T-Mobile Might Divest Tower Network, Take Other Steps to Grow Faster

T-Mobile says it will consider divesting its entire tower network and then lease back capacity, as a way of optimizing its operating cost structure.

T-Mobile USA has converted about half its tower sites in the United States to optical fiber backhaul, the company noted at the Deutsche Telekom annual meeting. Of T-Mobile USA's 49,000 cell sites, 23,000 are outfitted with fiber backhaul.

But steps more profound than that likely will be evaluated. The company says it will "evaluate shareholder-value  ƒ
enhancing strategic alternatives." That normally signals merger, sales or other similar actions. The company, in fact, says it must reduce its scale disadvantages long term. That means T-Mobile USA must get bigger.

The company also will be changing its marketing pitch. Where it has targeted the "value conscious family," in 2011 it will focus on "affordable data services." Where in the past it has focused on "consumers," in 2011 it will target both consumers and business users.

The company reported that 39 percent of current customers use smartphones.

read more here

Test of T-Mobile HSPA and Sprint WiMAX Networks

One has to take mobile broadband speed tests with a bit of circumspection, as experienced throughput can vary enormously at any single location, at any point in time, when using only one device.

But in a recent test of the T-Mobile myTouch 4G and Samsung Epic 4G in Philadelphia and Trenton, N.J., the T-Mobile USA and Sprint WiMAX networks performed virtually the same in Philadelphia, with the Sprint network performing much better in Trenton, N.J.

The tests also showed differing speeds at various test points in each city, as well. You probably can argue the merits of each network (HSPA+ and WiMAX) based on these tests. They do suggest that HSPA+ can offer comparable throughput to WiMAX, at some times and places.

T-Mobile HSPA vs Sprint WiMAX - Phone Arena

Will T-Mobile Invest in Clearwire?

Though Clearwire already has gotten about $5 billion in investment, but likely needs another $4 billion to complete its national network.

Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Chaplin estimates Clearwire will need another $4 billion to extend coverage to the 200 million people they plan to reach by the end of 2011.

That is the biggest carrot for Clearwire: it needs cash, and T-Mobile could provide some of it.

Though Sprint might have qualms about enabling a competitor, Verizon and AT&T, not T-Mobile, is the big problem.

When Sprint and Clearwire merged their networks, Sprint invested $1.2 billion in the venture. Comcast and Time Warner invested a total of $1.6 billion, and they now market Clearwire's service under their own names.

Intel put in an additional $1 billion on top of the $660 million they had invested in Clearwire earlier.

Google invested $500 million and cable operator Bright House Networks kicked in $100 million.

Whether Clearwire gets T-Mobile USA as an investor or not, nothing is going to keep T-Mobile USA from finding some way to provide 4G services. The lesser of the two evils might be to allow T-Mobile USA to invest in, and use, the Clearwire network.

No Jitter | blog | T-Mobile May Invest in Clearwire

HSPA+ is Why You Might Want the Coming T-Mobile USA G2

The main reason you might want to buy a G2 device from T-Mobile USA when it is available is simply that you might, at least for a while, be using it on the fastest mobile broadband network available in the United States.

The G2 will operate on T-Mobile USA's new HSPA+ network, which should run even faster than Clearwire's fourth generation WiMAX network.

Screen Shortage Might Last Until 2012

HTC Evo devices are in very short supply at the moment, as are HTC Incredibles, and most likely, HTC Droid X devices as well, as all seem to use the same screens, and there currently is a shortage of capacity to manufacture the screens, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Analysts say there's a particular dearth of the Samsung Electronics Co. touch screens the HTC phones use. Samsung is building a $2.2 billion factory to make the screens, but it won't start operations before 2012.

It is unclear how the parts shortages might affect mobile providers selling the popular HTC devices, in particular Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile, none of which yet has the right to sell the Apple iPhone.

But to the extent all three carriers experience HTC device shortages, it does not seem clear that the relative positions of the three carriers will change, based specifically on ability to sell HTC devices in this class. For Sprint, though, the advantage it had by launching the first nationwide 4G network is dwindling as Verizon Wireless readies its own launch later in 2010.

U.S. Wireless Spectrum to Double?

