Re: MVNOs in http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r18782357 en Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:06:18 EDT Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:06:18 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18803130 anon : actually there is cheaper than Virgin Mobile...they are called PagePlus...and they piggy back off the Verizon network]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18803130 Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:20:16 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18793052 rec9140 :
said by sprintuserrrrr :
Sprint's coverage is about the same as Verizon. Both cover about 260m pops natively. Verizon shows roaming on their maps.


All the carriers are hiding coverage and who provides it unless you dig. VZW, sprint, all of them ... BUT...

Sprints, NATIVE COVERAGE, what THEY OWN AND BUILT, NOT roaming agreements/partners, is a road map for interstates and major highways.

It doesn't compare to VZW own NATIVE coverage either. VZW builds out their coverage past the narrow corridors of interstates and highways that Sprint doesn't.

I'll take that 2nd map versus the road map above, any day.

said by sprintuserrrrr :
Sprint is adding CDMA coverage faster than Verizon on existing Nextel sites.


I don't have access to that kind of sensitve company data to verify that, but nexhells coverage is another joke in and of its self too. Another carrier who looks like a road map.

said by sprintuserrrrr :
Sprint also has the best roaming agreements of any carrier.


Well, thanks for the laugh.... no way I am buying that statement. I'll take my VZW phone anywhere and be able to make a call, especially rural areas off the Sprint Road Map and make a call. Yes VZW has major areas covered by partners too, but their native coverage far exceeds sprints in a heartbeat, especially off the major highways.
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Lorem ipsum ei pro stet equidem labores, at enim animal expetenda nec. Ea vix argumentum dissentiunt, usu esse ridens ex.

The Sprint Road Map

VZW Coverage

The Nexhell Road Map
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18793052 Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:30:43 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18789313 anon :
said by rec9140 See Profile :



Sprint is a joke of a carrier their native coverage looks like a roadmap for interstate highways.

Their poor coverage is what leads to churn.
Sprint's coverage is about the same as Verizon. Both cover about 260m pops natively. Verizon shows roaming on their maps. Sprint is adding CDMA coverage faster than Verizon on existing Nextel sites. Sprint also has the best roaming agreements of any carrier.

Sprint's high churn is the Nextel side, not the CDMA side.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18789313 Wed, 01 Aug 2007 12:12:25 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18789170 rf_engineer :
said by rec9140 See Profile :

quote:
said by rf_engineer See Profile :
I don't look at bars, I look at customer churn. Sprint has consistently had higher churn than AT&T/Cingular and Verizon. In Q1 2007 they had the highest of the big four.

As always your mileage may vary, but churn is a pretty good overall barometer.

Of course, I'm old school (I used to work in cellular) and I've found the trend of all of wireless over the past seven or eight years troubling and annoying.


From an RF person this is absurd, coverage and network are all that matters. If I can't make a call when I need to then the provider is useless.

Sprint is a joke of a carrier their native coverage looks like a roadmap for interstate highways.

Their poor coverage is what leads to churn.

Your last point though I will agree with, cellular has went down hill since the StarTAC and the whole stupid flip and thin craze. Along with the feature creep..... Its a phone people, its to make calls!
You're misinterpreting my "bars" comment. Bars are what people read on phones and talk about X carrier being better than Y. We'd often joke in cellular when a customer called about how many bars they were getting that we would drive out to the cell site and turn it up a bar or two :-)

Coverage is important. But one person saying X carrier is great because they get six bars in Hometown, Nebraska isn't indicative of great coverage. As you mention, maps are what you need to look at. You use test vans equipped with real gear to measure that, not a $50 shiny phone that takes pictures and has a signal meter that varies 15 dB.

For overall health, though, I'm not going to look at just coverage, I'm going to look at churn. If overall coverage is poor, it's probably going to be reflected in churn.

I'm with you on things going downhill. I just want a phone that I can make calls with and send some emails. I don't need music, video, pr0n, IM, and sport scores. Unfortunately subscriber growth is flat as they've gotten every customer they can get. Now it's a battle to entice customers over from other carriers with stupid features.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18789170 Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:33:20 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18788929 dadkins : Coverage, yes! *HERE* I have excellent coverage!
*HERE* I have Virgin Mobile - MVNO with Sprint as the actual network.

