said by hitman_001 :

quote:

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They should stop the WiMax rollout immediately," said Patrick Comack, an equities analyst with Zachary Research. "They need to get back to the basics and learn how to run a wireless company. This means focusing more on the present rather than the future."

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I'm sorry but thats about the most retarded thing i've ever heard. People scream and moan about incumbant providers and how things should change to better serve the customer. Sprint was heading down that path with Wimax, no contracts, no subsidies, Wimax would service thousands of items in our everyday lives. Its the one thing that would boost sprint above and beyond any wireless provider today, with the restrictions and limits and 2 year contracts they shove down your throats with early termination fee's, the list could go on. If anything all these companies should FORGET how to run a wireless company, and start over fresh, doing it right this time. Sprint isnt perfect, and Gary Forsee certainly wasnt. But if there was one thing Sprint had going for them, it was Wimax.

said by BillRoland :

You're not looking at reality though. They are going to lose another 300,000 contract subscribers, this quarter alone. You can't possibly build out a successful WiMAX network if you don't even know how to run what you've got. The problem is that Sprint is now hemorrhaging subscribers and money at alarming rates. If this keeps up, there will be nothing left to spend on WiMAX anyway. I don't think anyone is arguing that WiMAX is a bad idea, but you've got to have your own house in order before you go out and attempt something like this, and Sprint doesn't even know where its house is, much less how to put it in order.

And sorry, but comparing Sprint investors on the WiMAX situation to Verizon's investors on the FiOS project is like comparing apples to beef. The Sprint investors have legitimate concerns.

said by myokitis :

I think you're partially correct but I disagree w/ your conclusion . . . Keep in-mind that while FTTH is indeed expensive, it is an established technology. WiMax is still an unproven pie-in-the-sky technology that's never been deployed on a large scale. Given the high amount of financial risk (i.e. uncertainty)invloved, investors have a legitimate concern of a large investment (bet?) in an unproven technology by a company in Sprint's condition.

If they bet the farm on this and run into some sort of unforseen operational difficulties, Sprint will be finished, quickly. If they stabilize their core operations, however, then they can afford to bear more risk.

said by hitman_001 :

... And i certainly dont disagree with putting the house in order, Sprint has to get themselves and nextel together and dear lord...

said by calvoiper :

Yes, but remember that wireless frequencies are shared among all users, while fiber routes are not. Wireless channels are much more limited than fiber, and the company that wastes them on fixed applications will find itself competing with fiber--but the company that stresses wireless applications will have greater demand in the mobile market.

calvoiper

said by myokitis :

All good points . . . thanks for clarifying.

They should stop the WiMax rollout immediately," said Patrick Comack, an equities analyst with Zachary Research. "They need to get back to the basics and learn how to run a wireless company. This means focusing more on the present rather than the future."

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Yes.. this is a wreckless statement. Lets kill off another form of innovative telecommunications before it gets a chance. While the investors and these brain dead analyst, who get paid to make people paranoid, try to make WiMAX seem like a waist of time should have jumped on the same bandwagon for the rollout of the iPhone. If every company listened to these idiots everytime they tried to spend some money and take a chance, we would still be on party lines and using roadside payphones. Leave Sprint alone. Let them do what they do best. Spend lots of money to make something innovative and work. Just like ION. It could have worked but the investors didn't have the balls to stay the course. If you look at AT&T's uVerse, that was Sprint 8 years ago. Can you dream of where they would be today if they were allowed to continue with that project? That 2billion they lost would be chicken feed today. Lesson learned. At least for some.