Official Tmobile-Sprint merger discussion thread

[dkyeager]

T-Mobile "sells" Sprint Long lines: https://www.cogentco.com/files/docs/about_cogent/investor_relations/presentation/tmus-wireline-deck.pdf

[jroepcke51]

Looking at the map attached, how quickly can they start to deploy in areas where equipment is available? Crazy amounts of spectrum purchased throughout the US.

https://www.sashajavid.com/Auction108_TMobile_Final_Demand.php

[dkyeager]

7 minutes ago, jroepcke51 said:

Looking at the map attached, how quickly can they start to deploy in areas where equipment is available? Crazy amounts of spectrum purchased throughout the US.

https://www.sashajavid.com/Auction108_TMobile_Final_Demand.php

It has to go through FCC processes: payment, recording, etc. Being posted in the database may occur after we actually see the first sites use it.  Some of the purchasers also likely hope to lease their spectrum to T-Mobile.  T-Mobile also keeps buying or signing new long-term leases on existing licenses.

[dkyeager]

1 hour ago, jroepcke51 said:

Looking at the map attached, how quickly can they start to deploy in areas where equipment is available? Crazy amounts of spectrum purchased throughout the US.

https://www.sashajavid.com/Auction108_TMobile_Final_Demand.php

Got interrupted in in my prior answer. If there already are sites n41 sites in the area, it should be relatively quick since theses site would just need to adjust the bandwidth (performance at the cell edge would especially improve).   Increased fiber throughput would also be needed, which could occur quickly (settings change for more bandwidth) or take a while (several months for new fiber to be run).  Ideally you could update like sites at the same time, at least per market. 

Areas that require site upgrades will have to go through T-Mobile's usual planning process, permitting, purchasing, contracting, testing, etc.  Rural permits tend to be far easier to get and much planning should already be done.

Don't forget when you look at the maps that they are displaying the entire county rather than just the ED white space.  BR tends to be T-Mobile dominated, but not always.  Contiguous blocks of spectrum are what matters.

[iansltx]

3 hours ago, dkyeager said:

T-Mobile "sells" Sprint Long lines: https://www.cogentco.com/files/docs/about_cogent/investor_relations/presentation/tmus-wireline-deck.pdf

T-Mobile's basically saying backbone and transit are undifferentiated and even at their scale it makes more sense to grab connectivity from the lowest bidder of Zayo, Lumen, and now Cogent. Not terribly surprising as they have a similar attitude to backhaul, while Verizon and AT&T will run their own fiber to sites (VZW does here despite not being the ILEC). Plus SprintLink was a boat anchor cost-wise I suppose, such that $30MM per month plus $35MM severance, plus ~$8MM per month to Cogent after the first year, was a better option.

Which, yeah, T-Mobile probably spends on FWA gateways in a quarter (or less) what they'll be paying Cogent for a year of transit, so fair enough.

[dkyeager]

Spectrum Trade with Verizon in AWS and PCS

Likely makes more spectrum contiguous for future 5g. Affected areas include Cedar Rapids, IA, Traverse City/Appleton, Rapid City, Anniston, AL, Pittsfield, MA, Hobbes, MN, Casper, WY, Fresno CA, Reading CA, Omaha, Portsmouth, OH, Lake County, CA

Of course these numbers do not factor in T-Mobile ED 2.5GHz winnings.

 

T-Mobile winner counties:

Idaho: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, KooTenal, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone +10 AWS

Colorado: Pueblo +10 PCS

New Mexico: Lea +5 PCS

Oklahoma: Alfalfa, Garfield, Grant, Major, Woods +10 PCS

Tennessee: Bedford, Benton, Cannon, Chatham, Clay, Coffee, Davidson, Dekalb, Diskson, Franklin, Giles, Henry, Hickman, Humpreyes, Lawrence, Lewis, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Roberston, Rutherford, Smith, Summer, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, Williamson, Wilson +5 PCS

 

 

T-Mobile loser counties:

California: Fresno, Lake, Shasta, Tehama -10 AWS

Iowa: Audoban, Cass, Harrison, Shelby  -10 AWS

Kentucky: Lewis -10

Nebraska: Antelope, Burt, Cuming, Madison, Pierce, Stanton, Wayne -10 AWS

Ohio, Scioto -10 PCS

Wyoming: Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Johnson, Natrona, Niobrara, Platte -10 PCS

