eyesopenedwide

Total Rating:
0 / 0

8 Comments

    • Mon Mar 24th 09:03 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Undoing the Sprint Nextel Merger
      If there is any truth to the below comment from Ed's previous blog, then it isn't a matter of IDEN killing Sprint, or Sprint killing IDEN. It looks like it is more of a matter of Sprint policy encouraging a separation. Bottom line in the below scenerio is the total number of Sprint subscribers remains the the same, but someone still profits. One effective way to get a cohesive internal team is to STOP encouraging the conflicts through the current reward system. No doubt this isn't the only place it is happening.


      "In regad to the Nextel migrations you don't have a clue. The real issue is the sales staff. They found that they could hit their numbers by selling current Nextel customers (who have been with Nextel at least 6 months) CDMA phones on the Sprint Network and utilizing the P2K system "Port" the Nextel user over therefore getting credit for a sale that isn't a sale. This has been the number one cause of the IDEN Defections, and it is all a game so that these sales reps can make thousands of dollars without really selling a thing!!!
      View article »
    • Fri Mar 21st 15:15 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Undoing the Sprint Nextel Merger
      VZ and T both have a network of subscribers, something that is quickly dwindling at Sprint. They were aware as early as 2006 that if their churn rate continued, they would be bankrupt by 1st quarter 2009. Yet, in a recently published article, it was revealed that the board of directors didn't think that was big enough issue to address.

      I am not picking on a company. Just stating public information and fact. My original comment was in response to tradewolf's comment above: "Another point that was brought up is that the Lease arrangements with colocated sites can be a cash stream from the Feds to Sprint going forward." Sprint is where they are, and what they are by their own doing. They are not the victim here.

      With regard to the above opinion expressed by West Crowe regarding Cingular/ATT bleeding their customers, it is not just the customer leeching that is causing Sprint so much financial trouble. Over the past two years, Sprint has also bled their employees, investors, partners, and vendors. Trust is a hard thing to build back.

      It amazes me that in a financial forum, where I thought I would read some educated opinions, bloggers attempt to bully others into submission of their own. Your emotional response to the facts would cause one to believe that you are a very scared stockholder who is watching his life savings go down the drain, or one of the same executives who took the ship down. Either way, it supports my opinion that there isn't much left to believe in.

      Although I attempted to write a response on a level you can understand, I realize that might not be possible. Let me refer you to Merriamwebster.com so that you might broaden your vocabulary.

      View article »
    • Fri Mar 21st 07:44 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Undoing the Sprint Nextel Merger
      I don't know who you get your information from but they belong to Crown Castle who acquired Global Signal assets. I don't lie, I have no reason to. But then most people don't want the truth do they? You might want to check out the facts before you call people on a fact. I accept your apology.

      Global Signal Posts 4Q Results
      Global Signal's acquisition of Sprint's towers last year weighed on the ... to enable the company to lease space on Global Signal towers through 2008. ...
      wirelessweek.com/artic... - 63k
      View article »
    • Fri Mar 21st 05:11 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Undoing the Sprint Nextel Merger
      By the way, it was disclosed at the beginning of the Bear Sterns conference that Sprint Nextel had both a direct and indirect investment relationship with Bear Sterns. Does anyone know what impact the Bear Sterns fallout had on Sprint Nextel, if any?

      View article »
    • Fri Mar 21st 04:02 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Undoing the Sprint Nextel Merger
      Tradewolf, the cash stream would be true enough except you neglect the fact that Sprint sold off most of the rights to their towers to get the capital they needed to buy Nextel. A big part of the Nextel towers developed in the heyday of the early 2000's were build -to-suit sites, now owned by ATC. At that time, Nextel also transfered prior built/owned towers leaving them with very few vertical property interests.

      With regard to Kathy Walker's comments, she actually said it was just less that 10% of sites integrated. In my opinion, the biggest problem undoing these is the fact that the paperwork trail is so bad that they would spend months trying to figure out "where Waldo is".

      Considering the economy inpact on real property values right now, along with the Sprint lack of tower ownership and its potential revenue, and a small share network of subscribers that is getting smaller, what does Sprint really own of value right now besides its Spectrum? I disagree that Sprint cannot end up in bankruptcy.

      For the legacy people remaining you might want to consider this a possibility as you wait and sweat out the cuts, holding out on voting with your feet, and hoping for that big serverance package. In bankruptcy, their won't be any. Might want to take their offer the next time they ask for volunteers.

      My food for thought.



      View article »
    • Thu Mar 20th 04:38 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      One Scenario for Sprint's Long Term Future
      If the executives at the new S company, both legacy Sprint and Nextel, would have gotten past their egos and complacency, this discussion wouldn't be happening. Nextel was a better company than most to work for when you look at the authencity of the people who were a part of it. I stayed true to myself by leaving. I couldn't stomach the way that upper management squashed reality and tried to make the investors and public buy off on total b.s.

      I notice that a lot of former Nextel affiliates and employees like to post. Probably because their opinions were squashed and ignored. Amazing that even will the "ancient network", we made a strong company. Go figure...maybe there is something to be said for integrity.
      View article »
    • Tue Mar 18th 21:08 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      One Scenario for Sprint's Long Term Future
      As a former Nextel employee during the "deal from hell", I would like to comment from first hand experience.

      First of all, the promise of synergy-savings touted to the investors, through the possibly of combining existing sites; was at the least, an uneducated promise, and at the most an out-and-out lie. In either case, it was unexcusable. In my opinion, Sprint, for too long, depended on its ability to cast a spell over the public, convincing them to part with hard earned cash for a promise in the future they couldn't deliver.

