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

[EvanA]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-02/sprint-s-plan-to-mortgage-its-airwaves

No new news here. Sprint talked about Network Lease Co and use of some spectrum as collateral in the last earnings call.

 

See the call transcript: http://seekingalpha.com/article/3835836?source=ansh

[Overstew]

Does Sprint have any sort of deadline for 800Mhz buildout?  It seems so unreasonable to have nationwide 14mhz and still be behind one of the four carriers in terms of coverage.  I know PCS G block deadline is coming up for Montana (hence why Cedar is making progress now.)  I am curious if there's any sort of geographic requirements in the SMR spectrum.

 

That being said, I am glad Sprint is making efforts to allocate more usable spectrum in the PCS range.  Some markets that are waiting for Nokia equipment should benefit greatly from the increase to 10x10 or 15x15 on B25.

[RedSpark]

Sprint just appointed Robert Hackl as the new Chief Experience Officer and President of National Sales, joining on April 1st.

 

It'll be interesting to see what direction he takes things based on his background:

For the past three years, Hackl was commercial operations director at Vodafone in Germany. He was able to engage employees and re-ignite a sense of pride in the organization. The company saw employee Net Promoter Scores, or eNPS, increase substantially, which translated into strong results. He created a high-performing team that topped sales targets and improved customer NPS to become an industry leader in Germany.

 

Prior to Vodafone, Hackl was at T-Mobile in the United States from 2010 to 2013. He played an integral role as the senior vice president of channel management in driving higher sales, greater efficiency and a turnaround in the overall customer experience and churn. He also delivered impressive results when he was a group senior vice president at Deutsche Telekom Europe and CEO of TELE2 Austria.

 

He will replace Bob Johnson who is leaving on April 29, 2016 after 14 months in the role. However, Bob has been with Sprint since 2005 and prior to that he was at Nextel since 2002.

[RedSpark]

Does Sprint have any sort of deadline for 800Mhz buildout?  It seems so unreasonable to have nationwide 14mhz and still be behind one of the four carriers in terms of coverage.  I know PCS G block deadline is coming up for Montana (hence why Cedar is making progress now.)  I am curious if there's any sort of geographic requirements in the SMR spectrum.

 

That being said, I am glad Sprint is making efforts to allocate more usable spectrum in the PCS range.  Some markets that are waiting for Nokia equipment should benefit greatly from the increase to 10x10 or 15x15 on B25.

 

See Sprint's recent FCC filing (March 1, 2016) which discusses its 800 MHz Band Reconfiguration progress and scheduled timelines: http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=60001493430

[nexgencpu]

I am surprised no one has posted this here. Looks like Sprint has quietly brought some small cells online.

And even more noteworthy its live!

https://twitter.com/RFtelecomGuy/status/704689378182963200

[Overstew]

See Sprint's recent FCC filing (March 1, 2016) which discusses its 800 MHz Band Reconfiguration progress and scheduled timelines: http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment/view?id=60001493430

I understand the band reconfiguration areas pending, but I'm talking about general coverage outside the IBEZ.  Why are there holes in Sprint's LTE coverage on major highways?  The other three carriers appear to be focusing on general coverage while Sprint's taking the metro-only approach.  There should be a lot more expansion.  If T-Mobile can do it with just 700Mhz 5x5, then Sprint can do it with 5x5 on B25 and B26.  I won't bring AT&T/Verizon into discussion because they have other branches that benefit them (ISPs, backhaul providers, etc.)  I'm not ranting at all, I am just curious how T-Mobile has managed to still be profitable while growing at such a rapid pace.

[Overstew]

I am surprised no one has posted this here. Looks like sprint has quietly brought some small cells online.

 

And even more noteworthy its live!

 

https://twitter.com/RFtelecomGuy/status/704689378182963200

Interesting, I wonder how far the range is on those units.  Looks optimal for hotels/apartment buildings.

[RedSpark]

I am surprised no one has posted this here. Looks like sprint has quietly brought some small cells online.

 

And even more noteworthy its live!

 

https://twitter.com/RFtelecomGuy/status/704689378182963200

 

Looks like it's in Miami based on other Tweets he's made.

 

Also, appears to be supported by Wireless backhaul from Fastback Networks: http://www.fastbacknetworks.com/

[nexgencpu]

Also mention of CA being live at this site...

 

https://twitter.com/RFtelecomGuy/status/703746451327815682

[nexgencpu]

Interesting, I wonder how far the range is on those units.  Looks optimal for hotels/apartment buildings.

