JeffDTD

Since Ergen mentioned the sale of Dish when he was discussing what might happen if his Sprint bid failed, I have considered him more of an investor than anything else. I think Charlie may be hoping to assemble an undeniable spectrum portfolio as a way to augment the overall value of Dish and force a buyer who wants the spectrum to take the whole ship. Remember, he imagines himself the king of thieves, the penny looter who is never happy unless someone else is at a disadvantage or pays too much. If he dreams about selling dish for a huge premium, he sees anyone else who buys spectrum at market value or less as his foe Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

Yes. The only way it makes sense is if Sprint can pick it up at a discount or non-inflated price. With Dish sitting on billions and running out of time to actually put their assets to use, let them pay market value or more for the H Block. Charlie will be nuzzling up to ATT or Sprint soon enough, begging for a deployment partner. This more than sums up the challenges of deploying and using the H block http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/4112-pcs-h-block-spectrum-discussion-was-draft-rules-for-h-block-auction-set-by-fcc/page-2?hl=+block%20+new%20+band So if we have to have new site equipment and new devices to put the H block to use (and will NEVER see it deployed 10 x 10), would we rather Sprint pay too much for it or would we rather sprint pay too much for lower band spectrum in the coming years?

The future of Sprint's network doesn't revolve around the H Block. At this point, I'd like to see them make Charlie pay too much for it.

Yes, thats what I meant. Sprint will not be kicking anyone off it. The inconvenience is answering 1) can new lines still be added? 2) can current data or phone connect lines be merged into an everything plan ? In addition to our upgrade question. Looked at that chart again... Sprint's choice to not include their $36 activation fee in the graphic is deceptive if this is supposed to be an honest comparison. Im also very interested to understand how hard they will be on the devices traded in. Lets say a customer has 3rd party insurance like square trade or decides to replace a damaged device with an identical model... will the esn history be reviewed on all customers without tep? Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

"10/11/13: Expiring Everything Data/Messaging Rate Card" "Expired" has previously meant once its gone, its gone. Hmm. Baiting us off the Everything Data plans. .................and we wait to find out if normal 2 year renewals will get to keep the Everything Data plans when we upgrade. Its a win for Sprint because it presumably forces all customers on the program to purchase from sprint, preventing the deeper discounting of 3rd party retailers /commissions paid. This will likely lessen the aggressiveness of upgrade pricing and return some of the larger gaps between new customer and upgrade pricing that was most prevalent years ago. Really DO NOT LIKE that it requires the device traded to be the device that was previously upgraded. I could understand if , say, the device traded has to have a buyback value thats equal or higher than the one you last got..... (to prevent someone from getting a note and trading in a dinosaur) but what if you get a turd like the EVO LTE and are on the program? Unless you have insurance, you're either stuck with the device or you threw the extra money away. I expect they will sell the TEP hard with this .

With Ergen still squatting on 8-10B, we should all be shocked if he doesnt barrel in and drive up the price. Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

It is likely that the wholesale costs and specs for all the devices being released at this time were negotiated prior to the softbank acquisition. If the only devices we find tri-band support in at this time are samsung devices with cheaper internals and an LG device (usually lower retail cost) then I can only assume that sprint considered the acquisition and subsidy cost requirement of including triband to be beyond their bearable cost structure at that time Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

I would be very hesitant to run lovingly into LG's arms for the chance to be one of the first to jump on Band 26 and 41, especially anyone using a 2 year upgrade with plans on waiting out the majority of the next 2 years before upgrading again. I'm aware LG has aggressively improved the quality of its devices, but long-term ownership device satisfaction will not be toe to toe with Samsung. I would love for the short and long term reviews to prove me wrong, but my instinct is to poke any LG device with a long stick before accepting it. Robert's mention about the 'boutique' bands and AJ's thoughts on the merit of a phablet without SVLTE all make sense. Couple the late arrival of the G2 with those issues..... something is amiss with the testing or functional quality of the first tri-band attempts. I understand that other carriers have packed support for multiple bands in devices, but have any other carriers attempted to ACTIVELY use 3 different bands fluidly on a device yet?

Great observation... Just caught this on my account as well. Attempted to upgrade a line not due until 3/2014 and was shown adjusted pricing based on adding a $200 "Upgrade Now" fee. It IS prompting me to sell my note 2 back to sprint for $125 , which is clearly profitable for them. The cart automatically does this, but I was also able to take the buyback out of the cart and still see the "upgrade now" pricing. So for example, with roughly six months in a contract, I'm being shown a $399 upgrade price for the GS4. That represents a $200 premium over the 2 year upgrade price. Its a step in the right direction. They're not ever going to convince me to sell back valuable devices for peanuts, but I'd say its time for a press release on this being a website feature

Very few of us paid $30 a month for data. Sprint was a different company then though. Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

since no other wireless provider has offered "free" telenav, the inclusion of this has always been unnecessary. Hesse included it with the "everything data" plans as a means to add retail value at a wholesale price for sprint. The Everything Data plans were the first time that Sprint put its foot down with legacy plan holders and forced everyone to increase their MRC. The inclusion of navigation was a value proposition. The writing has been on the wall for this ever since "unlimited" went away at the big 2.

