ericdabbs

But it still remains to be seen if AT&T and Verizon are still on board with the 600 MHz auction at this time. With the AWS-3 auction, Verizon, Tmobile and especially AT&T (since they don't have as much AWS spectrum holdings) were interested in the spectrum and not to mention that the AWS-3 spectrum did not have to deal with incumbent broadcasters that have to voluntarily give up spectrum in order for the auction to occur. So I think what happened in past FCC auctions have no bearing to the current 600 MHz auction layout since the past FCC auctions (besides 700 MHz with the move from analog to digital) did not have a volunteer reverse auction and then forward auction. I am on that bandwagon now of thinking if AT&T and Verizon both decide to bow out of the 600 MHz auction that it is a strong possibility that the broadcasters would request a delay in the auction since they won't be able to get the sufficient incentive funds to give up their spectrum.

Wow 4-5 weeks...sheesh. You would think that Google would be more prepared than this especially when they opted for the decision to be the sole distributor of Nexus devices this time around. Its always best to get the devices in the consumers hands as quick as possible.

So pretty much Android Police nailed it. I was hoping they would be wrong in some aspect. Despite all the letdowns on the specs, spec wise I am ok with the Nexus 6P. I guess I should wait until I can demo the unit and read reviews before deciding. The other question is since its not available to upgrade via carriers, I have to decide if I should go with the Nexus and buy outright OR choose another phone to take advantage of subsidy OR upgrade to an iPhone and sell it to buy Nexus.

Anyone know when the 700 MHz A-block build out deadlines for all those licenses? I am curious if any of those deadlines are coming out where those spectrum squatters will eventually have to sell them to Tmobile.

I guess at this point, lets just hope Verizon and AT&T announce that they will bow out of the 600 MHz auction. That will probably confirm the theory that Verizon, AT&T and Sprint are really interested in delaying the 600 MHz auction hopefully for another 2-3 years.

I have seen 1x800 before in So Cal around Rowland Heights. However if you look at the location on SignalCheck its usually from a site located all the way out in like Pasadena area which in that part of LA is allowed to broadcast 1x800. Even the NV Sites Complete label a portion of LA Metro as Green pins so its not really a surprise.

SERO users can take advantage the Sprint Lease plan. If you opt for the new cell phone to use Sprint Easy Pay or Sprint Lease options you can upgrade prior to 24 months. I called and confirmed earlier this year when I was inquiring about upgrade eligibility when I thought about getting a GS6 back in June. Lets not even get into how Sprint literally cannot afford to maintain SERO because when i called earlier this year, they told me that they actually have a new $60 SERO plan (with unlimited minutes..probably to match the new single line Unlimited everything plan) which is different than the grandfathered $50 SERO (500 minutes). Why they even made that new SERO plan if they really want to kick people out is beyond me which tells me that they aren't in a rush. I agree with others in that lets move on about discussing the SERO topic because it is not relevant to this thread.

I probably wouldn't be getting the 5X but the 6P version. Plus if Sprint sold the 64 GB and 128 GB versions it woudln't be just a $400 handset. Also when Sprint sold the Nexus 5 (2013) on contract the upgrade contract price I believe it was only $50 or $100 so add the typical $350 subsidy and you get about $400 which was about the Nexus 5 price. Maybe Tim or anyone who bought the Nexus 5 (2013) on contract remembers the 2 year upgrade price but it certainly was NOT $199 for the 16 GB version at launch which would make the subsidy only $250. If it was priced at $199 it would definitely not be worth the 2 year contract since the subsidy would be less. I would have assumed that if Sprint sold the Nexus 5X 16GB version on contract that it woudln't be at the $199 price. It would be the $50 to $100 price on 2 year contract price. Either way it doesn't really matter about being on a contract anymore because carriers now will pay ETFs if you decide to leave so there is no real penalty especially if you dont plan to switch carriers at all. But if you do stay with the same carrier it only benefits you. EDIT: I guess the Nexus 5 was sold at a $199 price at launch

Ugh..I think the biggest downer from one of the rumors is that the Nexus devices will only be sold online and won't be available via carriers. This sucks for those of us that are still on 2 year contracts and was looking to get it on the cheap. http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/09/28/nexus-5x-and-6p-will-be-available-online-only-wont-be-sold-in-us-carrier-stores/

You do know that Nexus devices never had a microSD slot so not sure why that is a surprise to you. Some of the other major flagships don't have that feature either so we just have to deal with it. I am bummed about the lack of OIS if that is true. Not sure why that compromise was made. In terms of wireless charging, that does suck but I don't currently use wireless charging so I don't think of it as a deal breaker though at least for me.

