Deutsche Telekom looking to pick up Sprint?

Over the years our pals at Deutsche Telekom haven't exactly played the most aggressive game in the States, but finally we have word about the first possible suitor for the ailing Sprint. Although the rumor originates from German paper Der Spiegel and doesn't cite sources, word has it Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile USA are making the possibility of snagging Sprint (and all its heavy baggage, read: Nextel) a "top priority" in a bid to take a competitor out of the game and pick up the number three spot. Supposedly formal negotiations haven't even begun yet, but if you thought the integration between Sprint and Nextel was messy, just watch what happens when you bring a third carrier into the mix -- and did we mention the infrastructure would be GSM with AWS, PCS CDMA, and iDEN, all competing for spectrum and handset allocation? Good luck guys.

[Thanks, Khattab]

[Micanos @ May 3rd 2008 12:34PM]

I'm just imagining a Yellow 'T'
or a magenta needle dropping

NICE

[Rafer @ May 3rd 2008 2:00PM]

Itl be 2 needles in the shape of a T.

[Paul @ May 3rd 2008 8:00PM]

this seems like a pretty terrible idea.
As much as I would like T-Mobile to expand, I was thinking more in terms of a faster 3G rollout here in the states.

[klew @ May 3rd 2008 9:13PM]

SprinT-mobile?

[Mike10010100 @ May 3rd 2008 9:34PM]

I don't even care, as long as I keep receiving my EVDO rev A.

[Nastro @ May 3rd 2008 12:40PM]

Messy and hilarious all at once...yet oddly interesting. A cdma/gsm hybrid 3G superphone...hmm.

[Kris @ May 3rd 2008 8:40PM]

Sprint already sells GSM / CDMA hybred phones. They're great for traveling because you're almost guaranteed a signal thanks for being able to roam on both networks.

[DIEGO @ May 3rd 2008 12:40PM]

Messy indeed... Sprint is STILL sorting the mess with Nextel...

[Smyth @ May 3rd 2008 12:41PM]

One question: Why?

I mean, I understand all the "eliminating a competitor" stuff, but from an technologically-efficient standpoint it really doesn't make sense. I don't know what kind of costs are associated with maintaining GSM, CDMA, and iDEN networks separately are, but maintaining both CDMA and iDEN isn't working out well for Sprint, let alone what would happen when you add in GSM to the mix. And on top of that, you now have to sell phones with three different radios in them.

I could understand Verizon making an offer to pick up Sprint if any such deal were to be made, since Verizon also runs CDMA, but this whole GSM/CDMA/iDEN thing just doesn't make sense to me.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 3rd 2008 1:06PM]

I like this because as a sprint user, I love call quality and services but hate the fact of not switching phones. Thats where GSM comes in. Then theres the CDMA and iDEN lovers, making sprint a retailer for all people. A lot of awesome tmo phones including alot of wifi smartphones could make it to sprint also. I'm actually wanting this. Big Time.

[aaron @ May 3rd 2008 1:19PM]

@cubswillwin

Alot of awesome tmo phones?

[Genjinaro @ May 3rd 2008 1:26PM]

For VZW to purchase Sprint would be useless. No one who currently stays with Sprint is going to like to pay VZW money nor like losing individual deals (ie SERO, AcctSrvs deals, retentions etc.) things VZW is too stiff to offer.

Plus since VZW has a wider network and a chunk of the 700mhz spectrum, it'll be a redundant purchase.

T-Mobile has alot to gain, data being the elephant & better voice.
Hex-band phones?

[Wobbly @ May 3rd 2008 12:49PM]

You guys forgot about WiMax.

[Ryan Block @ May 3rd 2008 12:54PM]

The WiMAX business doesn't affect their cellular offerings and isn't positioned the same way. XOHM might actually be an added bonus to T-Mobile (were it not for their inclination toward LTE).

[orlandoreyes07 @ May 3rd 2008 12:51PM]

How many customers does Sprint have? I know T-Mobile has around 30 million. If Sprint has around 50 million it should move T-Mobile to the #1 spot in customers.

[Pablo @ May 3rd 2008 12:58PM]

Don't they still need to allocate spectrum and resources (product development) to XOHM?

[Wobbly @ May 3rd 2008 1:01PM]

Sorry, that was supposed to be in response to Ryan, in response to me. =)

[Phoenix @ May 3rd 2008 1:01PM]

Hmm.. Presumably they can gradually give the CDMA etc customers GSM handsets and convert the spectrum to GSM?

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 3rd 2008 1:11PM]

or use all 3 standards you know. There are alot of CDMA lovers on sprint 'cause they think it's more secure. Dunno 'bout IDEN tho. It's supposed to be banished soon.

[Phoenix @ May 3rd 2008 1:31PM]

Fair enough. But it makes the job of Tech Support much harder. Tech Support is already pretty bad anyway, on the whole.

