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

[z250kid]

You do know that Verizon does this in many areas and their coverage map reflects that, right? This is exactly the right thing to do. I'm glad Masa is not getting advice from you.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Im just saying i have nothing but bad times roaming on Verizon.  (Battery dies quickly, voice quality bad).  Maybe just my market.   I was simply imputing an idea and get sarcasm.

[S4GRU]

Im just saying i have nothing but bad times roaming on Verizon. (Battery dies quickly, voice quality bad). Maybe just my market. I was simply imputing an idea and get sarcasm.

It's not really an idea. Sprint can't go build out expensive rural LTE coverage to new areas where Verizon already has a 50-75 share. They cannot pick up enough customers to even come close to breaking even. So, it's not feasible. But this provides almost all the same benefits and is feasible.

 

As for the sarcasm, I wasn't being sarcastic. I'm really truly glad that Masa does not listen to you. What Sprint is doing here with the CCA is no different than what Verizon is doing, just on a much bigger and more organized scale. And don't discount the interoperability and device ecosystem benefit for all.

 

Also, it will now allow many rural customers the ability to switch away from Verizon because their local company now can offer a viable coverage area when they travel.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

[z250kid]

It's not really an idea. Sprint can't go build out expensive rural LTE coverage to new areas where Verizon already has a 50-75 share. They cannot pick up enough customers to even come close to breaking even. So, it's not feasible. But this provides almost all the same benefits and is feasible.

 

As for the sarcasm, I wasn't being sarcastic. I'm really truly glad that Masa does not listen to you. What Sprint is doing here with the CCA is no different than what Verizon is doing, just on a much bigger and more organized scale. And don't discount the interoperability and device ecosystem benefit for all.

 

Also, it will now allow many rural customers the ability to switch away from Verizon because their local company now can offer a viable coverage area when they travel.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

What made me think of this was because of sprints roaming data limit.  On Lte 300mb will be hit fairly quickly.  Thats my only fear on that.   We will find out when that happens.

 

Masa wont listen to me or anyone on these forms.  corporate never listens to consumers or low end workers

[S4GRU]

What made me think of this was because of sprints roaming data limit. On Lte 300mb will be hit fairly quickly. Thats my only fear on that. We will find out when that happens.

 

Masa wont listen to me or anyone on these forms. corporate never listens to consumers or low end workers

It's not likely the current roaming limits will be a part of this deal. Although it has not been announced how it will be counted, our collective wisdom concludes it will be treated as native or at least the amount of roaming allotment will be increased.

 

Sprint will not need to be as constrained with the amounts used on CCA networks because the fee per GB will be less expensive and the rural carriers are more likely to have more usage on Sprint than Sprint customers have on their networks. In general, rural customers travel to urban areas and spend more time in them than urban customers spend time in rural areas.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

[utiz4321]

What made me think of this was because of sprints roaming data limit. On Lte 300mb will be hit fairly quickly. Thats my only fear on that. We will find out when that happens.

 

Masa wont listen to me or anyone on these forms. corporate never listens to consumers or low end workers

Cooperation do listen to customer, if they didn't they will not stay in business. However there is a difference between what customer want and what customers are willing to pay for. For example, if you sprint bill went up 40 a month but sprint match vzw with native rual coverage would you be ok with that? I don't think many sprint customers would.

[jamisonshaw125]

Cooperation do listen to customer, if they didn't they will not stay in business. However there is a difference between what customer want and what customers are willing to pay for. For example, if you sprint bill went up 40 a month but sprint match vzw with native rual coverage would you be ok with that? I don't think many sprint customers would.

No. I wouldn't, and heres why: I never hardly travel outside of native sprint coverage. And the majority of sprint customers do not either. 

[bigsnake49]

I don't know the right place for this, but it is interesting nevertheless:

 

Addressing reporters after his keynote address to the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) crowd here on Thursday morning, SoftBank Corp. CEO Masayoshi Son said that Dish Network LLC (Nasdaq: DISH) could be Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S)'s biggest ally in the carrier's fight against the duopoly of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Verizon Wireless .

"I'd like to partner with Dish in many possible ways," he told reporters. "We are specifically discussing all kinds of alliances and starting a test of technology. They can be our great ally."

 

http://www.lightreading.com/mobile/4g-lte/son-dish-could-be-sprints-great-ally-/d/d-id/708408?

