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Sprint Cuts Another 452 Jobs at Headquarters
Back in January, a Sprint SEC filing stated that the company would be launching "workforce reduction plan to reduce costs and better meet the changing dynamics of the marketplace." Those reductions have been ongoing throughout the year, with a recent SEC filing indicating that Sprint intended to take a $160 million hit in the second quarter due to severance packages. A filing last Friday indicated that the latest round of layoffs include the elimination of 452 jobs at the company's headquarters -- on the heels of 477 job reductions at HQ earlier this year.
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IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

Bloated...

Wow, Sprint sure got bloated under Hesse...

I trust Marcelo knows what he's doing.
existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz

Member

Re: Bloated...

Sprint used to have 30K employed in KC about 15 years ago, now it's about 6K. Granted that was before Nextel merger and then local/LDX spun off and sold to CenturyLink. What's mostly happening though is they take many off direct payroll but then hire contractors (I once did a 3 month contract with them years ago). There are still a few hundred job openings in KC and probably over 5K contractors.
bigballer
join:2014-09-25

bigballer

Member

Re: Bloated...

doesn't their customer service already suck?....

how can you possibly make it even worse?

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

Re: Bloated...

Who says this is making it worse?
bigballer
join:2014-09-25

bigballer

Member

Re: Bloated...

can't make it any better....

But then again, quality over quantity.
existenz
join:2014-02-12

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I'm not sure but I think customer service is contracted, not on direct payroll. Sprint is cutting direct payroll and shifting to more contractors. I'm still on Sprint and do think customer service is much better than it used to be, they just need to get Spark everywhere - most complaints are about that and CS can't really do anything about it.
pandora
Premium Member
join:2001-06-01
Outland

pandora

Premium Member

Re: Bloated...

said by existenz:

I'm not sure but I think customer service is contracted, not on direct payroll.

It's smarter to outsource customer support. Likely easier to change, and scale than doing it in house. IIRC Sprint leases it's towers now as well. Letting smaller more nimble companies manage this stuff probably reduces costs and increases quality.

However, it's got to be tough on existing workers, families and communities.

tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Gulfport, MS

tc1uscg to existenz

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to existenz
said by existenz:

they just need to get Spark everywhere - most complaints are about that and CS can't really do anything about it.

It just never ceases to amaze me how many people say things like that. People seem to think (dream) that if sprint dumps another half baked technology at our feet, things are going to magically get better. First it was 3G, then EVDO, then Rev A, the WiMax, then LTE, yada yada yada. It won't happen with Spark or any new spectrum they just happen to find in their mailbox. Sprints inability to see anything through (or think it through) to the end is monumental. They spent millions constructing MAN rings but for some reason, couldn't get that last mile (to the cell towers) constructed, oh wait, didn't they "sell" off thier towers? (sarcasm in case you didn't get it). So loosing 400+ isn't going to make things any more worse (or better)... for the customer, maybe for the investors.

As far as contractors, they handed off ALL their switch techs in both wireless and wireline to Ericson. So, the MAJORITY of network operations and NOC's are NOT sprint people. They once were but have been crapped on so much, and treated like, well, contractors, they don't give a flying F about the network. They just show up day to day, working trouble tickets and just getting by. No going out of their way to do anything special. To borrow a quote from one of those techs, "We just don't care anymore what happens to this place"... I think that says it all about the general attitude in Sprint La La land.

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

Re: Bloated...

So Network Vision is all smoke and mirrors? That's what you're saying?
Adding Spark to every tower is smoke and mirrors? That's what you're saying?

tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Gulfport, MS

1 edit

tc1uscg

Member

Re: Bloated...

Sorry, have you been paying to attentions to Sprint's track record or is it the rose colored glasses? Sprint has tried to employ all kinds of 'visions' (no pun intended) over the past 15 years, lets start in 1999, that were not allowed to grow or be completed. Wireline had it's ION, Wireless had WiMax. So YES.. that's what I'm saying. Whey they have SPARK on every tower and everyone rushes in to spend $800 for a new phones that's triband, then you can come back here and say HA HA, SEE TOLD YA SO! But they can't even get LTE deployed to every tower so what on gods green earth do you think they will get Spark up and running in 100% of it's market before they dump it for something else?

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

Re: Bloated...

The whole point of Network Vision is that they won't have to dump it for something else... All of Sprint's technologies are being consolidated to each tower, and the towers are set-up to be modular to accept new technologies as they are introduced.

