FCC Approves T-Mobile, MetroPCS Deal > Verizon or Sprint should have bought them

Verizon or Sprint should have bought them

It has less to do with network type, but spectrum holdings. The last thing we need to do is let Verizon buy up more spectrum. The MetroPCS LTE network is also compatible with T-mobile's (soon to be) LTE.

T-Mobile lit up their Lte network here in San diego this past weekend. Not letting users on but shows up on a network scan in lte only mode. Soon!

reply to IowaCowboy
Everyone is moving away from CDMA2000, so that isn't a huge factor.

Also, it is possible for carriers operating with different technologies to merge without being a complete disaster. AT&T did it when they acquired some areas that were divested in the Verizon/Alltel merger (and is about to again now that they are acquiring what is left of Alltel). Verizon has acquired GSM carriers in the past and switched them over to CDMA2000.

The Sprint and Nextel merger was a disaster, but that doesn't mean all mergers or acquisitions involving different network technologies have to suffer the same fate.

MetroPCS is a very good fit for T-Mobile spectrum wise. Spectrum auctions don't happen very often, and they can be very expensive. Any time new spectrum is used for wireless services, the network infrastructure has to be updated (antennas and radios only work at certain frequencies), and phones have to be re-designed. This is not a fast or cheap process. Metro's spectrum works with what is on the market now, so this is a very smart move.

Not to mention that t-mobile has plans on refarming metropcs's spectrum. Getting rid of cdma will happen rather quick it said. Apparently metropcs customers get new phones rather quickly vs. a normal postpaid account.
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The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult. The day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.
Alden Nowlan

All very good points.

There's another reason why the issues that plagued Sprint and Nextel won't happen here. Nextel had a unique push to talk technology that was superior to any of the competing standards. Their customers were loyal to this technology, and at the time, there was not an acceptable alternative. As time went on, the old Nextel network didn't see any real upgrades, and it did not survive the widespread adoption of smartphones.

The MetroPCS network is nothing special. It just offers voice and data. It doesn't really do anything that the T-Mobile network can't do, especially when you consider that T-Mobile will probably have LTE in most major markets by the time the transaction closes.

Another option is for MetroPCS to sell phones that support CDMA and GSM/UMTS/LTE, and send customers SIM cards when they are ready to transition.

Not to mention it's almost like MetroPcs is just cheap on LTE. keeps backhaul low on purpose. That's something t-mobile will fix asap.