Category Archives: Sprint

Sprint Aiming to Launch LTE Network in Mid-2012, Full Buildout by End of 2013

Posted by on October 11, 2011 No comments | 9 views

Reuters reports that Sprint is significantly accelerating its transition from WiMAX to LTE for its 4G network technology, aiming to complete its LTE buildout by the end of 2013.

Sprint Nextel Corp plans to upgrade its network in time to launch high-speed wireless services by the middle of 2012 and expects to complete its upgrade by the end of 2013, a top executive for the company said on Friday.

Engadget notes that Sprint is planning to offer LTE coverage for 123 million Americans by the end of 2012, increasing to over 250 million by the time the buildout is complete a year later.

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Sprint Commits to Buying $20 Billion Worth of iPhones, To Get Redesigned iPhone 5 Exclusively?

Posted by on October 4, 2011 No comments | 44 views

The Wall Street Journal reports the Sprint is preparing to "bet the company" on the iPhone, agreeing to purchase 30.5 million units over the next four years regardless of whether they are purchased by customers or not. At a current average selling price of $655 for the iPhone, the agreement is a nearly $20 billion commitment for Sprint.

Mr. Hesse told the board the carrier would have to agree to purchase at least 30.5 million iPhones over the next four years—a commitment of $20 billion at current rates—whether or not it could find people to buy them, according to people familiar with the matter. In order to keep the price people pay for the phone low and competitive with rivals, Sprint would be subsidizing the cost of each phone to the tune of about $500, which would take a long time to recoup even at the high monthly fees iPhone users pay.

With a source calling the projected hit to Sprint's operating income "staggering", the company's directors agreed to the deal as an all-in gamble to give Sprint hopes of competing against AT&T and Verizon.

The report notes that such commitments aren't unusual for Apple's carrier partners, demonstrating the leverage Apple has gained with the iPhone. With multi-year deals carrying unusual provisions for increasing units over time, Apple is locking in carriers for the long haul in much the same way that it has sought to lock in component suppliers for its hardware.

In the wake of the new report on Sprint's massive iPhone commitment, BGR separately reports that this development may lend weight to a claim it had heard that had previously seemed outrageous – that the iPhone 5 does indeed exist and that it will launch as a 4G WiMAX device as a Sprint exclusive.

I have been told that Sprint will be getting the iPhone 5 — yes the real iPhone 5, not the iPhone 4S — as an exclusive. And it will be a WiMAX device. AT&T and Verizon would launch the iPhone 4S and get the iPhone 5 sometime in the first quarter of next year as an LTE device. Globally, the iPhone 5 might be available as a 4G HSPA+ device.

The claim reportedly comes from an "incredibly solid" industry contact and is one which has seemed simply unbelievable. But with Sprint clearly betting the future of the company on the iPhone, it is at least possible that it may have gone to extreme lengths to make a staggering entrance to the iPhone market.

BGR's rumor record has been spotty over time, and it's hard to imagine Apple making this move. Still, we mention it for interest and discussion in the lead-up to tomorrow's media event.

iPhone 5 to Be Apple’s First World Phone, Will Sprint Carry It?

Posted by on September 7, 2011 1 comment | 73 views

iPhone 5 Will Support both GSM and CDMA

Rumors of a both GSM and CDMA Apple smartphone have been around since 2009, but at that time, analysts believed that an iPhone carrying Qualcomm’s dual-carrier chip will not be available earlier than 2011. Well, it is 2011, and while we still don’t have any official specifications for the iPhone 5 yet, it seems that it will be a global phone.

According to a recent report, an app developer, who preferred not to give up the name of the app or his name, has proof that iPhone 5 will be a dual-mode world phone. The proof that was sent to one of the reporters at TechCrunch consists of a few application usage logs, which show that recently several people were testing the app using a single, new Apple gadget that certainly is a GSM-CDMA phone. The logs also show that the device that was used to register for the app was running on Apple’s upcoming iOS 5, and it used the 2 individual codes that identifying mobile networks: MNC (mobile network codes) and MCC (mobile county codes). MNC/MCC codes are the unique codes for Verizon and AT&T networks.

If indeed these recent statements are true, then iPhone 5 will be Apple’s first phone to support both GSM and CDMA. All iPhones were only GSM phones until February of 2011, when Apple released the iPhone 4 CDMA for Verizon. It is also believed that Apple will make the iPhone 4 available on Sprint this October. Sprint uses the same CDMA technology as Verizon.

Sprint to Offer the iPhone 5 in October

But the addition of the iPhone 4 smartphone is not the only surprise Sprint has in store for its customers. Apparently, the third largest carrier in the country is going to start offering the iPhone 5, as well. This surely will help Sprint to increase its number of contract clients. The carrier suffered a huge loss in its second quarter, when about 101,000 postpaid customers decided to switch to other companies. Sprint also lost $847 million during that quarter, and this loss was blamed on its major competitors, Verizon and AT&T, who both offer the iPhone.

iphone 5 sprint

The iPhone 5 is expected to arrive on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon in October, and the device is supposed to get an improved camera, but not a front facing LED flash. The fifth generation Apple smartphone, that may even be called iPhone 4S, will probably resemble the iPhone 4, but fans are hoping that it will be lighter and slimmer than its predecessor.

Neither Apple nor Sprint commented on the latest rumors, which claim that Sprint will start carrying the iPhone.