Deutsche Telekom eyeing Sprint Nextel for acquisition?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
will54880 @ Sep 13th 2009 5:23PM
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tmcgrady126 @ Sep 13th 2009 5:58PM
i think its ironic that helio was bought by virgin who was bought by sprint who might be bought by t-mobile for short
Robert Niknam @ Sep 13th 2009 5:50PM
Please don't ruin t-mobile usa with this stupid company sprint, last thing I want to hear is those morons in sprint customer care giving me attitude and acting all superior. Sprint is a joke let it die, and let nextel die as well...
Noiro @ Sep 13th 2009 6:00PM
Sprint is way frickin better than crappy ass T-Mobile, our network is far better and our phones. Oh and plans too. Name one thing about T-Mobile thats better. Oh and Our calls dont drop.
PEZOLLA @ Sep 13th 2009 7:46PM
@ Noiro - Sprint is a dieing company. That is all there is to it. You dont see DT trying to by Verizon or ATT do you? That is because they can hold their own. Spring screwed up by buying Nextel - now they are paying for it.
I hope tmobile just lets them die. Sprint, while making headway lately, is just to late.
chcox @ Sep 13th 2009 8:04PM
Yup. Sprint as a company has been dying. The one device that had potential to pull them out of their hole was the Pre. If done right it could have been their superstar phone like the iPhone is for AT&T. As it turns out, the Pre sold well but was nowhere near an in-demand device. People don't get too excited about it anymore like they used to prior to it's release. And even Hess himself has admitted it isn't in the same league as iPhone. The Pre, while a great phone, was NOT a game changer device. It has not made an effect outside of ... "it's a good phone".
As a phone Sprint was hoping would be a device they hoped people would flock to and clamor for, it has failed. I remember their excitement as palm execs said this phone was better than iPhone. They were excited to go toe to toe with iPhone, and now look at it.
Sprint is a big ball of fail that has been dying. And since their secret weapon has turned out to be not as powerful as they thought, will continue on their downward spiral.
youngcalihottie @ Sep 13th 2009 5:54PM
im sorry but that was just so poorly written throughout.
anyway, this would be just as stupid as sprint buying nextel.
anything is possible in this world, but it just does not seem probable.
what would tmobile do with a bunch of cdma customers?
its not like sprint even owns their own towers anymore.
and tmobile would be stuck with sprints multi year tower leasing deal.
Eric @ Sep 13th 2009 6:29PM
Actually, to better inform you Sprint owns the entire network, they signed a multiyear contract with Ericsson to have them maintain the network, Sprint reserves the rights to make all decisions since they still own the network. Don't believe what these blogs say, it is a bunch of uninformed crap that could not be farther from the truth.
youngcalihottie @ Sep 16th 2009 10:58PM
i was relying on the accuracy of this article http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/09/25/sprint-towerco-seal-deal-on-670m-tower-sale/
Jamar @ Sep 15th 2009 10:31PM
Except that a similar situation has existed in China for a while (one carrier has both CDMA and GSM networks). Thus, there are plenty of 900/1800/1900GSM+800/1900CDMA phones on the market that T-Mo could start selling if they decided to absorb Sprint.
DonRizzy @ Sep 13th 2009 6:33PM
Like i said way back only 2 carriers will stand in the very end Verizon & AT&T. Sprint is a waste of company space.
Jamar @ Sep 15th 2009 10:36PM
I wouldn't be so sure. Not if docomo enters the US market like they said...
teknikkle @ Sep 13th 2009 6:07PM
1 sprint wont die.. the same wamu people still work by my house at the same building.. the chevy dealership is still open.. 2 every cell company leases towers.. obviously selling your towers and leasing them costs less than other more traditional methods of raising funds..
Jacob @ Sep 13th 2009 6:07PM
Sprint sucks. Let it die.
I wouldn't mind a merger between AT&T and Verizon, though.
Jake @ Sep 13th 2009 6:28PM
Since that woulnd't kill competition or anything. That's all we need the two biggest, most expensive carriers making all the rules. Sprint is awesome, great plans and keep changing the industry for the better. I don't see them going down, I see them leveling off very soon
Jamar @ Sep 15th 2009 10:35PM
You're forgetting that docomo's throwing their hat in the ring next year. If you've seen their Japanese rate plans (you get a 50% discount for signing a 2-year contract, you earn points with every rate plan you can use to discount a new phone or repair for your old one if it breaks, you get a "loyalty" discount that stacks, up to 25% at 5 years, roaming counts in your rate plan, did I mention free incoming text anywhere in the world? And how about their phones? Kicks the pants right off the iPhone.) that's the shake-up America needs.
