T-Mobile looking to acquire Sprint?
This one will stay firmly in the rumor pile for the time being, but a report out of Germany points to an impending T-Mobile takeover of Sprint Wireless. On the surface, the move would make sense. T-Mobile has struggled to gain traction against its bigger competitors, with a sub-par coverage footprint and device selection that would make your grandmother laugh. Sprint, on the other hand, has been hemorrhaging absorbers and cash as of late, and seems to be stalling on their promised WiMAX 4G data rollout. Their powers combined might allow for greater success, but we do have our doubts. The two carriers operate on diametrically opposed frequencies and technologies, so marrying their coverage would be a nightmare. More importantly, however, would the combination of two troubled houses truly allow for success, or simply create a greater magnitude of trouble?
I was going to say that either way it’s going to be a bad move.
Without someone buying out the company and creating some sort of merger, it’s leaving the 20-30 million Sprint Customers totally in the dark.
If someone does buy them out, then you’re acquiring 20-30 million SPRINT customers. I loved it when I had it, but I left for very specific reasons. To be completely honest, a lot of Sprint’s customers aren’t going to have the credit to get anything other than a T-Mo flexpay account.
What should probably happen (if feasible) is that Sprint should be ‘bought out’ where T-Mobile owns the company in writing, offers to set up new T-Mo accounts for all on GSM (waive any contractual termination fees for those migrating to T-Mo) and then sell the CDMA towers out to local and national providers who currently use CDMA. T-Mo should keep any of the 2100 band or 700 mHz spectrum Sprint picked up over the last year or so.
i agree with Peter T on the this, it does make a ton sense, im a sprint costumer, an i love sprint i will never switch, i have no problems, but the merger would be great especially if they do come out with R-UIM, and SIM combo, so we have best of both worlds, GSM an CDMA, we would literally have coverage EVERYWHERE, and have great call quality with CDMA, because GSM just sucks in my opinion
haters!!! The only thing T-mobile lacks is a 3g air card and a ton of crappy phones that cost too much and came out too soon because they weren’t properly test. T-mobile has a smaller selection of phone becuase they don’t just start selling whatever the handset manufacturers tell them too, they put it through testing first (like Verizon used to) to make sure it isn’t a hunk of crap!! haters!!
I was actually going to make a comment about how the move wouldnt make any sense for T-Mobile, but I have to say instead…
Jesus, Galvatron, what the hell language are you trying to speak? You have to be the single most incomprehensible person I’ve seen on the entire Internet. Just trying to make it through your post made my head ache. It’s a pity, too, because for all I know you could have made a good point somewhere in there. If you really have that much trouble communicating, I’d recommend taking a couple classes. And if you’re just doing that because you think it’s funny, please stop it. It’s not funny. It’s aggravating.
This would be one way to kill Sprint…not a good one but a way to do it.
Well sprint already owns nextel so if T-mob bought out sprint that would make the company something like sprextebile?
Tmobile is the worst cell phone provider you can hate all you want but the FACTS are there service sucks they are the only provider who care up with a @ home service to mask how bad they are if you get good service good for you buy that don’t change how horrible they are and the SunCom deal don’t benefit anyone on the east coast or up north so who gives a damn
I have come to really love T-Mo since switching from Sprint. This deal makes no sense!! Why would a GSM proider want to buy a CDMA one. Besides why would a good successful company want to buy a death-bed-ridden company like Sprint? I’d rather Verizon by Sprint so that they can both die together and we can say goodbye to CDMA. Go and die alone Sprint! T-Mo doesn’t need you.
It’s funny how some people BELIEVE that their cell company, whether it’s Sprint, Attingular, Verizon, or T-mobile just has absolute coverage everywhere. I’m here to tell you, NONE of them do! And just because you had a situation that made you mad enough to leave a cell company doesn’t mean everyone else has too…maybe you’re just a prick! And unless you get paid to advertise (and I don’t mean if you just work for the company) stop suckin’ these billion dollar companies off by going around blasting other companies, that is so lame! Get a life!
Now, in theory Sprint and T-Mobile do compliment each others weaknesses, it would be great to combine Sprint’s Data ventures with T-mobile innovative services and great prices…With that being said, Sprint’s customer care, if kept around, would need to be closely watched. They would need to come in the door with one write up slip already on file because most of them are suspect!
But if the Sprint/Nextel merger was any indication of how this would go down, then they should trash this idea.
“Cause T-Mobile’s coverage sucks and their customer service is terrible. Not to mention their bad phones. I’ll keep my $15 unlimited data plan thank you.”
And by that you mean their coverage in NYC is awesome, their Customer Service is better than any other carrier and I’ll keep my $6 unlimited data plan thank you.
T-Mobile is the best carrier as far as I’m concerned. At least in the Midwest to me. I’ve had Cingular, ATT, Now just ATT, Nextel, Sprint, etc. They all have problems. I’ve never considered Verizon because their prices are very unreasonable and they suck for that in my opinion. Tmo has a nice phone selection in my opinion. I go to all carrier websites and check their phones out. But I’ve had some nice phones from tmo. the best as a matter of fact. And Sprint? I would hate for their cust svc to move in with mine. My sister and mom worked for them and they are told to lie about certain things instead of a one-call resolution to satisfy a customer. They suck and I’d never do business with them again. Please Tmo. Dont marry them hoes…lol
“Two Troubled Houses” ?????
What is that all about? Unless you mean Sprint and Nextel, I don’t know what you are getting at here. Since when did T-Mobile become “troubled”?
