they can also take over Swiftel.  

I wonder how easy it would be for shentel to expand beyond its current footprint. Part of why they've been successful is that they are a full service outfit. They provide internet, phone, cable, and wireless over their own fiber. It's easy for them to get backhaul to towers.

[S4GRU]

I wonder how easy it would be for shentel to expand beyond its current footprint. Part of why they've been successful is that they are a full service outfit. They provide internet, phone, cable, and wireless over their own fiber. It's easy for them to get backhaul to towers.

Yeah, I know. But a brother can dream, right? I still believe that they can do a better job with an organically built remote network than Sprint probably could.

 

Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

[chamb]

Yeah, I know. But a brother can dream, right? I still believe that they can do a better job with an organically built remote network than Sprint probably could.

 

Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Shentel would probably be able to over-build the nTELOS territory better than anybody else.  The problem would be the money.  Somebody has to pay for it and it would be an expensive project. Some of the territory is rural and back-haul would not be cheap to install. Surely Shentel could make it work.

 

It was mentioned in an earlier post today that nTelos LTE was 11-12 Meg download speed. What kind of LTE is that???  Not built to Sprint Standards for sure.  Does anybody know if the nTELOS LTE is running on Sprint owned spectrum or are they using nTELOS owned spectrum???? If I were the nTELOS CEO, I would not have any "color" to add to a discussion either.

If I were the Sprint CEO, I would not buy nNETOS. I would over-build them and take their current customers.  Hand the nTELOS CEO a bucket to help bail out the sinking ship.