Shaun Chong @ Sep 13th 2009 6:29PM
Let it rain! Nokia N900, Maemo 6, GSM Voice+Data simultaneously, $99 dollar unlimited plan!!!! Good bye AT&T and iPhone! Enough said.
Riley Freeman @ Sep 13th 2009 7:02PM
I laugh at those that say tmobile is going to get ruined. first off if tmobile is buying sprint tmobile will be running the show.
second sprint has a way better phone lineup than tmobile. before android came in tmobile was selling 3 year old phones still. tmobile has the crappiest phone lineup of all carriers... IN NORTH AMERICA. im in canada and i can see how bad their phone lineup is. getting sprint would probably give them a boost.
Sean DL @ Sep 13th 2009 7:16PM
Only 2?
Verizon Wireless 80.00
AT&T 77.00
Sprint 49.30
T-Mobile USA 32.80
Alltel 13.80
Even if T-Mobile-Sprint merge(at a 82.10), we would still have three major Cell Phone companies..It'd take another 5 to 10 years for us to have just 2....and that is if things kept at the same pace(which they won't)
Rob Roland @ Sep 13th 2009 7:57PM
Your list is flawed.
Add Alltel to Verizon, since Verizon bought them in January.
Galen20K @ Sep 13th 2009 11:29PM
Either way I cannot wait to see what happens! - D
Jamar @ Sep 15th 2009 10:44PM
docomo...
rambo6 @ Sep 13th 2009 8:49PM
Sprint has a very large network and a lot of bandwidth. It would be great to see Sprint and T-Mobile merge. CDMA networks really stink in comparison with GSM/WCDMA. It would be great to see CDMA done away with and have LTE and Wimax take over.
Galen20K @ Sep 13th 2009 8:38PM
I think everybody constantly forgets just how much money and power T-Mobile REALLY has behind its parent company. I still find it funny when people try to say that ATT and Verizon are bigger than T-mobile as a whole when really it eclipses both of them worldwide and in terms of money its just no contest. T-Mobile rules them all in the long run. Att and Verizon just BARELY have any kind of footprint whatsoever worldwide.
enough said!
uberjeff @ Sep 13th 2009 9:14PM
I guess you just forgot the little part about Vodafone owning nearly half of Verizon Wireless. But clearly they don't have much international presence being the world's #2 wireless provider with service in 32 countries. Together Verizon/Vodafone have over 100 Million more subscribers than T-Mobile. I'd say you were in the right ballpark, but all of them together wouldn't hold 100M people...
Galen20K @ Sep 13th 2009 10:56PM
Sorry Uber but Vodaphone only holds a 45% stake in the company so you really can't count Vodaphone's assets since they don't fully own Verizon wireless.
uberjeff @ Sep 14th 2009 12:36AM
Right, instead of having one rich parent Verizon has two. Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) is operated as a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone, both of which have a greater market cap and deeper pockets than T-Mobile. The impending launch of LTE by both Verizon and Vodafone will lead to even greater cooperation between the two in the future. Plans are already in place for joint handset purchasing, joint negotiating on network components, etc. For you to suggest that T-Mobile has a capital or worldwide network advantage is silly at best. Even excluding Vodafone's Verizon holdings they still have 30% more subscribers than T-Mobile, and arguably the strongest name in wireless from a marketing perspective. I have nothing against T-Mobile, but they are hardly the 800 lb gorilla that you are making them out to be.
don't take my word for it...
Friday, January 16, 2009
Top 10 Largest Telecom Operators in World
1. AT&T - the former SBC merged with AT&T creating the new AT&T (USA)
2. China Mobile - formerly China state-owned, now still state-controlled, one of two mobile phone monopolies in the entire China.
3. Vodafone - Britain's largest telecom operator.
4. Verizon Communications - US-based telecom company formed after a series of mergers.
5. Telefonica - Multinational company with stakes in Dpain, Latin America and Europe. Owns the O2 brand.
6. Deutsche Telekom - German telecom company, also owns t-mobile.
7. America Movil - Mexican operator controlled by the world's richest man - Carlos Slim.
8. NTT DoCoMo - One of Japan's telecom operators.
9. France Telecom - One of France's telecom companies.
10. Nippon Telegraph & Telephone - Japan's second largest telecom operator
Xoyuji @ Sep 14th 2009 12:45AM
Since you spoke about Vodafone not owning all of verizon; does DT own 100% of T-Mobile USA i thought foreign companies weren't allowed to own all of us phone companies.