[Jamar @ May 3rd 2008 10:16PM]

How about just selling dual-mode phones? Samsung and LG make a lot of nice CDMA/GSM phones here in China; they usually go GSM-less and end up on Verizon but if this goes through they'll probably end up on Sprint intact (which is a good thing; increased network coverage always is).

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 3rd 2008 1:01PM]

Pals? *cough*engadgetmobile*cough*

[Andrew Campbell @ May 3rd 2008 1:02PM]

In before Deutsche Bag.

[Phour ZwanZig @ May 3rd 2008 1:07PM]

No.. No.. No..

I dont wanna get used to saying T-Moble Cup..
I hated Nextel Cup, then Sprint Cup..

I just wanna have back the good ole Winston Cup..

This is gettin outa hand..

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 3rd 2008 1:09PM]

this doens't look like a swallow up buy out really. I think your safe.

[Viakenny @ May 3rd 2008 7:22PM]

maybe it would simply be NASCAR T-Cup (all Deutsche Telekom divisions are T-Something: T-Mobile, T-Home, T-Systems...)

but would you rather have a teacup, or a T-Cup?

[darkstar @ May 3rd 2008 1:10PM]

DO IT!
i tripple dog dare you!

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 3rd 2008 1:12PM]

comments are coming in quick man!

[Andrew Campbell @ May 3rd 2008 1:40PM]

Cubs Will Lose.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 3rd 2008 1:44PM]

sticks and stones may break my bones, but stupid comebacks can never hurt me :P

[aaron @ May 3rd 2008 2:04PM]

@cubswillwin

Yes, and most of them are yours.

[Neebs @ May 3rd 2008 2:13PM]

Hey, CUBS, there used to be a guy on Halo 2 PC that went by the name of CUBSWININ07...didn't happen to be you, did it?

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 3rd 2008 2:28PM]

that was me why?

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 3rd 2008 2:30PM]

@ aaron

I agree :)

[Neebs @ May 3rd 2008 4:04PM]

It was you? You used to be quite a regular.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 3rd 2008 4:22PM]

regular?

[ScOObyDoo @ May 3rd 2008 1:15PM]

Der Spiegel probably thinks that everyone in the world uses GSM, nowhere in the article do they mention that Sprint uses not one, but two totally incompatible network systems with no easy way to evolve into one big network.

[Jamar @ May 3rd 2008 10:39PM]

It doesn't have to. GSM and CDMA can coexist easily under one roof(and iDEN is long overdue to be phased out). Start selling dual-mode phones- GSM for voice, and CDMA for voice+data. That's how it is in China- the dual-mode phones run voice only on GSM and put the data load on CDMA because it's faster (seriously- until TD-SCDMA arrived on the scene CDMA 1x was the fastest data service available in China).

[Eric M. @ May 3rd 2008 1:17PM]

"did we mention the infrastructure would would be GSM"

Am I the only one who noticed the two "would[s]"?

[chainofcommand02 @ May 3rd 2008 2:29PM]

I saw that on first reading, too.

[Pavan @ May 3rd 2008 7:12PM]

How much wood wood would would a woodwoodchuck chuck if a woodwoodchuck could chuck woodwood?

[agroupofletters @ May 4th 2008 12:24PM]

You're lucky Chuck Norris isn't around.

[dcny @ May 3rd 2008 1:19PM]

Is it so damn hard to release a cdma/gsm phone you can find those all over asia and just say fuck it to iden.

What is the reason people like iden anyway besides the damn walkie talkie feature.

[orlandoreyes07 @ May 3rd 2008 1:27PM]

Cellphonesignal has a post on a phone that is GSM/CDMA 1900/850

http://www.cellphonesignal.com/t-mobile-phones-accessories/3223-weird.html

[Nate @ May 3rd 2008 1:37PM]

Haven't we learned that mashing together networks, like this, just doesn't work?

[DP @ May 3rd 2008 5:33PM]

Yea, not like this.

[Duscrom @ May 3rd 2008 2:29PM]

I, for one, Welcome our german overloards.....

[Tamer Brad @ May 3rd 2008 2:32PM]

I used to work for Sprint, and now work for T-Mobile.

If they do this I'll seriously kill myself.

[sinai @ May 3rd 2008 2:55PM]

put up or shut up

[hushpookcentral @ May 3rd 2008 2:45PM]

2nd such rumor....one from each side of the Atlantic. There has to be some smoke to this one.

GSM can utilize CDMA technology for transmissions. Don't confuse JS-008 and CDMA. Its not as tricky a proposition as one would think.

T-Mobile for the consumer side, Sprint/Nextel for the business side. GSM for voice, JS-008 for data. Hmm.

The Sprint-Nextel merger difficulties have had far more to do with corporate culture & product management issues than technological issues.