JustinRP37

So I thought Marcelo had his bonus in the bag, but if the stock closes below $8 today then it appears that gets put on hold. Currently it is at $7.96. Tomorrow would have been the day he would be able to receive the bonus since the stock has been above $8 since December 5th. Also did they even mention Tidal today in the earnings? Seems odd that there hasn't been any talk about Tidal after acquiring a sizeable stake in the company.

42K+180k Its still quite a bit better than V an Att. Not the best numbers, but still decent considering how strong competition was. Plus a nice increase in prepaid which previously was a huge loss. Also Free cash flow doesn't hurt either.

 

Tarek has done an awesome job in keeping Sprint's books in order, gotta give him credit.

 

Yes he has done a great job with it, but there are still fundamental issues moving forward. And I think investors are largely worried that churn was up, postpaid additions missed the mark, and Sprint still has the lowest pricing in the industry and yet still didn't add more. I still do not understand what drove the postpaid tablet churn, but one thing I can think of is the inclusion of hotspot in so many plans now, at Sprint and with the competition. The CNET article I posted sums up what I have been hearing from the Wall Street types today.

All markets getting crushed today..

 

http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/indices/major-indices.aspx

Sprint is especially down (over 8% now pushing 9%) because investors did not like the numbers and do not know what to make of them. Many are increasingly worried that a merger is not likely this quarter. The numbers were largely a miss from industry analysts except for revenue. I was even shocked with the just 42,000 postpaid phone additions especially since Marcelo was tweeting out about the marbles to John. 

Magic box does B25 or 41 for backhaul.

 

 

Will be available in approximately 8-9 weeks from now.

 

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I got that. I was wondering how effective it is in areas with low B25 and/or low or no B41.

While the magic box seems cool and very easy for a customer to set up, what happens to those customers in an area with weak B41 or low B25/26? Do they just get the new LTE Airave? One thing I worry about is that while we as technology enthusiasts think this is a cool device, there are many people that will not want to deal with such a device. Many people are of the mindset of "just make it work without me having to do anything". 

There is so not so flattering news out there already regarding the earnings call: https://www.cnet.com/news/for-sprint-earnings-subscriber-losses-promotion-fiscal-fourth-quarter/

I thought the Paul commercials were doing quite well and there was just an article saying how much the image of Sprint has improved. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the numbers back that claim up. We will see what happens moving forward. The upcoming debt payments will be tricky, but they always are for a company in the midst of a turnaround. Wall Street seems to really be pushing the merger rhetoric. 

Early indications were that they were going to beat Street guidance. After digesting some of these numbers from this morning, it looks like a miss for the most part. The 42,000 postpaid adds were below what many were expecting, and they lost a lot of tablets. The stock is in a rough shape right now. I think Wall Street foolishly expected commentary about merger possibilities. They put as positive of a spin as they possibly could, but we'll see what happens this quarter.

conference call at 830 AM eastern time. Here is an interesting note: last year same time, total postpaid add for the 4 carriers was almost 2 million. For the 3 carriers that already reported this year, total net postpaid add is about 0. If we extrapolate, then sprint should add about 2 million postpaid phones. However analysts only predict 50K

That isn't how that works... The other three have already reported and from that data we are able to make predictions. Many analysts are predicting gains of between 70k and 250k. There is not going to be a gain of 2 million in even the best of quarters. Sprint will most likely report a loss of about 4 cents a share on an expected $7.93 billion in revenue. They could post a gain as well and that would be a massive beat. But as for adding 2 million postpaid phones, that is way out of the question.

2 or 3 years is quite a long time and the chance that VoLTE will be available on the Sprint network. As far as SvLTE I wouldn't want to talk confidential things on a commuter rail/bus or out in public. As for public WiFi there are VPNs. 

