legion125

Thanks Scott. I feel the same way in some respects. Loyalty is earned and it goes both ways. We are more of a commodity to Sprint since it must feel confident enough in the iPhone deal that it will draw in huge numbers of new customers. So I assume they feel they can lose a segment that has been with them for a while and still gain in numbers.

Star scope

Range spotter

Sprint has hinted at an LTE WP phone later this year, so probably by 3rd or 4th quarter. We may even get the new BB10 phone if RIM is still around by then.

My buddies! I guess I should go order new credit cards now and secure my bank accounts. I'm sure I'll get a visit from the FBI asking why I sent donations to Al Qaeda, the Nazi's and the drug cartels. Can I use you guy's as character witnesses?

I can be rash, but I'm not stupid. LOL.

Losers, must have gotten bored hanging with the Occupy degenerates.

Good info, i'm sure the masses will accept it and move on. Like others, I like to pick my Wi-Fi, sorta like I use to pick my women. I'm choosy.

Mountain range

I think Sprint wants a BIG roll-out of upper tier devices initially so we may not see a whole lot of mid-range phones at first. I think the Viper is the only scheduled mid-range device so far.

Range officer

I thought since Sprint has done practically a 180 on how it perceives us - the customer in the past year and a half, it made me curious to see how the industry as a whole is fairing. As others have commented, Sprint has priced itself pretty close to being a "premium" carrier and depending where you live a determination of the type of coverage you receive compared to what you now pay is left to you. Sprint isn't doing much IMO in the terms of retention's. I don't mean it has to give the farm away, but Sprint could decrease churn with a few incentives and getting rid of the "take it or leave it" approach you see now. Now that the 1st quarter is ending, I'll be curious to see how the figures look when they report in May.

by Jeff Foster Sprint 4G Rollout Updates Friday, March 30, 2012 - 1:09 PM MDT Prior to the rise of smartphones, carrier loyalty was tied more to network coverage – and for many it still is. Consumers don’t want to worry about signal strength or proximity to a cellular tower in order to place a call. At their most basic level, phones have to work for their primary purpose. In the early days of cellular, there wasn’t much difference between most voice-only handsets. Of course there were fashion and size considerations, or interest in devices that offered a wider range of compatible accessories, but until six to eight years ago, phones were just phones. Then along came the smartphone, and with it more device styles and functions and a greater range of capabilities. Then there are those one night stand smartphoners... Smartphone users are among the least likely to stick with their carrier, and 31 percent of U.S. consumers are ready to switch wireless carriers for better or improved services. Even with the rising cost of early termination fees, carrier loyalty is fragile at best, with only 17 percent of consumers claiming their current network provider is the only carrier they will continue to use. That startling decline in loyalty is causing wireless companies to rethink the way they do business. In 2011, the average length of relationships between carriers and their under-contract customers fell to an all-time low of 48 months. The trend has been building for a few years and what’s surprising is how quickly it accelerated. In 2010, the average customer-carrier relationship was 59 months -- nearly a full year longer. The biggest decline came among smaller cell phone companies, but large carriers like Verizon, AT&T and Sprint didn't fare much better. Their average relationships with customers under contract lasted just 51 months. If customers are going to cut and run frequently, carriers will need to rethink their pricing models -- particularly when it comes to expensive smartphones. I'll glad pay you Tuesday, for that high priced smartphone today... Is that Sprint yellow, or is it just me? Carriers have been encouraging customers to upgrade to smartphones because the devices bring in a new revenue stream. Most carriers then charge smartphone customers a premium for data usage, with plans averaging about $25 per month. But what carriers didn't anticipate were the incredible costs of keeping smartphone customers satisfied. To get smartphones down to the magic price point of $200, carriers pay an average subsidy of $280 for each device -- four times as much as the $70 average subsidy on a feature phone. Plus, smartphone customers use data, and a lot of it, requiring wireless companies to spend tens of billions of dollars each year improving their 3G network capacity and building out their 4G networks. Meanwhile, average revenue per smartphone user is actually declining. As data use grows, people are talking on their phones less. The average consumer used just 638 voice minutes per month in 2011, down from 720 minutes in 2010. Customers are cutting back their voice plans, sending carriers' average revenue per smartphone user down to $83 per month last year. That's a drop from $86 in 2010 and $93 from 2009. How much longer can the industry afford to subsidize smartphones and not receive a loyalty benefit back? Less loyalty, growing subsidies, higher infrastructure costs and declining revenues have created an unsustainable dynamic for carriers. Profit margins are falling, and analysts expect the trend to get worse. That means the business model is changing and carriers have few options. First, they can increase prices on their phones. That's already started to happen. Verizon and AT&T now offer a small selection of 4G phones for more than $200, with some as high as $300. Another tactic is for them to pressure handset manufacturers to reduce device costs. Some may bargain, but the maker of the single most popular smartphone -- Apple's iPhone -- is no pushover. Carriers are even trying to retain customers by offering incentives, such as device buyback programs and are considering leasing plans. Finally, cell phone companies may switch to the "bring your own device" model that is popular overseas. North American carriers have embraced the subsidy model for decades for two reasons: incompatible technologies presented steep obstacles to switching, and the subsidy model seemed to build customer loyalty. "The mobile industry has reached a point where the economics of the current subsidy model associated with acquiring new and upgrading existing customers to costly smartphones have become increasingly difficult to sustain," said Pierre-Alain Sur, PwC's global communications industry leader. Now, the whole industry is migrating to the 4G-LTE standard. With loyalty going out the window, carriers may drop subsidies and contracts altogether. Whichever option carriers choose, they will have to act fast, Sur thinks. "They are going to have to determine what's going to be the business model of the future," he said. "Carriers are at an inflection point.". http://money.cnn.com...?source=cnn_bin http://gigaom.com/20...ty-is-fleeting/ http://news.cnet.com.../?tag=cnetRiver

Google +

If Apple announces this in October, this would be huge with the theoretical capabilities. A world iPhone. This would definitely give the Apple fans something to shout about since the other OEM's would be caught with their pants around their ankles. Good article Scott.

Scary flight http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/29/us-usa-crime-jetblue-pilot-idUSBRE82R1GF20120329

This phone is beginning to interest me. If Sense 4 isn't the memory whore it's claimed to be and if it feels right in the hand...Hmmm?

Damn! Missed it. Oh well, I'll keep saving my pennies for the Google tablet or Transformer Prime.

A deal with DISH is certainly feasible, but Ergan drives a hard bargain and is not afraid to walk if he doesn't get the terms he desires. A deal with DISH will be profitable but not as lucrative as it would have been with LS2.

Overhead flight

The NS4G is already on sale for "free" for new customer lines. The Photon is being EOL'd in April. Inventory clearance sales are starting to occur more frequently. The best selling phone that Sprint has in its line-up today is the Epic Touch, and I expect bigger sales and discounts on that beginning in May.

Overhead costs

Remember when Sprint thought we were valued customers? Quote: "AT&T is introducing a new pilot loyalty program called AT&T Plus, with the hope of keeping its most important customers loyal by showering them with special offers and preferential service." http://www.theverge....scounts-no-fees

Cat fight

New year