Originally posted by vansmack:
Originally posted by pdx pollard:
I wonder how much other cell phone companies are making thanks to early termination fees
That's a great point, but seeing as how two CEO's were recently fired because of the exodus of subscribers, I'm sure it's not enough to cover the forecasts for future revenue. [/b]
Here's my case in point.
Can WiMax make it in the U.S.? Sprint Nextel and Clearwire have called off their partnership to build a nationwide WiMax network, and the break could spell trouble for the technology. By Marguerite Reardon
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: November 12, 2007, 4:00 AM PST
With Sprint Nextel and Clearwire suspending their partnership to build a new nationwide wireless network using WiMax, the future looks precarious for the much-hyped technology that was supposed to revolutionize the mobile Web.
On Friday, Sprint Nextel and Clearwire announced that they had dissolved a deal signed in July to join forces and build a next-generation wireless network using WiMax technology. Together, the companies were supposed to share resources and the cost of deploying a new fourth-generation wireless network to reach about 100 million users in the next few years.
While the companies have said they are still committed to building their networks separately, the news throws into question whether they'll have the money or shareholder backing to actually get the networks built. And without a nationwide network in one of the largest markets in the world, the WiMax revolution could come to a standstill.
More on wi-max... ----------------
So here you have a clearly better technology, one that will cost much less in terms of bits delivered per dollar spent, expand the reach of wireless, and provide a much faster speed for less money, and the cell companies are ditching it because the shareholders think that it's iPhone or nothing. Sprint is wrong, and unfortunately the only one that can tell them that is the CEO they just fired because he didn't land the iPhone contract. This is completely bass-ackwards thinking.
Imagine the 1Gig per second WiMax from sprint being how your desktop, laptop, gaming console and your cell phone all connect to the internet anywhere you have cell reception for one set price (around $50)? It would roll out much sooner than fiber could be brought to the majority of US households, and they're stopping it because the shareholder hype is all about the iPhone. Don't buy into gimicks - build a better infrastructure and watch the subscribers return when the hype is over (not to mention how many customers you could steal from the Cable Co's and the DSL providers).