 

I don't for a moment believe that the two are not cooking something having to do with the EBS spectrum and OTT video. With the millenials watching video on tablets, not on TVs, it changes the whole dynamic. Could Sprint basestation serve as satellite terminals that further distribute OTT video basically serving as Dish's CDN?

 

All kinds of possibilities open themselves up.

 

All I know is that Masa is taking the initiative and Hesse is pushed to the side.

Edited March 27, 2014 by bigsnake49

[dnicekid]

I don't know the right place for this, but it is interesting nevertheless:

Addressing reporters after his keynote address to the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) crowd here on Thursday morning, SoftBank Corp. CEO Masayoshi Son said that Dish Network LLC (Nasdaq: DISH) could be Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S)'s biggest ally in the carrier's fight against the duopoly of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Verizon Wireless .

"I'd like to partner with Dish in many possible ways," he told reporters. "We are specifically discussing all kinds of alliances and starting a test of technology. They can be our great ally."

http://www.lightreading.com/mobile/4g-lte/son-dish-could-be-sprints-great-ally-/d/d-id/708408?

 

I don't for a moment believe that the two are not cooking something having to do with the EBS spectrum and OTT video. With the millenials watching video on tablets, not on TVs, it changes the whole dynamic. Could Sprint basestation serve as satellite terminals that further distribute OTT video basically serving as Dish's CDN?

 

All kinds of possibilities open themselves up.

 

All I know is that Masa is taking the initiative and Hesse is pushed to the side.

I believe we are seeing the start of plan b.....sprint realizes Tmo merger is too risky/won't be allowed RIGHT NOW so plan b is in effect. Masa is making moves! I think sprint has something with dish as well.. But the end game some how includes Tmo or a large part of it.

[bigsnake49]

I believe we are seeing the start of plan b.....sprint realizes Tmo merger is too risky/won't be allowed RIGHT NOW so plan b is in effect. Masa is making moves! I think sprint has something with dish as well.. But the end game some how includes Tmo or a large part of it.

 

Nothing of the sort:

 

In 2008, he said that AT&T and Verizon controlled 56 percent of the wireless market in terms of subscribers. In 2013, he said the two carriers had 73 percent of the subscribers. He also noted that five years ago the AT&T and Verizon "duopoly" had 67 percent of the wireless industry's profits. In 2013, the two companies took home 84 percent of the profits.

He added that more than 100 wireless competitors are splitting only 16 percent of the profits in the US wireless market today.

"There are 100 competitors out there, but they're all being squeezed by the big two," he said.

 

http://www.cnet.com/news/sprint-chairman-us-market-needs-real-price-war/

[Bob Newhart]

Expanding service through roaming partners they treat as native service (if that is what they ultimately do) is the samething as adding new towers to expand coverage area in the same way as buying a rual carrier (which is why ATT and vzw have the coverage they do).

 

The problem with Sprint doing this, they remove this coverage on a whim.

 

Look what they did to states like Alaska, native coverage there one month, gone the next. Causing hassle for the people who were locked into contracts and those that wasted money on new hardware.

[utiz4321]

The problem with Sprint doing this, they remove this coverage on a whim.

 

Look what they did to states like Alaska, native coverage there one month, gone the next. Causing hassle for the people who were locked into contracts and those that wasted money on new hardware.

I seriously doubt they removed it on a whim. I am 100 percent positive a cost benefit analysist was done and it came out as o costly for the return.

[Bob Newhart]

I seriously doubt they removed it on a whim. I am 100 percent positive a cost benefit analysist was done and it came out as o costly for the return.

 

Ok, I mean that they remove the coverage making it hard on people who signed up for their service because they saw native service on their coverage maps on their site.

 

With Alaska, they gave a few months notice. Now when in Alaska it 'roams' on GCI which puts Sprint's native coverage to shame, their cell quality indoors in the cities and 3G speeds there are great.

[S4GRU]

The problem with Sprint doing this, they remove this coverage on a whim.

 

Look what they did to states like Alaska, native coverage there one month, gone the next. Causing hassle for the people who were locked into contracts and those that wasted money on new hardware.

 

That's why the CCA is attractive.  You'll be pretty much all in or all out.  And since Sprint is allowing CCA members to strike deals to get access to Sprint spectrum and even capex funding, there is a lot of benefit for local wireless providers to jump in with this and stay.

