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Comments on news posted 2012-10-04 16:27:45: On the heels of T-Mobile's announcement this week that they plan to merge with MetroPCS, indications suggest that Sprint's interest in acquiring MetroPCS themselves may not yet be dead. ..

silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

silbaco

Premium Member

Is it really worth it?

MetroPCS has relatively little spectrum compared to their competitors, a slow 4G network, and most people do not associate MetroPCS with quality and have little loyalty. It won't be cheap to integrate the network. Is it really worth anyone's money?

whfsdude
Premium Member
join:2003-04-05
Washington, DC

1 recommendation

whfsdude

Premium Member

Better Invested in Clearwire

Sprint lacks spectrum (if you exclude Clearwire) and backhaul capacity on their network in many urban areas. I know people here who are dropping them because of terribly slow data (still EVDO here). I'm not sure MetroPCS does much to improve that except in a few select markets.

Sprint would be better investing their money into getting Clearwire's LTE network built out quicker.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

1 recommendation

FFH5

Premium Member

Sprint tactic to make MetroPCS-TMO deal more expensive

This may also just be a Sprint tactic to drive up the cost of the deal for T-Mobile. Showing real interest may cause MetroPCS shareholders to look for a better price from T-Mobile. The more money that is needed to do the merger will be that much less money to actually pull off combining the networks.

»www.bloomberg.com/news/2 ··· fer.html

Deutsche Telekom is prepared for a potential counterbid from Sprint and would consider better terms if necessary, according to another person familiar with the matter.


The Beer
I Love It When A Plan Comes Together
Premium Member
join:2001-07-24
Lincoln, NE

The Beer

Premium Member

Come on BUY USCC

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY SOMEONE BUY US CELLULAR!

THIS IS A NO BRAINER... MORE HIGH $$$ CUSTOMERS!
Os
join:2011-01-26
US

Os

Member

US Cellular is CDMA too, and has built some of their own 4G LTE network in the Midwest, and now getting to the more rural parts of their footprint.

Sprint would be much better for US Cellular people than Verizon.

whfsdude
Premium Member
join:2003-04-05
Washington, DC

whfsdude to The Beer

Premium Member

to The Beer
said by The Beer:

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY SOMEONE BUY US CELLULAR!

Last I heard the owners (the board) did not want to sell it at this point.

swintec
Premium Member
join:2003-12-19
Alfred, ME

swintec to The Beer

Premium Member

to The Beer
said by The Beer:

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY SOMEONE BUY US CELLULAR!

THIS IS A NO BRAINER... MORE HIGH $$$ CUSTOMERS!

Agreed. US Cellular has a build out in certain rural areas that Sprint lacks considerably.

Tralalala
@sbcglobal.net

Tralalala

Anon

No.

Sprint already has Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile and Clearwire, anything extra would drive them into bankruptcy even faster.
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

silbaco to Os

Premium Member

to Os

Re: Come on BUY USCC

Their LTE network is quite different than Sprint's though.

Lone Wolf
Retired
Premium Member
join:2001-12-30
USA

Lone Wolf

Premium Member

Scorecard

With all of the merger talks I'm going to need a scorecard to tell who's who and what's what.

Who has 3g? 4G?

Who will use GSM?

Who will use CDMA?

Who will use LTE?

Who will use TD-LTE?

Willl their LTE be compatible with each other?

It gets confusing!
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx to FFH5

Member

to FFH5

Re: Sprint tactic to make MetroPCS-TMO deal more expensive

Precisely. Of course, Sprint would be happy to give the merged entity a little cash, in exchange for PCS spectrum from MetroPCS where Sprint has less than 40MHz of their own.
iansltx

iansltx to swintec

Member

to swintec

Re: Come on BUY USCC

USCC also has 700MHz spectrum, which Sprint doesn't want/need (they have SMR) and a bunch of LTE phones tht don't support Sprint's own LTE network. And the owners probably want too much money for the company.
iansltx

iansltx to Lone Wolf

Member

to Lone Wolf

Re: Scorecard

T-Mo, Sprint and MetroPCS all have 3G and 4G (TMo's DC-H+ network counts), though MetroPCS has little EvDO 3G.

