RedSpark

Good speeds at JFK!

Wow! That was really cool! Great behind the scenes video. Pretty awesome facility!

Ahhh... Thanks! 👍

Lol! Have a link to the B-Roll?

If the merger goes forward, we’ll get a nice new 5G device lab out of it!: https://www.t-mobile.com/news/5g-device-lab Additional Background: https://www.fiercewireless.com/operators/t-mobile-launches-5g-lab-to-test-device-performance-across-technologies Given the dual networks, what will the device testing protocol/timeline be for the merged company?

5G still hasn’t officially launched in DC, despite Sprint saying it was coming here in the “coming weeks” when Chicago was announced as launched on July 11th. I wonder if the delay is related to the “approved” merger. Until this merger is actually finalized/consummated, I’m concerned that Sprint will treat its Network with a “just enough to keep the lights on” mentality, not care about Rootmetrics rankings, etc. Of course, Sprint did this for a number of years under Marcelo when Capex was substantially reduced. Last quarter’s Earnings Numbers (which are more fully explained here) were pretty terrible, especially with the Postpaid losses. I’m not sure why they’d be any better this quarter. Post-announcement/pre-merger Sprint is definitely an awkward period.

Rootmetrics has been working fine for me on my iPhone and I’ve seen the Map Layer update. Are you running speed tests and looking at the “Fastest Speed Found” Map Layer? Under Settings: Do you have the “Baseline Data Experience” setting enabled as well as “Send data Points Using” set to “Any Network”?

For 5G it would have to be a Massive MIMO site I believe, but otherwise you’re right: They probably speed tested the other carriers here to do this. Fine Print probably says “does not include upload”. Sprint now has about 3,000 Massive MIMO sites deployed, which gives us a good idea of their 5G footprint. They’re going to need a lot more than this though.

That’s an interesting approach...

The crazy promotions should have been spent on capex instead. Those promotions were all for nought in my opinion. They didn’t wind up creating enough long term customers out of them. The underlying product didn’t convey a sense of true value without being on a promotion. People left because they didn’t perceive Sprint as a brand worth the regular cost. All these crazy promotions did was defer the customer losses we’re seeing now for a year or two or three. They didn’t make sense to do in the first place. Sprint missed a real opportunity for effective capex in the past few years, customer losses be damned, because they’re happening right now anyway and Sprint is well behind the curve on where it should be on its network. If the product improves, people won’t leave if they perceive value.... but if it doesn’t measure up, they won’t come in the first place.

The interest expense that Sprint is carrying alone is just punishing: “$619 million, which ate up $455 million in operating income and left the company with a $111 million loss.” I agree with you completely. The level of capex that Sprint is spending just isn’t enough to get ahead of the curve to reverse this trend. Instead, the amount they’re spending is effectively returning zero. They aren’t profitable and they aren’t gaining customers.

Sprint’s capex still hasn’t been enough to change the trajectory of the company, and the net losses show that. It’s enough to say they’re doing something, but it’s not enough to result in a major network transformation to gain customers. Should this merger fail, I believe Softbank will have to pitch in some major capital.

Yeah, this is not a good look, capex surge or not. The capex hasn’t made a difference yet. The fact that people aren’t staying with Sprint without promotions means that Sprint’s underlying value proposition isn’t working, and that’s because it’s not perceived as a product that people are willing to pay more for, as is the case with Verizon (if their marketing and network awards are taken at face value) when the promos run out. When you do the math on 175k net losses, that’s almost 2,000 lines lost per day for the quarter! That’s not a sustainable trend line.

How do you do fellow kids? Maybe it’s just me, but this isn’t how a CEO should appear going into an employee town hall meeting on the heel of 175,000 net losses.

Since they didn’t report it, I have a feeling not much progess was made on that. Unless I missed it, they also didn’t say how many customers are still on Subsidized Plans. As there’s no actual Earnings Call, these questions aren’t able to be asked of management. Perhaps Saw would respond to a tweet question?... Unless legal tells him not to.

No. Apparently, you can’t even activate a 5G phone without the Unlimited Premium plan on the account.... unless you have a legacy ED plan. Good points here.

Fiscal 2019 First Quarter Earnings are out... with a “Message from Management”. The company had 175,000 net losses in the current quarter compared with 57,000 net additions in the year-ago period and 8,000 net losses in the prior quarter. Sprint ended the quarter with 54.3 million connections, including 33.1 million postpaid, 8.6 million prepaid, and 12.6 million wholesale and affiliate connections. 175k net losses... ugh. At least there are ~3,000 MIMO units on air now, but this gives you a sense of the pace of Sprint’s 5G deployment.... “Better than expected”? Not the best take... 😕

They are “keeping” it.... sort of. Sprint sold it and is leasing it back for 10 years. New T-Mobile will assume the lease.

The Sprint Campus is a massive complex. You can read more about it and its history here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprint_World_Headquarters_Campus Here’s a photo tour from 2011: https://www.cnet.com/pictures/a-tour-of-sprints-kansas-headquarters-photos/

When asked about the transaction Tuesday, Sprint officials declined to discuss the terms of the sale, calling them confidential. “Sprint is leasing back the space we need, and the Sprint headquarters will remain on the Overland Park campus,” Sprint spokeswoman Andrea Shores wrote in an email. “This sale enables us to use proceeds from the sale to reinvest in the buildings we plan to use in order to create a collaborative environment for Sprint partners — along with an innovative workspace to attract top talent.” Read more here: https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article233028002.html

Sprint and T-Mobile US campuses sell for more than $700 million total Sprint sold Overland Park campus for ‘modest’ price. Why that might not be a bad thing Sprint sold its Overland Park campus for $250.9 million — tens of millions of dollars below Johnson County’s appraised value of $342.5 million, according to research compiled by the investment research firm Moody’s. In exchange for what Moody’s characterized as a “modest” sale price, Sprint secured a 10-year lease of office space well below market rent. Wow. 🙁

I find it strange. Sprint shareholders should hear management’s responses to the questions posed by the analysts during an Earnings Call.

So basically the entirety of both networks is getting a coverage and capacity audit?

I guess they don’t want to be in the position of having to answer questions they don’t want to answer during the call. Could result in some awkward silences. This move is coming straight from legal if you ask me.