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

[S4GRU]

That should help prove that SoftBank isn't pulling out of sprint. At least not via logic.

 

 

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Yeah, this definitely shows that they have no serious short term prospects to dump Sprint.

 

Using Tapatalk on Note 8.0

[JimBob]

So softbank is splitting into two companies one for is Japanese operations and another for its international subsidiaries.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/03/07/sprint-owner-softbank-splits-into-two-companies/81428468/

Congratulations to Nikesh Arora!

 

Quick thoughts:

- Arora was previously a Google executive and current heir to Masayoshi Son

- Arora spent $483 million of his own money on Softbank stock last year

- The non-Japan focused company should move its headquarters to the United States

- Sprint will continue to get more attention from its parents 

[Arysyn]

Congratulations to Nikesh Arora!

 

Quick thoughts:

- Arora was previously a Google executive and current heir to Masayoshi Son

- Arora spent $483 million of his own money on Softbank stock last year

- The non-Japan focused company should move its headquarters to the United States

- Sprint will continue to get more attention from its parents 

 

 

I also think non-Japan company ought to move to the U.S., since that part will own/operate Sprint. The issue now is, if it does move to the U.S., will this mark the beginning of the name change from Sprint to Softbank, as it would be odd for Softbank to both be based in the U.S. while running a U.S. carrier named Sprint. Not that there is anything wrong about it, just that it doesn't really fit, especially now with Softbank being split up.

[centermedic]

Interesting that this is Nielsen reporting this... Not RootMetrics.

From my perspective there are two ways to view this. You can call it valid based on the fact that the Nielsen Company is an expert in research methodology. The caveat is that they do not have a demonstrated expertise in wireless technology.

[mnjeepmale]

Looks like AT&T & T-Mobile are going to offer a BOGO for the Galaxy S7 phone and wondering if Sprint will follow.

[RedSpark]

From my perspective there are two ways to view this. You can call it valid based on the fact that the Nielsen Company is an expert in research methodology. The caveat is that they do not have a demonstrated expertise in wireless technology.

 

Good point. Sprint says this:

 

Based on Sprint’s analysis of drive test data supplied by Nielsen in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville between August and November 2015. Your results may vary.

 

So Nielsen is reporting data... and Sprint is analyzing that dataset for those cities.

 

Sprint has done the same thing for Jacksonville and Miami.

 

Seems to be a new trend to augment the RootMetrics reports.

[Terrell352]

Good point. Sprint says this:

 

 

So Nielsen is reporting data... and Sprint is analyzing that dataset for those cities.

 

Sprint has done the same thing for Jacksonville and Miami.

 

Seems to be a new trend to augment the RootMetrics reports.

I dont know. I dont trust it. Sprint doesnt site sources or anything either making it more suspect.

[Overstew]

I dont know. I dont trust it. Sprint doesnt site sources or anything either make it more suspect.

I wish they'd show numbers at least.  They just put percentages and don't say what areas of Miami or Jacksonville was tested.  Very sketchy.

[Arysyn]

Looks like AT&T & T-Mobile are going to offer a BOGO for the Galaxy S7 phone and wondering if Sprint will follow.

 

It would be nice if these carriers would allow a mix of BOGO though, so when the LG G5 is available, customers could mix between that and the Samsung Galaxy S7 devices.

[Flompholph]

Until TMobile stops throttling their video the nielson reports will say sprint is better. I am not sure how this is surprising.

[WiWavelength]

Until TMobile stops throttling their video the nielson reports will say sprint is better. I am not sure how this is surprising.

 

No, that depends upon how heavily Nielsen weights mobile video usage in its overall stats.  For example, I stream almost zero mobile video or music.  Nearly all of my mobile data usage is browser or app based.  If "unlimited" and absent network prioritization, that data usage would not be throttled on T-Mobile.

 

AJ

[Flompholph]

No, that depends upon how heavily Nielsen weights mobile video usage in its overall stats.  For example, I stream almost zero mobile video or music.  Nearly all of my mobile data usage is browser or app based.  If "unlimited" and absent network prioritization, that data usage would not be throttled on T-Mobile.

 

AJ

I am a little disappointed in you AJ. Not the disagree part because it would be boring if everone agreed. Just the generalizing your usage to a wider audience.

 

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/mobile-white-paper-c11-520862.html

 

55% of all data is video on mobile devices. Which means video should play a big role in real world tests. Audio which is only 5% and it is limited based on the stream 192Kbps for Pandora and upto 1 Mbps for other HQ streams. 60% is being throttled way lower than it should be.

 

That is something that TMobile has to deal they will get mad and show a speed test though.

[WiWavelength]

I am a little disappointed in you AJ. Not the disagree part because it would be boring if everone agreed. Just the generalizing your usage to a wider audience.