»www.slideshare.net/udiaz ··· -connect

tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Gulfport, MS

tc1uscg

Member

Re: Bloated...

Nice slide show. I've sit through a few of these too when I was a Sprint switch tech (wireline mostly) for 10 years. But not to beat a dead hourse, everytime Sprint starts blowing it's horn about some kind of magic network transformation, they take longer then any other service provider to do it or they never finish, hoping to make people run in and buy the latest and greatest. "Network Visioin" is, to put it bluntly, just another play on words that has been floating around for years. Gee, back in 2005 or so, we just called it "Sprint Vision", then just VISION to refer to 3G.

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

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Re: Bloated...

You don't think Marcelo will come through with SoftBank's backing?
existenz
join:2014-02-12

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I have solid Spark between home/work and it works very well. 20-60Mbps is typical and 800Mhz allows voice calls to work deep in garages - better coverage than ATT/Tmobile in my area. They would be in good shape if getting Spark on nearly 100% of cellsites (and supply enough backhaul) - 70% of sites won't cut it.
bigballer
join:2014-09-25

bigballer

Member

Re: Bloated...

A great chunk of Sprint's network is still running T1/microwave backhaul, which is the problem. Obviously it's not easy to run fiber to each and every tower which takes time.... a few years here and there.

With that said, I'm not waiting. Tmobile made a sound investment starting to deploy fiber back in 2008, before the other carriers, and it's paying off big time right now.

But then again existenz, you're in Sprint's headquarters, I would expect them, more or less, to offer decent coverage there.

Similar to Verizon in NYC, Tmobile in Bellevue, or ATT in Dallas.
existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz

Member

Re: Bloated...

Yup, just saying they would be in good shape if they can get Spark (and appropriate backhaul) on nearly every site. Getting there is the challenge. Spark itself works very well when solid.

Disclaimer: I did work for Sprint (3 month contract over years ago) but also worked for ATT for over 5 years.

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

Re: Bloated...

Sprint's going to be fine...

Verizon's worried about how much capacity Sprint has by the way... That should tell you something...

»www.fiercewireless.com/s ··· 14-02-07
bigballer
join:2014-09-25

bigballer

Member

Re: Bloated...

which is a bunch of rather "useless" 2.5 ghz spectrum.

sub 1.0 ghz, Sprint has little spectrum. a few 800 mhz from Nextel mostly.

graycorgi
Premium Member
join:2004-02-23

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Sprint's employees at the call center in Blountville, TN are direct hires. Customer service is actually one of the things I enjoy about Sprint.
bigballer
join:2014-09-25

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»www.bizjournals.com/kans ··· ?ana=twt

Thought you might find this interesting existenz
existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz

Member

Re: Bloated...

Yes, has been that way for a while metro wide, but very good between home/work (downtown/midtown KC), which has 100% sites on Spark. 70% in a market won't at all cut it. My point all along is that they could be in good shape if getting near 100% on Spark (including 800 voice), but they don't so still not on par with others.

tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Gulfport, MS

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Yeah and in about 99.9% of it's other markets too. I think the ONLY place they do good is in it's labs (but that's debatable). So, when the crack runs out in Reston and Overland Park, Sprint may wish they had just left Nextel alone, kept Sprint local and blew (waisted) a few billion on WiMAX. At least they wouldn't look like a bunch of idiots running around in circles trying to decide what new technology they want to try and sell the remaining few customers. Of course as always.. JMO

BIGMIKE
Q
Premium Member
join:2002-06-07
Gainesville, FL

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Sprint Boosts CEO Hesse's Total Pay

Sprint Nextel Corp. boosted Chief Executive Dan Hesse's total 2011 compensation by 31% to $11.9 million, due largely to an increase in his stock awards and a cash bonus that ignored the expense of carrying the Apple Inc. iPhone.

»online.wsj.com/articles/ ··· 12343154
bigballer
join:2014-09-25

bigballer

Member

Re: Bloated...

Besides selling out to Mr Son, what has Dan Hesse, CEO since 2008, accomplished to actually deserve that lavious CEO salary?

This is a perfect example of why CEOs should be paid in accordance to the performance of the company. A failing company that is years behind in technology, massively laying off employees right and left, and their CEO deserves more compensation?

IPPlanMan
Holy Cable Modem Batman
join:2000-09-20
Washington, DC

IPPlanMan

Member

Re: Bloated...

