How to start a cell phone company?

How can I offer cellular service in my area? I would like to offer a similar service to Cricket which provides UNLIMITED LOCAL SERVICE. I'm new to this, so I would need to start from the top.

[pfp]

Step 1:

Register on the forum and we'll all give you more respect and be much more interested in communicating with you.

P

[karthik]

Hi.even i am thinking in your lines. waiting for positive reply.u forward to my mail address if you get any information. karthik187@gmail.com

[zamboni77]

Lots and Lots of Capital......and when you get some, get some more.

If you are really going to try, why not try selling it to a local company by providing it to them for a free trial period.

[Bill Clinton]

What area are you in?

Would you be building a network or operating an MVNO?

You probably should have done this about 15 years ago. I am willing to bet that there are already a few providers that are strong in your area and not many customers will want to switch. Building your own network is a huge cost. Even covering one small city would come at a huge price. I don't think you can make it work.

If Cricket is not in your area you might be able to get a few towers up, get a few thousand customers, and then sell to Cricket or another small provider that is no present in your area. Still a long shot so consider another way of making your living.

[TelcomJunkie]

I don't think you'd be on here asking how to do it if you had access to the required capital for either an MVNO or your own network. If you have that money to invest you'd be talking to the appropriate consultants by now.

[Rasputin]

Start with a few billions for spectrum, then add an additional billion for a buildout and infrastructure. Plus pay millions for access to towers from companies like American Tower or building your own. Now pay even more money to fight the NIMBYs in each neighborhood. Invest millions in your lawyers. Finally add millions in advertising, marketing. Figure out a way to get resellers to take on your product.

Now just wait years and years to hopefully get profitable.

Very simple, PM me and I can charge you millions for my consulting, I was very good Wireless Engineer back in the day, my experience is old school AMPS, TDMA, IDEN, GSM, CDMA IS-95, 2 way radio networks, and wireless data.

[JessFerg]

We have been trying to start a cell phone company as well and the larger companies keep throwing up road blocks as to how to get connectivity. All we need to know is what are the steps necessary (step by baby step) to get this company up and running as a tier 1 (providing our own connectivity) or minimum tier 2 distributor.

[celstar]

Hello,

I wonder how Metro PCS can offers unlimitted phone calls/minutes when the biggest companies out there like AT&T / Verizon, .... all have minutes based plans? Is there a catch?

Thanks

Andre

[Bill Clinton]

Andre, you have a few answers to this question in the other thread.