You saying that all MVNOs should go away makes no sense.
I'm getting a killer deal and Sprint's network *HERE* works great!

Maybe you should re-evaluate your cell package and look at other services.
I don't have to pay $30-$100 per month for cell service... do you?
Mine works out to under $7.00 per month with current usage trends.

Yeah! This MVNO is sweet! :o
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Think outside the Fox... Opera]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18788929 Wed, 01 Aug 2007 10:55:07 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18788238 rec9140 :
said by rf_engineer See Profile :
I don't look at bars, I look at customer churn. Sprint has consistently had higher churn than AT&T/Cingular and Verizon. In Q1 2007 they had the highest of the big four.

As always your mileage may vary, but churn is a pretty good overall barometer.

Of course, I'm old school (I used to work in cellular) and I've found the trend of all of wireless over the past seven or eight years troubling and annoying.


From an RF person this is absurd, coverage and network are all that matters. If I can't make a call when I need to then the provider is useless.

Sprint is a joke of a carrier their native coverage looks like a roadmap for interstate highways.

Their poor coverage is what leads to churn.

Your last point though I will agree with, cellular has went down hill since the StarTAC and the whole stupid flip and thin craze. Along with the feature creep..... Its a phone people, its to make calls!
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Lorem ipsum ei pro stet equidem labores, at enim animal expetenda nec. Ea vix argumentum dissentiunt, usu esse ridens ex.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18788238 Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:57:09 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18788129 rf_engineer : Yes, churn by actual Sprint customers, and arguably some percentage of that churn could be due to customer service and not coverage issues. But when you get into these Ford versus Chevy discussions, bars don't tell the story nor does anecdotal evidence.

That's great that Virgin is working out for you and apparently it's working out for several million other customers as well. YMMV in effect. I just see MVNOs as a troubling fad where marketing is a priority over quality and the goal is to suck more money out of market segments that shouldn't have phones with unnecessary features to begin with. The MVNO is at the mercy of their provider and is unable to make any commitments or improvements to the underlying network. And as we've seen with Amp'd due to their targeting of customers that the big four don't really want, their business model is riskier and less stable. Customer stickiness with a model that relies heavily on prepaid with no contracts is about nil. Arguably the stickiness lies in customer support, coverage, features, and content, though the MVNO really has direct control of only two of these. But I digress.

Of course, I'm old school :-) (I used to work in cellular) and I've found the trend of all of wireless over the past seven or eight years troubling and annoying.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18788129 Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:29:41 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18786666 dadkins : Churn by actual Sprint customers...
Like I said, no one - not even Sprint, can match the deal I have by Virgin Mobile, yet I still get to be on/use Sprint's network.

I'm looking at *NO ONE* has a better deal ATM.
$20 every three months(or if I need more money on the account - sooner) - and still on Sprint PCS. Hmmm...

I'm looking at me having a cell for the least amount of outlay & no monthly bill.
No contract, no ETF.

Think about it!
This MVNO is looking pretty sweet! :)

YMMV.
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Think outside the Fox... Opera]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18786666 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:16:37 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18786637 cwy1980 : I'm not so sure that churn numbers provide the best rating of a service. I had Sprint for work...LOVED it.lays had signal except the subway (NYC)...then my company switched us to Verizon...no signal at my house at all and I have a heck of a lot more calls that drop when it switches service to another tower as I go down the NJ Turnpike between exits 15W and 16W.

I just want Sprint back with my broadband data card!
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Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18786637 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:12:05 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18786471 rf_engineer :
said by dadkins See Profile :

Sprint may suck there, but just because it might there doesn't mean it sucks everywhere.
4 bars, always.
I don't look at bars, I look at customer churn. Sprint has consistently had higher churn than AT&T/Cingular and Verizon. In Q1 2007 they had the highest of the big four.

As always your mileage may vary, but churn is a pretty good overall barometer.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18786471 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:52:27 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18786221 dadkins : Who cares really?
If you go to Verizon... I would imagine even an idiot would be able to say Verizon.
Or AT&T...
Or Sprint...
Or ???