Notes

Some of this may be inaccurate by me else filed documents have inconsistencies.

https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/attachments/attachmentViewRD.jsp?applType=search&fileKey=1746584486&attachmentKey=21558545&attachmentInd=applAttach

https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/attachments/attachmentViewRD.jsp?applType=search&fileKey=1528869184&attachmentKey=21558565&attachmentInd=applAttach

edit: additional link:https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applAdmin.jsp?applID=13590742#attachments 

amended in some fashion to this, thus first is inactive: https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/attachments/attachmentViewRD.jsp?applType=search&fileKey=2025412929&attachmentKey=21566016&attachmentInd=applAttach

Edited September 14, 2022 by dkyeager
updated info, county details

[PythonFanPA]

13 hours ago, dkyeager said:

Spectrum Trade with Verizon in AWS and PCS

Tennessee: Bedford, Benton, Cannon, Chatham, Clay, Coffee, Davidson, Dekalb, Diskson, Franklin, Giles, Henry, Hickman, Humpreyes, Lawrence, Lewis, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Roberston, Rutherford, Smith, Summer, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, Williamson, Wilson +5 PCS

 

That's odd to me....the bolded counties are every county bordering/surrounding Lincoln (my homefront county back in TN) which isn't listed.  All three of Giles-Lincoln-Franklin (west to east order) sit on the Alabama line northish of Huntsville AL, Lincoln being the one due north up Hwy 231/431.

[Dkoellerwx]

22 hours ago, dkyeager said:

Likely makes more spectrum contiguous for future 5g. Affected areas include Cedar Rapids, IA, Traverse City/Appleton, Rapid City, Anniston, AL, Pittsfield, MA, Hobbes, MN, Casper, WY, Fresno CA, Reading CA, Omaha, Portsmouth, OH, Lake County, CA

So they just gave up 10Mhz of AWS from parts of Nebraska and Iowa? They didn't have that much to begin with. I'm not sure I understand why they would do that.

[dkyeager]

6 hours ago, Dkoellerwx said:

So they just gave up 10Mhz of AWS from parts of Nebraska and Iowa? They didn't have that much to begin with. I'm not sure I understand why they would do that.

My thoughts are two fold.  1) I would start with looking at their ED auction winnings in those areas. 2) I did try to see if they had any similar deals with AT&T and or US Cellular.  None so far.

Overall they are preparing for new radio in these bands by increasing contiguous spectrum.

[dkyeager]

7 hours ago, Dkoellerwx said:

So they just gave up 10Mhz of AWS from parts of Nebraska and Iowa? They didn't have that much to begin with. I'm not sure I understand why they would do that.

The auction 108 winnings should more than offset this change, except the north east quadrant of Cuming County (population 9,000 roughly).

Looking further at the Nebraska counties: In the 2.5Ghz ED auction, it looks like T-Mobile picked up C2 and C3 in Burt, Cuming, Wayne and all 3 (C1, C2, C3) in Antelope, Madison, Pierce, Staton.  Now of course this is just white space.  Looking further at Cuming County, one license for 22.5MHz clips the extreme NE corner of the county https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/licenseMap.jsp?licKey=2586636 (change the map to show 2010 county boundaries).  About the same for Wayne.  The second of two licenses is more interesting and basically seems to follow the boundaries of the Winnebago and Omaha Reservations. It strongly affects the NE quadrant of the county with over 116Mhz. https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/licenseMap.jsp?licKey=4511340

For those not familiar, C1 = 49.5 MHz, C2 = 50.5 MHz, and C3 = 17.5 MHz which is next to BR thus typically valuable to T-Mobile.  BR did not change in this case thus did not matter.  Also note that T-Mobile has been aggressive about buying up ED licenses typically within the year before they expire.

[RedSpark]

Update on Sprint network integration and decommissioning: https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/t-mobile-ceo-boasts-progress-sprint-integration

[Trip]

1 hour ago, RedSpark said:

Update on Sprint network integration and decommissioning: https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/t-mobile-ceo-boasts-progress-sprint-integration

I don't see how it can wrap up this quarter (which I assume ends in two weeks) when there are still heaps of keep sites floating around right now that have yet to be touched, especially but not entirely in the Shentel region.

