Marcelo Claure, Town Hall Meetings, New Family Share Pack Plan, Unlimited Individual Plan, Discussion Thread

[Deval]

I understand 2000 is a lot but I don't agree with the idea that people are really complaining about the appearance of these poles. Verizon, T-Mobile/Metro, and AT&T/Cricket were able to build out dense small cell networks in a few cities including NYC, no one ever says anything and the performance of their networks have been proven to be rather stellar as a result. There has to be more going on here than just appearances that is holding Sprint back.

 

Verizon deployed theirs years ago in NYC, long before small cells was a thing.

[Deval]

Only time will tell, that's what's so unfortunate about this. We will only know when we can actually see them up and running. I am sure there is much more going on behind the scenes but if we the users don't see it sooner than later then it was just conversation behind the scenes.

 

I do believe sprint is working on it. I do believe they have a plan/dream. What I am unsure about is how hard are they pressing to get this done? Remember the worst performing tower list? That started when Marcelo came on board. I hope they have a permit list or something in place as well. In my area there still are the "dead spots" that these small cells would be perfect for. Sprint should start filling In the holes first before worrying so much about getting poles blanketed in a city

 

Something to also keep in mind is that small cells may go in and the only people who will know are those who experience better service. Not all of them will be visible installs like the ones we've seen in LA, but they will be there.

 

Who knows to be honest how it will all play out?

[irev210]

NIMBYs are a large part of the problem. All it takes is one person. In the example given in the article where a man saw a pole erected in front of his business, all it would take is him to tell one person who could make a big deal out of it causing cancer and whatnot. A lot of suburban areas that could use small cells will push back a lot on the deployment of these.

 

Additionally we do not know the permitting process of Verizon, etc. I know Crown Castle's DAS system (which I believe MetroPCS used) was deployed over a pretty long period of time. I'm not certain when VZW even began deployment of small cells in NYC so we couldn't keep track like how we can with Sprint.

 

As far as I can tell, the permit process can require certain levels of camouflage to pass muster but cancer/heath reasons are not valid.

 

As someone who lives in Boston, you can probably see all of the pole mounted antennas already in our area.  There are a TON.

[RedSpark]

More than most people know it.

 

All this negative speculation does is give more fire to the naysayers. 

 

It's a balancing act. Sprint could say more about what it's doing, but it could have a negative affect on its plans/execution from doing that. I think Sprint is making the right decision in staying quiet.

 

Of course, can you believe what just happened? Sprint demonstrated 5G at Copa America, and it caught everyone off guard. I love it.

 

No doubt there's a lot going on. I just hope that Sprint doesn't let up off the gas and that SoftBank kicks in some additional funds to help move things along faster. Goodness knows it has enough money from the Alibabba stock sale.

[dnicekid]

I'm confused because I think what you're saying is "Sprint should do what it is already doing".

 

These small cells should be a priority to be the fill ins where you drop a call and 5 sec later u have service again.

These spots should have already been identified and be a priority.

 

Yes I am saying sprint should do what it's doing just with a lot more urgency

[NYC126]

We are in mid 2016, and Sprint can't get their act together. The time keep passing by, and the others carriers keep executing.

 

From 2013 to 2015 Sprint management team: "With our rich spectrum portfolio in the 2.5ghz band we will able to have a big advantage over our competitors LTE networks". Still the slower LTE network out of the big four, and the network regressing instead of improving (RootMetrics source)

 

 

SPRINT management team in mid 2016 "Our 2.5ghz spectrum portfolio will be the lower band of 5G"

 

This company always bragging about spectrum richness, but it doesn't make a difference if I is not deployed in a dense network.

[IamMrFamous07]

We are in mid 2016, and Sprint can't get their act together. The time keep passing by, and the others carriers keep executing.

 

From 2013 to 2015 Sprint management team: "With our rich spectrum portfolio in the 2.5ghz band we will able to have a big advantage over our competitors LTE networks". Still the slower LTE network out of the big four, and the network regressing instead of improving (RootMetrics source)

 

 

SPRINT management team in mid 2016 "Our 2.5ghz spectrum portfolio will be the lower band of 5G"

 

This company always bragging about spectrum richness, but it doesn't make a difference if I is not deployed in a dense network.

