T-Mobile and MetroPCS merging.

[sms88]

Should be interesting. T-Mobile is GSM and has no 4G LTE network, while
MetroPCS is CDMA and has been going gung-ho on LTE. Both have serious
coverage issues, but MetroPCS has been allowing extra-cost roaming onto
other CDMA carriers.

<http://www.zdnet.com/t-mobile-metropcs-to-merge-in-1-5bn-deal-7000005189/>

[Paul Miner]

On Wed, 03 Oct 2012 07:24:21 -0700, sms88 <scharf...@geemail.com>
wrote:

Kind of reminds me of another merger, CDMA + iDen in that case, from
2005 that didn't go very well.

--
Paul Miner

[sms88]

The iPhone 5, which is CDMA/GSM/W-CDMA/LTE might be a good fit for
T-Mobile now. There were few CDMA/iDEN handsets ever made. Even though
the iPhone 5 lacks the 1700MHz AWS band, this is less of a concern now
that T-Mobile has been deploying 3G on 1900 MHz, and MetroPCS has LTE.

[Drewdove]

http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/4046/63/

from the article

Following T-Mobiles heels, AT&T was quick to re-brand their HSPA+ as 4G too,
and further added to the confusion. Most new AT&T devices operating on HSPA+
are capable of up to 14.4Mbps download ...

Just wait till they up that to 28.8 then 36.6 eh? ;-)

[stevev]

"sms88" wrote in message news:k4hm9q$a2k$1...@dont-email.me...

==========

Do you think they (T-Mobile, MetroPCS) are financially strong enough to
subsidize enough iPhones, or whatever, to make a difference? I don't know
exactly how this works, but I am assuming (yeah I know about ASSUME) that
Apple gets paid 'now', while the service provider has to wait for monthly
contract revenues.


--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---

[cameo]

I find this interesting:
"The deal between T-Mobile and MetroPCS is actually considered a
reverse-merger, in the sense that it is set up for MetroPCS is
effectively �take over� the larger T-Mobile USA. This is being done so
that Deutsche Telekom can receive 74% of the new T-Mobile and the �new
company� can be listed on the stock exchange, as MetroPCS is already a
publicly listed company. This maneuver offers Deutsche Telekom a way out
of the US market, if they wished to do so by selling off their shares at
a later date."

<http://www.tmonews.com/2012/10/opinion-the-t-mobilemetropcs-merger-is-deutsche-telekoms-way-out-of-the-us-market/>

So MetroPCs is taking over T-Mobile, but they will keep the T-Mobile
name for the new company. Reminds me Cyngular taking over the old AT&T
Wireless but then the new company would still be called AT&T.

[Todd Allcock]

At 03 Oct 2012 20:55:39 -0700 stevev wrote:

>
> Do you think they (T-Mobile, MetroPCS) are financially strong enough to
> subsidize enough iPhones, or whatever, to make a difference? I don't
> know exactly how this works, but I am assuming (yeah I know about
> ASSUME) that Apple gets paid 'now', while the service provider has to
> wait for monthly contract revenues.

That's how all subsidized phones work. Samsung gets paid now when a
carrier buys a boatload of Galaxy SIIIs for $400-450 each then sells them
subsidized for $199 plus a two year contract.

The only real difference with the iPhone is that Apple sells them for
nearly full retail to carriers, and demands control of the subsidized
price ($199). Realistically, carriers should be selling iPhones for
about $300 given its cost vs. other "$199" phones, but this arrangement
allows Apple to look competitive instead of overpriced (as usual) to the
consumer, while the carrier takes it in the shorts and eats the "Apple
Tax" instead of the end-user.

[Anthony]

On 10/3/2012 10:52 PM, cameo wrote:
> So MetroPCs is taking over T-Mobile, but they will keep the T-Mobile
> name for the new company. Reminds me Cyngular taking over the old AT&T
> Wireless but then the new company would still be called AT&T.

Except that it was SBC that took over AT&T and kept the name...