-Answer: since March 2000, when the stock price was $98, and now it’s $18.
Posters who enjoy their T-Mobile phones, God bless ‘em, but that’s not been the experience of the company’s balance sheet or profitability.
(The company is so hobbled, they can’t even launch a full 3G offering in NYC for Cripes sake.)
OMG, I just checked for fun…in March of 2000, RIMM was $6, now it’s $133.
$10,000 invested with the German in ‘00 would be worth $1,800 buck today.
$10,000 with the Canadian -> $221,000.
Viva Canada!
At first this made absolutly no sence to me. Untill I realized Verizon and AT&T are developing 4G netwroks when TMobile hasn’t even ironed out its problems with their upcomming 3G network.
In the long run TMobile would have A LOT of problems competing with AT&T.
Currently….this merger seems bogus….but Sprint is developing WIMAX, which will be extremely beneficial for TMobiles future.
Lets just hope the merger doesn’t destroy both companies before they go 4G
I think this is a lot more feasible than it may seem on the surface. T-Mobile could stand to gain a lot from this merger – DRAMATICALLY accelerate work on its data networks, add customers, build on Sprint’s sub-par customer service, and so on.
The extremely different radio technologies is not nearly as big of a deal today as it was in the past – Verizon (and Sprint, for that matter) has a number of phones that can operate on both technologies, though they can only do one at a time for now. Even if current GSM and EV-DO radios can’t be combined in a single phone, T-Mo could be looking ahead to combining existing voice freqs with 4G.
This may be giving the T-Mo way too much credit – I still don’t understand why they didn’t sue the FCC for delaying rollout of their 3G by not delivering 1700 MHz on time.
LMAO! T-Mobile stock was $98 in 2000????? You are out of your mind! Heck, when DT first bought Voicestream the shares were $15.73, so you mean to tell me just a short second later it was up to $98!? Some of these idiots need to be banned from posting on blogs BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!!!!!! And for the last time, T-Mobile 3G is Voice and DATA!!! You can’t separate them!
I apologize, I’m allergic to fools…
first to little B.. good stuff.
second, how many JD power customer service awards has every one other then t-mobile won lets say in the last 5 years? oh that’s right, NONE! cos t-mobiles won them all! so if you had a bad problem that couldn’t get fixed… get over it. it’ll happen everywhere. as for coverage, when your in a decently sized city almost all of the carriers see the same. when you go to butt fuck egypt that’s when it matters. and I never do so any would do for me. the merger makes sense but then it doesn’t. I think ill hold my opinion till we see some facts. oh and you know what’s killing t-mobile? its not absence of 3g, its the phones. not that they suck, just boring plain ones
T-mobile doesn’t need sprint, their voverage has increased a lot ova da past few yrs.. But it wud be nice 2 hav sprint’s fones on t-mobile.
T-mobile has grown in users. We have peaked over 30 million customers now tho some of it has to due with the suncom merger. Sprint/Nextel are bleeding customers are bleeding customers badly as their customer service sucks and coverage in areas is non existent. And I hate to tell you no company can provide coverage everywhere and for any company to advertise they have the best coverage and the most coverage its bullshit because its physically impossible and totaly impossible to have coverage everywhere unless you have an expensive satellite phone. Though ofcourse verizon/att love to lie to their customers. T-mobile actually has decent coverage its all based on point of view as coverage depends upon phone/location/atmospheric conditions / topographic situations IE: hills mountains etc etc etc just like with any company. And well, yes in some areas t-mobile does not have coverage however in some area’s verizon/att/sprint don’t have coverage. Its all about where you are going make the most calls for me I live in the northeast and have pretty good coverage with t-mobile I can’t complain. I like t-mobile as they don’t lie about coverage like the rest of the carriers due. They are honest for the most part just like any huge corporation Ive had sprint/nextel/verizon I’m honestly happy with the coverage/support i get from t-mobile and as far as t-mobile being troubled its growing. We continue to grow every year where sprint keeps losing customers. T-mobile is far from troubled we are making money and with the launch of 3G yes late however t-mobile had no control over that due to the fact they had to purchase spectrum from the goverment to be able to use 3G and licenses from every state and had to wait for the US goverment to stop using the spectrum. It was a all a matter of poor timing T-mobile came late into the game when they were ready to get 3G spectrum/licenses already eaten up by every other carrier. T-mobile has come far and will go far
I work for Sprint Customer Care, I feel like our customers are much angrier than I’ve ever seen, I feel incompetant just working there and helpless because training doesn’t care to tell you everything you need to know. Your first 90 days on the job is learned through long hold times and accessing a database far less easier to use than google, You are not trained how to do a port-in, you’re not trained how to do a market transfer. Supervisors of all management levels and representatives of any seniority will tell you a differant answer on any billing matter, you cannot except to get a good answer to relay to any customer as everybody seems to have a differant answer for everything. Sprint doesn’t do their own customer service, other companies do. So their outsourcing could be to companies within the U.S. for $10 an hour to 18-25 employees who just need a job. The turnover for Sprint CS Reps is over 60% in 6 months and 90% from what ive seen coming out of training. Meaning most employees quit on their first day beyond training pay. (Yes, 90%). You’d have to be a computer wiz who can type 80 words per minute or just a very tolerant person not to develop a mental disorder after working here. I don’t know if Sprint’s outsourced companies who do their support lose more customers or more employees. That is the only point I find trivial about all this. Is customer service from other carries this bad???