I guess considering it is a metal chasis the RF doesn't seem too bad. I might have to really consider the Nexus 6P now given the leaked prices of $500 base while the Nexus 5X is $380 base.

If that is the case then that is good news. I might consider getting the Nexus 6P version now instead of the 5X. The difference between a 32 GB Nexus 5X (probably $50 more) and a 32 GB Nexus 6P (rumored base model) will probably be about $50 - $70.

According to these 2 related articles the Nexus 5X will start at $380 and the Nexus 6P will start at $500. We will have to see tomorrow if Android Police got this right. Nexus 5X http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/09/28/nexus-5x-will-start-at-379-99-available-for-pre-order-on-september-29th-in-the-u-s-uk-korea-japan-and-ireland/ Nexus 6P http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/09/28/exclusive-nexus-6p-will-be-available-for-pre-order-on-september-29th-starting-499-99-in-the-u-s-uk-ireland-canada-and-japan/

I was thinking that this was the case as well. I remember reading an aritcle on fiercewireless that the NGN project that said that they have been getting network vendor financing to help fund the costs. Robert you definitely have a good point there. Perhaps this is a ploy by Sprint to join the big 2 in claiming they have enough spectrum for now in hopes of delaying the auction for another 2-3 years or so...so that it helps Sprint buy time to execute the NGN project. I am actually starting to like this scenario more if it can pan out. Certainly if the FCC does delay it for another 2-3 years then by the time 2018 comes around the big 2 and Sprint carriers can re-evaluate to see if 600 MHz can be auctioned off again. I guess that would also give broadcasters more time to plan out what it would take for them to vacate the frequencies.

I understand that buying out a competitor is the easier solution and it sounds like people are jumping on that bandwagon that a merger is going to happen again. The question is in what circumstances do you realistically think the US regulators would allow a Sprint and Tmobile merger? If your premise of how the NGN plan is going to improve the Sprint network dramatically in the next several years and if Tmobile obtains 600 MHz and begins to provide more native coverage to improve their network, regulators are going to see it as both businesses are thriving so why need to merge? To me it sounds like that would be the argument against the merger. You really think Sprint sitting out of the 600 MHz auction will resolve all regulator concerns? Doubt it. The only way to show regulators that a merger is warranted is if both carriers are struggling tremendously and that a merger would improve both companies. With the way that both carriers are shaping right now (Tmobile rising since Legere took over (doesn't matter what his antics are...its working) and Sprint stopping the bleeding in Q1), do you really think that its going to happen? It doesn't matter what DT and Sprint/Softbank want because I am sure when Masa tried to talk to US regulators last year, DT was probably on board or else you wouldn't hear of any traction in the first place but there had to have been a reason for Masa to back out entirely. Call me naive but Sprint and Tmobile going at it to compete has actually helped Sprint create new programs that were borrowed from Tmobile. Who would have thought that Sprint would provide the Sprint Global 2G Roaming worldwide and Sprint Open World products if it weren't for Tmobile. Those 2 programs have been nice perks for new and current Sprint customers...I know I certainly enjoy it. Not only that but Sprint introducing these new iPhone leasing programs are certainly welcomed for iPhone users. So if you ask me if competition is good...I would say a HELL YEAH!! Oh and then there is that old age question if Sprint/Tmobile merged which is how to integrate the two networks together? Can't shut down the GSM/HSPA+ network right away and guess what huge increase OPEX and CAPEX in incurred to maintain both networks. How is that any cheaper? If Sprint and Tmobile can pull off a merger...kudos to Sprint and Masa and I will be the first to eat my words and support it but I think the chances of that happen is about as big as the 600 MHz spectrum being deployed within the next 3 years.