The amount of wireless spectrum available in the United States would nearly double over the next 10 years as the federal government prepares to gradually auction 500 megahertz of federal and commercial spectrum.

In past decades, new spectrum auctions have been the foundation for potential assaults on industry structure, allowing new contestants to enter the market. Whether that will be the case in the forthcoming auctions remains to be seen.

Clearwire and Sprint have plenty of spectrum, while AT&T and Verizon Wireless are launching new Long Term Evolution networks that are far more spectrally efficient than the third generation networks they will supplement and then replace.

T-Mobile USA needs more 4G spectrum, but probably cannot afford to buy new licenses. The issue is whether any truly-new contestants are willing to take a chance on disrupting the business.

Gov't plans to double available wireless spectrum - Yahoo! News

Samsung Galaxy S to Debut On All 4 Big Carriers

Samsung's flagship Google Android smartphone, Galaxy S, will be available on the AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobileand Verizon Wireless networks.

The Samsung Galaxy S will be called the Samsung Fascinate on Verizon, Samsung Captivate on AT&T, Samsung Vibrant on T-Mobile, and Samsung Epic 4G on Sprint.

Hot Samsung Galaxy S to Debut On Four Big U.S. Carriers - PCWorld

Sprint T-Mobile: New mega-carrier or four-network nightmare?

Though the integration issues would be formidable, Merrill Lynch analysts say T-Mobile USA’s owner Deutsche Telekom might be interested in buying Sprint. But while such a deal might make financial and strategic sense, analysts said Sprint could become an operational nightmare for its new owner.

Merrill Lynch said Sprint’s operational problems might cause it to dramatically cut prices, which would put it in direct competition with T-Mobile USA, which has staked out that position among the big-four U.S. mobile carriers.

A takeover bid, Merrill Lynch analysts suggest, would avert such a price war. A positive: Sprint’s stock is priced low, while Deutsche Telekom could count on relative strength of the Euro.

Of course, the big objection has been the operational complexity. Sprint now operates three distinct networks with different air interfaces. Adding T-Mobile would make four. Ultimately, Long Term Evolution would the unifying air interface for all but the iDen network used by Nextel. But Nextel could be spun off.

It might be a long shot. But nobody thinks the market is stable at the top.

Sprint T-Mobile: New mega-carrier or four-network nightmare?

Free Phones from T-Mobile on June 19

T-Mobile USA plans to give free phones to customers who sign up for group calling plans at its retail stores on Saturday June 19, 2010,  just days before rival At&T will start selling Apple's latest iPhone. Starting at 8 a.m., new customers will be able to get as many as five free handsets of their choice by signing up for a "family plan," which is a calling plan that has at least two users.

Current T-Mobile customers can convert a single-user plan into a family plan by adding at least one user, or adding lines to a family plan they already have. Customers using that option can get up to five free phones with a single family plan, though each will come with a two-year contract.

The promotion includes T-Mobile's newest smart phones running Google Inc.'s Android operating software, such as the HTC myTouch 3G Slide, which usually sells for $180 with a two-year contract and rebate, and Garminfone, which usually costs $200 with a two-year contract and rebate.

Sprint May Throttle Heavy Roaming Users

Sprint Nextel Corp. says laptop customers using an excessive amount of mobile data while roaming could have their accounts temporarily suspended, though the carrier still doesn't plan to limit the wireless connection for its high-volume smartphone customers, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The key issue here is heavy roaming use, off the core Sprint network, and the primary reason appears to be that Sprint obviously incurs direct incremental costs when users are on partner networks.

Sprint is changing its policies for data service for laptops users with mobile broadband cards or USB modems will not apply to smartphones.

Sprint already has a cap of 5 gigabytes of data usage within the network, and 300 megabytes of roaming data. Starting July 11, excessive data roaming by mobile laptop users could lead to Sprint suspending the off-network service until the customer's next billing cycle, unless the customer opts into a plan with extra charges for off-network usage.

Sprint says it will notify broadband customers by text message or email when they hit 75 percent and 90 percent of the roaming data limit. The plans include 5 cents per megabyte on the Sprint network and 25 cents when roaming.

The threat of suspension doesn't apply to usage on Sprint's 3G network or the 4G network run by partner Clearwire Corp., says Sprint spokesman Mark Elliott. "Sprint does not, nor plan to limit speeds, nor change a customer's ability to use any particular application or Internet site."

