Cable Companies close to a deal with Sprint

[guy2]

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuot...2439686_newsml

[Fire14]

Wow, Comcast, Time Warner & Cox all signing up with Sprint/Nextel for bundled package deals, this will put the cable companies in the running for more competion with the bells.
It's amazing how many companies go with Sprint for reselling service & not with Cingular or Verizon, and they are sewing this area up real well for themselves.

[danny boi]

Originally Posted by Fire14

Wow, Comcast, Time Warner & Cox all signing up with Sprint/Nextel for bundled package deals, this will put the cable companies in the running for more competion with the bells.
It's amazing how many companies go with Sprint for reselling service & not with Cingular or Verizon, and they are sewing this area up real well for themselves.

The Bells would probably never pair up with any Cable Company for a partnership that would benefit the other financially.

Sprint and the Cable Companies share a common enemy, the Bells.

Maybe they can't effectively compete against the Bells one on one, but are a larger force to reckon within a big bunch.

The bundled packages will mean Sprint and the Cable Companies will have to share the profits.

Who knows, maybe a few years from now, all the Cable Companies will pony up the $$$ to outright buy Sprint just like they plan to do with AOL?

When future customers call up for support, they'll hear:

For Sprint-Nextel Comcast, press 1
For Sprint-Nextel Time Warner, press 2
For Sprint-Nextel Cox, press 3.
For Sprint-Nextel purchased directly from Sprint-Nextel, press 4.
For Sprint-Nextel purchased from all other sources, press 5.
If you don't remember where you purchased your Sprint-Nextel service, press 0 and you will be transferred to an operator who can help you.


Right now, when I call Sprint Biz DSL, I'm greeted with similar phone menu's. You're either Sprint-Earthlink, Sprint-MSN, Sprint Extreme, Sprint DSL... etc.... If you don't know which one you are and you guess wrong, that group will not be able to find you in their system and can't transfer you to another extension.

I'm curious to see how this will pan out. I hope you guys post follow up stories.

Do you think this move will cannibalize Sprint's direct sales channels? Or, do you think Sprint will eventually go all in-direct to save overhead expenses on store locations and sales employees?

Will this piss off Radio Shack? Certainly this means less sales opportunities for them too?

Why look for a Sprint store when you can get help at your local Time Warner Cable store?

[Gman]

The WSJ says the service will be marketed under the Sprint name so it won't be an MVNO. I am looking forward to a phone that will use WiFi VOIP when at home and CDMA while on the road with a seamless transition between. A nice plus for users will be solid coverage in the home . A plus for Sprint will be the traffic taken off the CDMA network from the people using their phones at home. Also EVDO on the road and WiFi internet at home on the handset. If this comes to bear the local phone companies (and works well) are going to lose more customers which is the idea the whole idea.

[Fire14]

Now this article throws somewhat of a twist in Comcast signing up with Sprint, of course it all depends on how this works for them & may take a while to setup.


BelAir Wi-Fi targets cable
By Carol Wilson

Oct 26, 2005 9:08 AM

LAS VEGAS--BelAir Networks today announced a new version of its Wi-Fi mesh technology specifically designed to enable cable TV companies to add wireless capabilities to their service bundles, and also revealed a new round of funding, led by Comcast Interactive Capital.

The new strand-mounted versions of BelAir’s wireless broadband radios support Cable Labs’ DOCSIS 2.0 standard and are designed for easy deployment on existing cable plant, without requiring additional permits or fees. The current versions operate in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, but later versions will support licensed spectrum.

“We have seven deployments with cable companies,” said Bernard Hersocvich, CEO and co-founder of BelAir. “The U.S. is definitely leading the way--cable companies want to have the wireless solutions and mobile voice solutions and they view wireless mesh as a very good entry point.”

Comcast Interactive Capital (CIC) and McLean Watson Capital led the Series C round of financing for Ontario-based BelAir, and CIC Principal Deepak Sindwani also joined the BelAir Board of Directors.

Incorporating wireless technology into their existing systems positions cable companies to deliver Quad Play services in competition with telephone companies who have their own cellular operations, and to do fixed-mobile convergence, using wireless and voice over IP technology. They are also looking at delivering other kinds of content over the mobile system, Hersocvich said. BelAir is also selling the new radios to municipalities who want to offer WiFi.

“One application is create lateral zones where they can offer mobile voice services and they are also very keen on mobile video to handsets,” he said. “Also, there are enterprise applications for hotels, resorts and conference centers using wireless mesh to provide wireless data and voice over WiFi through a specific area.”

The BelAir50s is a single-radio 802.11g wireless mesh node, operating in the 2.4 GHz band and designed to be strand-mounted and hardened for the outside plant environment. It supports a copper, fiber or DOCSIS 2.0 interface. The Belair100s is a two-radio wireless mesh switch that adds a 5 GHz backhaul radio module to the BelAir 50s to support a shored mesh or a dedicated point-to-point link.

“This is a very powerful tool used by cable companies and other service providers to offer voice services, there is no doubt about it,” Hersocvich said. “The driver is economics. It is extremely cost effective to do voice over wirelss mesh--compared to a cellular system it is 5 cents on the dollar.”

[guy2]

http://today.reuters.com/News/newsAr...RINT-CABLE.xml

[Fire14]

Well it will be real interesting to see how they sell the service and if they will do it seperate as well as a bundle package, I know Comcast advertises the VoIP service for 39.99 a month & the service is actually AT&T Callvantage, which I pay 29.99 a month for, if they follow this route they may price themselves too high to compete with other wireless companies and services.

Sprint sure does alot of reselling either thru MVNO or setup like this & I am still suprised the other carriers don't try & get a piece of the action.

