Sprint Nextel Merger

Nextel does not have any Cellular 850 MHz licenses. They have SMR upper 800 MHz and lower 900 MHz licenses. They are giving back the lower 800 MHz to the FCC so the public safety can use the whole band in that spot now. They may have some 700 MHz MHz licenses as well.
Once the merger is complete Sprint could add PCS panels to the tower in many new areas.
Sprint will be selling end of 05 or early 06 WiDEN phones that will do iDEN digital on the SMR band and CDMA on the PCS band.
Nextel gets a nationwide PCS G block license once they hand back the lower 800 MHz SMR licenses.
Nextel customers will not have to buy new phones until 2007 or 08. That is when they will shut down iDEN digital network. After that you will have to have a CDMA phone or WiDEN phone.

 

This whole merger seems like a major engineering nightmare to me. So they will be selling WiDEN phones for a short while, and then the iDEN will be gone? I suppose Sprint will gain tower locations from this, where they will impliment PCS equipment/antennas. I wonder what they plan on doing where they have overlapping coverage of towers?

 

I'm sure many towers will be overlapping and some of them shut down and removed over time. But it will be easy for Sprint to add their 1900 Mhz equipment to Nextel towers because Nextel has oversized equipment areas that will be able to accomodate the Sprint equipment.

 

And you know Verizon will be bringing out press releases saying they have added tower in this and that market. (The truth is equiment was taken down so Verizon can put up theirs) :browani: :devil: :redface:

 

I know taking down and moving towers is not exactly "cost effective". I would think they would try and sell towers to other carriers or any business looking for towers. What do you mean by "Nextel has oversized equipment area's"? Are you talking about the square footage at the base of the tower (inside fence enclosure)?

If so you are right about that. Sprint is deploying these new "minicells" that are just tiny! Sprint usually uses Nortel outdoor cabinets, while a good portion of the other carriers keep their equipment inside a shelter (shed). A friend of mine works for an affiliate of Sprint which uses these newer minicells. They are about half the size of the standard outdoor cabinets (which take up less room then a shelter).

 

Yes Nextel uses the enclosed shelter buildings to store their equipment which have extra room in them. Sprint does not use enclosed shelters very often.

 

Agreed-same in my area. Verizon, Nextel, and sometimes Cingular Blue are the only ones using shelters/small buildings to store their equipment in.

 

Once Nextel switches over to CDMA, does that mean Nextel won't be able to use Telus Mobilitys network in Canada?

Mike.

 

Chaos,
Telus also has CDMA coverage in Canada (some parts at least). I think they offer iDEN as a seperate service.

As far as I could tell, the two major Canadian companies are Telus, and Bell Mobility (fir CDMA). I have seen that they both have more than one technology running in some places, may be wrong about Bell. Anyway, I thought I heard that this was the result of a few mergers in canada, which made up a few large companies...


So, even if you get a sprint-nextel CDMA, you will (should) be able to get the same coverage. If you got a WiDEN phone, such as the ones mentioned above, you would be able to use both iden and CDMA. This is probably the best solution for you if you want to use iDEN in Canada, tho CDMA will be there most likely.

It might be interesting to see what happens to these smaller iDEN companies when Nextel gives up their licenses. What about Southern Linc and others... Will Telus stop offering the iDEN in canada since it will not work in the US? - most likely IMO

 

I'm thinking of getting a Sprint phone with the ready-link service. If I do get one, will i be able to talk to nextel customers via the walkie talkie through the sprint-nextel network combined?

 

Over time, after the companies are starting to merge, I would think so, but not for now.

 

ANy more gossip on this merger? I'm more interested in how Nextel is going to approach Nextel Partners. You would think they almost have to buy them out.......I think they own 30% or so of Partners as of right now.

I'm still wondering about merging the two technologies

 

What I think will probably happen is this:
Sprint Nextel has incompatible networks. I think the new company is going to want for example PCS service in my hometown, not just SMR. I am sure the affilates and partner things got to get settled as well. Hometown Nextel Partners and iPCS. There only needs to be one Partnership or affilate.
My guess is the merger will complete in July or August, but we won't see day 1 of SprintNextel until December. That gives the company time to get a PCS network in areas where there is only SMR (and vice versa maybe). Also they will have WiDEN phones ready go about the same time.
I could be wrong on this, this is who I see it.

 

I know Nextel Partners is not showing any signs of tightening their belt as they are still putting up towers. They just added 3 along hwy 20 in between Waterloo and Iowa Falls. To me Partners is just adding to their network to be more attractive and valuable when NEXTEL has to buy them completely out.

I've even talked to a couple tech's from Partners who are unsure what will become of them after the merger is complete. I think it will be a mess for awhile after the merger is complete, trying to overlay the network with CDMA and still be pushing walkie talkie.

 

Not until after a merger, because they have to be careful about anti-trust violations, since they are not one company yet and still compete in the marketplace for customers.

Both Sprint and Nextel are going to have to be very careful as to how they treat there affiliates and partners.

I forsee at least one affiliate if not more causing some legal problems for the future Sprextel....someone's toes are going to get stepped on in this mess...and they are going to bring out the lawyers.

 

iPCS has been in pleany of legal battles with Sprint.

Nextel Partners putting up more towers is a good thing. Sprint will need to just add a CDMA basestation and they have added more coverage after the merger.

 

Yep...I used to work for Airgate and met all the IPCS reps, while Airgate still acknowledged they were the same company.

 

I think US Unwired has already got the FCC invovled with some merger issues they have.