Analysts are expecting an industry-wide shift to control the amount of data traffic consumed by users, so the Sprint move is not unexpected, though Clearwire continues to say it will not cap data usage.

The issue is whether the new move will complicate Sprint's "simplicity" and "simply everything" marketing message.

T Mobile USA already has in place policies to throttle users who exceed the 5 gigabyte monthly cap. AT&T has adopted new caps of 200 megabytes and 2 gigabytes.

Verizon Wireless has not yet made any specific announcements about changes.

T-Mobile May Offer All Phones Free for Father's Day

T-Mobile might be gearing up to offer free phones for Father’s Day.

According to the copy of the script TmoNews apparently obtained, a voice-over says, “Starting early 8 a.m. this Saturday, T-Mobile is putting families first with another first. We’re making every single phone in the store free.”"

T-Mobile May Offer All Phones Free for Father's Day

http://www.tmonews.com/2010/06/june-19th-the-mother-of-all-fathers-day-sales/

Top-10 U.S. Telecom Sites Suggest

The May 2010 Hitwise report on site traffic has some interesting potential implications for communications service providers.

The top single site was Cricket, a firm historically focused on the wireline replacement market and using value pricing to replicate the unlimited free local calls element of fixed line service.

Verizon has three sites in the top 20, as well as holding spots two and three for traffic.

What is notable is that one of the three Verizon sites is the customer portal, indicating that people are becoming quite comfortable with using the portal for paying bills, asking questions and checking on usage and status information.

AT&T has two sites on the list, and the percentage of traffic for the four leading U.S. mobile carriers mobile sites is in line with their respective market shares.

T-Mobile USA also has two sites in the top 10, one of them its customer service portal, which likewise suggests user comfort with online support, as well as T-Mobile's possible success converting its customers away from paper billing to online-only billing.

Comcast's site in the top-10 also is a customer support portal. Back in the "old" days the top-10 sites were likely to be retail sales and transaction portals. These days, three out of 10 are relatively strictly customer support sites.

Can Clearwire Break Into Top-Five Mobile Ranks?

There being somewhere between 234 million and 238 million mobile customers in the U.S. market, one percent of market share represents about 2.4 million customers.

That means Clearwire now has less than half a percent market share, as it has about a million customers.

WiMAX no longer offering an advantage over Long Term Evolution, despite its headstart in the market for 4G services, one has to wonder whether it is realistic to expect Clearwire to reach the ranks of the top five contenders.

Clearwire is in eighth position at the moment, but with a healthy gap between it and number-seven Leap, which most observers think will become part of another company in the not-too-distant future. MetroPCS is the most-often-mentioned partner.

That would clear the ranks above Clearwire, allowing it to move to spot seven, but with a bigger gap than it now faces for future moves. A merged Leap and MetroPCS would have 12 million to 13 million subscribers.

Clearwire would have to leapfrog US Cellular to take spot number six, assuming US Cellular itself did not wind up as part of one the largest carriers.

One suspects Clearwire's center of gravity will have shifted to wholesale customers, rather than retail, several years into the future, as Sprint and Clearwire's cable customers ramp up sales of 4G services.

Breaking into the  top five retail ranks seems impossibly distant.

WiMAX and HSPA+ Speeds About Equal, in This Test

At least according to this test of the T-Mobile USA network and the Sprint 4G network in Philadelphia, Sprint's WiMAX network and T-Mobile's HSPA+ network delivered roughly similar download speeds, just shy of 3 Mbps on average.

These are real-world, average speeds, not "up to" numbers. By some estimates, 3 Mbps is easily twice as fast as the typical real-world speed with 3G, and faster than many home DSL connections.

4G Networks Tested: WiMAX vs. HSPA : The Numbers (Phone Scoop):

Is Clearwire's Future as a Wholesaler?

Clearwire today is partly a retailer of services under its own name, and a major retailer of spectrum services to cable companies and Sprint. But one wonders, given its continuing capital needs, and the existence of at least one major mobile provider that desperately needs new fourth-generation spectrum (T-Mobile USA) whether Clearwire will not ultimately find it is primarily or exclusively a wholesale provider of 4G spectrum.

