Sprint in the Corner

No doubt that the chatter has centered around AT&Ts acquisition of T-Mobile. What has not been discussed much is the moribund state this has left Sprint in. This has left the Overland KS based company in a precarious state as its shares tumbled to a value of less than 99% of the S&P. Theories abound as to how Sprint will dig out of the hole and revive itself. One thought that occurred to me was that America Movil chief Carlos Helu Slim would finally decide to purchase Sprint simply for the value of its network. Sprint’s licenses are worth almost 20 billion versus their market cap of 13.6 billion.

If done for the sake of gutting the company, and using its network America Movil would be able to continue its run on lower ARPU customers that has already made it a very quiet yet potent player in the prepaid space. Yet life as an MVNO maybe where Mr. Slim wants his assets to stay, it has worked thus far, why tamper with success.

What is not clear is whether Sprint will stay passive and appeal the purchase (already confirming their weakened state) or pursue the purchase of MetroPCS and Leap. Analysts are quick to throw these theories out, yet it would only net Sprint an extra 2% of the market when all is said and done. The other views point towards taking over the remaining 46% of assets at Clearwire which could help both companies in the long run – that is if they actually have a long run in them.

One thing to ponder is whether it is worth to pay heed to the “bigger is better” bravado emanating from the market place or focus on the fall out from TMO. Not a lot of customers are happy at being returned or going to AT&T. Knowing the lack of coverage on both networks in rural areas it made me smirk when I heard an allusion to how service in these areas would be improved by the merger. I was there four years ago as a Sprint employee when customers came with letters from AT&T dismissing them owing to their living in a roaming area. With AT&T this happens more often than not – I would advise the market pundits to get off the interstate and take in the sites of country roads and form their own opinion. AT&T quickly drops to the GSM signal whereas TMO just disappears. A couple of miles down the road you have no bars to mention in spite of AT&T’s constant yammering on the media. AT&T is about deceit, make no mistake.

For Sprint to overcome this hurdle they may need to focus on trimming costs rather than adding. Purchasing smaller carriers seems to me to just be a big distraction, yet one thing that they can do it for would be to raid the piggy bank that MetroPCS may have. I doubt Leap (Cricket) has any as they were in foul condition just a few months ago. Yet this is just pocket change in the great scheme of things and cannot address incompetent management and flailing employee morale at Sprint.

Sprint sales employees are on very tight performance management programs and falling below 90% of quota nets a warning and a quick path out. Very little is done to help these people along – this has affected the company in spite of its great infrastructure. With executives living in the clouds they still do not get it and the appetite for mergers maybe lost on the rank and file. I see very little value in Sprint attempting a purchase of MetroPCS, and it would come at a premium. What may be more advisable is to work on syphoning customers away from TMobile like MetroPCS did over the past years – but this game only works if you are willing to shed more layers of management and shut down some facilities that are redundant throughout the country. Either way, not a pleasant thing to be a Sprint employee these days.

A purchase by Verizon is plausible if only for the reason gutting I referred to earlier. This may be what AT&T did it for with TMO – just harness the horsepower of the network AT&T neglected to build these past years. Yet Verizon has done quite well without touching Sprint. The meat has been on the table for a long time, and Verizon never had an appetite for it, why would they now?

With Glowing Hearts – How Wireless is Allowing New Reporters

How wireless allows people to tell their personal stories. With Glowing Hearts is a must watch movie about the impact of the Olympics on people that were disnfranchised before the games and much worse off during and after.

Loving Pandora

I have a Zune, yet the Pandora has made that wonderful device obsolete or at least less desirable.

Why? I grew up with a transistor listening to baseball games and later on to soccer games when my family moved all of us to Colombia. The mobility back then allowed me to go anywhere the AM transmitter would allow me to go an not miss my favorite team’s game. TV’s did not have that power, they meant being shackled to the living room floor for the length of a game… yet my Zune should allow me mobility? True, it even has an FM radio if I get bored with my tunes. But the point is that with Pandora I am my own disc jockey. I provide my likes, the names of artists and customize the stations to my liking. Then, I download the applet for my Blackberry and yes, I go jogging, biking and even drive with Pandora streaming my stations and allowing me to discover new artists I would not have had I stuck to buying downloads for my Zune. It is an amazing experience and I also just let it stream at the office while I work…

I should also state that I am an former Sirius Radio subscriber. It was wonderful to drive through the country with your music streaming in regardless of where you are. The drawback? You had many stations to choose from, yet here again I was at the mercy of the Sirius programmer. Also, if you like Latin music, you had ONE channel… and they seemed to think that all latinos needed to listen to Bachata or Merengue all the time… it was excruciating and indicative of how limited their worldview was. I cancelled my subscription and for $14 bought an auxiliary audio cable at Best Buy, hooked it up to my Blackberry and piped in Pandora through the application. Now, I have MY station, my music and its free. I am streaming Pandora as we speak – with Sirius I would have needed a docking station, really convenient considering I am in my hotel room.