Jamar @ Sep 15th 2009 10:53PM
@uberjeff- do you have any clue what the "NTT" in "NTT docomo" stands for? 8 and 10 should have been combined.
Matt @ Sep 23rd 2009 11:02PM
First of all t mob has some cool phones but they have no data sprint has the best plans in the nation especially with the any mobile anytime coming in and they have the best data in the nation plus the first 4G network. Second of all the only reason and I mean the only reason that att is still going is the iphone someone needs to get involved and break that up. Thirdly I don't think hesse will let it go thru since he has taken over he has tranformed sprint into something better the everything plans and again I say any mobile anytime. And sprint customer service has done a total 180. If there was a merger and I don't see it happening but if there was then it would be something great all the cool phones that t mob has with actual data would be amazing. Plus you people haven't even given the HERO a chance yet that will be the phone to have on sprint
Danielle @ Sep 13th 2009 10:04PM
I know these types of stories always bring about fear and uncertainty with all parties involved. The way that Sprint bungled the Nextel merger has also left industry analysts and bloggers like us with a sense of paranoia making us believe that a merger between 2 carriers with different technologies is impossible or has to be painful.
This is DT we're talking about. Although it's human nature to be cynical, I have a bit more faith in their ability to successfully manage such a deal. It won't be easy or without hiccups, but if done with care and backed up by a world class management firm, this could be executed well.
SouthStar019 @ Sep 13th 2009 10:29PM
i like it when people who dont know any thing think they know every thing.
as a consumer each and every one of should hope for this to not happen. less competition = us paying more.
its 80 Mil on Verizon with all tell numbers before the merger Verizon was in second place and att being number 1.
all those saying sprint sucks do you even pay for your own phone bill? if you do then good for you. give a company a chance before you go out and talk about them. once hero hits sprint, sprint will be smart phone central.
element4life3 @ Sep 14th 2009 3:34AM
I seriously don't know where all of this hate of Sprint is coming from. Let's say you know nothing about any of the cell phone companiesand are in the market for a new phone and plan, and you already have a pretty good idea in what you want in a cell phone and contract. When looking at Sprint you can see they by far have the best deals with plans than every other network, with plans including unlimited data, mobile to mobile, texts all for cheaper than what you would have to pay for if you went for any of the other carriers. Not to mention the network is very reliable and has the fastest 3G speeds. Not to mention their vast improvements on customer service.
As for phones, it seems the Pre, Hero and Touch Pro 2 will cover most people's needs in what they are looking for in a smartphone. The real question is, what is really wrong with Sprint? They don't have the iPhone? OH NOES!! :/ I am not bashing the iPhone, but you are really paying a premium for features you can already find on other phones such as Android or Web OS capable ones.
When it comes down to it, not too long from now each phone company will all Have Android phones, Web OS wont be exclusive forever so I imagine more of these phones on different carriers, and the iPhone has to jump ship eventually. So now we have all of these carriers with similar phones, so what it really comes down to is which carrier am I not paying out of the ass for the features I want or need? This is where Sprint currently shines, and I hope the other carriers take note and lower/rethink their prices and plans. Like someone already said, competition will only bennefit us, the consumers, so just leave Sprint alone and let them drive down prices so we all win!
abdul.umer @ Sep 14th 2009 4:32AM
Hey, there's always WiMAX might come into play.
That should be : Hey, WIMAX may come into play.
No offense to you Ross, I love your articles and these things happen. I just want to work with you guys! I am a gadget nerd specializing in cell phones. Hit me up when you guys are hiring.
And I'd love to see Sprint's call centers be shut down and T-Mobile's customer reps be put on the job.
teamkronic3 @ Sep 14th 2009 10:16AM
wow, this "story" again. do some research and see how many times in the past 3 years this has been rumored. even if it were to go through would be an even more painful merger thatn the sprint/nextel merger, which hesse even said was a bad idea. if it were to happen it wouldnt be one tmobile umbrella, and its highly unlikely the fcc will let another foriegn company take ownership of a currently owned us telecom company. i wouldnt doubt if sprint spins the nextel brand to dt, thats the real reason people have issues on sprint. sprints network has always been good, since day one of sprint pcs 100% digital, no other carrier can say that, remember pcs vision about 8 years ago, 1st company to push internet capabilities on phones. the nextel merger destroyed the brand, and have been fighting to re-establish themselves as the company they were before the merger and the company they have become now.