Comcast, Intel, Time Warner Cable, Google and Bright House Networks are minority investors while Sprint is the majority owner.

A research note from Credit Suisse evaluates the value of mobile satellite spectrum of the sort Harbinger Capital has been touting as the basis for a brand-new U.S. Long Term Evolution network, as being worth something on the order of $0.50 per MHzPOP. That evaluation apparently is derived from prices paid in 2006 for AWS spectrum that mobile providers now are using.

If those prices are sustainable in today's marketplace, then Clearwire might well be sitting on spectrum worth about $20 billion, Business Week has suggested. Some think it might be worth more.

read the Business Week story here

For Clearwire, much is riding on whether its strategy of buying up some 85 percent of the U.S. 2.5-GHz spectrum band will pay off.

The $5 billion Clearwire will pay its license holders for its spectrum over the next three decades is a bargain compared to what its rivals are paying. AT&T and Verizon bought their spectrum that can be used for 4G at government auction in 2008, paying a combined $16 billion, though many would argue those allocations, at much-lower frequencies, have propagation characteristics so much better that the premium is worth paying.

An unfunded business plan also remains an issue. At its current rate of spending, Clearwire will burn through its cash in 2011, according to Steve Clement, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities. Clearwire may need $3.8 billion more to reach its goal of building a network that covers 270 million people, Clement says.

Clearwire now has about one million subscribers, double what it had in 2009. It added 283,000 net new subscribers in the first quarter, compared with 133,000 new customers in the previous quarter.

But even that rate of growth is unlikely to get Clearwire close to players such as Verizon Wireless, which had 93 million customers or so in the first quarter, out of 286 million total subscribers. Verizon has 31 percent of the market; AT&T has 25 percent; Sprint and T-Mobile USA both have 12 percent of the market.

Even at five million subscribers, Clearwire would still have only about 1.5 percent to two percent of the U.S. market, by the time it reaches that level, in two years, perhaps, assuming the overall market grows over the next two years about as much as it has been this year, and if Clearwire's growth accelerates.

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4G Speeds From T-Mobile

T-Mobile USA is touting its "4G speeds" in the Northeastern United States and other major cities across the country. Some are going to argue at the claim, which is properly made. T-Mobile's HSPA+ network will in face operate at speeds fourth-generation network providers are promising.

Users will not care about which air interface gives them their bandwidth, but they will care about the speed. It's true "4G speed" is not the same thing as "4G network," but only carriers care about such things. Users just want the better performance.

The latest activations are in the New York City metropolitan area, including New Jersey and Long Island, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, Connecticut (Hartford, New Haven, Milford and Stamford) and Providence, R.I.

The faster network already is live in Philadelphia, as well the Washington, D.C. suburbs. Boston and Washington, D.C. are expected to be "lit" in the coming weeks.

4G Speeds From T-Mobile Now Broadly Available in the Northeastern U.S. and Other Major Cities | Business Wire:

Google Android Strategy is Working, Despite Nexus One

Google's strategy of seeding the market for its Android operating system, unlike its experiment with device retailing (NexusOne) seems to be succeeding.

The Android operating system "continued to shake up the U.S. mobile phone market in the first quarter of 2010," moving past Apple to take the number-two position among smartphone operating systems, according to The NPD Group.

Based on unit sales to consumers last quarter, the Android operating system moved into second position at 28 percent behind RIM’s operating system (36 percent) and ahead of Apple’s OS (21 percent).

Google's effort to retail unlocked, full-price handsets using a Web-site-only approach does not seem to be working out so well, as one might have predicted. Both Sprint and Verizon Wireless have declined to sell the Nexus One, though the logical explanation is that the HTC "Evo" at Sprint and "Incredible" at Verizon Wireless are functional equivalents, at the very least.

And it might just be the case that the battle between AT&T and Verizon Wireless accounts for the change, as iPhone sales in the United States are exclusive to AT&T, essentially limiting sales, while Android devices are pushed both by Verizon, T-Mobile USA and Sprint.

Verizon also has been aggressive about offering "two for the price of one" sales of Android devices.

Smartphone sales at AT&T comprised nearly a third of the entire smartphone market (32 percent), followed by Verizon Wireless (30 percent), T-Mobile (17 percent) and Sprint (15 percent).