I believe I've heard some folks mentioned anywhere between 100-300 meters depending on environment.

[RedSpark]

I understand the band reconfiguration areas pending, but I'm talking about general coverage outside the IBEZ.  Why are there holes in Sprint's LTE coverage on major highways?  The other three carriers appear to be focusing on general coverage while Sprint's taking the metro-only approach.  There should be a lot more expansion.  If T-Mobile can do it with just 700Mhz 5x5, then Sprint can do it with 5x5 on B25 and B26.  I won't bring AT&T/Verizon into discussion because they have other branches that benefit them (ISPs, backhaul providers, etc.)  I'm not ranting at all, I am just curious how T-Mobile has managed to still be profitable while growing at such a rapid pace.

 

If I had to guess, not all 800 MHz is turned up yet. Or perhaps there's continued evaluation being made re ROI for optimizing deployment. Others can offer much more on this than I can, but that's my best guess.

[bigsnake49]

If I had to guess, not all 800 MHz is turned up yet. Or perhaps there's continued evaluation being made re ROI for optimizing deployment. Others can offer much more on this than I can, but that's my best guess.

 

Most of the time ROI does not include goodwill in its calculation. Repairing Sprint's reputation by covering the interstates and major thoroughfares might be such an example.

[Deval]

I understand the band reconfiguration areas pending, but I'm talking about general coverage outside the IBEZ.  Why are there holes in Sprint's LTE coverage on major highways?  The other three carriers appear to be focusing on general coverage while Sprint's taking the metro-only approach.  There should be a lot more expansion.  If T-Mobile can do it with just 700Mhz 5x5, then Sprint can do it with 5x5 on B25 and B26.  I won't bring AT&T/Verizon into discussion because they have other branches that benefit them (ISPs, backhaul providers, etc.)  I'm not ranting at all, I am just curious how T-Mobile has managed to still be profitable while growing at such a rapid pace.

 

Last check of the numbers show that 800mhz is on air on more than 80% of all the sites that they can possibly deploy it on. You can't compare it to T-Mobile who's adding 700A on their legacy sites and calling it expansion. 

 

Right now Sprint is trying to densify the network, gotta have that done before you can expand otherwise no one enjoys the service.

[orangeblue]

Does Sprint have any sort of deadline for 800Mhz buildout?  It seems so unreasonable to have nationwide 14mhz and still be behind one of the four carriers in terms of coverage.  I know PCS G block deadline is coming up for Montana (hence why Cedar is making progress now.)  I am curious if there's any sort of geographic requirements in the SMR spectrum.

 

That being said, I am glad Sprint is making efforts to allocate more usable spectrum in the PCS range.  Some markets that are waiting for Nokia equipment should benefit greatly from the increase to 10x10 or 15x15 on B25.

 

I would love if Sprint would build out all major freeways and grows from there into small comunities along the Interstates. Let's look at I-15 between LA and Las Vegas, there is still no LTE coverage and coverage is spotty. Same for I-5 between LA and Sacramento. Coverage has improved but I don't know why Sprint is not finally handling this strech of major roadway.

 

 

Last check of the numbers show that 800mhz is on air on more than 80% of all the sites that they can possibly deploy it on. You can't compare it to T-Mobile who's adding 700A on their legacy sites and calling it expansion. 

 

Right now Sprint is trying to densify the network, gotta have that done before you can expand otherwise no one enjoys the service.

 

T-Mobile just has a great marketing department and they will sell you water and call it TMobile H2O and people will buy it as something unseen in the market place.

Edited March 2, 2016 by orangeblue

[bigsnake49]

I would love if Sprint would build out all major freeways and grows from there into small comunities along the Interstates. Let's look at I-15 between LA and Las Vegas, there is still no LTE coverage and coverage is spotty. Same for I-5 between LA and Sacramento. Coverage has improved but I don't know why Sprint is not finally handling this strech of major roadway.

 

 

 

T-Mobile just has a great marketing department and they will sell you water and call it TMobile H2O and people will buy it as something unseen in the market place.

 

The only one that covers the highways faithfully is Verizon. Not AT&T and not T-Mobile.

[RedSpark]

I would love if Sprint would build out all major freeways and grows from there into small comunities along the Interstates. Let's look at I-15 between LA and Las Vegas, there is still no LTE coverage and coverage is spotty. Same for I-5 between LA and Sacramento. Coverage has improved but I don't know why Sprint is not finally handling this strech of major roadway.