BayAreaDude @ Sep 14th 2009 1:41PM
I think Sprint is not going anywhere anytime soon. I have been with Sprint Since the mid 90's. I had switched to Pac Bell way back when and I loved the Erickson I had but everytime I pulled ou the phone to make a call it would read No Service and mind you I was in the middle of San Jose and no hills and no tall buildings in sight and I loved in Sales at the time and it was very important that I phone would say anything but no service. I was offfered 6 months free and I said no thanks. I had Cingular a few years afterward and it was the same and I am a Sprint Customer and I have always loved thier service and phones and I dont have to tell anyone about their BAD customer service as we all know. I think Pre was a great addition to Sprint. Now TP2 and HERO coming out. I think iphone is great but AT&T sucks big time. I recently was cancelling a extra line I had on my account and I had 6 more months to go and was let out of my contract for a $20 and I was happy. I still have sprint and wil have sprint until they die or they are taken over by crappy tmbl or att.
egoviri @ Sep 14th 2009 2:23PM
Do you actually read your comments?
You talk about "mean" people with little feet and cocks spread hate about a wireless carrier, but then before you even start your rant, attack the United States President with no facts or reasons or respect.
You are a total idiot, with apparently a 14 year old's demeanor. And remember that over the interwebs, no one can hear you scream, stop using all caps.
Parrmani @ Sep 14th 2009 5:37PM
Sprint and T-mobile have always been the underdogs when it comes to U.S wireless service, so a merger would make sense. Verzion might be the best when it comes to coverage, but with a recovering company consumers like thier options, and their wallets are the most important thing to them right now, not the coverage they get in the middle of no where. My Tmobile works perfectly fine in any major city and the likely hood of me visiting some small town in the middle of no where is very low. In the 3 years I have had Tmobile I have not had one dropped call, and coming from Sprint which I had before I must say Sprint wasn't bad either the only reason I made the switch was because Tmo had a better selection of phones at the time! Verzion is so overratted and I know this becaused I worked for them! And yet when I worked for them I still kept my T-mobile service. MyFaves is still a better deal then their lame attempt at "Friends and Family" and I know this because I work for T-Mobile now and it gives me so much joy to switch people over from Verizon everyday.
Suck it up, with Sprints 49 million subs and T-Mobiles 32 they will surely match Verizon's current 80 million subs and with the value T-mobile offers and Sprints 4G, someone just might give Overratted Verizon a run for their money!
Galen20K @ Sep 14th 2009 9:31PM
Yeap, T-Mobile has been putting a lot of money into the Foundation of LTE and next year Deutsche Telekom IS definitely putting tons of money into T-Mobile USA like everyone says so guys, things are about to get REAL Interesting. I also believe they will be dumping Wimax if they do end up buying sprint. But believe me even if they DO buy sprint, that is just a very small part of their plan for Deutsche Telekom to take over in the USA.
Put on your Helmets boys, they have a lot of power and money behind them regardless of what you’ve seen in the past. They’re ready to put their full influence to work Finally!
Nathan @ Sep 15th 2009 3:54AM
Deutsche Telekom... you've proven me proud. This really got me excited and glad I havent switched to someone else. If I were to switch from T-Mobile it would have been over to Sprint. Now, I amy not have to do either of those things :)
This makes me very excited. DT's latest improvements (they were testing LTE in Germany last October with 14.mbps download/7.2mbps upload) and Sprints deal with Clearwire makes Verizons hybrid GSM/CDMA LTE network look laughable. As far as I am concerned this is a good deal. I hope it goes through.
squatchie16 @ Sep 15th 2009 2:00PM
Seems to be more solid info surrounding this latest rumor of DT taking interest in Sprint. The combination of subscribers bases would certainly help both companies out. Verizon, AT&T and Sprint never really give much thought to TMobile because they are so much smaller. Even at being only 10 million or so subscribers less the footprint is much smaller than Sprints, and Sprint has more spectrum to utilize than anyone one else in the US. Sprint also has a significant backhual and internet backbone presence in the US, something that every wireless network relies heavily upon.
So what does Tmobile bring? A ton of cash, a precise management philosophy and a third network to the CDMA/i-Den mix at Sprint. Cash is good, good management is a plus and the third network probably doesnt matter at all since Sprint's network administration is being done by Ericsson. The same Ericsson systems that handles about 40% of all mobile phone calls. In the world.