bigsnake49

In other news: T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS) brand MetroPCS will start selling GSM phones that work on T-Mobile's network as soon as June 12, according to a PhoneArena report. The report, citing an unnamed source, said MetroPCS will soon begin selling Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Exhibit and the LG Electronics' Optimus L9. The phones will have support for GSM/EDGE service as well as HSPA+ on T-Mobile's network. T-Mobile's larger goal is to convert MetroPCS CDMA customers over to its network over the next several years following their merger, which was completed last month. Additionally, the report said on June 12 MetroPCS will launch a program to allow customers to bring their own unlocked GSM phones to its service. The report said Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android phones and (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phones will be supported, but curiously BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) phones will not be supported. A MetroPCS spokesman declined to comment and a T-Mobile spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Speaking at an investor conference in mid-May T-Mobile CFO Braxton Carter said T-Mobile was "weeks away" from seeding HSPA+ and LTE smartphones into MetroPCS distribution channels. T-Mobile plans to expand the footprint where the MetroPCS brand offers service by around 100 million POPs over the next six quarters, he said. Read more: Rumor Mill: T-Mobile's MetroPCS to start selling and accepting GSM phones - FierceWireless http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/rumor-mill-t-mobiles-metropcs-start-selling-and-accepting-gsm-phones/2013-06-04#ixzz2VGr5GFXK

Just to go a bit further, I can see small, strand or pole mounted DAS for Clearwire spectrum along with the WiFi antennas with the actual base station logic in the cloud or at a macrocell site communicating with the DAS over cable fiber. Sprint gets a widely deployed network, cable providers keep the wolf away from the sheep, everybody is happy, except Dish!

Hate to quote myself, but wanted to expand my thought further. Could the cable providers be in cahoots with Softbank/Sprint to offer OTT video to their subscribers over Clearwire spectrum? I see no other reason for Sprint to be holding on to that much spectrum.

Just remember that the Dish offer is opposed not only by Sprint but by the other strategic investors, namely cable providers. Not only do they compete against Dish in the broadcast video arena, but if the Dish bid goes through, they will compete against them in the fixed broadband, video on demand and OTT video. They have a lot to lose if Dish prevails.

We have exhausted the new Dish offer and Sprint's claim that it violates Delaware law and the AHA. I mean we have been talking about it for couple of days straight. As I said couple of pages ago, if Sprint is serious about going after T-Mobile, then it is in their best interest to create the appearance that Dish could be a viable 4th nationwide competitor by divesting Clearwire's network and the leased spectrum to Dish.

I can't give out my sources, but there is work going on right now on how to integrate the two networks from a technical and business back end standpoint. Does that mean that the merger will happen? No, but there is strong interest.

Yes.

Oh he wants somebody to host that spectrum. Clearwire will need a lot more sites to host his spectrum+clearwire spectrum nationwide. He needs a true nationwide carrier to deploy that spectrum, since he only has 3 and a 1/2 years to deploy or lose that spectrum.

No, the assumption was that that Dish gets the shares that are not owned by Sprint and the strategic investors.

So, let back track on this. Let's say that Softbank acquires Sprint and Dish back tracks on the board seats and the veto power and acquires 25+% of The outstanding shares. Sprint waits until after November 28, 2013 and then acquires the rest of the shares from the strategic investors. What recourse does Dish have, other than making noise? I guess they could acquire the outstanding 30% of Sprint shares and make noise there. I know that Sprint wants T-Mobile so Dish could go after T-Mobile and they could make a lot of noise about diminshing competition if Sprint goes after T-Mobile. So, over all I think it is in Sprint's best interest for Dish to have Clearwire minus the BRS spectrum. That way Sprint can say there is a viable 4th network if they decide to go after T-Mobile.

According to Fierce Wireless: While Dish said its offer is for all Clearwire shareholders including majority owner Sprint, it is willing to buy out only minority shareholders as long as it can acquire at least 25 percent of Clearwire's voting stock. Dish said it wants the right to pick at least three Clearwire board members and more if it acquires more of Clearwire's shares. Dish also wants the right to approve changes to Clearwire's structure as well as transactions Clearwire enters into with other companies, including Sprint, unless such deals are approved by "an independent and disinterested board committee." Read more: Analysts: SoftBank could 'walk away' from Sprint following Dish's bid for Clearwire - FierceWireless http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/analysts-softbank-could-bail-sprint-following-dishs-bid-clearwire/2013-05-31#ixzz2UtoZ4fz4 I don't know if Dish can get the number of seats it wants or have veto power on the structure.

The Softbank/ Sprint is not a merger. They invest in Sprint and get the appropriate number of seats on the board. No network integration, no integration of back end systems, no nothing.

It will take a while to integrate the two networks, bu they will eventually coalesce around LTE.

There is a rich source of AWS frequencies as well as PCS. It's called T-Mobile. While they're at it it, they might as well roll up USCC and Leap.

I'm not sure that Dish wants it for mobile video necessarily. I think they want it for fixed broadband, fixed VOD and OTT. I would rather that Sprint took the money and ran particularly if they get the price that Dish is willng to pay to $5 or $6. I know I sound like a broken record, but there are better frequencies for mobile broadband.

At some point or another Sprint/Softbank should let him have Clearwire. Maybe not at $4.40 but at $6.00 because they stand to make a good amount of money, plus they get rid of Clearwire's debt. Sprint can take that money, bid for PCS H and then roll up T-Mobile.

Definitely after it closes all those deals. Sprint and T-Mobile were talking before the Softbank merger and T-mobile wanted to wait until 2013. Remember that Softbank has a 25% share of Alibaba.com, a Chinese e-commerce site that has been evaluated anywhere from $55-120B. Sprint and T-Mobile will definitely be a merger, not an acquisition.

Sprint is going after T-Mobile, bank on it!

Does the fact that the FCC only has 3 commisioners and is lacking a chairman delay its vote on the Softbank/Sprint merger?

I have already advocated that Sprint spinoff their Internet backbone division. Too many competitors to make any money in the business. Let them merge with Level 3 and or XO communications who seem to have a lot more metro loops than Sprintlink.

There is no question about it, Dish wants to provide fixed broadband, as well as mobile broadband service to their own customers as well as others. The prodigious amount of spectrum in the 2.5GHz band is great for fixed broadband as well as just hotspot duty in certain venues and certain real dense urban environments. While 2.5GHZ is great for the dense urban jungles of China and Japan, it is ill suited for the suburban savannah of the US. Sell the damn thing to Dish and get it over with. Of course at a good price .

Or they could pay a lot less than that to move Wimax phone totting people to LTE. Although I am sure Son is exaggerating. And I thought Clear's Huawei equipment was approved by the feds.

Maybe AT&T or Verizon should absorb Dish. They will be a better match since they have rural coverage. Sprint does not seem to be interested in providing rural coverage so it will be an ill fit to their customer's profile. AT&T can use them to provide video service where their U-Verse won't reach. Plus, they can definitely use Dish's spectrum.

Nov. 28, 2008.

Is it November? I'm not entirely sure. I will have to research it further. EDIT: The standstill agreement ends 5 years from closing, which was on November 30th, 2008. So you are right. http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/CLWR/2492368195x0xS1193125%2D11%2D345157/1442505/filing.pdf