 

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/mobile-white-paper-c11-520862.html

 

55% of all data is video on mobile devices. Which means video should play a big role in real world tests. Audio which is only 5% and it is limited based on the stream 192Kbps for Pandora and upto 1 Mbps for other HQ streams. 60% is being throttled way lower than it should be.

 

That is something that TMobile has to deal they will get mad and show a speed test though.

 

And I am a little disappointed in you, as your logic is flawed.

 

You gloss over "that depends upon how heavily Nielsen weights mobile video usage in its overall stats."  It "depends" upon statistical weighting.  You offer some Cisco stats and take those as gospel -- but you make no connection from them to Nielsen.

 

Do you have any evidence what weighting formula Nielsen uses?  Maybe that formula is published.  It could be out there.  But if not, you are wrong to assume.

 

Because I offered a counterexample -- just not the one and only counterexample.  Understand the purpose of a counterexample.  Theoretically but unlikely, Nielsen could base its formula on my mobile data usage pattern that is perhaps 50 percent browser, 40 percent app, and only 10 percent video.

 

AJ

[Johnner1999]

It would be nice if these carriers would allow a mix of BOGO though, so when the LG G5 is available, customers could mix between that and the Samsung Galaxy S7 devices.

i assume the carrier is given some spiff money by the vendor. I don't see them playing nicely...

 

 

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[RedSpark]

Here's what I could find on how Nielsen works:

 

http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/solutions/measurement/mobile.html

 

https://mobilepanel.nielsen.com/enroll/howItWorks.do?l=en_us&pid=1

 

Not much detail on the weighting or methodology.

[Arysyn]

i assume the carrier is given some spiff money by the vendor. I don't see them playing nicely...

 

 

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That is what I figured is going on, as the device manufacturers have some say in what pricing and promotional policies may or may not happen on carriers. Although, I still like the idea of mix and match between devices.

 

In my situation, there are aspects I like about both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the LG G5. If I could buy one of them and get the other for free, I'd use the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge for video usage, and the LG G5 for audio usage.

[derrph]

i assume the carrier is given some spiff money by the vendor. I don't see them playing nicely...

 

 

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Anything to make those sales look good for that phone.

 

 

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[gusherb]

i assume the carrier is given some spiff money by the vendor. I don't see them playing nicely...

 

 

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The BoGo offers have strings by the carrier too. T-Mobile and AT&T require you add a NEW line and AT&T (probably T-Mobile as well) set it up as a credit to a payment plan, so you're locked in all around. Can't just up and sell the device it's tied to an account and to a payment plan. Basically it's one of those "free" contract phones where you're locked into a comittment only a shit ton sneakier.

It's one of the more clever smoke and mirrors tricks I've seen the carriers come up with.

[Flompholph]

And I am a little disappointed in you, as your logic is flawed.

 

You gloss over "that depends upon how heavily Nielsen weights mobile video usage in its overall stats."  It "depends" upon statistical weighting.  You offer some Cisco stats and take those as gospel -- but you make no connection from them to Nielsen.

 

Do you have any evidence what weighting formula Nielsen uses?  Maybe that formula is published.  It could be out there.  But if not, you are wrong to assume.

 

Because I offered a counterexample -- just not the one and only counterexample.  Understand the purpose of a counterexample.  Theoretically but unlikely, Nielsen could base its formula on my mobile data usage pattern that is perhaps 50 percent browser, 40 percent app, and only 10 percent video.

 

AJ

Not sure I follow you on the weighting of real world usage. Their app runs in the background and tracks what your phone uses as you use your phone during the day. They track what apps you use and for how long and how much data is being sent for each app. It is not a speedtest that they breakdown somehow. Nielsen does not use any cellular data other than to send back but your usage log. There formula should be amount of data sent over the length of data session. Data session is the length of time that a data stream is active.

 

If you don't like cisco to show how the vast amount of people use their phones you can google another data colector there are many that show video as #1 usage. Some can even break it down to youtube and netflix being the biggest usage of mobile data. The last time I looked it was one way on PC and then they flipped on mobile.

 

http://en-us.nielsen.com/sitelets/cls/digital/Mobile-NetView30-FAQ.pdf

 

Look at Number 19

WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU

MEASURING WITH YOUR

ON DEVICE METERS?

Our capabilities vary by platform. On iOS we

measure all http: and https: traffic, including all

traffic through the web browser and through apps.

That means Nielsen is able to provide such key

media metrics as reach, frequency and duration.

We can provide the same audience metrics for

Android, with the additional ability to measure

device usage in more detail. For Android we can

report on media metrics like reach, frequency and

duration for Internet and apps, as well as for other

functions on the phone, including camera, dialer,

messaging, email and even charging behavior.

No real reason for an NSA when people give all there data for free.

[Johnner1999]

The BoGo offers have strings by the carrier too. T-Mobile and AT&T require you add a NEW line and AT&T (probably T-Mobile as well) set it up as a credit to a payment plan, so you're locked in all around. Can't just up and sell the device it's tied to an account and to a payment plan. Basically it's one of those "free" contract phones where you're locked into a comittment only a shit ton sneakier.