I agree. I can care less about its spectrum assets at this point

[Terrell352]

We are in mid 2016, and Sprint can't get their act together. The time keep passing by, and the others carriers keep executing.

 

From 2013 to 2015 Sprint management team: "With our rich spectrum portfolio in the 2.5ghz band we will able to have a big advantage over our competitors LTE networks". Still the slower LTE network out of the big four, and the network regressing instead of improving (RootMetrics source)

 

 

SPRINT management team in mid 2016 "Our 2.5ghz spectrum portfolio will be the lower band of 5G"

 

This company always bragging about spectrum richness, but it doesn't make a difference if I is not deployed in a dense network.

Its true there should be way more towers using 2.5 at this point and these network vision 1.0 incomplete towers should have been dealt with by now especially since they are supposedly "funded" already.

[RedSpark]

We are in mid 2016, and Sprint can't get their act together. The time keep passing by, and the others carriers keep executing.

 

From 2013 to 2015 Sprint management team: "With our rich spectrum portfolio in the 2.5ghz band we will able to have a big advantage over our competitors LTE networks". Still the slower LTE network out of the big four, and the network regressing instead of improving (RootMetrics source)

 

 

SPRINT management team in mid 2016 "Our 2.5ghz spectrum portfolio will be the lower band of 5G"

 

This company always bragging about spectrum richness, but it doesn't make a difference if I is not deployed in a dense network.

 

Sprint has gotten its act together, and it's made remarkable progress in the past couple of years. It's easy to forget what preceded Marcelo...

 

Total LTE coverage now reaches nearly 300 million people, including approximately 70 percent being covered by the 2.5 GHz spectrum deployment. I'm sure this 2.5 GHz deployment is at the forefront of Marcelo's mind. We'll see what the next Earnings Report says about it come August.

 

Waste has finally been (and is still being) taken out of the business. Churn is low. The company is finally showing Postpaid Adds.

 

There's much more to do, and Sprint's substantial spectrum assets are essential for it.

 

This is a long term game... Sprint doesn't have to march to the beat of anybody else's drum.

[dnicekid]

Sprint has gotten its act together, and it's made remarkable progress in the past couple of years. It's easy to forget what preceded Marcelo...

 

Total LTE coverage now reaches nearly 300 million people, including approximately 70 percent being covered by the 2.5 GHz spectrum deployment. I'm sure this 2.5 GHz deployment is at the forefront of Marcelo's mind. We'll see what the next Earnings Report says about it come August.

 

Waste has finally been (and is still being) taken out of the business. Churn is low. The company is finally showing Postpaid Adds.

 

There's much more to do, and Sprint's substantial spectrum assets are essential for it.

 

This is a long term game... Sprint doesn't have to march to the beat of anybody else's drum.

 

You have made valid points and I do agree. It is very easy to overlook what they done. That is primarily due to what every else has gotten accomplished in this time frame as well.

 

If sprint doesn't March a little faster then the long term game will most certainly be affected. That's exactly my point sprint needs to push to get these permits done faster. I am not expecting 70,000 cells by years end but I do expect more than a few major metros at 80+ percent done.

[RedSpark]

You have made valid points and I do agree. It is very easy to overlook what they done. That is primarily due to what every else has gotten accomplished in this time frame as well.

 

If sprint doesn't March a little faster then the long term game will most certainly be affected. That's exactly my point sprint needs to push to get these permits done faster. I am not expecting 70,000 cells by years end but I do expect more than a few major metros at 80+ percent done.

 

Sprint didn't have the right management structure or talent to accomplish what needs doing to compete long term until now.

 

The "One Sprint" management structure is finally in place, and that introduces a level of flexibility and accountability for Sprint.

 

New talent has been brought on from all over the world, including those other domestic carriers you've mentioned. Look at Sprint's Newsroom Archive and you'll see that Marcelo has been able to recruit senior-level executives/management from Verizon and AT&T.

 

Not to mention the fact that WiMAX was shutdown after a multiple-month delay. This definitely slowed things down as far as the Network Upgrades.

 

I agree, it should be accelerated as much as possible... but it needs to be done in a cost effective way. Sprint has a history of throwing money away at useless initiatives. That time is over.

