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

[anthonyrinaldi]

Next time I'm heading to Richmond, I'll stop in Lexington and see if I get anything.

 

Here's hoping they'll get to the NRV sometime in the next century!

[bbostwick8]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1415514367.073269.jpg Just curiously browsing and I saw this. Along with many small dots of Sprint 4G scattered in nTelos territory....

I wonder if this is just where a phone may have picked up eHRPD signal but never made a registered connection. Would that tip it off? I am not familiar with that program.

[kelmelzer]

Not sure if anyone noticed this, but I stumbled upon this press release from September:

 

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/press/2014/alcatel-lucent-lte-technology-selected-ntelos-wireless-support-its-strategic-network-alliance-sprint

 

So...they are upgrading backhaul?  And it also looks like they're going to use all three bands.

[GBtopgear]

Not sure if anyone noticed this, but I stumbled upon this press release from September:

 

http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/press/2014/alcatel-lucent-lte-technology-selected-ntelos-wireless-support-its-strategic-network-alliance-sprint

 

So...they are upgrading backhaul?  And it also looks like they're going to use all three bands.

well then it looks like they will be starting from scratch with the LTE network for us sprint customers in the territory instead of letting us use what they've already deployed...oh well it wasn't deployed across many areas to begin with. So someone please correct me if i'm wrong but as soon as they start deploying the new base stations we should have access to LTE the moment it's hooked up rather than hoping and waiting for nTelos to turn it on/push out an update to sprint customers. i'm surprised they didn't include a schedule for this since its a new roll-out anyway thanks for posting that kelmelzer.

[shawneyboy123]

If they're starting from scratch what is the use in the work they've done so far? Wouldn't that basically mean juggling & managing two different LTE rollouts?

[bbostwick8]

It's a shame I have LTE service everywhere outside of WV.

[kelmelzer]

I saw Lumos vehicles along Prices Fork Rd near where I live in Blacksburg all day Saturday doing something, so maybe that's our new backhaul?  Its speculation since they could be the company all wireless companies uses here for backhaul as I see them around here all of the time.

[marioc21]

Well here's a little ntelos news to start your morning. Ntelos is refocusing it's business exclusively in the area covered by the SNA agreement with Sprint. As part of that refocus it's selling its 1900MHz spectrum in eastern and central Virginia to TMo and will shut down its retail ops in those areas.

http://m.seekingalpha.com/pr/11855085-ntelos-holdings-corp-announces-strategic-refocus

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

 

Edit: Corrected post to reflect that NTelos was selling spectrum to TMo not its retail business.

Edited December 2, 2014 by marioc21

[cdk]

Well here's a little ntelos news to start your morning. Ntelos is refocusing it's business exclusively in the area covered by the SNA agreement with Sprint. As part of that refocus it's selling its eastern and central Virginia Ops to TMo.

 

http://m.seekingalpha.com/pr/11855085-ntelos-holdings-corp-announces-strategic-refocus

 

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

 

Interesting. I think it is time for Sprint and Softbank to back the Brinks truck up at nTelos headquarters and buy the rest of it.

[JDP121]

Thats gonna def affect me since I live in the greater Charlottesville area.

[cdk]

Thats gonna def affect me since I live in the greater Charlottesville area.

 

How does nTelos define their Eastern and Western markets? Based on the lack of native Sprint coverage in Charlottesville I would think you should be all right.

[marioc21]

Thats gonna def affect me since I live in the greater Charlottesville area.

 

 

How does nTelos define their Eastern and Western markets? Based on the lack of native Sprint coverage in Charlottesville I would think you should be all right.

 

I believe the Charlottesville area falls into the SNA coverage area.  Sprint's towers seem to stop to the east of the city on I-64. NTelos is shutting down from Richmond eastward. 

[JDP121]

How does nTelos define their Eastern and Western markets? Based on the lack of native Sprint coverage in Charlottesville I would think you should be all right.

I'm assuming when they are talking about their western territories that they are talking about anything west of the blue ridge. Guess we will see.

[JDP121]

Yes ntelos is native sprint coverage for Chville/Albemarle County and Greene Counties. and the closest sprint tower does end just east of charlottesville on i64

[shawneyboy123]

I would assume the line is drawn by Waynesboro. So western meaning west of Waynesboro.

[Galaxyguy]

I would assume the line is drawn by Waynesboro. So western meaning west of Waynesboro.

If that were the case, Sprint will be left with no service in the greater Charlottesville area. I really don't think that will happen. If it does though, Sprint will have to scramble to get space on towers and deploy a native network in that area.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

[S4GRU]

Charlottesville will be included in the Western markets and will continue to be serviced by nTelos.  This is not geography.  It's network.  And the crux is servicing Sprint, and getting rid of non strategic assets that do not service Sprint.

[shawneyboy123]

Honestly misunderstood that article. I thought they were just talking about putting more work into the western half of the network for the time being cause it needed it. It's been a long morning [emoji28]

[cdk]

Maybe. However considering the facts that the roaming agreement is what appears to make the western market competive, there is no native Sprint service there, and if my quick look at FCC licences show that nTelos has an AWS licence in the Charlottesville area (and that wasn't sold, TMo probably would have snapped that up too), Charlottesville is probably safe.

[S4GRU]

Maybe. However considering the facts that the roaming agreement is what appears to make the western market competive, there is no native Sprint service there, and if my quick look at FCC licences show that nTelos has an AWS licence in the Charlottesville area (and that wasn't sold, TMo probably would have snapped that up too), Charlottesville is probably safe.

 

I have been told that there are likely more spectrum assets that nTelos will be shedding in the not too distant future.  But I am 99.9% certain that Charlottesville will be retained to provide Sprint service.  nTelos may sell some or all of Western spectrum too and just use Sprint spectrum in those locations.

[Galaxyguy]

If they sell all their spectrum off, they are then an almost default subsidiary of Sprint.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

[cdk]

I have been told that there are likely more spectrum assets that nTelos will be shedding in the not too distant future.  But I am 99.9% certain that Charlottesville will be retained to provide Sprint service.  nTelos may sell some or all of Western spectrum too and just use Sprint spectrum in those locations.

 

If they sell all their spectrum off, they are then an almost default subsidiary of Sprint.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

 

 Blood in the water. It is time for Sprint to buy them up wholesale. Then sell off the bones that they can't use.

[S4GRU]

If they sell all their spectrum off, they are then an almost default subsidiary of Sprint.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

 

Ehhh, yes and no.  They will still own and run their network.  And receive a lot of revenue from Sprint.  It will be more like an affiliate in many ways, though.  I wouldn't be surprised to see this turn into an Affiliate type relationship in 2022.  Or possibly another Affiliate buying them out, like Shentel.  Or possibly still a Sprint buyout of nTelos remaining wireless assets.

 

The biggest obstacles for Sprint buying out nTelos was their non strategic assets.  And nTelos is now shedding most of the non strategic wireless assets.

[cdk]

Ehhh, yes and no.  They will still own and run their network.  And receive a lot of revenue from Sprint.  It will be more like an affiliate in many ways, though.  I wouldn't be surprised to see this turn into an Affiliate type relationship in 2022.  Or possibly another Affiliate buying them out, like Shentel.  Or possibly still a Sprint buyout of nTelos remaining wireless assets.

 

The biggest obstacles for Sprint buying out nTelos was their non strategic assets.  And nTelos is now shedding most of the non strategic wireless assets.

 

Am I correct in remembering that they have sold off most of their non-wireless assets as well?

[marioc21]

Am I correct in remembering that they have sold off most of their non-wireless assets as well?

 

They spun off their landline and fiber business as Lumos Networks several years ago.