Handsets not supporting the spectrum is not a big deal. Once the spectrum is auctioned off if Tmobile, Verizon and AT&T all get a chunk of the 600 MHz spectrum the 3GPP will assign it an LTE band which I hope this time around should be entire 600 MHz band instead an LTE band for each sliver of 5x5 or 10x10 block. The 3 carriers will all have to collaborate to achieve economies of scale. I think that argument is blown out of proportion. There is no need to worry about that at this time because it will be added on when its appropriate. What I don't understand is why are people rehashing the zero sum game type of scenarios if Sprint were to participate in the 600 MHz auction. I don't see people clamoring prior to today that they should not bid on the 600 MHz spectrum if Sprint was uncapable of doing both NGN and 600 MHz. When Marcelo announced the NGN plan I didn't think for a sec that this spelled doom on the 600 MHz plan and probably nobody here. Why can't both activities happen at the same time? Buying out a competitor when the time comes right is not as easy as it sounds. I just don't see what it will take for the regulators to even allow 2 national carriers to merge. We have seen time and time again that the DOJ and other regulators come down hard when two major players try to merge. Personally I wouldn't want to see less than 4 national carriers since we need competition. Perhaps I am wrong and Sprint is only making this decision based on the current circumstances of the 600 MHz auction and they know more than we do in that it truly is some huge clusterfuck that won't be of much use.

Its just two different opinions on long term strategy. Ultimately we both want Sprint to have a great voice/data network and really the debate is about how to best approach that solution. I just think if you have the rare opportunities to obtain low band spectrum which time and time again we have all clamored at one point as to why Sprint did not participate in the 700 MHz auction because having low band spectrum was so crucial on expanding LTE coverage rather quickly but it was different times and circumstances so it wasn't going to be possible. However I do question if Marcelo was at the helm in 2008 and 700 MHz was available for auction if he would do the same thing now and skip participating in that auction even if he had Masa as his backer. At the same time here at S4GRU we have all criticized Verizon/AT&T for having a lot of low band spectrum which is great for initial LTE deployment but bad for long term capacity. And I think Verizon/AT&T has realized that the past 2 years which is why Verizon has been focusing on obtaining more AWS mid band spectrum and AT&T beginning to deploy WCS and adding AWS spectrum to fill in the capacity needs which helps close that loop on having spectrum of all types. Sprint and Tmobile were the other way around where they have a ton of mid band spectrum but lacked low band spectrum for coverage and it just seems so ironic that when given the opportunity to obtain some low band spectrum that they would not be chomping at the bits to try to get some of it. Hell I don't even know why Marcelo had to release this statement at all to the rest of the wireless community.

No it has nothing to do with 600 MHz being considerably better than 800 MHz. The point of having more low band spectrum is to add more capacity to share among users deep indoors. I don't even care if 600 MHz in the real world allowed you to browse data another 100 feet vs. 800 MHz. I think there is too much trust in this NGN plan when we have really no idea where Sprint is targeting these macro sites and small cells. Macro sites take a gazillion years to get through approval with permits so it isn't going to be "Sprinting" any time soon anyways. And then by the time these new macro sites are built and Sprint has some 600 MHz spectrum then it can deploy 600 MHz on these new macro sites as well as all of its current NV macro sites to provide even more coverage. Don't get me wrong I want the NGN plan to continue to execute and I think it can do fine despite the 600 MHz auction but I just think time is what is going to be the bottleneck and not necessarily funding which has shown to be true with NV 1.0. I don't think NV 1.0 was behind schedule due to funding but rather the red tape (permitting, backhaul delays, not enough crews, etc). Remember once you obtain the spectrum from the FCC, it stays with the carrier forever unless they don't meet build out requirements. But with low band spectrum that will be fairly easy to do. I actually think of 600 MHz as another tool in the tool belt but its not going to slow down my current project. When it comes time to use it because the current tools don't work then its time to bust it out. Sprint is not going to obtain any 600 MHz through M&A unless it buys out Tmobile so you can forget about that happening. It used to be easier to acquire spectrum through M&A when there were more smaller carriers but now the only other smaller carrier is US Cellular. Tmobile has proven to be a huge force and market changer so I doubt people will be flocking in droves especially given the culture and reputation it has received the last 2 years. People's perception has a huge impact which is why Tmobile has roared back from 34 million customers to over 55 million customers today. Really the only downside negative on Tmobile right now is their native voice and data coverage which it is addressing by obtaining 700 MHz licenses and adding more low band spectrum in the future.

