Sprint Nextel's latest setback a win for Public Safety

Sprint Nextel must cease operations in certain portions of its wireless airwaves by June 26, 2008 to stop the interference its Motorola made iDEN cellular network causes to public-safety two way radio communications networks.

The company must comply with an order issued by the Federal Communications Commission in September of last year as part of the Commissions long-running efforts to resolve the interference issues by 'rebanding' the 800 MHz band, said the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington on May 2.

In the Appeals Court opinion, a three-judge panel rejected Sprint's claim that the FCC's Order would "cripple the company's wireless network". Sprint, the third-biggest U.S. mobile-phone company, had also argued that the FCC order was "arbitrary and capricious" and would harm public safety.


Hurray! After almost 10 years of debate and political maneuvering, it's about time.


NR

Sprint/Nextel Facing Rough Waters, Tough Times

For those wondering just what is and has been happening with Sprint/Nextel the last several years, here's a good review of the mess they've managed to get themselves into.

Excerpt:

"It was supposed to be a formidable competitor in the mobile wireless industry, leading the industry in key financial metrics and in innovative services. But less than three years after Sprint and Nextel merged their operations in a $36 billion deal, the company is now trying to stop the bleeding."

The bleeding has resulted in an extraordinary loss of several hundred thousand subscribers in the last quarter, whose care has been badly neglected primarily due to internal culture conflicts associated with the failed integration of both company's business processes and their incompatible networks.

New CEO Dan Hesse certainly has some challenges ahead of him.

Worth a read....


NR