So, some of us decide to get a MVNO... there's a problem with saving money?
I don't have a contract. No ETF. No monthly bill.

Sprint may suck there, but just because it might there doesn't mean it sucks everywhere.
4 bars, always.
Sprint can't match the price I'm paying and yet I still get to use their network?
Sounds like a perk to me! ;)
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Think outside the Fox... Opera]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18786221 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:19:57 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18785815 rf_engineer :
said by dadkins See Profile :

LOL!
Not good to make blanket assumptions...
No it's not, but ask Amp'd, Helio, Disney Mobile (or any of the hundred other MVNO) subscribers who their network provider is and see how many say Disney or MTV or give you a strange look and ask what a network provider is :-)

Just a perk that they run on Sprint, huh?
If you actually consider Sprint a perk ;)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18785815 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:13:51 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18784483 dadkins : LOL!
Not good to make blanket assumptions...
I have Virgin Mobile because of No Contract, No monthly bill, no ETF, and it's the best deal going.

Just a perk that they run on Sprint, huh? ;)
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Think outside the Fox... Opera]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18784483 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:32:41 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18784440 rf_engineer :
said by dadkins See Profile :

said by rf_engineer See Profile :

said by acs12798 See Profile :

Boost isn't really an MVNO as Sprint Nextel owns them. Anyway, whats your problem with MVNOs
My problem with them is that it lets any company with enough dollars and stupid marketing ideas create a virtual cellular/PCS company. Building and running a brick-and-mortar network requires staying power and some engineering know-how. These MVNOs are just paper mache marketing companies; the people buying the phones don't have a clue who actually runs the network they're on.
I know...
Virgin Mobile - Sprint.

"Virgin Mobile USA network services are provided on the Nationwide Sprint PCS® Network."

I stand corrected :-)

( This is one of the times were capitalism takes over.... Virgin is probably getting marketing $$$$ for that little blurb... )]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18784440 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:25:18 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18783887 dadkins :
said by rf_engineer See Profile :

said by acs12798 See Profile :

Boost isn't really an MVNO as Sprint Nextel owns them. Anyway, whats your problem with MVNOs
My problem with them is that it lets any company with enough dollars and stupid marketing ideas create a virtual cellular/PCS company. Building and running a brick-and-mortar network requires staying power and some engineering know-how. These MVNOs are just paper mache marketing companies; the people buying the phones don't have a clue who actually runs the network they're on.
I know...
Virgin Mobile - Sprint.

"Virgin Mobile USA network services are provided on the Nationwide Sprint PCS® Network."


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Think outside the Fox... Opera]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18783887 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:05:40 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18783650 S_engineer : Very well said!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18783650 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:30:34 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18782768 C0deZer0 : At the very least, Helio...

"BUT IT'S GOT MYSPACE MOBILE!"

I'd just want to stab a needle with AIDS-infected blood into someone every time I hear that stupid ad. And for that matter, an AIDS-infected needle into every dumbass that signs up for 't3h mysp4c3 m0b1l3!!!11!!'
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Front Line Force Fortress Forever]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18782768 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:30:05 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18782357 rf_engineer :
said by acs12798 See Profile :

Boost isn't really an MVNO as Sprint Nextel owns them. Anyway, whats your problem with MVNOs
My problem with them is that it lets any company with enough dollars and stupid marketing ideas create a virtual cellular/PCS company. Building and running a brick-and-mortar network requires staying power and some engineering know-how. These MVNOs are just paper mache marketing companies; the people buying the phones don't have a clue who actually runs the network they're on.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18782357 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:35:11 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18782036 SirXILE :
said by dmeyer See Profile :

Now if they would just take Boost, Disney Mobile, Helio, and Virgin Mobile with them...
Agreed! :hmm:
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I comprise abilities to exert Psychokinesis over fictional Clairvoyances-Sir X.I.L.E]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18782036 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:43:41 EDT Re: MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18781795 acs12798 : Boost isn't really an MVNO as Sprint Nextel owns them. Anyway, whats your problem with MVNOs]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18781795 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:12:59 EDT MVNOs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18781186 dmeyer : Now if they would just take Boost, Disney Mobile, Helio, and Virgin Mobile with them...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18781186 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:30:42 EDT