#TBT RCRWireless Style "10 years ago this week"

[COZisBack]

#TBT: Verizon boosts spectrum portfolio; Nextel ponders 3G in 1.9 GHz … 10 years ago this week

 

Nextel 3G opportunities open wide at 1.9 GHz

If Nextel Communications Inc. takes spectrum at 1.9 GHz as part of the plan to solve interference at 800 MHz, the carrier finally might be able to extricate itself from the fringe of industry that its disparate spectrum holdings and iDEN network technology has placed it in today. It may be months before the Federal Communications Commission releases details of the controversial plan in which Nextel would pay nearly $5 billion and give up spectrum at 700 MHz, 800 MHz and 900 MHz in exchange for 10 megahertz of clean spectrum in bands similar to where some of its competitors operate. … Read More

 

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Sprint confirms it may sell towers

Sprint Corp.’s often-rumored plans to sell its significant tower holdings could be getting closer to a reality as the company reported during its second-quarter conference call that it was exploring strategic initiatives for its approximately 6,300 cellular towers. Analysts estimate the towers could be worth around $1 billion on the open market. A number of industry analysts noted last week that Sprint has recently begun offering its tower “book” to potential suitors, possibly including AAT Communications Corp., Global Signal Inc., American Tower Corp. and Crown Castle International Corp., though the potential $1 billion price tag could be tough for most to swallow. … Read More

 

Talk about #ThrowBackThursday #TBT

[Deval]

That's a great read, and an interesting look back at the moves that help shape the wireless industry to what it is today.

[marioc21]

That's a great read.  I loved the one article touting AT&T offering 300 kbps downloads.  Technology moves fast. 

[EmeraldReporter]

So in the end, did Sprint sell its towers? What did Nextel do with its 1.9Ghz, & its 2.5Ghz plans?

 

On another note, I remember reading on CNET that T-Mobile sold all of its towers to Crown Castle?

 

What carriers own there no./% of their towers? Do Sprint own all of theirs?

Edited July 17, 2014 by EmeraldReporter

[caspar347]

So in the end, did Sprint sell its towers? What did Nextel do with its 1.9Ghz, & its 2.5Ghz plans?

I'm pretty sure the 1.9 GHz in question is the PCS G block, AKA the spectrum Sprint uses for LTE in 1.9 GHz.

[jgore43]

I'm pretty sure the 1.9 GHz in question is the PCS G block, AKA the spectrum Sprint uses for LTE in 1.9 GHz.

From what I understand the fcc created the g block for the deal with Nextel.

[COZisBack]

What carriers own there no./% of their towers? Do Sprint own all of theirs?

Sprint sold all their sites. I remember seeing that most providers sold their sites.

[Nickel]

Sprint sold all their sites. I remember seeing that most providers sold their sites.

Yea, I think AT&T was one of the holdouts and even they sold their sites.

[Deval]

So in the end, did Sprint sell its towers? What did Nextel do with its 1.9Ghz, & its 2.5Ghz plans?

 

On another note, I remember reading on CNET that T-Mobile sold all of its towers to Crown Castle?

 

What carriers own there no./% of their towers? Do Sprint own all of theirs?

 

Yes they did, and Nextel didn't do anything with those plans other than sell to Sprint, merge the two companies, and give Sprint 1.9Ghz PCS G-Block and use the 2.5Ghz for Clear WiMAX.

[Joski1624]

So what ever became of Flash-OFDM? I've never heard of it, though it must have had some big drawback if nobody adopted it even if it was better than EV-DO.

[Deval]

So what ever became of Flash-OFDM? I've never heard of it, though it must have had some big drawback if nobody adopted it even if it was better than EV-DO.

 

According to WIKI, the core technology is still in use across the world.

[WiWavelength]

LTE is OFDM.

 

AJ

[Rawvega]

So what ever became of Flash-OFDM? I've never heard of it, though it must have had some big drawback if nobody adopted it even if it was better than EV-DO.

 

The company behind it, Flarion Technologies, was acquired by Qualcomm in 2006.

[kyle_4thousand]

10 years ago I was 13 I didn't have my own cell phone. I shared a Nextel i530 "bumblebee" with my 2 sisters.

[gusherb]

So in the end, did Sprint sell its towers? What did Nextel do with its 1.9Ghz, & its 2.5Ghz plans?

On another note, I remember reading on CNET that T-Mobile sold all of its towers to Crown Castle?

What carriers own there no./% of their towers? Do Sprint own all of theirs?

Around here T-Mobile towers are "SBA Monarch", a good deal of AT&T towers are SBA and some they still own, Verizon is usually Crown Castle plus a sprinkling of their own, and sprint I'm not entirely clear but I think is a mix of SBA and American Towers or something like that.

[WiWavelength]

10 years ago I was 13 I didn't have my own cell phone. I shared a Nextel i530 "bumblebee" with my 2 sisters.

 

Did you get teased and beaten up a lot?

 

 

AJ

[kyle_4thousand]

Did you get teased and beaten up a lot?

 

 

AJ

Nope, Nextel direct connect was pretty hip back then. We did throw the phone long distances across the football field just for the hell of it. The thing was so durable.