As 4G technology spreads throughout the country and 3G becomes a standard in less populated areas, this increased capacity for data transport will make radio stations obsolete unless you are a talk radio addict. I love Pandora.

My AT&T Customer Experience

I walked into the store in Coolidge Corner (Brookline MA) seeking service for my son’s phone. Nobody made even a feeble attempt to acknowledge us. I was able to locate the “Customer Service” area at the back of the store as I glanced for somebody to say hello. We got a rookie it turns out. He called his co-worker who (again without as much as a “Hello Sir” instructed the newbie to wait while he retrieved a paper. On the paper was listed instructions for a DSC, some listed handsets they could swap the unit for and the sales person gave me the “option” of dealing with the manufacturer or going to the service center in Waltham (Bear Hill no less). Considering that most people in the Coolidge Corner area WALK or take the T I thought that was quite funny. So, here I was looking at the options – lowly MetroPCS would have given me two options that did not include dealing with the manufacturer: One immediate swap for $30 if they had the handset, another Exchange by Mail for $10. I went back, got my car and drove to Bear Hill to a service center not accessible by public transportation (at least not easily).

We were greeted by an enthusiastic young lady and a lethargic older man. She examined the handset (well, really listened to my son’s diagnosis) and then had Lethargo look up the account. Turns out he was looking at my son’s line and did not see the account level Asurion insurance. She, on Lethargo’s queue indicated we did not have insurance, so our “option” was to ask AT&T to make the line “upgradable” early (yeah, and sign on for two more years when the original phone did not make month 14 without dying in spite of being in MINT condition); our other option after I retorted that we did have insurance was  – “Well you probably do have it, just call this number and speak to “lockline” (apparently she had not been updated as to their provider) and they will help you. Great customer service. AT&T is about getting you out of the store if you are not there to sign on for their iPhone4 or a refurbished variant of iPhone. “On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you grade your customer experience with AT&T?”. Zero.

Is T-Mobile About to Unleash an new Unlimited Plan?

After having been thrashed by MetroPCS, Boost Mobile (Sprint MVNO) and other competitors in the Northeast – T-Mobile is looking to release a plan at the end of the month that they believe to be a game changer. Details to follow below, however one asks why would they do this? Are they looking to depress the value of MetroPCS stock and then attempt a hostile takeover? Sprint has already lobbed a grenade into the wireless bunker with really not a lot of traction it seems. TMO has depleted distribution – reason for which the airwaves have the likes of Choice Wireless (a Master Dealer) aggressively advertising for new dealers. They will be holding an events in posh restaurants so if you are up for a free dinner – listen to your radio for details. Here is what we have learned about the new plan:

- 59.99 unlimited talk and text  for 1 line

- 79.99 For 2 lines and $5 extra for 2 more lines.

 All in – 4 lines for $90 Unlimited Talk and Text

This will prove to be a compelling offer. The new agreement between MetroPCS and US Cellular thwarts this plan in New England to the extent that TMO does not have robust coverage in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont – MetroPCS now has it at a $40.00 entry point.

We are trying to learn about the commission structure and that will require eating steak at Capitol Grille… The things we do!

Sprint Pumps Massive Amounts of Cash into Boost

The question is why? They have scaled down their own boring Dan Hesse-ego-centric black and white downer ads and inserted a series of confusing ads via Boost. Boost tries to present itself as a carrier, as an opetion. However the question that all customers are asking:

1. Why won’t Sprint put customers on an unlimited plan for $50.00 on their CDMA network?

2. Does Sprint believe that customers are unable to discern the difference?

3. Customers should know that they are being treated like second class citizens when Sprint puts them on the old Nextel network.

With announcements coming Verizon and MetroPCS about these two companies embracing LTE, one can only surmise that Sprint can only run interference so long before it implodes under the weight of its massive debt and managerial incompetence.

Sprint – Who Will Run the Network?

With the announcement of 8,000 layoffs in the next 60 days, Sprint (S) continues its downward spiral into oblivion. The massive loss of customers has only compounded the Kansas-based wireless carrier’s woes. With their iDEN network in shambles and a victim of accumulative obsolescence they have resorted to throwing grenades out of their bunker with a hope to hit something.

Nothing is sticking. Not the commercials. The Boost Unlimited at $50.00 received a tepid response from the public. I mean, like who needs to rely on the unreliable with so many choices out there?

Wireless Retail is changing

January 18, 2009 ·

With the impending launch of MetroPCS (symbol: PCS), Boost, a subsidiary of SprintNextel (S) has shot a squiggly across the bow invoking that it is a better choice than MetroPCS or Leap. In an effort to find out more I sat down with James Macoun, founder of TCC to discuss how (or if) Boost’s announcement was meaningful:

WR: So shares of both Leap and MetroPCS go tumbling after SprintNextel’s BoostMobile announce their $50.00 unlimited plan, why is that?

