Whither NEXTEL?

2008-05-11 | Mike Acker

[Mike Acker]

I'd like to see NEXTEL return to its roots. Maybe Sprint sells off NEXTEL and its originator buys the system back, along with the rf spectrum and the iDEN technology

Make it into a NO FRILLS system for jobsites and RedNecks

Keep the 2-way, text messaging, and phone patch; ditch all the junk: fancy ring tones, internet, graphics, -- all that stuff that is only for geeks

offer only high performance, MIL-spec phones like the i305

and guarantee restricted access to keep advertising thugs out

[Tallguy]

I hear that all the handsets are going to a common standard. Sprint/Nextel units will essentially be on a 3rd standard that is basically VOIP. Don’t know the details beyond that. NEXTEL may survive as a brand, but it doesn’t look likely.

[xmission]

We dumped nextel about a year back. Reception was terrible. We we’re spending half of out time trying to communicate.

Places where reception was always good, suddenly turned terrible. These are spots right on the outside of a large city, on the main interstate hwy.

Our phone bill is about half of what it was, and reception is vastly better.

[Mike Acker]

here’s the essay that got me interested

http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20080507/tc_cmp/207501937

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Then again if Deutsche Telekom buys Sprint they may both become T-Mobile. But then that’s not going to happen. Right?

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSBAT00221520080505

[longtermmemmory]

spint/nextel and verizon are the old US system which while higher speed is only used in the USA. Everywhere else is pretty much GSM which is the euro based system.

Of course OUTSIDE the usa, the simple switch of a simm card and you can change phones like a necktie.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

H.323, the first VoIP standard owes a lot to GSM, the European cell phone standard. In fact, the GSM codec is one of those described in the standard. It’s all packet voice.

There may be something to be said for a SIP handset for cell phones but the carriers wouldn’t like it. They make good money off of text messaging now. Billing would be an issue for them and security would be an issue for the rest of us.

Nextel’s real problem is their spectrum. they’re in the 900 mhz band, close to police and fire. Most providers use 800, 1800 or 1900 mhz. The government is trying to flog the 700 mhz spectrum but since it has over two and a half times less bandwidth for data than the guys operating at 1900 mhz the carriers really aren’t that enthusiastic. Longer wavelength transmissions also don’t reflect as well as shorter wavelengths, resulting in Nextel’s infamous dead zones. 700 mhz will be worse.

[Tallguy]

Mike:

THANKS for that link!

I live in a rugged area where the cell service is spotty for most cell providers. I am probably one of the few Nextel subscribers who actually went with Nextel primarily for their cell coverage which is superior in my area. There are fewer dead spots & dropped calls with Nextel.

OTOH, I have noticed that Sprint is making a major push to get Nextel people over onto their system. They are even making hybrid phones available that retain the Nextel Push-to-Talk system while using the Sprint cells. Seemed like a curious thing to do with the new technology in the pipeline, but the article that you sent explains Sprint’s dilemma. It makes more sense!

Thanks again!