Nextel Partner vs. Sprint affiliates

[Dogma]

Can anyone tell me what is going on with Sprint affiliates (ie. iPCS, etc..) and Nextel Partners as far as them competing in the same markets? Does the new Sprint Nextel eventually plan on buying these affiliates and Nextel Partners? Or is SprintNextel content on letting their affiliates operate as is for now? Basically I'm confused on how their affiliates plan to operate from here on out??

I know Nextel Partners is probably going to excercise a "put" option to force Nextel to buy them out.

[pbw]

Originally Posted by Dogma

Can anyone tell me what is going on with Sprint affiliates (ie. iPCS, etc..) and Nextel Partners as far as them competing in the same markets? Does the new Sprint Nextel eventually plan on buying these affiliates and Nextel Partners? Or is SprintNextel content on letting their affiliates operate as is for now? Basically I'm confused on how their affiliates plan to operate from here on out??

I know Nextel Partners is probably going to excercise a "put" option to force Nextel to buy them out.

Alamosa owns iPCS/AirGate PCS. As for U.S. Unwired (Gulf Coast Wirelessm, Georgia PCS, Independent Wireless One (IWO), Louisiana Unwired, etc.)
they got angery and sued Sprint PCS to block the merger. Sprint PCS in turn bought out all of U.S. Unwired. I suspect that is how things will go with everyone except maybe Alamosa, nTelos and Shentel PCS.

[larry]

Originally Posted by pbw

Alamosa owns iPCS/AirGate PCS. As for U.S. Unwired (Gulf Coast Wirelessm, Georgia PCS, Independent Wireless One (IWO), Louisiana Unwired, etc.)
they got angery and sued Sprint PCS to block the merger. Sprint PCS in turn bought out all of U.S. Unwired. I suspect that is how things will go with everyone except maybe Alamosa, nTelos and Shentel PCS.

I think Alamosa and Ubiquitel are big enough and strong enough to make it on their own. At least for a while until Sprint decides to buy them out down the road.

Nextel Partners will be bought out.

[agentHibby]

iPCS is now with Horizon PCS

[WirelessBeachBum]

ntelos shares tower locations, but does not brand as sprint anyway

[pbw]

Originally Posted by WirelessBeachBum

ntelos shares tower locations, but does not brand as sprint anyway

While there is no direct branding from the middle of Augusta County south towards Tri-Cities and from Louisa County west nTelos = Sprint PCS. Sprint PCS has no towers in that region of Virginia. They had an affiliate (Horizon PCS) who contracted with nTelos to use nTelos's network. In Norfolk/Richmond (extending to Fredericksburg and south to NC Line) they do share towers.

[Dogma]

do these affiliates have a future with the new Sprint NExtel? How about where iPCS and Nextel Partners overlap in the midwest, which one of these affiliates has the upper hand down the road?

[guy2]

I'm sure that Sprint Nextel will buy Nextel partners for the right price of course.

[jrip]

Originally Posted by pbw

Alamosa owns iPCS/AirGate PCS. As for U.S. Unwired (Gulf Coast Wireless, Georgia PCS, Independent Wireless One (IWO), Louisiana Unwired, etc.)
they got angery and sued Sprint PCS to block the merger. Sprint PCS in turn bought out all of U.S. Unwired. I suspect that is how things will go with everyone except maybe Alamosa, nTelos and Shentel PCS.

Alamosa spun off iPCS when they filed their original suit against Sprint a few years back. As it opened up Alamosa and iPCS to being bought out according to their affiliate agreements. So Alamosa has nothing to do with IPCS anymore. As far as affiliates go Sprint is pretty much giving them the choice of playing the game Sprint Nextels way. Or be bought out. Some of the affiliates made moves pre-merger to try to inflate their value for just such an occasion. Like iPCS and Horizon merging to try and make themselves to large for Sprint Nextel to buy. But they didn't count on that merger making the slide back into bankruptcy a shorter trip. Considering they are losing money every quarter with no relief in sight. Sprint is just playing the wait and see game with some of the affiliates. But mostly Sprint Nextel is waiting to find out how much NPI is going to cost. As NPI will be the most expensive affiliate to purchase.

[Dogma]

Originally Posted by jrip

Alamosa spun off iPCS when they filed their original suit against Sprint a few years back. As it opened up Alamosa and iPCS to being bought out according to their affiliate agreements. So Alamosa has nothing to do with IPCS anymore. As far as affiliates go Sprint is pretty much giving them the choice of playing the game Sprint Nextels way. Or be bought out. Some of the affiliates made moves pre-merger to try to inflate their value for just such an occasion. Like iPCS and Horizon merging to try and make themselves to large for Sprint Nextel to buy. But they didn't count on that merger making the slide back into bankruptcy a shorter trip. Considering they are losing money every quarter with no relief in sight. Sprint is just playing the wait and see game with some of the affiliates. But mostly Sprint Nextel is waiting to find out how much NPI is going to cost. As NPI will be the most expensive affiliate to purchase.

That makes me think Nextel Partners is more likely to be bought and integrated into the new Sprint Nextel than Sprint affiliates like iPCS. If Spint Nextel buys NPartners, they could add CDMA onto their existing towers. But it would seem to be a waste with all the CDMA deployed by Sprints affiliates. But I guess they are on leased towers.