Mobile Notes: Sprint phones, AT&T, Alltel, rural cell companies
Posted by Joe P on June 23, 2008
Verizon has the best coverage. AT&T has the biggest network. T-Mobile has the best calling plans. Sprint has…the best phones? It sounds like that’s how they’re trying to angle themselves. The Instinct seems to be the driving force for this, as Sprint execs are hyping up the device in the face of the iPhone 3G, which will hit shelves in less than a month. But, as we’ll find out in a second, Sprint might have faced a buyout if not for Verizon.
According to CEO Scott Ford, Alltel approached Sprint three times for merger talks. Not only that, but they also looked into buying T-Mobile, and evan AT&T. “We were doing everything we could to get to a national platform,” says Ford. Instead, Verizon swooped in and became the buyers, getting Alltel for $28.1 billion.
There’s a good story in Sunday’s Baltimore Sun about a woman who has been relieved of her AT&T contract by the company. Apparently, she roams too much. As we discussed earlier this month, roaming excessively is one way to get out of your cell contract.
Rural carriers are taking their fight to the FCC over exclusive handsets. Both sides have a case, but rural cell carriers are really at a disadvantage here. How can they compete with the big boys with a selection of second-rate phones?
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Filed under : Mobile Notes
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[...] Mobile Notes earlier this week, we came across an item saying Sprint was trying to attract customers with their phone selection. A company rep gave quick reasons why people choose the other carriers, [...]
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