Randall wont be getting my bungary. Ever. I have used svlte once in the note. Without it, my only interest is in how quickly the phone restarts the data session. Prior to simultaneous anything, my htc devices were slow to restart /pickup a data session interrupted whereas the gs2 and note2 (even the palm pre) were usually able ro resume where they stopped. Will the lte session interruptions and the lack of svlte exacerbate devices falling back to 3g in 1900 only lte areas ? Just curious. As we know, stock settings have the Note 2 hold an LTE signal acquired near a site for an impressive distance, but is less likely to re-acquire the signal at the edge of service. Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

One of my lines has an upgrade. When I am ready, i'll flip the Note 2 and do the switcharoo. That being said, I never let upgrade eligibility keep me from doing what I want ;

Triband or not, I think I just scratched the Note3 off my list for 2013 and probably an upgrade altogether. The Note 2 remains fantastic and meets my needs and Sprint's network offerings for the next 6 months. I'm sure its a fantastic device, but I would be more interested in getting my hands on a more finessed tri-band Galaxy S5 of whatever the next iteration becomes... Its due time for a big overhaul more in line with the changes made between the first 3 generations. The faux leather back is a sign that Samsung is finally willing to attend to the nanny complaints about housing (personally never cared, all galaxy devices have had better than average durability with drops and hardware reliability is stellar)... perhaps they will put out something with stunning, industrial-esque hardware next year. That being said, waiting with baited breath to read the full reviews on Sprint's Note3.

Hopefully microsoft is careful with integrating the nokia talent and patient with their device endeavors. Too many products launched and fled too soon by microsoft. Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

I think verizon may actually have more flexibility with pricing after this. This may also make entry into canada easier. Will they choose to be aggressive? Who knows. The interest on 130B alone is staggering. Verizon will not be able to tolerate sagging profits. Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

Extensive testing of the first sprint triband device, from LG no less? That would be music to my ears , a stark comparison to the incessant whining we would endure if the device was launched with hiccups Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

I had sent it to an overland park address, not the po box, that I found for one of the executives at the time. Thats all I got... its been 6 years Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

Sprint's story and "luster" (as our former exec has coined it) will continue to be focused and revolve around gradual expansion of the network in addition to meeting and exceeding the needs of the customers in its footprint. Their strong suite is offering a value priced product that can compete with the building penetration and speed of the big two. We aren't, however, going to get a "verizon sized" network.. and anyone waiting or rationalizing about that is wishing with the winds. Roaming coverage will remain and further consolidation will occur, but you aren't going to find Patterson singing Sprint's praise.

Jim Patterson, the author of the article, is Sprint's former President of Wholesale I recall he may have been one of the exec's let go when Hesse did his last leadership consolidation. In any regard, he does not turn down the opportunity to talk about wireless and media and was oh so eager to provide constructive criticism for sprint while we waited for the FCC to approve the softbank acquisition. http://www.bloomberg.com/video/sprint-facing-a-new-wireless-pivot-point-patterson-oHoyvSIuRpC40P6mwzd6Ow.html Given his history and extensive knowledge of the company, I'm underwhelmed that he would pursue journalistic chops by comparing Verizon vs. Sprint coverage maps. Despite his interest in Sprint, I don't believe he is a fan.

Sprint has attractive borrowing opportunities now, id say there isnt really a minimum or maximus reality anymore between their budget sheets and ability to pursue Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

If they were only doing it to provoke Sprint, their timing was poor. No one expected Sprint to go after Clear or make any acquisitions while the Softbank buyout was pending. I agree, they probably don't want to assume any more debt, but i'd just about put money on Dish playing a role in this squabble.

The fact that Dish Network was reported to be testing rural broadband with Ntelos makes me hesitant to believe that Ntelos is disinterested in network evolution. Any cookie jar that Captain Howdy is dangling his chubby digits has the potential to be problematic for Sprint. I love this new aggressiveness from Sprint. Would not be surprised to learn that Captain Howdy is tempting Ntelos with a few of the $$ he can't get anyone else to take. Its also possible that Ntelos has received a non-public bid from Dish, approached Sprint about it hoping Sprint would top it, and been answered by Sprint's statement "we will build our own". Charlie's acquisition of any of Sprint's affiliates would become impossible for Sprint to maintain peacefully.

THERE ARE NO SIGNS OR SOURCES. But this is how rumors get started, so for the sake of sprint, lets not feed this. The fact that sprint is now well funded puts all of its competitors on the defensive Sent from my Note II. Its so big.

It is also very possible that the 3rd party backhaul or line/ power source has been doing something funky late at night. My commcast broadband use to go to hell in the wee hours of the morning every day or so for no good reason (when I was younger and stayed up late).