[Steve Dean]

Sprint has gotten its act together, and it's made remarkable progress in the past couple of years. It's easy to forget what preceded Marcelo...

 

Total LTE coverage now reaches nearly 300 million people, including approximately 70 percent being covered by the 2.5 GHz spectrum deployment. I'm sure this 2.5 GHz deployment is at the forefront of Marcelo's mind. We'll see what the next Earnings Report says about it come August.

 

Waste has finally been (and is still being) taken out of the business. Churn is low. The company is finally showing Postpaid Adds.

 

There's much more to do, and Sprint's substantial spectrum assets are essential for it.

 

This is a long term game... Sprint doesn't have to march to the beat of anybody else's drum.

 

It can be frustrating with some of the perceived slowness of developing the LTE network with Sprint.  I think (at times) that some people forget where Sprint was just a few years ago (WiMax) while the other companies were in full LTE deployment in 2008.  In the past three or four years, Sprint had to catch up and they are doing so as quickly/feasibly/economically as they can.  The others providers just had a four to five year head start.

 

It is a challenge for Sprint to be perceived as "behind the eight ball" all of the time but considering where they were versus where they are now is just shy of a miracle.  If Sprint can catch up this quickly in half the time with LTE deployment than the others providers took to get there, just think about the next several years and where Sprint will be then. 

[Deval]

These small cells should be a priority to be the fill ins where you drop a call and 5 sec later u have service again.

These spots should have already been identified and be a priority.

 

Yes I am saying sprint should do what it's doing just with a lot more urgency

 

From what we have seen the small cell deployment is to create a dense LTE network, not 1x/EVDO, so they won't help with dropped calls.

[RedSpark]

From what we have seen the small cell deployment is to create a dense LTE network, not 1x/EVDO, so they won't help with dropped calls.

 

Right, but they're probably essential for Sprint's longer-term VoLTE plans, which require densification.

[Deval]

Its true there should be way more towers using 2.5 at this point and these network vision 1.0 incomplete towers should have been dealt with by now especially since they are supposedly "funded" already.

 

Last I checked 2.5 is on a significant number of sites, my market has barely any left that do not have at least Clearwire 2.5.

[Deval]

Right, but they're probably essential for Sprint's longer-term VoLTE plans, which require densification.

 

Exactly but they won't fix dropped call issues today, which is what I had quoted.

[Terrell352]

Last I checked 2.5 is on a significant number of sites, my market has barely any left that do not have at least Clearwire 2.5.

What market is that?

 

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[Deval]

What market is that?

 

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

New York City

 

All I'm saying is that there are numbers which contradict the doom and gloom that permeates throughout the Internet regarding Sprint.

[Terrell352]

New York City

 

All I'm saying is that there are numbers which contradict the doom and gloom that permeates throughout the Internet regarding Sprint.

I thought so. New York is much easier for all of that due to how dense the city is. Other cities like DC, North Florida and central, Mississippi, Louisiana, Memphis, Alabama, and countless other markets are still suffering from lack of. New York almost cant be compared because its so different.

 

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[JimBob]

Sprint faces questions on Mobilitie's small cell rollout efforts, handset write-off costs

 

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-faces-questions-mobilities-small-cell-rollout-efforts-handset-write/2016-06-08

 

Last quarter:

- Sprint recorded a $166 million loss related to "cell site construction and other network costs that are no longer recoverable as a result of changes in the Company's network plans."

- Sprint recorded $256 million write-off due to cancellations of its handset leases. "At a $650 average value per leased handset, that is the equivalent of 393K customers simply walking off with a Sprint handset at lease inception, without ever making a single payment."

[nexgencpu]

I understand 2000 is a lot but I don't agree with the idea that people are really complaining about the appearance of these poles. Verizon, T-Mobile/Metro, and AT&T/Cricket were able to build out dense small cell networks in a few cities including NYC, no one ever says anything and the performance of their networks have been proven to be rather stellar as a result. There has to be more going on here than just appearances that is holding Sprint back.

I did read that verizon has had a lot of difficulty deploying in certain places and they underestimated how long the process takes. Internally they estimated 1-2 years, but it has turned out to be much longer.

