bigsnake49

What would you rather see them focus on, a potential 600Mhz auction? Expanding existing holdings? Spectrum is king and with the BRS/EBS only being in hotspots, Sprint could face a shortage in the next few years.

Which is why I want them to absorb Metro and Leap. It will strengthen their 1900Mhz spectrum holdings either directly or by trading AWS for PCS spectrum.

The FCC on Wednesday unanimously approved changes to the 2.3 GHz WCS spectrum band that will allow AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) to use the spectrum for LTE. The order will allow LTE mobile broadband deployment in 20 MHz of WCS spectrum and would also make an additional 10 MHz of spectrum available for fixed broadband, with the possibility of mobile broadband use in the future. The FCC acted after AT&T and Sirius XM submitted a proposal in June that would change the rules governing WCS spectrum while protecting Sirius XM from interference. AT&T also has been working to get FCC approval for its purchase of WCS licenses from NextWave Wireless, Comcast and Horizon Wi-Com.

I think Sprint will get some money out of this. Or maybe a spectrum trade.

You do know that Sprint already plans to add 2.5 GHz support to their LTE phones in 2013 right? I mean its not like Sprint is even debating on whether they should do so. Starting July 2013, Sprint plans to start paying Clearwire for their TDD-LTE service on its 5000 sites even before the Softbank deal even existed so Sprint better have LTE devices that support the 2.5 GHz band.

 

Now with this Softbank deal, I am sure the Japanese are looking and advising Sprint to buyout Clearwire when it seems right so that they don't have to pay for their services and would be a subsidiary to Sprint.

Would they be a subsidiary to Sprint or New Sprint?

Or maybe Masayoshi is looking for a father figure. Dan Hesse is clearly tall enough to pat him on the head and call him "Son."

 

 

AJ

Good one, AJ.

There's a voluntary auction for television spectrum coming in 2014:

http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20121001/spectrum_auction/fcc-proposes-incentive-auction-tv-airwaves/

Well. it's a done deal. Now comes Miller time. I want to see what they are going to do with the $8B dollars that will go directly into Sprint's coffers. In orde3r of importance, I hope they use it for:

1. Speeding up NV (if it is a matter of money)

2. Strengthening their spectrum position (either through acquisitions, PC-H band, sub 700MHz spectrum, etc.)

3. Customer acquisitions (mergers)

I would like for Sprint to counterbid for Metro, if only to get the chance to pry some PCS spectrum from the combined entity.

In all of this, I just want to know what Craig Moffett thinks. His opinion matters so much to me. I don't think I can rest until I hear what he has to say.

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

You forgot Roger Entner:).

Are you a wireless enthusiast or an investor? Can we stop with the "acquire the regional carriers" broken record? Sprint does not need native coverage in rural Nebraska.

 

 

AJ

If USCC can make money providing wireless service in rural Nebraska then Sprint can as well (of course after they acquire USCC). Why are you so selfish:)?

Did you know that Sprint's roaming bill was $1B in 2010 or 2011. Anything that will reduce that bill, I'm all for it.

I am a definitely a wireless enthusiast.

Cutting off 10 more UHF TV channels 40-51 would generate about 80-90MHz in the 600MHz spectrum. Getting 20 or 30 Mhz of that would be stellar, but very expensive

Remember also that due to the asymmetric nature of data consumption, we no longer need symmetric FDD spectrum allocation.

If they do combine Sprint and Clearwire, I hope they eliminate all this mess and it leads to a more rational approach to network design. I still think that Clearwire's spectrum is really better suited to fixed or at least nomadic devices and networks Maybe Sprint can even do a spectrum exchange with Dish. 40Mhz of Dish spectrum for 80Mhz of Clearwire spectrum. I still want them to acquire USCC, Leap and Metro, sell/exchnage AWS spectrum to T-Mobile and strengthen their PCS holdings. I also want them to be in the market for any sub 700MHz spectrum that becomes available.

So spend 12B to save how much lol ?

I'm sure that Sprint will become profitable pretty soon and their investment would be worth a lot more that in the beginning.

Why would there need to be technical compatibility for this to make sense? If it is a financial investment does technical compatibility really matter? If they see a chance to make a diversified financial investment in another country, can acquire a financially struggling carrier at a good price but a carrier that seems to have a strong plan for technical improvement, then why not? I don't see technical compatibility between the two countries to be an issue at all. Unlike a domestic merger where the goal is consolidation, increased leverage with suppliers, and cost reductions on the overhead side, this deal would seem to be all about an ROI on investment.

Also remember that the yen is very strong vs the dollar so the deal in yen is much better than it could have been. Strong yen+ undervalued stock = recipe for success.

