AT&T gobbles up NII Holdings: Mexican Nextel 800Mhz bearer.

[EmeraldReporter]

IBEZ will be solved SOONER, rather than later.

 

Which is a good thing. I would have liked for SoftBank to join the fight, because EVERYONE knows that their roaming rates are going to be abysmal with Sprint customers traveling to Mexico.

 

Is this a raw deal? Your thoughts?

 

Via GigaOM:

https://gigaom.com/2015/01/26/att-to-buy-nextel-mexico-continuing-continental-expansion/

Edited January 26, 2015 by EmeraldReporter

[Jones]

Will AT&T speed up the IBEZ issues now that they own the rights in Mexico?? Would something that helps out a competitor be a priority for them?

[bigsnake49]

Will AT&T speed up the IBEZ issues now that they own the rights in Mexico?? Would something that helps out a competitor be a priority for them?

It will also help AT&T because the sooner that is resolved, the faster they can repurpose that spectrum for LTE.

[jroepcke51]

It will also help AT&T because the sooner that is resolved, the faster they can repurpose that spectrum for LTE.

That spectrum will be Band  26 right?  Will it provide interference issues along the border though?

[bigsnake49]

That spectrum will be Band  26 right?  Will it provide interference issues along the border though?

Yes it will be band 26. All spectrum along the border is subject to interference. But with cooperation some of the interference can be mitigated by tower placement, down tilt, power adjustments.

[joshnys8913]

IBEZ will be solved SOONER, rather than later.

 

Which is a good thing. I would have liked for SoftBank to join the fight, because EVERYONE knows that their roaming rates are going to be abysmal with Sprint customers traveling to Mexico.

 

Is this a raw deal? Your thoughts?

 

Via GigaOM:

https://gigaom.com/2015/01/26/att-to-buy-nextel-mexico-continuing-continental-expansion/

AT&T is GSM, Sprint is CDMA, different bands, different frequencies, different agreements between borders, etc. 

[bigsnake49]

AT&T is GSM, Sprint is CDMA, different bands, different frequencies, different agreements between borders, etc. 

it does not matter. If Nextel Mexico/AT&T Mexico use the same spectrum band they have to coordinate with each other how to best minimize interference.

[GoWireless]

it does not matter. If Nextel Mexico/AT&T Mexico use the same spectrum band they have to coordinate with each other how to best minimize interference.

I am not sure that Mexico uses the exact same frequencies since I don't know if they went through an SMR rebranding effort and therefore their in-use iDEN frequencies may extend below 814Mhz, making it potentially incompatible with B26.

[S4GRU]

I am not sure that Mexico uses the exact same frequencies since I don't know if they went through an SMR rebranding effort and therefore their in-use iDEN frequencies may extend below 814Mhz, making it potentially incompatible with B26.

 

They will either need to use Band 26 or Band 27.  Or possibly both.  Band 27 is lower SMR, Band 26 is upper.  If they do not line up to either of these, then they will spend years going through the 3GPP and get a new band created.

 

If they only use Band 27, then they won't be interfering with Sprint Band 26 across the border at all.  But I think it's highly unlikely they have no upper SMR holdings at all.  So they are likely going to be using Band 26 for the upper SMR band.  The question then really is whether they will also use some lower SMR band holdings as well.

[bigsnake49]

I am not sure that Mexico uses the exact same frequencies since I don't know if they went through an SMR rebranding effort and therefore their in-use iDEN frequencies may extend below 814Mhz, making it potentially incompatible with B26.

Mexico does not use 800MHz for public safety so they did not have to reband.

[Conan Kudo]

They will either need to use Band 26 or Band 27.  Or possibly both.  Band 27 is lower SMR, Band 26 is upper.  If they do not line up to either of these, then they will spend years going through the 3GPP and get a new band created.

 

If they only use Band 27, then they won't be interfering with Sprint Band 26 across the border at all.  But I think it's highly unlikely they have no upper SMR holdings at all.  So they are likely going to be using Band 26 for the upper SMR band.  The question then really is whether they will also use some lower SMR band holdings as well.

The difference between Band 27 and Band 26 is that Band 27 spans the entire SMR band, while Band 26 instead spans the upper SMR band and the Cellular 850 band. For AT&T, Band 27 is ideal because it screws with Sprint and allows AT&T to maintain the bifurcated band classes. Alternatively, AT&T could choose to ask SCT to exchange SMR for Band 28 (APT 700MHz FDD) spectrum, making the whole thing the government's problem instead.

[S4GRU]

Yes that's correct, Band 27 does span both upper and lower.  But that does not change my point regarding it having no bearing on interfering with Sprint either way in the IBEZ regardless of Band used in Mexico.

[WiWavelength]

The difference between Band 27 and Band 26 is that Band 27 spans the entire SMR band, while Band 26 instead spans the upper SMR band and the Cellular 850 band. For AT&T, Band 27 is ideal because it screws with Sprint and allows AT&T to maintain the bifurcated band classes. Alternatively, AT&T could choose to ask SCT to exchange SMR for Band 28 (APT 700MHz FDD) spectrum, making the whole thing the government's problem instead.

 

Come on, Neal.  AT&T is more interested in serving its own interests than in screwing with Sprint.