[greenbastard]

Total LTE coverage now reaches nearly 300 million people, including approximately 70 percent being covered by the 2.5 GHz spectrum deployment. I'm sure this 2.5 GHz deployment is at the forefront of Marcelo's mind. We'll see what the next Earnings Report says about it come August.

 

That number is extremely misleading. Take Houston or Dallas for example. The city limits may be 85% covered by B41 from my personal experience. But inside that 85%, the number goes way down when you consider indoor coverage of B41.

Waste has finally been (and is still being) taken out of the business. Churn is low. The company is finally showing Postpaid Adds.

The corporate restructure has had many positives. The Overland Park HQ was extremely bloated and I'm glad Sprint isn't playing around anymore with unnecessary expenses.

There's much more to do, and Sprint's substantial spectrum assets are essential for it.

 

Like others have said, we've been hearing the same thing for so long. It's almost become a broken record sadly.

This is a long term game... Sprint doesn't have to march to the beat of anybody else's drum.

Actually, they do have to march to the beat of someone else's drum. The market is fierce and they don't have much room for mistakes. Subscribers will continue to leave if network improvement isn't seen. I do like that Sprint is thinking long term, but they may not be around for long if their network isn't improved in the immediate future.

 

I recently had a friend ask how Sprint was since he was recently intrigued by the 50% half off promotion for his family plan. I had to be honest talked him out of it. There's just no reason to jump on Sprint at the moment in most of Texas . In the future? Maybe.

[Deval]

I thought so. New York is much easier for all of that due to how dense the city is. Other cities like DC, North Florida and central, Mississippi, Louisiana, Memphis, Alabama, and countless other markets are still suffering from lack of. New York almost cant be compared because its so different.

 

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Actually the density creates a whole new set of problems with neighborlists, handoffs, eCSFB configs, etc.

 

Some of those other markets are cherry picked weakest ones for Sprint, so it's not a fair comparison either. 

[Deval]

 

That number is extremely misleading. Take Houston or Dallas for example. The city limits may be 85% covered by B41 from my personal experience. But inside that 85%, the number goes way down when you consider indoor coverage of B41. 

 

I get decent enough inbuilding B41 in my brick apartment in Queens, good enough for 10-12mbps on the downlink. More than sufficient for any mobile use. 

 

I would believe that as long as a customer got that, it should be fine. Small cells will help fill in-building gaps, but you'll never get 80dB B41 signal in a building.

 

 

Actually, they do have to march to the beat of someone else's drum. The market is fierce and they don't have much room for mistakes. Subscribers will continue to leave if network improvement isn't seen. I do like that Sprint is thinking long term, but they may not be around for long if their network isn't improved in the immediate future.

 

Churn numbers are on a steady decline, which means more satisfied customers are signing up and staying on board.

 

 

 

I recently had a friend ask how Sprint was since he was recently intrigued by the 50% half off promotion for his family plan. I had to be honest talked him out of it. There's just no reason to jump on Sprint at the moment in most of Texas . In the future? Maybe. 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't agree with that, one person's experience shouldn't be reflective of another unless they share the same household and visit the same areas.

 

Case in point, my sister-in-law uses Sprint, has for about 3 years now. Her husband uses AT&T, and recently switched over for the 50% off promo after seeing that his wife's phone works well enough in the places they go together. He had initially asked me for my opinion and I told him to pay attention to his wife's service since they lived and traveled together.

[Terrell352]

Actually the density creates a whole new set of problems with neighborlists, handoffs, eCSFB configs, etc.

 

Some of those other markets are cherry picked weakest ones for Sprint, so it's not a fair comparison either.

so basically the whole southeast is cherry picked and weak? Im all for Sprint getting to where they need to be but its hard to defend against so many markets with lack of deployed spectrum when tmobile can do it. I mentioned those places because these are all places where I have experienced the same old tune of 95% of the time being on 25/26 and only 5% of the time being on b41. I could literally go over a hundred miles and never get b41. At&t b17/b4 CA is everywhere and tmobile has 40mhz of b4 in most of these markets, Verizon has 60mhz of spectrum minimum in most of these markets while Sprint sits with 20mhz total with tiny slivers of b41.