It's one of the more clever smoke and mirrors tricks I've seen the carriers come up with.

 

 

strings yes... 

 

but "you" know up front its tied to a new line of service -- and not sure about Sprint but from what I read for AT&T they bill you the installment for both phones and then issue a credit for the 2nd device.   So its not as sneaky as it could be.   

 

and honestly its a good deal - if you are switching carriers... 

[gusherb]

strings yes...

but "you" know up front its tied to a new line of service -- and not sure about Sprint but from what I read for AT&T they bill you the installment for both phones and then issue a credit for the 2nd device. So its not as sneaky as it could be.

 

and honestly its a good deal - if you are switching carriers...

 

I don't think they're clear enough in the ads to consider it not sneaky. But yes that's what I meant, it requires a new line on installment and they credit it. It's really nothing more than a "free contract phone" when comparing it to the old ways. The deal is misleading because it is by no means what one thinks when they hear "Bogo" but rather twisting the words to the limits of its meaning to favor their terms and conditions.

It's only a good deal and not misleading if one is already adding a line or switching carriers.

[derrph]

I don't think they're clear enough in the ads to consider it not sneaky. But yes that's what I meant, it requires a new line on installment and they credit it. It's really nothing more than a "free contract phone" when comparing it to the old ways. The deal is misleading because it is by no means what one thinks when they hear "Bogo" but rather twisting the words to the limits of its meaning to favor their terms and conditions.

It's only a good deal and not misleading if one is already adding a line or switching carriers.

Not totally related to the topic at hand but similar. When I switched from Sprint to T-Mobile I took them up on their buy one get one 50% special. But in order to get the 50% I had to open up a additional line and put it on their EIP. But I had to convince the guy and a call to customer service that why can't I just trade in my iPhone towards the phone that was 50% off since it will pay for the remaining cost. They guy kept telling me I couldn't and that it needs to be on EIP. After a 30 min call he was told that he could use my trade in phone towards the half off phone. So all in all I got a legit free phone with no strings attached but I had to still open up a additional line which I cancelled out the next day. In this industry nothing is cut and dry as they make it.

 

 

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[Arysyn]

The recent discussions here about the BOGO have me wondering about why Sprint abruptly ended the short-lived All-In program they had last year. I didn't think it was a good idea in the first place and am glad its gone, but I'm curious why it ended still. Although, I've always been a big fan/supporter of Sprint's leasing program, which is so much more clear and upfront than T-Mobile's Jump On Demand program. I read today that T-Mobile's BOGO offer doesn't apply to Jump On Demand, which I think is a bad idea not to include it in with their BOGO offer. All T-Mobile has to do is to say that the free device is ineligible for trade-in, while the leased device still is. Simple as that.

 

It surprises me that T-Mobile can't seem to get leasing right. I read a comment in the comments section of a TmoNews article today that T-Mobile isn't focusing much on Jump On Demand, as its too good of a deal for customers, which I sort of agree with. Still, I don't like 18-month or 24-month leasing periods, much preferring they all be a standard 12-month period lease. With a 12-month lease, the devices only are a year old and carry more of a resale value than they do at 18-months and at 24-months, making it more profitable for a carrier to resell after the leasing term ends.

 

I've mentioned before here on S4GRU several times my idea about this, so I won't go into it again here, unless I have any changes I'd like to mention. If anyone would like to know though, either do a search or pm to me, and I'll explain. I really think my idea would work great for carriers, and am a bit surprised they still choose to have these less valuable plans for leasing in effect. Despite that though, I still credit Sprint for having their leasing option, at least. They also have the $10 monthly upgrade for those wanting a 12-month lease too, which is a great thing for Sprint customers.

[NYC126]

Sprint's (S) Management Presents at Deutsche Bank Media, Internet & Telecom Conference (Transcript) http://seekingalpha.com/article/3957216?source=ansh $S

 

This CFO knows what he is doing.

[centermedic]

Not sure I follow you on the weighting of real world usage. Their app runs in the background and tracks what your phone uses as you use your phone during the day. They track what apps you use and for how long and how much data is being sent for each app. It is not a speedtest that they breakdown somehow. Nielsen does not use any cellular data other than to send back but your usage log. There formula should be amount of data sent over the length of data session. Data session is the length of time that a data stream is active.

 

If you don't like cisco to show how the vast amount of people use their phones you can google another data colector there are many that show video as #1 usage. Some can even break it down to youtube and netflix being the biggest usage of mobile data. The last time I looked it was one way on PC and then they flipped on mobile.

 

http://en-us.nielsen.com/sitelets/cls/digital/Mobile-NetView30-FAQ.pdf

 

Look at Number 19

No real reason for an NSA when people give all there data for free.

What AJ was saying is that Nielsen may place more importance on one data set over another. We have no idea what their methodology and weighting is until they make it public.