Merging Sprint and Tmo Physical Networks.

[richy]

On a NV site, what would be involved with integrating tmo's PCS \ AWS network? If a merger were to happen Sprint could save a lot of money by divesting tmo sites where they are effectively the same location. New RRU's, New Antenna etc? As I understand it, NV sites are designed to be pretty versatile and being able to consolidate would mean more money could be diverted to establishing new sites elsewhere or buying smaller regional carriers for filling gaps. 

 

 

[MacinJosh]

In order to add AWS to NV sites it would take adding new antennas, new RRU's and new carrier cards. Because NSN is already doing T-Mobile LTE deployments, it'd make it pretty easy if NSN went around AWS LTE to Ericsson sites. And for collocated or really close sites, moving the equipment wouldn't cost much and just installing carrier cards into NV sites. As for HSPA PCS, I'm not sure how they would do that and what the costs are for such a deployment.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 5S using Tapatalk 2

[lilotimz]

Well for one you have to probably decommission half of Tmobiles network off the bat. Their Nokia Solutions & Network equipment are not capable of CDMA. 

[Destroyallcubes]

In order to add AWS to NV sites it would take adding new antennas, new RRU's and new carrier cards. Because NSN is already doing T-Mobile LTE deployments, it'd make it pretty easy if NSN went around AWS LTE to Ericsson sites. And for collocated or really close sites, moving the equipment wouldn't cost much and just installing carrier cards into NV sites. As for HSPA PCS, I'm not sure how they would do that and what the costs are for such a deployment.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 5S using Tapatalk 2

Couldn't they just move the HSPA+ equipment over to sprint sites? But then again that would be quite a bit of equipment on a single rack. and I am not sure how easy it would be to add carrier cards or integrating it into sprint's system. It would be an interesting chaos for network engineers I bet.

[COZisBack]

My guess would be that there would be both networks until every customer is moved off of one network to the other which would occur within 3 years.

[cdk]

Nextel 2.0

[COZisBack]

Nextel 2.0

 

If they do merge, at least they can say, they've learned from their mistakes. Hopefully.

[JeffDTD]

The problem is that nothing that happens post merger, besides selling phones that utilize boths spectrum, is going to materialize as quickly as the general public's almost immediate expectation.

 

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

 

[jamisonshaw125]

The problem is that nothing that happens post merger, besides selling phones that utilize boths spectrum, is going to materialize as quickly as the general public's almost immediate expectation.

 

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

I was just thinking the exact same thing. All these sprintgenta customers now are going to expect immediate results like Tmobile "kinda" gave them when they rolled out LTE. And that won't be possible. Then we will have more customers saying oh man, sprint took over Tmobile and now it can't get anything done. 2 companies together and still crappy coverage. bah blah blah blah. I can't deal with magentaers. I just don't think I can do it.

[bigsnake49]

I was just thinking the exact same thing. All these sprintgenta customers now are going to expect immediate results like Tmobile "kinda" gave them when they rolled out LTE. And that won't be possible. Then we will have more customers saying oh man, sprint took over Tmobile and now it can't get anything done. 2 companies together and still crappy coverage. bah blah blah blah. I can't deal with magentaers. I just don't think I can do it.

 

The best thing they can do is to make phones that can access both LTE networks. It will take at least 2-3 years to integrate the two networks.

[UCFKnight]

The best thing they can do is to make phones that can access both LTE networks. It will take at least 2-3 years to integrate the two networks.

Well technically they'd already have two devices that would be compatible with either network, one by Apple and the other by Google, if my understanding of band specification is correct.

[bigsnake49]

Well technically they'd already have two devices that would be compatible with either network, one by Apple and the other by Google, if my understanding of band specification is correct.

I am talking about flooding the market with compatible devices.

[MacinJosh]

Well technically they'd already have two devices that would be compatible with either network, one by Apple and the other by Google, if my understanding of band specification is correct.

Yes, the Sprint/Verizon (CDMA) iPhone 5S is compatible with Band 4 LTE (AWS). So LTE for LTE, it would work right out of the box. So yes, from day one they could enable access for another LTE band on those 2 phones by a software update and put the LTE scans in the PRL, and the Nexus 5 users, and iPhone 5C & 5S users would have 4 LTE bands to choose from.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 5S using Tapatalk 2

[MacinJosh]

I am talking about flooding the market with compatible devices.

If something is to come from Sprint & T-Mobile merging, and there is hope that the government is going to allow it, then summer launch Sprint phones will come with Band 4 LTE compatibility out of the box.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 5S using Tapatalk 2

[kg4icg]

Some BlackBerry handsets are also compatible. Just unlock them and a way they go.

[iansltx]

Re: NSN equipment, as long as that equipment support eCSFB, it could stick around. Remember that Sprint has LTE-only sites out there right now (ex-CLWR) so adding another bunch of effectively LTE-only sites (PCS A-F, per T-Mobile's announcement today) isn't that big of a leap, at least as a stopgap prior to eliminating redundant sites.