Try coming out to Los Angeles and then say the same thing. Its easy to say that when a market is urban and things are very well tight together. But in LA the market is so spread out that low band spectrum makes a huge difference. I just don't understand the thinking that if Sprint participated in 600 MHz auction that NGN efforts would go to a complete halt. Its like the same mindset thinking back when NV was beginning to deploy that people were clamoring...just throw money at it and then NV deployment progress would suddenly rise 1000%. That is not how it works. There are only a finite amount of network deployment staff out there that are pretty much shared between all the major carriers so throwing a ton of money isn't going to be much help and not to mention the red tape especially when all the other carriers are currently going full speed on their own LTE network deployments.

Unless you think Sprint is hanging by a limb on cash, why can't have separate buckets for financing on spectrum auction bidding and they already have separate financing from the OEMs for the NGN network? While the OEMs, TV stations do its thing after the 600 MHz auction, focus funds back on the NGN. We have always said on this site that Sprint can do and have done things in parallel (LTE 800, LTE 1900 and LTE 2500 at the same time) and not serially so why not now? BTW NYC is going to be a hell of a lot harder to cover even if you rely on 2.5 GHz small cells because that is going to take years and years to develop. Right now Sprint is still focusing on deploying NV on all of its macro cells so you are going to be waiting on those small cells for a long time. Actually according to Ericcson the bottleneck for 600 MHz deployment will not be on the equipment manufacturers to produce equipment since they can do it quickly but rather the TV stations vacating the spectrum. Actual deployment of 600 MHz will be rather quick once TV stations vacate the spectrum and will be slowly rolled out as soon as the TV network clears it which can vary. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing deployment nationwide. http://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/special-reports/ericsson-cto-laxdal-dishes-virtualization-network-slicing-and-600-mhz

I would much rather delay a little part of the NGN plan to obtain the 600 MHz now than to go press full speed with the NGN plan. Again short term thinking is what continues to plague Sprint. Now it begs the question if future Sprint phones will be more incompatible with the rest of the other carriers just like it does with AWS with no 600 MHz LTE band support.

I know its 30 MHz but that is still at least good enough for a 5x5 or 10x10 block. Btw just because only 30 MHz is reserved doesn't mean Sprint/Tmobile would not be able to bid on the remaining 5x5 blocks of 600 MHz spectrum. Remember the FCC imposed rules that a carrier cannot have more than 45 MHz of <1 GHz spectrum in any particular market or something like that. In some cases if the total amount of 600 MHz available for auctions is 84 MHz, chances are Verizon/AT&T will only be able to buy a 5x5 block in that market since they own a ton of 700 MHz and 850 MHz spectrum and Sprint/Tmobile is free to bid on the remaining blocks in that region.

I hope this is a bluff because Marcelo is out of his mind if he thinks Sprint has the spectrum to compete indoors and outdoors. Now I am feeling way less confident on his Next Generation Plan to bring the network up to par to compete with the other 3 carriers because indoor coverage will still suffer tremendously. How do you know the 600 MHz spectrum will just be a small chunk? I still think its too short term thinking. I don't see why Masa wouldn't approve of funding to get Sprint to participate in the auction.

Looks like Tmoble has started lighting up a large number of markets with their Extended Range LTE (700 MHz). That is good news to see how the cverage is indoors.

Hopefully the Nexus 6P FCC docs will be released soon.