I understand your point. SVLTE was never Sprint's fault, but manufacturers not supporting it. SVLTE is hardware based, you need to have a pathway for the 1xRTT signal and LTE signal at the same time. Right now when you receive a call the phone rolls back to 1xRTT network for Sprint and Verizon if you do not enable voLTE. The point I am trying to point out is CDMA is going away (for Verizon by the end of 2019, but estimates keep bumping earlier). While I like CDMA and think it is generally more robust for calls, it is going away as the industry has settled on LTE and thus voLTE for voice. This will though make it easy for roaming agreements, handset compatibility, etc. 

Happy S4GRU birthday! One thing however, I think you have the wireless industry confused with communism. If the carriers all agreed to have the same spectrum, in store experience, similar network experience, and similar pricing, then how would they be competing exactly? If what you want to happen came to fruition, then we would not be seeing the tremendous competition in wireless that we are seeing today.

If my company wants me to open files while I'm driving down the road in a conference call then they better damn well find someone stupid enough to do it cause I'm not doing that. Otherwise I'm at an airport or motel with WiFi available making the SvLTE a moot point.

Hope you are using hands free when talking on the phone while driving! But I meant voLTE more for when you are in a train, waiting for a flight, etc. Not all hotels have free WiFi and even then sometime soon I wouldn't trust an open WiFi network if you have sensitive files. VoLTE also still allows you to receive iMessages if you are an iOS user or WhatsApp too. All carriers will have voLTE. I expect Sprint to launch it within two years. It will not only help with roaming agreeements but once Verizon drops CDMA, suddenly manufacturers might not want to make CDMA phones anymore (without a premium) as they will no longer many supporting carriers.

That's never a good reason. Lucky for me I'm in a good Sprint market. Now if this was circa 2012 and Verizon came with unlimited I think it would have really hurt Sprint. Overall they are stable but it could be better. Tomorrow is going to be very eventful. If Sprint has anything to announce will they do it tomorrow or just wait until their earnings call.

 

 

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But one thing that still hurts for a lot of "road" warriors is the lack of simultaneous voice and data. Verizon can offer this through voLTE. It is a must have for a lot of people now. Especially when you are traveling and on a conference call where files might be sent to you. Sprint really needs to focus on having a seamless LTE experience to transition to voLTE. I am very impressed by how much progress has been made on a skeleton CAPEX budget.

We have a cabin out at the lake. Currently there is no Internet there but we would like to get Internet at the cabin for 5-6 months out of the year during the Summer. Most Internet providers are asking for a contract with no option to pause service during the off season.

 

I'm going to contact Sprint and check to see how much it will cost to activate mobile hotspot on one phone.

But is there any other options for non contract hotspot? I see that Boost has one but the plans are not very cheap. 

With a Sprint phone you can activate hotspot online and deactivate whenever you do not need it. It is very affordable. If you have the new unlimited plan you also have hotspot included. Or if you are in the market for an iPad Pro, you can get the cellular version and be able to select AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile and buy pretty much any plan you want. Although Sprint's tablet plans have not caught up with the competition. 

So that's about as well as you can do on an iPad on Sprint. Sprint is a participating carrier in Apple SIM. I don't see why it wouldn't do the same for the iPhone.

 

I imagine the super long term goal for Apple is to remove the SIM Card slot on the phone altogether and have all carriers participate. Apple already got rid of the headphone jack. Either the charging port (for true wireless charging) or the SIM Card slot is next on the list.

 

Perhaps the iPads have better reception due to more space for the antennas and a more robust design? Just taking an initial guess. I'll gladly defer to someone else on this! 

 

You've got to respect Sprint for being at the forefront on RCS, Apple SIM, etc.

 

I just wish they handled the business processes better so that more money would be available for CapEx.

Yeah the Apple SIM is great. But I suspect that one reason why many carriers do not want it is because of how easy it is to switch. That would make a very competitive market place. I mean sure Apple would love to sell a phone like that, but could you imagine?

Modern single radio phones aka; every new device, can be on LTE and receive calls.

Isn't CFSB only needed for networks that are using CDMA for all voice traffic? With voLTE, this will no longer be needed, right? Also, with the new Airave, will it be possible to start a call and handoff to the macro network or vice versa? I know Airave 2.5 could not do this. If the new Airave cannot handoff, then I really do not see a benefit to using an Airave over just using Sprint WiFi calling, which works really well.