Exclusivity on AT&T’s network obviously limits the potential sales for Apple to some extent. Verizon has more than 92.8 million subscribers, none of which can buy an iPhone for use on the network.

It isn't so clear whether the range of Android models or prices are a meaningful contributor to Android sales volume, but one has to think so.

The NPD Group cites an average smartphone price of $151 in the first quarter of 2010, roughly half of the $299 price tag for a top-shelf iPhone. Apple offers subsidized models at $99 and $199, but most subsidized Android phone prices top out at $199 and go down from there.

The Samsung Behold 2 running Android is currently free with a service plan at T-Mobile, for example. With so many choices, consumers can find Android units for well under $99 these days and can shop around in a greater range of price points.

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Clearwire Emerging as a Wholesaler

Perhaps Clearwire did not initially think its business model would be anchored by wholesale wireless, but that seems to be shaping up as key to its future. Of the 283,000 net new subscribers added in the first quarter of 2010, 111,000 of them, or 39 percent, were gained by wholesale partners.

Most of the other major national wireless providers also have some wholesale operations, but none likely approach Clearwire's percentage. Clearwire’s network is behind Sprint’s 4G services as well as Comcast and Time Warner Cable wireless services. Then there is T-Mobile USA, which seems to need wholesale 4G capacity as well.

It might not be unreasonable to speculate that one reason Clearwire is preparing for a transition to Long Term Evolution, instead of sticking with its WiMAX air interface, is that T-Mobile USA might well require LTE capability in order to sign up.

"There was an agreement before that was really a commercial deal between Intel and Clearwire that would restrict us from using anything other than WiMAX up to, I think it’s February of 2012," said Bill Morrow, Clearwire CEO. "That deal is no longer in effect."

Now, either Intel or Clearwire can give 30 days notice and the deal is over. "So it does give us the flexibility that if we wanted to do a commercial launch of LTE or some other technology, that Intel would not be holding us back," said Morrow.

With less than a million total subscribers, it is too early to say how the retail versus wholesale customer mix holds up over time. Should Clearwire pick up T-Mobile USA as a wholesale partner, and as Comcast and Time Warner Cable gear up their wireless operations, it is not hard to envision wholesale growing to be a majority of customers.

The Very Best Android Phones For Each Carrier

As it turns out, some think the "very best" Android devices available on any U.S. mobile carrier are made by just one company: HTC. The firm seems to be betting its future on Android, and from the looks of things, is doing a heck of a job rolling out top of the line Android devices for every leading U.S. carrier.

The Very Best Android Phones For Each Carrier

For T-Mobile customers the most future-proof choice is a Nexus One. For Sprint 4G customers, it is the HTC Evo. At AT&T the top device is the Nexus One. Verizon customers should get the HTC "Incredible," at least when it goes on sale on April 29, 2010.

Operator App Stores Get More Traction Than You Might Think

Though many observers, including many service provider executives, might be skeptical about the long-term viability of operator-sponsored mobile application stores, a new study by Nielsen suggests consumers are favorably impressed with operator app stores, as compared to handset stores such as the Apple App Store.

(click image for larger view)

Many observers believe device app stores will ultimately gain favor, but a new Nielsen survey finds ongoing loyalty to carrier stores.  As of the end of 2009, half of all applications users were accessing carrier app stores according to Nielsen’s new App Playbook service.

That is not to say the Apple App Store has lost any luster in the United States. The relatively new BlackBerry App World Store also was the second most popular app store, in part because of BlackBerry’s industry-leading installed base.

But carrier application stores were not as far behind as some might think. About 84 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the Apple App Store, while 81 percent said they were happy with the Android Market.

Some 59 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the BlackBerry App World. About 56 percent reported satisfaction with the Windows Marketplace.

Most mobile carrier stores compare favorably with BlackBerry. About 64 percent of respondents were satisified witht he AT&T Application Store, while 65 percent said they were satisfied with the Sprint Application Store.

Some 66 percent said they were happy with the T-Mobile Application Store and 62 percent reported they were satisfied with the Verizon Application Store.

Nielsen’s App Playbook  surveys more than 4,000 application downloaders in the United States every six months about their mobile application usage.

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