 

Sprint has to account for where people are most of the time and how many people will benefit when it prioritizes network improvements.

 

There's only so much funding and it has to maximize ROI on its build.

 

I agree, having continuous LTE between Los Angeles to Las Vegas makes sense to have. However, the number of people who will actually benefit is greater if Sprint prioritizes investing in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. I think that's Marcelo's thinking on this. The build between Los Angeles and Las Vegas will come in time.

 

Finally, as far as Network Metrics go, RootMetrics tests metropolitan markets, not the highways between them. If Sprint wants to show progress on these numbers/awards, it has to focus investments in the metro markets themselves, not on the highways between them.

[lilotimz]

 

 

I would love if Sprint would build out all major freeways and grows from there into small comunities along the Interstates. Let's look at I-15 between LA and Las Vegas, there is still no LTE coverage and coverage is spotty. Same for I-5 between LA and Sacramento. Coverage has improved but I don't know why Sprint is not finally handling this strech of major roadway.

.

 

Please don't generalize the entire i5 South stretch. That is a patently untrue statement as every single site is lte enabled along i5 once you reach Patterson CA (upper central Valley market) all the way to Sacramento. You can almost drive from Tracy all the way to redding on sprint LTE the entire time.

[Deval]

I would love if Sprint would build out all major freeways and grows from there into small comunities along the Interstates. Let's look at I-15 between LA and Las Vegas, there is still no LTE coverage and coverage is spotty. Same for I-5 between LA and Sacramento. Coverage has improved but I don't know why Sprint is not finally handling this strech of major roadway.

 

 

 

T-Mobile just has a great marketing department and they will sell you water and call it TMobile H2O and people will buy it as something unseen in the market place.

 

Sprint service has always followed the highways, since the beginning of PCS. Now getting it upgraded to LTE is a little more challenging, of course, but I'm sure it's in the works.

[shaferz]

Side note:

 

Does Marcelo's twitter header photo really bug anyone else?  For running a company the size of Sprint, it is surprising to me that he cant find someone who is better at photoshop.  (or get his family all in one place for a picture.)   

[RedSpark]

Most of the time ROI does not include goodwill in its calculation. Repairing Sprint's reputation by covering the interstates and major thoroughfares might be such an example.

 

3G or even slow 4G LTE speeds between cities are still good enough for Maps/Navigation and Audio Streaming. Not many people are streaming video in a moving car driving between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It should be fixed, but Marcelo has made a calculation that the priority should be in cities where the impact will be felt the most and the most people will realize the benefit.

[twospirits]

Side note:

 

Does Marcelo's twitter header photo really bug anyone else?  For running a company the size of Sprint, it is surprising to me that he cant find someone who is better at photoshop.  (or get his family all in one place for a picture.)   

Except for the top of the head of Marcelo and his son, everyone is in the header pic. I don't see anything wrong with it .

 

TS

[shaferz]

Except for the top of the head of Marcelo and his son, everyone is in the header pic. I don't see anything wrong with it .

 

TS

I would challenge that and say that the oldest daughter and oldest son are both photoshopped in.

 

 

 

Edit: unless of his oldest son is blurry in real life, and the oldest girl has no shoulders in real life. lol

[joshuam]

I am surprised no one has posted this here. Looks like Sprint has quietly brought some small cells online.

 

And even more noteworthy its live!

 

https://twitter.com/RFtelecomGuy/status/704689378182963200

Nice speeds considering only 2 bars. I know bars aren't everything...but bars are perception and perception is everything.

[Johnner1999]

3G or even slow 4G LTE speeds between cities are still good enough for Maps/Navigation and Audio Streaming. Not many people are streaming video in a moving car driving between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It should be fixed, but Marcelo has made a calculation that the priority should be in cities where the impact will be felt the most and the most people will realize the benefit.

Agree if 3G was stable

 

Disagree if it's 1x and 2013 style 3G

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MileHI38]

I was just reading this article on Fiercewireless:

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-hopes-secure-much-5b-mortgaging-spectrum-and-network-gear/2016-03-02

 

And it made it sound pretty bad about the financial condition of Sprint having to borrow against itself?? Kind of confusing with how they are moving the debt around but nonetheless was concerned and wanted some feedback from the experts here just as I'm about to port over 2 lines over to Sprint next Friday 11th when the S7 Edge releases.

 

Is there any concern about Sprint not being able to pay it's debt payments coming due and having to liquidate spectrum (2500 Mhz) saying that their treasure trove of 2500 is worth 115 Billion!!?? to stay afloat?