Which iPad do you have?

I have the iPad Pro 9.7 inch. I love the embedded Apple SIM and changing carriers is super easy. I just wish it was this easy with phones. Maybe one day we will get there. While the iPads always tend to be a bit behind on the modems, I do find they have better reception. I do not know what to attribute this to.

I'll be honest, I would have stuck with Sprint if I did not have FiOS. The deal with FiOS (additional $10 off each service) actually kept our costs down compared to what Sprint was offering long time customers. If Sprint continues to aggressively roll out small cells and keeps prices down, then I'll be back before you know it (still have an iPad on Sprint). That being said there are definitely pros and cons to both networks. The obvious one is the Verizon LTE network is a lot more consistent everywhere I go (rarely see DL speeds below 15Mbps), however, Sprint is catching up quick in major metro areas. Also, voLTE is great to have when using the phone for business. It is great to be able to talk and receive iMessages and WhatsApp messages at the same time, as well as get emails during a business call in which documents are being sent.

That being said, the difference between voice quality between Verizon voLTE and Sprint 1x voice is not as big as I thought it would be, and in areas with below average signal, the Sprint voice network provides a better experience than Verizon voLTE (both CDMA networks are similar). One thing I do love is the seamless voLTE to voWiFi handoffs and vice versa on Verizon.

Bottom line: we live in exciting times and I certainly think TMUS and S have a lot of potential to go higher all things considered. I was truly shocked that even FiOS lost subscribers, but cord cutters are definitely having an impact.

An interesting little note, Sprint is using band 7 with Rogers for their LTE roaming, as a consequence, they claim most phones don't work in Canada. Looks like only the most modern of Sprint phones (i.e, the S8) support B7.

Also all Sprint iPhones since the iPhone 6 are compatible with band 7 LTE.

Sprint just updated Global Roaming: High speed (up to LTE Speeds) passes are available on a daily or weekly basis and can be purchased in-country.

 

Open World is no longer offered for purchase.

I am confused on the page it says $2 per day in Mexico and Canada or $10 a week. But then lower on the page it says free LTE in Canada and Mexico.

And now, for something completely different. 

 

http://newsroom.sprint.com/news-releases/sprint-and-the-onion-debut-online-video-series-exploring-nationwide-obsession-with-former-verizon-customer-who-switched-to-sprint.htm?view_id=8696

Some of these are funny, some of them are meh. Overall, I have not been a huge fan with the whole Paul marketing campaign. It is too easy for the big two to poke holes in. I really do wish the promotional pricing was not just for new customers, or at least offer long time customers something special too. Sprint couldn't beat the price Verizon quoted us since we have FiOS as well, which made it an amazing deal.

 

2. If what I have read in some of the replies this morning are true about other users of the 600MHz spectrum having to leave the space before it can be used, this sounds like 800MHz issues that Sprint went through and still are in some areas.  Why in the hell would Sprint want to go through having the spectrum and not be able to use it?  There will be issues with "squatters" not leaving regardless of the number of mandates from the FCC to leave.  We all here have seen it happen.  I would say it is a lesson learned for Sprint rather than saying they ignored the auction.

 

 

I read that they will have 5x5 to 10x10 to use starting this year nationwide. I'd have to go find the article though. It is the remainder that will take 2 years to totally vacate. Your point about no equipment supporting it is totally valid, which is why I laid out why both Sprint's strategy and T-Mobile's strategy are vastly different with different goals. Both can be good approaches. It is not one or the other. Even if Sprint's strategy is superior, they do have a mountain to climb to become profitable and able to continue forward. That is why I think it is right for them to attack the urban areas first (more potential customers). 