JM: Pay as you go is a sector that is hard to understand. The tumble is a justified reaction as also-ran Sprint (did you see that their shares are tumbling in spite of the announcement) is a large company and has been barraging the  airwaves with their CEO having quirky pointless monologues about wireless developments. Those that get confused run for shelter.

WR: Boost states that they have more coverage than the other two carriers…

JM: Boost is not a carrier. They are actually an MVNO working off of the archaic iDEN network that Sprint abandoned after the merger. Sprint has desperately been seeking a suitor to buy this dying network and this announcement serves two purposes: 1) Disrupt MetroPCS and Leap with their Northeast development – you see, MetroPCS is launching first quarter in New York and Boston, they already launched in Philadelphia with great success and add to that Leap’s entry to Philadelphia as well, Chicago, Baltimore-Washington later this year and you can see where Sprint is coming from. We are looking at the most populous sectors in the USA being able to buy wireless for less. 2) Try to create value for a rapidly aging network. Nobody is going to buy Sprint after their failure to conduct a merger that has resulted in so much continuing heartache with that albatross around their neck.

WR: I am still a bit confused, won’t Boost go toe to toe in these markets that MetroPCS and Leap are launching in?

JM: Not really. The key to retail continues to be distribution. Boost is sold in limited quantities at Sprint stores in the form of bait – try it yourself – you will see how they attempt to switch you over to their CDMA offerings (Sprint) in a heartbeat. There are no commissions to be earned for Sprint employees on Sprint and if anything there is animosity between the laid back surfer culture of Boost and the more structured Sprint employees.. Most of their indirect distribution (i.e. Sprint’s) is gone so my question to Boost is “Where You At?” Can’t buy what you can’t find.

Their handsets are stodgy, dated and again on a slower older generation network. MetroPCS and Leap offer much faster AWS (CDMA) handsets that allow for clearer call reception, faster Internet surfing and handsets that are more suited to 2009 tastes than 2003.

On the other hand, go to markets where for example MetroPCS serves and MetroPCS has hundreds of points of sale (physical stores) and actual MetroPCS-branded stores. Customers, believe or not, value service, easy quick answers, not a run around. Having used Boost for one of my sons I found a) Their customer service was clueless and unhelpful b) They possessed a disturbing amount of information about me when I had to give them my social security number to ascertain I was the owner of the account (something not required with MetroPCS for example). MetroPCS in 2008 won the J.D. Powers Award.

WR: Why would somebody buy Boost?

JM: Choice is a funny thing, however I would like you to think about why any retailer would invest in Boost? It has cornered itself into a niche product, MetroPCS and Leap to some extent reach a broader audience in their offerings. Sprint is being disingenuous offering a $50.00 plan through its iDEN network. After laying off thousands and with more stores closing this year (with concomitant additional layoffs), MetroPCS and Leap are creating thousands of jobs and contributing to economic growth in some of our nation’s largest cities. Furthermore, both companies are creating jobs in the impoverished areas, something Sprint (or for that matter Verizon and AT&T) have never has done nor will be able to. 

WR: Okay, can you explain the network bit (MVNO?)

JM: MetroPCS and Leap are real carriers. They own and operate their networks, have invested millions in the markets they serve. There are actual engineering and sales teams dedicated to their operations. Boost is based on the old Nextel network, has little to nothing invested in the core urban areas since Nextel was a business based offering seeking high revenue. Nextel worked great in office districts and later in suburban settings as the company expanded. After the merger suburban customers switched to Verizon and AT&T when Sprint became a nightmare.

WR: So how does this affect Leap and MetroPCS?

JM: So, if you are making calls in downtown Boston for example, Boost might work, and MetroPCS will work too, yet if you go to Roxbury or Chelsea Boost is non-existent while the banners for future MetroPCS stores are flying for a reason, no? The same holds true in Philadelphia where MetroPCS sales have spiked after the disruption they were subject to by TMobile.

WR: T-Mobile? Really? Well our next article will focus on that since you seem to have tidbits about TMO that people could learn.

JM: Absolutely. Let’s get back to Metro and Leap, they know “Pay as You Go” – Boost is an also-ran. It would be an error for both of  these companies to focus on Boost as the threat of impact is minimal. The true focus for MetroPCS and Leap is Sprint and T-Mobile and any smaller carrier getting in the way of their advance.

WR: Just a final question – what about nationwide coverage?

JM: While much is made about MetroPCS and Leap customers not being mobile yet increasingly more middle class customers are embracing Pay As You Go as cost control and the recent roaming agreement that gives their customers access to over 4000 cities, 300 major urban areas. So really it is not a concern.

WR: But, (and I know I said final question), what if I am sitting in a bus on the way to Hartford CT, will I get coverage on i-84? MetroPCS and Leap have roaming agreements with other carriers that actually allow access to other networks, it is great for emergency calls. With Nextel/Boost/Sprint there is NO Roaming available, the handset does not work except for the required 911.

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