Hesse was never in a position to truly save the company. He slowed the bleeding, but Claure is the one who will do the heavy lifting with SoftBank's backing.

People are missing the big picture here. SoftBank is backing Sprint with some serious cash, but at the same time, Son doesn't want to run a bloated operation and Claure is on the same page about that.
bigballer
join:2014-09-25

bigballer

Member

Re: Bloated...

Cash is going in the wrong direction if you ask me.

Instead of wasting time with mergers (tmobile) they should have invested that money in the network from the getgo. Sprint's backhaul is god awful.

Yes, Sprint backed out of the merger, but how much money was wasted in lawyer fees, FCC fees etc etc?

I switched to tmobile back in May. Whereas, if I was lucky, I was able to get 5 mbps download with Sprint and around 150-200 ms latency, I get around 30 mbps with tmobile and half the latency. Just last week, I believe tmobile upgraded some of their network around me so now I get about 60 mbps and they gave me a free router.

Compared to Sprint which a) had a 4g "tax" and b) kept increasing the administrative fee for each line. When I was with Sprint in 2007, it was $.75 a line, now it's $2.50 a line.

Also, CDMA phones suck.... especially with android

Spark? are you kidding me? my nexus 5 could never get more than 10 mbps in downtown chicago! Sprint launched LTE, launched Spark, but I swear their network keeps getting worse and worse until it just became embarrassing that I started dropping phone calls.

Have things changed in the last 5 months? maybe, maybe not, but sprint's been kicking the can down the road for the last 4 years now saying they're going to improve their network. They said that during wimax, LTE, and Spark. Sprint is just as bad as Comcast in my book.

Plus tmobile keeps their customers happy. I.e. free asus ac68u router, international data roaming, gogowifi.

tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Gulfport, MS

tc1uscg

Member

Re: Bloated...

said by bigballer:

free asus ac68u router

That's a great router. I have the AC66U. It's been rock solid though MANY have had issues (heat). If your using it, I put mine on a small footprint laptop cooling platform. I've never felt any major overheating.
bigballer
join:2014-09-25

2 edits

bigballer

Member

Re: Bloated...

Link me on the ac66u and the heat issues. I haven't experienced any and had the ac66u since july 2013, just got the ac68u to use as an extender.

I would assume its predecessor, the n66u would have had the 1st generation problems more so so Asus would have fixed it in the ac66u

Now you have me a little worried as I shelled a good chunk of money on the ac66u. Haven't had any wifi issues, random reboots, freezing, or disconnects.

tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Gulfport, MS

tc1uscg

Member

Re: Bloated...

It all starts with this.. over heat issues mentioned through out..

»www.amazon.com/review/RT ··· 70668520
nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

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to bigballer
Son likes to buy companies. Softbank is looking at Mexico etc. cellular now. Wants the size.

atuarre
Here come the drums
Premium Member
join:2004-02-14
EC/SETX SWLA

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to bigballer
Not much you can do about backhaul when companies (competitors) are dragging their feet getting the fiber to the tower. Not Sprint's fault if say they have to use AT&T to get fiber to the tower and T drags their feet doing it.

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IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

Verizon should just buy Sprint

From what I'm reading on here Sprint is in such bad shape that they should just sell to VZ.

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n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY

n2jtx

Member

My Hope

I hope that some of those people canned were the ones who came up with this unlock policy: »www.sprint.com/legal/unl ··· icy.html

Full of lies and falsehoods not to mention just downright nasty to maintain a "lien" on a fully paid off device. I just hope if was any of those folks, they do not wind up employed at another carrier and poison them. Why they still insist no Sprint iPhone's can be domestically unlocked is beyond me unless they are totally incompetent or get a kick out of lying to you while they are smiling.
decifal7
join:2007-03-10
Bon Aqua, TN

decifal7

Member

as well

Might as well.... They don't seem to be expanding their voice footprint in TN, their data footprint has expanded,but I believe that is mainly due to the better frequency being used.... If they would only improve their voice to go with the data coverage now they might have something if they keep on it...

wowpop
@69.161.77.x

wowpop

Anon

$353,000 per person

If my math is correct, these severance packages add up to about $353,000 per person if they are laying of 452 jobs and its going to cost them $160 million.

I wish I was being laid off right now for that kind of money. Something wrong with their math and an investigation into the SEC filing may be a fraud!!!