Sprint to join Rural Operators Roaming Hub (CCA and RRPP thread)

[Paynefanbro]

What carrier offers service in Woodward?

[Mobilesolutions]

AJ (WiWavelength) Will be making a trip to Woodward, OK  to see whats going on (with a spectrum analyzer). Please show your support and donate to help with the costs (put Woodward trip in the note section of your donation.)  This could be just the beginning of potential CCA partner LTE coverage. (Check out sensorly if you dont know whats going on) 

I will be joining AJ in Woodward, we will get to the bottom of this!

[WiWavelength]

I will be joining AJ in Woodward, we will get to the bottom of this!

 

But just to be clear, Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman's widow, will be unaffected.

 

 

AJ

[bretton88]

If the USCC deal is ever to happen, I'd imagine the C-Spire deal would be the blueprint for it instead of the RRPP.

[Paynefanbro]

Another interesting read that pertains to this topic http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/ntelos-reduces-lte-coverage-goal-2014-thanks-new-sprint-network-deal/2014-07-29

[JimBob]

Another interesting read that pertains to this topic http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/ntelos-reduces-lte-coverage-goal-2014-thanks-new-sprint-network-deal/2014-07-29

I wonder why the nTelos CEO mysteriously resigned, even also quitting the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA).   

[lilotimz]

I wonder why the nTelos CEO mysteriously resigned, even also quitting the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA).

Insider trying to get ntelos to ditch sprint and join Verizon rural lte partner possibly?

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[bretton88]

Insider trying to get ntelos to ditch sprint and join Verizon rural lte partner possibly?

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Doubtful. Unless there's an easy out clause in their network agreement with Sprint. My guess is the ntelos board didn't feel like they got favorable enough financial terms in the agreement.

[gr8nuguy]

I will be joining AJ in Woodward, we will get to the bottom of this!

What day will you be going there?

[WiWavelength]

What day will you be going there?

 

Soon.  All else is classified.

 

AJ

[JThorson]

Soon.  All else is classified.

 

AJ

 

I couldn't help myself

[Sprke]

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/us-cellular-aims-strike-lte-roaming-deal-year-end/2014-08-01

 

Sprint or ATT?

[lilotimz]

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/us-cellular-aims-strike-lte-roaming-deal-year-end/2014-08-01

 

Sprint or ATT?

 

Sprint

[bigsnake49]

Well the C Spire CEO came out in support of the Sprint/T-Mobile merger. He makes the same basic arguments in support of the merger as Masa. 

 

http://www.rollcall.com/news/congress_should_agree_on_allowing_a_third_national_wireless_carrier-235111-1.html?pg=2&dczone=opinion

 

Is he angling to get acquired by the merged company?

[Rawvega]

Well the C Spire CEO came out in support of the Sprint/T-Mobile merger. He makes the same basic arguments in support of the merger as Masa. 

 

http://www.rollcall.com/news/congress_should_agree_on_allowing_a_third_national_wireless_carrier-235111-1.html?pg=2&dczone=opinion

 

Is he angling to get acquired by the merged company?

 

It certainly sounds like he's trying to pack his golden parachute. Perhaps he's also trying to set C-Spire up for a buyout by Masa even if Sprint and T-Mobile don't merge.

[JeffDTD]

Cspire has everything to gain here. Sprint has been providing roaming revenue to cspire, helping balance cspires roi for all of the rural coverage it has in mississippi. Doubling the size of the roaming partner helps pave the way for cspire to take lte to every site it owns

 

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

[S4GRU]

Well the C Spire CEO came out in support of the Sprint/T-Mobile merger. He makes the same basic arguments in support of the merger as Masa.

 

http://www.rollcall.com/news/congress_should_agree_on_allowing_a_third_national_wireless_carrier-235111-1.html?pg=2&dczone=opinion

 

Is he angling to get acquired by the merged company?

He writes a very good and easy to understand pro argument in just a few paragraphs. It's a good write up.