This 600 MHz will definitely help T-Mobile match the footprint of Verizon and AT&T. It will take time but there are benefits for T-Mobile. They want to expand their native footprint. Sprint also has a plan and it seems to be to deliver high speeds in more urban areas. This is not a bad strategy either. In rural areas you have far less customers than you can get in urban areas. If Sprint becomes powerful in key areas of the country, that can be enough. It is highly unlikely under the current plans that Sprint will ever match the network size of Verizon and AT&T, and that is okay if they can win at being the best in urban areas. The debt has to be paid down and they have to start turning a profit. Customers have to choose what is best for them, brand loyalty rarely works out in the customers favor. If you travel to rural areas frequently, then you are most likely going to have to be with V or T if you want data.

It doesn't look like T-Mobile will need Sprint for it's spectrum anytime soon.

 

 

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But just imagine how amazing it would be to have the 600MHz spectrum and band 41 for extreme speeds in dense environments! 

600 MHz Spectrum Auction Results for T-Mobile were just released.

 

 

This was Sprint's take on 600 MHz back in November 2016:

 

 

T-Mobile is saying it will start deploying it later this year. Sprint's CFO said it couldn't be deployed for four years.

What I do not get is why some analysts keep quoting that Sprint's band 41 is worth at least 120 billion. If it was $7.99 billion for 31 MHz of prime low band spectrum for T-Mobile, I do not see how that is possible. Low band spectrum is important, as is higher band spectrum. You cannot put all your eggs in one basket, so to speak. I want Sprint to be number 1 or 2, but since I have switched I can say there is something to be said for network speed consistency. Also, being able to hand a call off from WiFi to LTE and back to WiFi is pretty cool. I expect voLTE to launch sooner rather than later for Sprint, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

Yeah, I don't believe that. Drive up and down the Merritt. When you're stuck between two LTE sites, your Sprint device will be on weak 1x or no service. This happens pretty often.

 

Come up to Boston. We have plenty of Sprint dead-zones.

This is definitely true and why we ended up switching. Going from Hartford County, CT to Rhode Island and you will be on 1x and 3G in Eastern CT for a good chunk. Coverage outside of major cities and towns was still there and quite strong for voice, but anything requiring data was definitely spotty. Sprint is still a long way away from being able to offer voLTE in many suburban areas. 

You sure those APs aren't like the cities? My city deployed APs all over the place. Usually 4 utility poles a part.

Don't really see the point in Comcast doing that, even with this MVNO business. If you in Comcast market, and they have a majority of the subscribers, you could not lose wifi cause all the Comcast customers have a Comcast cable modem that has WiFi built in.

It definitely coul be Comcast's wifi. Optimum has a ton of hotspots on utility poles and lines in my neighborhood. And with the cable agreement, you can connect to Xfinity, Optimum, and I want to say Charter. I know where my parents live, Comcast has a bunch of hotspots as well in town. You need to sign into these hotspots with your account.

Once again, it's not about the most congested sites. It's is literally only targeting high capacity areas like stadiums, malls, and train stations. The effect of doing so isn't nationwide. That's alleviating capacity in select areas. Meanwhile, Band 41 is getting deployed on mini-macros in suburban and rural areas and small cells in cities which will definitely have a much more noticeable impact.

Well yes that is true, but what I am saying is Verizon and AT&T typically have great speeds in non-congested sites, so there really isn't a need for LTE-LAA. I was merely mentioning LTE-LAA will have a "network-effect" for the average user who doesn't run speed tests but notices slow speeds in high capacity areas. They will have a more consistent data experience, which is the number one metric to look at (not peak speeds etc). As for Sprint deploying mini-macros in rural areas, I have seen no evidence of that nor a commitment from Sprint regarding rural areas. Hopefully, HPUE will help with this and the mini-macros in the suburban and urban settings. As for rural buildout, I believe that is still a ways away. 

No it won't because interference limits use of unlicensed spectrum to small areas that really need the capacity. For example, you'll see it at a train station or a stadium, but not while you're just cruising around on the street. On top of that, since it is unlicensed, Sprint would be able to get access to it as well.

 

There's a reason you don't here carriers boasting about LTE-LAA and that's because it won't have a network-wide effect like deployment of Band 41 will.

Offloading in your most congested sites does have a "network-wide" effect though. Congested areas are typically the only time you see poor speeds, so alleviating these areas will cause you to have a much more consistent network experience.