Metro+TMo will use GSM/HSPA exclusively for non-LTE 2.5 years down the road. Sprint will use CDMA exclusively.

Sprint and MetroPCS have LTE now. TMo will have it soon. TMo+MetroPCS will have LTE.

Sprint will have TD-LTE via Clearwire next year. Clearwire may offer its TD-LTE to other carriers, but it's unknown as to who will hop on the bandwagon.

TMo+MetroPCS will have LTE in AWS only. Sprint will have LTE in PCS only for now, and SMR and 2500MHz later. There is no technical reason to make the networks compatible, though doing so would add minimal cost to handsets from both carriers.

My personal bet: we'll see T-Mobile and Sprint merging four to five years from now, at which point we'll see quad-band LTE handsets from them (PCS, AWS, SMR, 2500). By this point, Sprint will have bought CricKet, and both AT&T and Verizon will have LTE in AWS and PCS. Now whether roaming agreements will exist between the Big Three for LTE in AWS and PCS is another question entirely...
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

silbaco to iansltx

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to iansltx

Re: Come on BUY USCC

USCC is debt free I believe...? Despite the most recent declines, the company has been run pretty well. No reason to sell.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

winners and losers

sprint had their chance, don't expect a bidding war
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned) to iansltx

Member

to iansltx

Re: Come on BUY USCC

said by iansltx:

USCC also has 700MHz spectrum, which Sprint doesn't want/need (they have SMR) and a bunch of LTE phones tht don't support Sprint's own LTE network.

So even if the USCC is bought it will take a year to get approved and a few more to totally integrate the service. So the lack of "non supported" phones will be moot by the time USCC is full integrated anyways. Is it cheaper for Sprint to buy USCC or build out in rural areas because that's what they need to do to grow. They aren't growing just staying in the big cities. Only so many at&t and Verizon customers they can poach with their unlimited data scheme.
tennisman94
join:2010-02-18
Palm Harbor, FL

tennisman94 to iansltx

Member

to iansltx

Re: Scorecard

Metro+TMo will have some 700mhz lte just like metro does now, it could be used exclusively to enhance indoor coverage
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx

Member

MetroPCs has one 700 license and no phones that support the band. They will probably sell it to AT&T once this deal is done.
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

silbaco to 88615298

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Re: Come on BUY USCC

Honestly, I don't think Sprint has the cash to do either one. USCC would be an expensive company and expanding into the rural area where you have little to no existing footprint would also be expensive.

tiger72
SexaT duorP
Premium Member
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO

tiger72 to silbaco

Premium Member

to silbaco

Re: Is it really worth it?

Their spectrum covers about 110 million people in cities notorious for slow service with other carriers - LA, NYC, Dallas. The spectrum alone is worth it. Network "integration" is more like network sunsetting, and will be relatively easy - only sell phones that work on t-mobile's network.
tennisman94
join:2010-02-18
Palm Harbor, FL

tennisman94 to iansltx

Member

to iansltx

Re: Scorecard

said by iansltx:

MetroPCs has one 700 license and no phones that support the band. They will probably sell it to AT&T once this deal is done.

»www.metropcs.com/metro/c ··· at170022
I wouldn't call that no phones. 700mhz is the spectrum to have for indoor coverage
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx

Member

Show me the specs of one of those phones where it says that 700MHz LTE support is included.

Oh wait...they're all AWS/1900. It doesn't make sense, as even a semi-national provider, to get phones that support 700 LTE for a single 5x5 market.
tennisman94
join:2010-02-18
Palm Harbor, FL

tennisman94

Member

You're right, I was under the impression that metro had 5x5 LTE in the 700mhz space, and that's why it's so slow.
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx

Member

They have 1.4x1.4 LTE in some places. That's why it's so slow.