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Sprint, Nextel Exploring Merger

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What????

br14nguy3n

Dec 9, 2004, 7:02 PM
okay. i apoplgize for this, as it may be a silly question. from what i understand, sprint is purely cdma from the start; and nextel is completely iDEN/tdma based. if these two companies were to merger, how exactly can they share networks, and what does this mean for current customers like myself? if nextel and sprint were to become one company, how exactly would this affect what they do sell in the future (would it be iDEN or CDMA)? thanks.
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Rich Brome

Dec 9, 2004, 7:18 PM
What makes this work is that iDEN is a dead-end technology, and Nextel is on the verge of choosing a new technology to replace it anyway. One of the options they're considering is CDMA 1xEV-DO release A, which is also an option Sprint is seriously considering. (After release 0, which is what they are deploying now.)

So the fact that Nextel uses iDEN now isn't really important. What matters is that both companies are considering the same 3G technology.

And then just in general, Nextel's business users will make a good complement to Sprint's large base of consumer customers.

...and they will get a lot of benefits from combining tower and spectrum holdings.

...and they will especially benefit from combining the MMDS spectrum they ea...
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nextel18

Dec 9, 2004, 10:21 PM
very well said.
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gdaym8

Dec 10, 2004, 3:46 PM
Good to know! I am a current Nextel user and very happy with their phone and customer service. Formerly with Sprint, where the phone service was great but the customer service was the worst I've ever had, I am hopeful Nextel retains the call centers! Cheers!
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nextel18

Dec 9, 2004, 10:25 PM
i belive it could be an overlap of the two networks. remember nextel, mot, and qcom are working on a solution namely qchat in making the push to talk on iden network to be compatible with cdma networks.. thats a very interesting question you raised which the managment teams of both companies should consider. but like i just mentioned or maybe when the qchat is fully implemented both companies can go to fully cdma. or they could do a dual cdma/ iden network. i belive it wouldnt affect anyone, but then again the fcc calls all the shots. so we will have to see on that. first off this is just a rumor, doesnt mean that it will actually happen, but its likely it could. i guess as things progess, talks that is, then we should discuss the more techn...
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digitalblade

Dec 10, 2004, 1:52 AM
nextel18 said:
but like i just mentioned or maybe when the qchat is fully implemented both companies can go to fully cdma. or they could do a dual cdma/ iden network. i belive it wouldnt affect anyone, but then again the fcc calls all the shots. so we will have to see on that.


Good point, nextel18. I know that Nextel is looking to go CDMA since their new block of spectrum in their awarded 1.9GHz band is only 10MHz wide. They use much more than that know and only CDMA can effectively use that small of a bandwidth.

Once that was said, and Nextel bought Qualcomm's qChat rights for CDMA, you know they're looking into it. As Rich said... it's the only move that would make sense.

Not only that, but ind...
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nextel18

Dec 10, 2004, 8:47 AM
yea, i agree with what you said. that is why i think nextel and sprint are a nice marriage. both have great products and future products and both have a lot of weakenesses that the other company will fill in them.
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Rich Brome

Dec 10, 2004, 10:22 AM
digitalblade said:
...NextSprint(?) ...

Not bad, but how about Sprintel? 😉
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neuman8

Dec 10, 2004, 10:41 AM
Wow, this is really big if this happens. So I'm assuming that the IDEN/Motorola never came up with a viable 3G network for Nextel? What about those Flarion/IDEN network trials, were those network speeds too slow? Also what is the setup time for PTT on a CDMA/QChat network? Everybody I've talked to said that the PTT on CDMA (Verizon has it, Sprint has it) is not nearly as good in terms of setup time as the IDEN network, which usually sets up any PTT call in a second or less! Not only setup but the responses take forever on the current PTT/CDMA networks. I thought the only reason Nextel did so well is because they had the PTT advantage, they cannot forget about that, that is their whole business advantage.
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Rich Brome

Dec 10, 2004, 11:45 AM
neuman8 said:
So I'm assuming that the IDEN/Motorola never came up with a viable 3G network for Nextel?

They came up with WiDEN, but it's not a long-term solution. WiDEN stretches iDEN to its limits - Nextel needs something with legs that can take them farther.

Plus, as these technologies get more advanced and more complex, it gets dramatically more expensive to keep developing something proprietary like iDEN to compete. Motorola can't keep doing this on their own and expect to keep up.

What about those Flarion/IDEN network trials, were those network speeds too slow?

The Flarion tech is Flash-OFDM, and it has nothing to do with iDEN. It's something Nextel would use to replace ...
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iammebutnotme

Dec 10, 2004, 12:39 PM
Yet again, the RadioShack monster gear-head raises his voice to speak.... 🤣

Nextel purchased PCS CDMA frequencies this year from the FCC, ostensibly to test a whole network switch from iDEN/TDMA. Why would they do this?

--Limitations of TDMA: Classic 2G-era digital technology, limits # of users/cell. The problem that Nextel has had in recent years with their expanding customer base is how to fit them all into groups that are compatible with each customer's network base (clients/vendors/friends). The way that Nextel sets up its customers limits the number of customers in each major PTT group (I think around 500 per, but I'm not sure 🙄 ). Sprint's useage of VOIP for PTT is an efficient use of spectrum, as well as making it eas...
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Mobile-El

Dec 10, 2004, 2:20 PM
You wrote:
Coverage: Nextel is already deep in roaming agreements with Verizon and Sprint to carry the vast majority of their non-urban voice calls (suburbia and rural areas).

Are you referring to future agreements after a move to CDMA? we now that now Nextel's roams with no one as they are only IDEN, could you clarify?
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iammebutnotme

Dec 11, 2004, 8:20 AM
Mobile-El said:
You wrote:
Coverage: Nextel is already deep in roaming agreements with Verizon and Sprint to carry the vast majority of their non-urban voice calls (suburbia and rural areas).

Are you referring to future agreements after a move to CDMA? we now that now Nextel's roams with no one as they are only IDEN, could you clarify?


In the non-urban areas (at least here in the NE outside of NYC/Philly) Nextel's coverage is carried by Verizon and Sprints towers. The tech is IDEN, but the ownership is not Nextel's.
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Rich Brome

Dec 11, 2004, 4:14 PM
Most towers (just talking about the vertical structures) are only owned by one company, yet hold base stations (radio equipment and antennas) from multiple carriers. So it's certainly possible that some Nextel base stations are on towers owned by Sprint Sites.

...But that is a totally different thing from Sprint owning any iDEN equipment, or there being any kind of iDEN roaming relationship between Verizon and Nextel. I am pretty sure that Sprint and Verizon own exactly zero iDEN base stations.
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iammebutnotme

Dec 11, 2004, 5:01 PM
Rich Brome said:
Most towers (just talking about the vertical structures) are only owned by one company, yet hold base stations (radio equipment and antennas) from multiple carriers. So it's certainly possible that some Nextel base stations are on towers owned by Sprint Sites.

...But that is a totally different thing from Sprint owning any iDEN equipment, or there being any kind of iDEN roaming relationship between Verizon and Nextel. I am pretty sure that Sprint and Verizon own exactly zero iDEN base stations.


I had not intended to imply that Sprint or Verizon owned any iDEN base stations. If that was confusing to anyone, I offer my sincerest apologies.

My original statement was to show the amount o...
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Rich Brome

Dec 10, 2004, 7:31 PM
Nextel is definitely not in roaming agreements with Sprint and Verizon... Nextel uses iDEN, which is 100% incompatible with CDMA and AMPS. Not to mention that they operate in different frequency bands.
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