Rumor: T-Mobile Eyeing Sprint

[Neutron]

This looks interesting:

"If a recent reports from London's Telegraph is to be believed, the Deutsche Telekom subsidiary is contemplating making a bid for Sprint. Currently placed at number four in the U.S., the acquisition would see T-Mobile/Sprint come close to AT&T and second place."


Report: T-Mobile Eyeing Sprint Acquisition - Tom's Guide

 

[Derwin0]

Seeing how t-mobile is GSM and Sprint is CDMI, not exactly a well match.

 

[BlackHitachi]

I would not mind this at all! Maybe then i could get a really cool phone! T- mobile needs help in this area!

 

[maxmoto]

Sprint bought Nextel and they didn't have a compatable systems. Still don't.

 

[Poke]

Sprint bought Nextel and they didn't have a compatible systems. Still don't.

True on the Push To Talk but I think they are moving Nextel iDEN systems over to CDMA which would make their systems more compatible. So they have some devices that do both. So it will depend on if Sprit really wants to do this which Sprint just bought out another small carrier. Plus spending allot of money on upgrading their 3G networks to 4G along with the Wi-Max Clearwire. Right now my guess would be this will not happen but would not surprise me if it did. This being said T-Mobile could look at other carrier besides Sprint like U.S. Cellular.

 

[riffjim4069]

Just don't touch my SERO...

 

[navychop]

I'd be stunned if this went thru. It would only make (some) sense if it was easy to shift towers to work as both CDMA & GSM, or to GSM alone. Then they could take some time to move customers over to the new system. With T-Mobile's world wide holdings, I don't see them shifting from GSM to CDMA for the US.

And I just don't see Sprint as offering any value. They've written off the money they spent on Nextel. They have a very unhappy customer base, based on the net customer losses they've sustained. Links on this in post #3 here. Bad billing system, disgruntled employees, limited non-roaming coverage. Where's the value?

AT&T (Cingular) shifted over from TDMA to GSM a few years ago. They had dual phones and dual towers for years, IIRC. Mostly dual towers. Service wasn't the best during the changeover.

Anybody know how hard/easy it is to switch a tower from CDMA to GSM? Easier than from TDMA to GSM?



P.S.- I talked with an AT&T friend before he left, about the PTT. It was pretty much a bust for the other carriers that added it after Nextel's patents expired. Turned out, most contractors that wanted to play GI Joe already had the system, and it was of little appeal to everybody else.

 

[Poke]

Yeah Sprint just bought out Virgin Mobile last month as well.

 

[navychop]

Actually, they bought out Virgin Mobile US. Turns out, VM did not have a network of it's own, and in the U.S. it used the Sprint network (and presumably, the towers that Sprint has roaming contracts with). Yet they grew rapidly, at least until earlier this year when they cut back on customer service- perhaps in anticipation of being bought out? To appear more attractive with short term cost cutting? Anyway, it made a lot of sense for Sprint to buy them.

VM is CDMA in the US, Canada & India, GSM everywhere else.

 

[pro96]

damn if that happens, there goes my $30.00 SERO plan

 

[Peter Parker]

Did T Mobile ever decide which 4G technology they are going with?

 

[mike123abc]

If they did merge they would probably migrate to GSM 3G/4G. T Mobile would probably want a consistant world wide platform. CDMA I think is hurting Sprint now. GSM dwarfs CDMA in subs world wide so more phone selection at better prices.

 

[TheForce]

As I posted in the other thread, Deutsche Telekom who owns T-Mobile has been notified it must divest all but 20% of T-Mobile USA to be in compliance with FCC regs. Thus, that portion of T-Mobile is up for grabs. I suppose any company could own the shares of T-Mobile regardless of the transmission technology. Further digging I found that T-Mobile had arranged to become legal by partnering with Verizon but it was never done. Seems like the FCC has alowed this one to slip through their fingers as they look the other way. Like the SEC did with the Madoff scandal.

 

[iceturkee]

this item was in my sprint users newsletter which i received via email tuesday.