 

Or, hey, Sprintgenta could use that new beam-forming tech that requires tons of cell sites.

[WiWavelength]

I can't deal with magentaers. I just don't think I can do it.

 

Actually, they are called magentans.  And we hope that many magentans died to bring us this information.

 

AJ

[doakills]

honestly the solution to me is simpler. They would just re-brand tmobile infrastructure to LTE, migrage to dual sim devices for comparability (already exists over seas, cost would come down due to 2 carriers using it in the states) and profit. The cost of network shutdown / migration is what concerns me honestly, just cant fathom it being all to cost effective in the end unless tmobile / sprint agree to sell off a part of there spectrum? 

 

just look at wimax shutdown / migration and the years  between the overlap. 3-4 years and customers would be primarily on new devices except for that 10% crowd and it would just be the hand to take for them to upgrade or jump ship if you would. If t-mobile is will to gamble contracts i'm sure there willing to throw new devices at consumers in the event of an merger / shared network?

[PythonFanPA]

Actually, they are called magentans.  And we hope that many magentans died to bring us this information.

 

AJ

 

Mon Mothma would be so proud of you right now.

[Keitarou]

IF anything, I would of though Sprint would leave everything the way it is until VoLTE. Why reconfigure everything when VoLTE would be the end result which is going to start in a year or two.

[S4GRU]

Adding Tmo to Sprint Network Vision sites is not difficult, really. Even WCDMA and GSM. It will involve one or two new panels per sector, the associated radios, and a combined GSM/WCDMA controller rack in the RBS. It would be nothing like Nextel. All the costs to do this work can be figured out and budgeted now and figured as a cost of the merger.

The merging of the two networks, on the network side is not a big deal. It just need to have the appropriate money, timelines and management figured in advance.

Sprint merging with even someone like Nextel now would not be a big deal. The big problems with the Nextel merger was capital available afterward, grossly incompatible customer business models, dissimilar site spacing requirements, and a lot of the technology and infrastructure needed to combine two networks did not yet exist.

Sprinkle in some mismanagement and the tail wagging the dog (Nextel) and you had a recipe for disaster. There is nothing about Tmo that is like Nextel, except for some of its aging and going away technology is not the same as Sprint. Whoopdeedoo.

This is not the biggest hurdle in a Sprint buyout of Tmo.

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro
 

[bigsnake49]

Adding Tmo to Sprint Network Vision sites is not difficult, really. Even WCDMA and GSM. It will involve one or two new panels per sector, the associated radios, and a combined GSM/WCDMA controller rack in the RBS. It would be nothing like Nextel. All the costs to do this work can be figured out and budgeted now and figured as a cost of the merger.

 

The merging of the two networks, on the network side is not a big deal. It just need to have the appropriate money, timelines and management figured in advance.

 

Sprint merging with even someone like Nextel now would not be a big deal. The big problems with the Nextel merger was capital available afterward, grossly incompatible customer business models, dissimilar site spacing requirements, and a lot of the technology and infrastructure needed to combine two networks did not yet exist.

 

Sprinkle in some mismanagement and the tail wagging the dog (Nextel) and you had a recipe for disaster. There is nothing about Tmo that is like Nextel, except for some of its aging and going away technology is not the same as Sprint. Whoopdeedoo.

 

This is not the biggest hurdle in a Sprint buyout of Tmo.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

You forgot rebanding   .

[MacinJosh]

You forgot rebanding .

T-Mobile is already rebanding. If iDEN had been allowed to progress in it's network evolution, it could have been a long term viable option.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 5S using Tapatalk 2

[bigsnake49]

T-Mobile is already rebanding. If iDEN had been allowed to progress in it's network evolution, it could have been a long term viable option.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 5S using Tapatalk 2

T-mobile is doing a completely different kind of rebanding. IDEN was dead. Heck, Nextel was looking for a CDMA migration path before the Flash-OFDM experiment.

[richy]

The problem is that nothing that happens post merger, besides selling phones that utilize boths spectrum, is going to materialize as quickly as the general public's almost immediate expectation.

 

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

I see 3 things potentially that would happen.

 

1- Immediate synergies - or basically firing people where there is overlap, consolidating stores, back of house departments etc. Also the added bulk allows for savings on purchasing. This is probably the quickest thing we could see, a drop in price related to savings here.

2- quint or hexaband phones to straddle both networks. This would go some way to helping in some areas. The networks don't have to be joined at the base station if the handsets can use both. This is likely a 9 month lead time.

3- Physically merging both networks to save money on redundant sites or increasing density - this obviously would be on the 2-5 year scale but it isn't the only benefit, the other two would be significant in themselves (sadly very significant for those losing their jobs).

 

Thanks for all the comments re the network merging