 

If CCA members want to stay independent wireless carriers, then their only way to really survive long term in the current environment is to build a coalition with Sprint and/or Tmo. And a combined Sprint/Tmo would be better for them to build with. The device ecosystem mass of scale alone would be tremendous.

 

So I can see how a CCA member could be pro merger without angling to get purchased. However, he very well may want that outcome. Nothing tips his motives either way at the point.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[bigsnake49]

It certainly sounds like he's trying to pack his golden parachute. Perhaps he's also trying to set C-Spire up for a buyout by Masa even if Sprint and T-Mobile don't merge.

Their network certainly is worth acquiring, since Sprint has kind of neglected Mississippi.

[bigsnake49]

Cspire has everything to gain here. Sprint has been providing roaming revenue to cspire, helping balance cspires roi for all of the rural coverage it has in mississippi. Doubling the size of the roaming partner helps pave the way for cspire to take lte to every site it owns

 

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

Does he not have a roaming deal with T-Mobile yet?

[bigsnake49]

I have actually never understood Sprint's reluctance to expand coverage by acquiring rural providers.

[S4GRU]

I have actually never understood Sprint's reluctance to expand coverage by acquiring rural providers.

It has been financial reasons since the Nextel merger. However, now it is so ingrained that they don't buy rural providers that they just don't really pursue it. It may cause a bidding war with a Duopoly member in many instances.

 

For Sprint to have bought other carriers since the Clear partnership investment would have required taking on expensive debt at horrible terms for companies with little to no payback. Rural providers margins are lean, and to integrate their networks can be expensive and time consuming. And since they were focused on Clearwire WiMax build out and NV build out for so long, they just couldn't even get their heads on straight.

 

If they could have found a way to pick up some key rural providers, it could have been a good thing. But it wasn't very feasible for Sprint all things considered.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[JeffDTD]

Does he not have a roaming deal with T-Mobile yet?

Sprint is the preferred roaming partner for all cspire customers. Cspire is only advertising its devices as compatible with B25 LTE, though most appear to be customized sprint variants. And as for now, all cspire has to offer other carriers is B25 LTE. Maybe once the device ecosystem issues are worked out cspire can deploy its 700mhz holdings and gain more partners

 

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

[Fraydog]

I am not sold on a merger being a good thing. Three stumbling blocks exist:

 

1. The still vastly incompatible nature of CDMA and UMTS networks, which will likely be resolved by gutting the former.

2. Lots of good people are going to lose work on both sides.

3. I just don't see how the FCC approves this. The GOP is going to levitate to their donors, which are AT&T and Verizon, and the Democrats won't be able to jump their base and the philosophical opposition of that base.

 

As good as Son is, that is simply a battle he cannot win.

[S4GRU]

I just don't see how the FCC approves this. The GOP is going to levitate to their donors, which are AT&T and Verizon, and the Democrats won't be able to jump their base and the philosophical opposition of that base.

 

 

Never underestimate the depths of the Duopoly's pockets to be limited to just Republicans.  Check to see who takes their money.  Like all smart corporations, they try to buy them all out.  Corporations don't pick political sides.  They hedge their bets and cover all bases.

 

Robert

[lordsutch]

Cspire has everything to gain here. Sprint has been providing roaming revenue to cspire, helping balance cspires roi for all of the rural coverage it has in mississippi. Doubling the size of the roaming partner helps pave the way for cspire to take lte to every site it owns

 

One thing that wouldn't surprise me though is if CSpire divested their Memphis MSA PCS and customers to Sprint and sold its AWS outside their footprint to T-Mobile; they're gonna be fifth in the game to launch LTE in Memphis (maybe even sixth; dunno if MetroPCS or Cricket launched LTE in Memphis before they were merged), and I don't see how they stay competitive in that market when they can be far more profitable focusing on areas where AT&T and VZW are weaker and Sprint & T-Mobile are largely nonexistent.

 

Besides which, if they wanted to be bought out in whole I'm sure they would have sold to Verizon years ago; for the longest time VZW didn't have any native coverage south of Batesville or so... it was all extended network on Cellular South.