      Telecom is no longer an elusive, little understood hobby for the wealthy. It is a potentially high-profit business, that should support a world that wants everything now and with as little of hassle as possible. Its development is dependent on educated landlords, tower owners, zoning officials, and consultants; all looking to get a piece of the pie. Let's face it, towers are vertical real-estate, and prime property sells/leases at prime rates to the wireless carriers.

      Second, some or many of the legacy Sprint persons, came from the landline business. Some had over 30 years experience. That puts them back to the days prior to deregulation...when you didn't have ANY choice in picking your landline company. Remember the old Bell commercials "We may be the only telephone company in the area, but we try not to act like it." In a business where your customers are pretty much locked into the service, there isn't much incentive for the management to be concerned with customer satisfaction.

      On the other hand, the legacy Nextel persons help build a wireless network, during the boom of the industry. They knew the importance of delivering a top-notch service including customer satisfaction. There was a commitment to give the best was to get the best. Nextel was pricey compared to the competition, yet they had the LOWEST churn rate in the business. Business counted on them, and they delivered on their promises.

      Third, the Nextel company, with its approximately 26,000 employees, depended on each member of their team to make this promise happen, up to and including the CEO. Sprint on the other hand, brought to the table nearly double that amount of employees, many in executive positions who seemed to have rehearsed hundreds of different excuses as to why it couldn't be fixed, instead of creative solutions that got business done.

      One of the things that struck me most during this time was management's ability to pigeon-hole a problem and refuse to take it to the Director or VP level. These were not small issues and involved departments outside of the area department managers territory. I can only imagine that if information wasn't going up, then it wasn't coming down either. Too many hidden agendas from people trying to stay one step ahead of the lay-offs I suppose. In any case, I know for sure, that even two and 1/2 years later, some of those problems have never been rectified and will only add to the flailing company's problems.

      I was part of the Nextel team. A group of people who cared enough to be of service to the public, and deliver quality, value, and commitment to the communities we served. It personally sickens me to see that my many years of hard work was so callously mismanaged down the drain by a group of highly paid executives who don't much care about the company as they do their own ego and pocketbooks.

      I don't know that there is much hope for a solution that will be win-win for anyone. Hard to hang on to hope when public opinion doesn't support the CEO's actions for the long haul road. Good luck Dan. I hope you can weed out the snakes, stand strong, and turn it back around.
      View article »
    • Tue Mar 18th 21:00 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Rumor: Sprint to Spinoff Nextel
      As a former Nextel employee during the "deal from hell", I would like to comment from first hand experience.

      First of all, the promise of synergy-savings touted to the investors, through the possibly of combining existing sites; was at the least, an uneducated promise, and at the most an out-and-out lie. In either case, it was unexcusable. In my opinion, Sprint, for too long, depended on its ability to cast a spell over the public, convincing them to part with hard earned cash for a promise in the future they couldn't deliver.

      Telecom is no longer an elusive, little understood hobby for the wealthy. It is a potentially high-profit business, that should support a world that wants everything now and with as little of hassle as possible. Its development is dependent on educated landlords, tower owners, zoning officials, and consultants; all looking to get a piece of the pie. Let's face it, towers are vertical real-estate, and prime property sells/leases at prime rates to the wireless carriers.

      Second, some or many of the legacy Sprint persons, came from the landline business. Some had over 30 years experience. That puts them back to the days prior to deregulation...when you didn't have ANY choice in picking your landline company. Remember the old Bell commercials "We may be the only telephone company in the area, but we try not to act like it." In a business where your customers are pretty much locked into the service, there isn't much incentive for the management to be concerned with customer satisfaction.

      On the other hand, the legacy Nextel persons help build a wireless network, during the boom of the industry. They knew the importance of delivering a top-notch service including customer satisfaction. There was a commitment to give the best was to get the best. Nextel was pricey compared to the competition, yet they had the LOWEST churn rate in the business. Business counted on them, and they delivered on their promises.

      Third, the Nextel company, with its approximately 26,000 employees, depended on each member of their team to make this promise happen, up to and including the CEO. Sprint on the other hand, brought to the table nearly double that amount of employees, many in executive positions who seemed to have rehearsed hundreds of different excuses as to why it couldn't be fixed, instead of creative solutions that got business done.

      One of the things that struck me most during this time was management's ability to pigeon-hole a problem and refuse to take it to the Director or VP level. These were not small issues and involved departments outside of the area department managers territory. I can only imagine that if information wasn't going up, then it wasn't coming down either. Too many hidden agendas from people trying to stay one step ahead of the lay-offs I suppose. In any case, I know for sure, that even two and 1/2 years later, some of those problems have never been rectified and will only add to the flailing company's problems.

      I was part of the Nextel team. A group of people who cared enough to be of service to the public, and deliver quality, value, and commitment to the communities we served. It personally sickens me to see that my many years of hard work was so callously mismanaged down the drain by a group of highly paid executives who don't much care about the company as they do their own ego and pocketbooks.

      I don't know that there is much hope for a solution that will be win-win for anyone. Hard to hang on to hope when public opinion doesn't support the CEO's actions for the long haul road. Good luck Dan. I hope you can weed out the snakes, stand strong, and turn it back around.
      View article »
Loading...
Symbols:
Authors:
Quick Links:
Contribute an Article Become a Seeking Alpha Contributor

Transcripts

More Transcripts»