 

If AT&T is smart, it goes band 26.  AT&T already has band 5 LTE deployed in many locations in the US.  Using MFBI, that band 5 can also be band 26.  And that would go a long way toward AT&T economy of scale -- both in handsets and infrastructure -- between the US and Mexico.

 

AJ

[lou99/maximus1987]

Come on, Neal. AT&T is more interested in serving its own interests than in screwing Sprint.

 

If AT&T is smart, it goes band 26. AT&T already has band 5 LTE deployed in many locations in the US. Using MFBI, that band 5 can also be band 26. And that would go a long way toward AT&T economy of scale -- both in handsets and infrastructure -- between the US and Mexico.

 

AJ

Why not do the b28 trade

[WiWavelength]

Why not do the b28 trade

 

Sorry, maximus, that is not my concern.  Plus, I have reached my 20 question quota with you this month.

 

AJ

[lou99/maximus1987]

Sorry, maximus, that is not my concern. Plus, I have reached my 20 question quota with you this month.

 

AJ

Don't understand why the b27 question is your concern but not the b28.

[WiWavelength]

Don't understand why the b27 question is your concern but not the b28.

 

That a third world country has so much vacant spectrum it can pick and swap among various bands is not my concern.  I simply do not care.  Neal can be the international guy.  But what the rest of the world does in spectrum policy has essentially no bearing on what the US does.

 

AJ

[Conan Kudo]

Yes that's correct, Band 27 does span both upper and lower.  But that does not change my point regarding it having no bearing on interfering with Sprint either way in the IBEZ regardless of Band used in Mexico.

Sort of. If AT&T controls the SMR band, they'll slow down the relocation process as much as possible. Because AT&T controls Iusacell, they have no impending need for the SMR frequencies due to its control of most of the Cellular 850 licenses that it needs. NII Holdings had a very strong need to get it done quickly in order to become competitive. Under AT&T, that's not necessary.

 

But you are right in that the band class AT&T ultimately chooses has no bearing on the IBEZ question.

 

That a third world country has so much vacant spectrum it can pick and swap among various bands is not my concern.  I simply do not care.  Neal can be the international guy.  But what the rest of the world does in spectrum policy has essentially no bearing on what the US does.

 

AJ

 

As much as you wish that to be true, it's not. Especially with border regions. You inherently know this (and to a certain degree, accept this) because otherwise the IBEZ situation wouldn't exist. Spectrum and telecommunications is all about harmonization and scale, be it domestically or transnationally. You don't have to like it, but you can't ignore it.

 

Secondly, "third world" is an old term to use. We're not in the Cold War. "First world" relating to US/NATO allies, "second world" relating to Soviet Union/CIS allies, and "third world" for unaligned countries. It doesn't actually represent the state of the country, only a political affiliation that no longer applies in any significant manner.

 

The UMS is a fairly well-developed country (with a high HDI and industrialization recently completed), though admittedly it has some major crime problems and polarized wealth distribution. But then again, so does the USA.

[Hypeo]

Public Safety here in Yuma has a time line of March to move to 700mhz, they are itchy to get Sprint money

[WiWavelength]

Secondly, "third world" is an old term to use. We're not in the Cold War. "First world" relating to US/NATO allies, "second world" relating to Soviet Union/CIS allies, and "third world" for unaligned countries. It doesn't actually represent the state of the country, only a political affiliation that no longer applies in any significant manner.

 

The UMS is a fairly well-developed country (with a high HDI and industrialization recently completed), though admittedly it has some major crime problems and polarized wealth distribution. But then again, so does the USA.

 

Remember, I am a geographer.  I know the original meaning of "Third World."  In fact, it came up in conversation with my girlfriend recently, and I defined the Cold War nation categorization you describe above.

 

But many years later, that "Third World" definition has been deprecated.  The lowercase "third world" has taken precedence.  It now means a "developing country" -- if you want a politically correct term.  Or a "banana republic" -- if, like me, you do not mind poking a little fun at a country in the tropics that has a few developed cities, an undeveloped countryside, a huge wealth/poverty disparity, and a massive crime/corruption problem.

 

Mexico qualifies.  Any comparisons to the US are specious.

 

AJ

[dnwk]

Well, I think AT&T may intentionally slow down IBEZ resolution to gut Sprint.

[S4GRU]

I just don't see the move that AT&T can make to slow it down.

[WiWavelength]

Well, I think AT&T may intentionally slow down IBEZ resolution to gut Sprint.

 

And everyone is just waiting on pins and needles to hear what you think.

 

 

AJ

[bigsnake49]

Sort of. If AT&T controls the SMR band, they'll slow down the relocation process as much as possible. Because AT&T controls Iusacell, they have no impending need for the SMR frequencies due to its control of most of the Cellular 850 licenses that it needs. NII Holdings had a very strong need to get it done quickly in order to become competitive. Under AT&T, that's not necessary.

 

 

AT&T has 850MHz in the south of the country only.

[Conan Kudo]

AT&T has 850MHz in the south of the country only.

Yes, but the Southern half of the country is where most of the population is already. So AT&T can afford to have a skeleton network there until it absolutely wants to. Plus, if the Telmex assets (which will include cellular and fixed assets) being sold off are in the parts that Iusacell doesn't operate 850MHz networks today, AT&T can just get those and use them instead. AT&T has a ton of alternatives to just paying for rebanding and using SMR for LTE.