 

I just watched the whole video, and I'm impressed.  It's too bad Sprint couldn't have done this two years ago.  But listening to Masa breeds confidence.  You know this will be done right.  It actually may be better to have it done now, and be done right.  I like listening to Masa speak.  It makes me want to get off my duff and do something.

 

Robert

[S4GRU]

Ok, I mean that they remove the coverage making it hard on people who signed up for their service because they saw native service on their coverage maps on their site.

 

With Alaska, they gave a few months notice. Now when in Alaska it 'roams' on GCI which puts Sprint's native coverage to shame, their cell quality indoors in the cities and 3G speeds there are great.

 

To me I hear the old way was not good.  This seems like a Pro CCA argument, if anything.  We know Sprint is not going to overbuild Alaska.  So this is the next best thing.

 

Also, I don't believe Sprint ever sold service in Alaska.  So the only Sprint customers that could have been in Alaska are those who moved there with Sprint service.  And they would have been let out of their contract ETF free.  It's not as bad as you're making it out to be.

 

Robert

[Rawvega]

The problem with Sprint doing this, they remove this coverage on a whim.

 

Look what they did to states like Alaska, native coverage there one month, gone the next. Causing hassle for the people who were locked into contracts and those that wasted money on new hardware.

 

A. I doubt any of us know the exact details on their dealings with those carriers in Alaska, Kansas, Oklahoma, et al that  caused the coverage to change from native to roaming so to say that it was done "on a whim" is a rather audacious (at best) statement to make.

 

B. To the best of my recollection anyone affected by the changes was given advance notice and released from their contract. The "hassle" was minimal.

 

C. As far as the hardware, I guess it's a good thing that eBay, Swappa, etc. exist.

[marioc21]

That's why the CCA is attractive.  You'll be pretty much all in or all out.  And since Sprint is allowing CCA members to strike deals to get access to Sprint spectrum and even capex funding, there is a lot of benefit for local wireless providers to jump in with this and stay.

 

I just watched the whole video, and I'm impressed.  It's too bad Sprint couldn't have done this two years ago.  But listening to Masa breeds confidence.  You know this will be done right.  It actually may be better to have it done now, and be done right.  I like listening to Masa speak.  It makes me want to get off my duff and do something.

 

Robert

 

I think an obvious point about Masa is that he relishes these battles.  I think he enjoys being the little guy and taking on the big boys in the market.  

[S4GRU]

I think an obvious point about Masa is that he relishes these battles.  I think he enjoys being the little guy and taking on the big boys in the market.  

 

It certainly came off that way.  I agree.

 

Robert

[Deval]

This is awesome. 

 

I truly believe that Sprint is on the right track, and that by end of year 2014, will be in a great position to push forward and really make a difference in the market. 

[lordsutch]

The main difference I see between the CCA Roaming Hub and the past agreements like the Sprint Rural Alliance is that this is a long-term, mutual deal that ties everyone together, rather than the bilateral deals that Sprint had in the past. It'll be far harder for the duopoly to swoop in and poach out Sprint's native coverage than in the past.

 

One question going forward is whether this means Sprint finally cuts off Swiftel and nTelos as affiliates and makes them sink or swim as CCA partners.

[Dkoellerwx]

For anyone that missed or didn't watch the whole video, here's the potential coverage map that was shown.

 

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

For anyone that missed or didn't watch the whole video, here's the potential coverage map that was shown.

 

 

Impressive! I think this is a very good thing, as long as the service is counted as "native" or at least include very generous roaming caps. My feeling is that it will be considered "native". This will go a long way to kick the "duopoly" in the pants on rural coverage - and that makes me "VERY HAPPY".

[MacinJosh]

For anyone that missed or didn't watch the whole video, here's the potential coverage map that was shown.

If this deal makes all the green 'native' coverage, I'll have near ubiquitous coverage everywhere I travel! That would be awesome!

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 5S using Tapatalk 2

[IamMrFamous07]

Late to the subject.

 

 

So tmobile is not joining this HUB program?

[lilotimz]

The thing is... would Sprint also have access to the spectrum that other CCA members have? If so, Sprint can deploy another LTE 800 carrier using CL850 as CL 850 is part of Band 26. 

[MacinJosh]

Late to the subject.

 

 

So tmobile is not joining this HUB program?

We aren't sure yet. They might in the end, but as of right now they aren't. I expect it to be soon.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 5S using Tapatalk 2