[danny boi]

Yeah. For the first time, Cable Companies are preparing for some serious competition on their own turfs. Comcast has sent nasty letters to various city managers throughout the nation demanding Verizon be put under the same regulatory process they said they were under before providing TV. Believe me when I say Comcast execs hate Verizon with a passion. I hear it everyday during our conference calls. I don't even bring it up they just start venting. They sound scared to me.

What I see happening is the Bells and Cable Companies practically giving away home phone service in return for customer loyalty toward their other bundled packages.

I believe a company like SBC would prefer not to have it's wireless venture subject to profit sharing by setting up multiple MVNO's or resellers. They want all the money to themselves. They already have to share Cingular's profits with Bell South. Sprint owns 100% of their wireless divison so they are free to sell to whom they want to.

Cable companies have no choice but to resell a wireless phone service they don't provide themselves. Hell would freeze over before they ever sell any wireless product that would give profit to the ever deep pockets of the Big Bells.

Comcast and other cable co's have the opportunity to get one up before the Bells have their TV networks in place... Selling Sprint is their way to fight back.

By December, we should be seeing VZ vs Comcast attack ads here on the West Coast. SBC's shots at Time Warner we see here are tame in comparison to what is to come. This is going to get ugly.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by YourDaddy

Yeah. For the first time, Cable Companies are preparing for some serious competition on their own turfs. Comcast has sent nasty letters to various city managers throughout the nation demanding Verizon be put under the same regulatory process they said they were under before providing TV. Believe me when I say Comcast execs hate Verizon with a passion. I hear it everyday during our conference calls. I don't even bring it up they just start venting. They sound scared to me.

What I see happening is the Bells and Cable Companies practically giving away home phone service in return for customer loyalty toward their other bundled packages.

I believe a company like SBC would prefer not to have it's wireless venture subject to profit sharing by setting up multiple MVNO's or resellers. They want all the money to themselves. They already have to share Cingular's profits with Bell South. Sprint owns 100% of their wireless divison so they are free to sell to whom they want to.

Cable companies have no choice but to resell a wireless phone service they don't provide themselves. Hell would freeze over before they ever sell any wireless product that would give profit to the ever deep pockets of the Big Bells.

Comcast and other cable co's have the opportunity to get one up before the Bells have their TV networks in place... Selling Sprint is their way to fight back.

By December, we should be seeing VZ vs Comcast attack ads here on the West Coast. SBC's shots at Time Warner we see here are tame in comparison to what is to come. This is going to get ugly.

I do agree Yourdaddy tjat the cable companies are worried about Verizon entering the tv market, I keep reading about it in the paper where Comcast is trying to make it harder for Verizon to get local approvals on offering the service, and hopefully with the added competition we will all benefit. I know my cable bill is way to high & satellite isn't that much cheaper if I were to keep my cable internet.

As for re-selling the wireless, I can see why the cable companies wouldn't go to 1 of the bells by your explination and it makes alot of sense, I am just wondering why Cingular & Verizon haven't tried to setup MVNO's with other companies like Disney or others out there.

[Matt]

Here is the official announcement this morning:

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/051102/25447.html?.v=1

[jones]

Sprint/Nextel is allied w/ the Cable TV Companies,
VZW and Cingular has their own Landline Franchise Areas.
Where does this leave T-Mobile in Bundling Services?

[dtownfb]

This all sounds great esp. since Comcast is about to buy my cable company. It appears things will heat in the telecommunication industry.

I have Verizon Wireless account. how will this affect me? Or better yet, will i be able to take advantage of Comcast offerings even if I don't have Sprint?

[jones]

Originally Posted by dtownfb

I have Verizon Wireless account. how will this affect me? Or better yet, will i be able to take advantage of Comcast offerings even if I don't have Sprint?

probably not, you have to buy their bundle.

[danny boi]

Originally Posted by dtownfb

This all sounds great esp. since Comcast is about to buy my cable company. It appears things will heat in the telecommunication industry.

I have Verizon Wireless account. how will this affect me? Or better yet, will i be able to take advantage of Comcast offerings even if I don't have Sprint?

You can take advantage of Comcast's triple play. That includes cable TV, cable internet, and digital (home) phone.

In order for you to take part of their new quadriple play, you will need to sign up for Sprint service through Comcast.

If this saves you money and Sprint has good service in your area, you may want to consider this. The nice thing is that you will get one bill for all services.

[jones]

Other Cable TV companies are also expected
to JOIN this $200M convergence venture.

In a written release early Wednesday, Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) said that it will contribute $100 million to the venture and that the cable companies combined will contribute another $100 million. The deal is mutually exclusive for three years and has a 20-year term.

[roamer1]

Originally Posted by jones

Where does this leave T-Mobile in Bundling Services?

I've been wondering the same thing.

I think it's a combination of things -- their relatively large coverage gaps (the Carolinas and so on) and relatively limited rural reach almost certainly make them less attractive to other companies, while it seems that T-Mobile USA itself simply doesn't want to do MVNO or bundling deals with other companies for whatever reason. It's particularly puzzling given that T-Mobile in other countries, particularly the UK, is all but the network of choice for MVNOs!

IMO, being the "quiet company" of wireless certainly hasn't hurt them yet -- I know at least a dozen people who have switched to T-Mobile in the past year or so (and NOT just because I told them to! ) -- but I still have a feeling their complete lack of MVNO/bundling deals and their weak showing in larger retail chains could backfire in the long run.

-SC

[Matt]

Other than in the UK, where does TM do MVNO?

[jones]

Originally Posted by Matt

Other than in the UK, where does TM do MVNO?

How about DIRECTV.