Sprint customers will not have to wait until 2014 to experience LTE connectivity; the cellco’s 4G network is set to launch in Dallas, Atlanta, Houston and San Antonio and Read more….
The termination of the deal was expected after regulators at the FCC effectively blocked LightSquared from launching its network. Read more…
About 83 percent of mobile operators interviewed by Infonetics said they had deployed small cell, with the rest indicating they would do so this year. Read more…
Why is the U.S. wireless industry in such straits, as shown by AT&T Inc.’s crucial but failed plan to buy T-Mobile USA? Read more…
If AT&T is unable to sucessfully close the deal, it will be forced to cough up cash, spectrum and roaming agreements worth a total of $6 billion. In that scenario, where will T-Mobile go for 4G? Read more at http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/where-does-t-mobile-go-here-4g/2011-09-01?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal.
Wireless companies are not immune to the pain, as they are suffering their share of what many predict is the beginning of another recession. The RCR Wireless News Stock Index highlights how vulnerable the mobile industry is and the precarious positon it could find itself in for years to come. Read More at http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20110808/FACILITATORS/110809947/1114/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=item&utm_campaign=rss&elq=4dcc79fc31d14c6ba0f3b4c56ff708ea&elqCampaignId=199
Public interest groups opposed to the AT&T purchase of T-Mobile continue to press the FCC to hold public hearings. Public hearings for mergers and acquisitions are rare, but do you thing the FCC should allow it in this case? Read More at http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/public-interest-groups-press-fcc-hold-public-hearings-attt-mobile-deal/2011-06-29?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal.
How do you think this could impact cell site property owners?
During the Mobile World Congress in February, Sprint shared an update on its Network Vision project. The initiative is aimed at simplifying and integrating Sprint’s convoluted network infrastructure. Sprint has placed a price tag of up to $5 billion on Network Vision, but expects the upgrades will enable the company to decommission up to 20,000 cell sites, delivering massive operating cost savings over the long term.
According to a report in Fierce Wireless (See http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sprint-decision-lte-likely-four-six-months/2011-02-15), Sprint Senior Vice President of Networks Bob Azzi explains that part of the strategy includes a deployment of CDMA 1x Advanced, which may offer 20 percent to 40 percent improvement in network capacity and performance. The big item on the list though, is shuttering the old Nextel iDEN network. The company’s well-known Direct Connect push-to-talk feature will be replaced with a CDMA-based alternative.
Today, Sprint is rolling out 4G services with its partner Clearwire using WiMAX technology. However, Azzi indicated the company is evaluating the option of migrating to LTE, the 4G technology favored by Verizon and AT&T.
How will Sprint’s Network Vision initiative impace cell site owners?
Tricia Duryee from eMoney notes that if Verison Wireless were to make a bid for Sprint, regulators would face a serious dilemma. Chetan Sharma, a wireless consultant observes “They cannot say no to one and approve the other, and they cannot approve both of them.” What do you think? Can Verizon stay competitive without an acquisition? Read the full article….
