Stating that it was concerned that it might not be able to maintain 5G construction crews, Sprint has unveiled its all-new ‘Same Day Pay’ financing program, providing day-of compensation to its 5G network builders and suppliers by shortening administrative overhead and collapsing the overpayment process as far as it can go. The Sprint ‘Same Day Pay’ program is a part of the …
After T-Mobile throws contractors under the bus it provides lofty merger promises
When T-Mobile announced its new commitments Thursday to sway legislators to put pressure on 10 state attorneys general to settle their Sprint merger lawsuit, one of its top initiatives upon completion of the merger, was to create more job opportunities than either standalone company. The new employee count is impressive, an additional 11,000 by 2024. However, the Communications Workers of …
Colorado bows out of T-Mobile merger lawsuit for promises of new employment and rural 5G network
The state of Colorado has removed itself from the lawsuit led by New York and California to stop T-Mobile’s $26 billion merger with Sprint. The move follows Mississippi’s recent departure from the lawsuit. Colorado struck a deal with T-Mobile and Dish Network , which is buying assets divested by the merger. Dish promised to bring 2,000 jobs to the state …
T-Mobile-Sprint merger passes along party lines at FCC, but deal is still in limbo until December
The FCC approved the controversial T-Mobile-Sprint $26.5 billion merger along party lines today, closing the FCC’s review. Democratic Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks voted against the deal, with Rosenworcel being the most vociferant. “We’ve all seen what happens when markets become more concentrated after a merger like this one. In the airline industry, it brought us baggage fees and …
Cell tower gets reporter’s clean bill of health as tap water becomes the next cancer-causing agent
After four students were diagnosed with cancer in Ripon, Calif., parents attacked the usual maligned suspect, a cell tower on school property which Sprint later removed after community pressure. Wireless Estimator debunked the RF testing methods used by an independent consultant hired by concerned parents. The next suspicious agent was the drinking water at the Weston Elementary School since Ripon shut …
T-Mobile stops paying its contractors, keeping its market managers in the dark
Commentary In late August, Wireless Estimator broke the story that T-Mobile had pulled many of their contractors’ purchase orders and would not be providing any additional fourth quarter builds throughout the nation, forcing wireless contractors to assess their financial position in order to maintain the additional crews that they staffed early in the year to meet T-Mobile’s promised projects. It’s …
T-Mobile cancels 5G upgrades and new builds nationwide, possibly crippling some contractors
Beginning last Friday, contractors started getting calls from T-Mobile’s market managers informing them that most purchase orders they had for new builds and 5G upgrades were going to be put on hold until 2020 unless materials for the project were sitting in a warehouse. The news came as a shock to many wireless contracting companies that had been counting on …
Sprint lights up mobile 5G in Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.
Sprint said that its customers are among the first in the world to experience the power and performance of True Mobile 5G with the largest initial 5G coverage footprint in the U.S. In a press release they said, “The next generation of wireless service is here, delivering blazing-fast speeds in areas of Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. True Mobile 5G from Sprint is set to …
T-Mobile gets FCC’s nod to bid on 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz licenses
The FCC released an Order today granting T-Mobile’s request for a waiver of the Commission’s rules that prohibit an FCC spectrum auction applicant from being party to a joint bidding or similar arrangement. The Commission granted T-Mobile’s request for a waiver despite its ongoing attempt to acquire Sprint. On July 11, 2019, the Commission announced the application and bidding procedures …
Contractor didn’t anticipate dress rehearsal for monopole pour and erection, leads Fast Forward Friday
THE SECOND TIME AROUND WILL BE TO CHARM THE BUILDING INSPECTOR For unknown reasons, a tower erector in Arkansas didn’t call for inspections when they poured the foundation and erected a 150-foot monopole. They didn’t have a third-party inspection and will be accorded a second opportunity to rip out and re-pour the base and re-erect the white stealth flagpole tower …
FCC chief formally recommends approval of the T-Mobile/Sprint marriage
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai today shared a draft Order that would approve, subject to conditions, the proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. “After one of the most exhaustive merger reviews in Commission history, the evidence conclusively demonstrates that this transaction will bring fast 5G wireless service to many more Americans and help close the digital divide in rural …
Tech’s workday half ‘heritage’ flag on a monopole isn’t a hit with a few Nebraskans
Call out someone for having too many groceries in a 10-item checkout line and you could be called a racist. No matter which side of the political aisle you’re on, there’s a chance that you might be called a race-baiter or you are weaponizing race in some manner. And it’s likely that the R word will be a frequent inclusion in …
DOJ greenlights T-Mobile-Sprint merger, requiring them to give up 20,000 cell sites
The Department of Justice today approved the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, allowing the $26 billion deal to move forward after years of exploration by the nation’s third and fourth-largest wireless companies. The merger required the approval of the DOJ which enforces antitrust law, and the FCC which directs the telecommunications industry. In May, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai broadcast his …
DOJ expected to give their blessing on the Sprint/T-Mobile merger this week: report
According to a Fox Business report this morning, the U.S. Department of Justice could announce a settlement to make way for the merger of Sprint Corp. and T-Mobile US Inc. by mid-week, Sources told Fox that a settlement announcement between the DOJ and the carriers could come “Wednesday or Thursday, or possibly sooner.” The settlement would include plans for divestitures …
Strawberry fields not quite forever for Sprint as it caves in in California
The City of Ripon, California’s City Council agreed yesterday to move forward with an agreement with Sprint (below) to allow the carrier to replace an existing cell tower at the Weston Elementary School with one to be built on acreage with strawberry fields approximately three-quarters of a mile north of the school. Bowing to pressure in April, Sprint turned off …
A Dish carrier network could set the table for higher contractor margins
Dish Network might play the pivotal role in the Department of Justice’s approval of the proposed T-Mobile/Sprint merger after The Wall Street Journal reported that Dish is the lead bidder on the spectrum T-Mobile and Sprint are divesting in their bid of winning regulatory approval for their merger valued at $26.5 billion. Charlie Ergen, who controls Dish, has approximately $10 …
Dems don’t want T-Mobile/Sprint merger, 10 States Attorney Generals state in lawsuit
Late last month Moffett Nathanson Research analysts set the odds of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger going through at 50/50. Today, it’s likely that the smart money is on the $26.5 billion mega deal failing after a lawsuit was filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan by a group of state attorneys general seeking to block the marriage of the third and …
FCC names winners who spent $2.7 billion in millimeter wave auctions
The FCC has released the names of companies (see full list of Auction 101 and Auction 102 below) that won licenses in the recently completed auction of spectrum suitable for 5G deployments in the 24 GHz and 28 GHz millimeter wave bands. In the $2.7 billion raised, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Windstream, Starry and U.S. Cellular were the big winners. Each …
Sprint lights up mobile 5G in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Kansas City
Some of Sprint’s customers today are among the first in the world to experience the power and performance of true mobile 5G with the largest initial 5G coverage footprint in the U.S. The next generation of wireless service is now here, delivering blazing-fast download speeds in areas of Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Kansas City. In the coming weeks, Sprint also expects …
Sprint and T-Mobile’s urge to merge extended to July 29
According to an SEC filing, T-Mobile and Sprint have extended the deadline for completing their merger to July 29 as they continue to seek the regulatory approvals they need to complete a deal. The previous deadline had been Monday. The No. 3 and No. 4 wireless carriers announced their proposed merger on April 29, 2018. The Department of Justice’s antitrust …