- Trip

[RedSpark]

3 hours ago, Trip said:

I don't see how it can wrap up this quarter (which I assume ends in two weeks) when there are still heaps of keep sites floating around right now that have yet to be touched, especially but not entirely in the Shentel region.

- Trip

"Substantially" has taken over for "virtually" in corporate-speak I guess. Sievert wanted to lay down that marker at the Conference so they could say they're a year ahead of schedule on decommissioning the Sprint network.

[Rickie546]

3 hours ago, Trip said:

I don't see how it can wrap up this quarter (which I assume ends in two weeks) when there are still heaps of keep sites floating around right now that have yet to be touched, especially but not entirely in the Shentel region.

- Trip

All the keep sites here that haven't been converted are now broadcasting Sprint Band 2, all others are shut down, so think meaning no longer costing them energy or backhaul, sure be awhile before all taken down.

[RedSpark]

On 9/15/2022 at 5:22 AM, dkyeager said:

The auction 108 winnings should more than offset this change, except the north east quadrant of Cuming County (population 9,000 roughly).

Looking further at the Nebraska counties: In the 2.5Ghz ED auction, it looks like T-Mobile picked up C2 and C3 in Burt, Cuming, Wayne and all 3 (C1, C2, C3) in Antelope, Madison, Pierce, Staton.  Now of course this is just white space.  Looking further at Cuming County, one license for 22.5MHz clips the extreme NE corner of the county https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/licenseMap.jsp?licKey=2586636 (change the map to show 2010 county boundaries).  About the same for Wayne.  The second of two licenses is more interesting and basically seems to follow the boundaries of the Winnebago and Omaha Reservations. It strongly affects the NE quadrant of the county with over 116Mhz. https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/licenseMap.jsp?licKey=4511340

For those not familiar, C1 = 49.5 MHz, C2 = 50.5 MHz, and C3 = 17.5 MHz which is next to BR thus typically valuable to T-Mobile.  BR did not change in this case thus did not matter.  Also note that T-Mobile has been aggressive about buying up ED licenses typically within the year before they expire.

T-Mobile’s Press Release on Auction 108.

[RedSpark]

Good news!

This worked really well when I used it on Delta as part of our Sprint Max Plan. I was plugged into the seat power outlet streaming YouTube, checking email and everything.

[schmidtj]

So how do you authenticate? Captive Portal? T-Mobile/Sprint credentials?

j

[RedSpark]

3 hours ago, schmidtj said:

So how do you authenticate? Captive Portal? T-Mobile/Sprint credentials?

j

See this page: https://www.sprint.com/en/support/in-flight-texting-wi-fi.html

Also see the FAQ’s here: https://www.t-mobile.com/benefits/travel/in-flight-wifi

“How do I access In-Flight Connection?”

[mmark27]

4 hours ago, schmidtj said:

So how do you authenticate? Captive Portal? T-Mobile/Sprint credentials?

j

Just your phone number 

[RedSpark]

2 minutes ago, mmark27 said:

Just your phone number 

You need to have Wi-Fi Calling enabled and also have made at least one phone call over Wi-Fi Calling prior to using the inflight Wi-Fi.

[PedroDaGr8]

SWAC lines have gained the unlimited in-flight WiFi with streaming option. 

[JonnygATL]

My 4G speeds continue to be ridiculous here in 30309 in Atlanta.  Regularly over 200mbps.  Using a Note 10 plus which isn't capable of 5G. The aggregated bands are 2 (20 MHz), 4 (20MHz) and 71 (5MHz). The past week or so I haven't seen any Tmo band 41, presumably because more and more it's being repurposed for NR.   But because more and more traffic is riding on 5G, LTE is actually pretty fantastic.  

[jreuschl]

On 9/28/2022 at 4:28 PM, PedroDaGr8 said:

SWAC lines have gained the unlimited in-flight WiFi with streaming option. 

I'm hoping we can keep Tidal post conversion but I won't hold my breath.

[bill875]

Does anyone know if Unlimited Freedom v24 will eventually see Unlimited In-Flight WiFi with Streaming? 

[RedSpark]

1 hour ago, bill875 said:

Does anyone know if Unlimited Freedom v24 will eventually see Unlimited In-Flight WiFi with Streaming? 

I haven't heard anything about it. However, it was worth it to us to make the move from Unlimited Freedom to Sprint Max for that along with the new International Roaming benefit and unlimited 4K streaming. The price difference was almost negligible.