As I recall, SK Telecom wanted to install Tim Donahue (formerly of Nextel) in as CEO. Apparently that was a non-starter to Sprint's board for one reason or another.

It was a non-starter because he sold them a bill of goods, a pump and dump scheme, an overcrowded network. Now of course it is the board's responsibility to check those facts out, but...

I was thinking that Dish or DirectTV might want to bid for Sprint/Clearwire to provide for an OTT/VOD play.

I guess it is an equity investment so, I hope Sprint uses it to finish their Network Vision and acquire some regionals and prepaid. I wonder if some US companies might not be awakened from their slumber and bid. My only problem would be if this was a leveraged buyout, using a company's own assets to borrow money against. In that case it only adds to the companies debt (see Alltel).

Not good. I don't like it unless they pump money into the company. They are getting Sprint too cheap.

Sprint Is Said to Hold Off on MetroPCS Counterbid for Now

 

http://www.bloomberg...?cmpid=msnmoney

Maybe they are holding off so that the Sprint stock can go up higher. It will go higher if the have good 3rd quarter results and also good news on LTE deployment.

If Clearwire's wholesale operation takes off then they might elect to put LTE on all their sites. So far, their main wholesale customer is Sprint and Sprint only needs offload capacity in certain markets.

Clearwire is releasing lte advanced on four 5x5 mhz carriers, right?

 

Are these lte advanced towers going to go on all sprint towers, or will it replace the WiMax towers that Clearwire currently uses?

 

Also, the lte 800, I recall reading that it's only going to cover 80% sprint towers, is that approximately all of the old Nextel sites or are we talking sprint sites as of current?

 

Thanks

They will deploy on a single 20MHz channel.

Go

While I hope that Sprint does not get into a bidding war over MetroPCS, I do think that a few interesting spectrum outcomes could emerge.

 

T-Mobile really does seem to want MetroPCS' CDMA1X prepaid subs to bolster its own flagging numbers, so that will be a point at issue. But T-Mobile should not want or need MetroPCS' PCS 1900 MHz spectrum, only its AWS 2100+1700 MHz spectrum. And Sprint should be just the reverse; it should not want anything to do with MetroPCS' AWS spectrum but could gain from its PCS spectrum.

 

Atlanta, the Bay Area, and Miami are three very large markets in which Sprint holds not a full 30 MHz but 20 MHz of PCS A/D block spectrum. In those same three markets, MetroPCS holds PCS C block spectrum: 20 MHz in Atlanta, 20 MHz in the Bay Area, and 30 MHz in Miami. A bidding war could force T-Mobile to consent to divest at least 10 MHz of PCS spectrum to Sprint in those three markets. T-Mobile already holds 30 MHz of PCS spectrum in Atlanta, 30 MHz in the Bay Area, and 20 MHz in Miami. T-Mobile does not need much, if any additional PCS spectrum in those markets, maybe an added 10 MHz in Miami. But T-Mobile, as a whole, is aligning itself more and more with AWS, not PCS, while Sprint is firmly a PCS carrier.

 

So, it would make sense -- for both T-Mobile and Sprint -- to divest some of MetroPCS' PCS spectrum.

 

AJ

Yep, exactly what I was thinking. Go away money or go away spectrum.

BTW, the smartest acquisition play right now for Sprint is to merge with Dish. They have $6-7B in the bank, a stable business, although mature and they have some 40Mhz of spectrum. They could definitely use that $6-7B.

Markets like headlines. Sprint has not made any.

Saleh has absolutely no right to speak. He and the previous administration got totally hoodwinked by the Nextel hoods, totally ignoring Alltel, totally ignoring opportunities to shore up their PCS spectrum holdings, etc., etc.

Bloomberg reports that Sprint is preparing a counteroffer for MetroPCS.

Ooohhh, this is getting interesting but I hope they don't overpay. Maybe they can get some go away money or spectrum from DT.

Yes, but the capacity advantage between four 5x5's and one 20x20 is not huge. The problem for Sprint is that they really don't have many places they can deploy four 5x5's. In those locations, they will heavily depend on Clearwire's LTE to carry tonnage. Which is not a bad position to be in at all. The big issue here isn't, "OMG, what about Sprint?" The big issue out there is, "OMG, what about AT&T?" Sprint's position is just fine in my estimation. Like Ian pointed out above.

 

Also, if memory serves, most of the people around here were happy when the MetroPCS/Sprint deal fell apart because the board rejected it. Especially our core members. The timing was bad for Sprint, but also PCS is nowhere near as good of a fit for Sprint as it is for Tmo.

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

Don't look now but AT&T might be making some moves. They are quietly buying 700MHz spectrum and I'm sure they will be a participant in the 700MHz Verizon A&B sale. They are buying out WCS spectrum holders and I would not be surprised if they absorb Leap.