The CEO of Sprint recently said that it is planning to shut down its Nextel-branded iDEN network in favor of modernizing to a CDMA wireless standard. Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint, said the carrier is gradually moving to replace its iDEN 800-megahertz spectrum with enhanced CDMA coverage. He did not give specifics on a timeline, saying it would be a gradual process.
The Overland Park, Kan.-based company is looking to upgrade the equipment that runs its wireless network, including the antennas on cell towers and computers that transmit the phone and data traffic across landlines.
Phasing out iDEN would alleviate Sprint of huge customer losses and expensive upkeep. Sprint's buyout of Nextel in 2005 -- ranked as one of the worst mergers of the last five years -- has required expensive investment to maintain call quality. But the investment has done little to stem customers migrating to networks based on newer technolgy.
IDEN also is badly designed to accommodate the data services, such as video and Internet surfing, that wireless customers increasingly demand.
Gradually making way for the new CDMA network, Sprint has introduced fewer iDEN handsets while highlighting CDMA Android-based smartphones compatible with its growing fourth-generation, or 4G, network.
Hesse did not give specifics on the timeline of the transition, but he contextualized it as part of the company's evolution.
"Over time, we'll have fewer and fewer customers on the iDEN network," Hesse said. "That allows us to use some of that capacity on the network that is freed up and use it for CDMA. It's a gradual process."
Hesse also detailed some of Sprint's 4G plans. The carrier, which holds a 54 percent stake in Clearwire, resells its WiMax service under the Sprint 4G brand. While Hesse said Sprint's current plan is to maintain its relationship with Clearwire, Hesse did say Sprint had a set of alternatives to Clearwire but declined to discuss specifics.
But other companies, such as Verizon, are already moving into 4G networks. Verizon is set to begin rolling out its 4G coverage at the end of this year, and AT&T has plans to roll out 4G next year.
With Sprint gradually fading out the aging iDEN Nextel network, the company looks to compete against carriers who are already leaping into next-generation technologies.
The Overland Park, Kan.-based company is looking to upgrade the equipment that runs its wireless network, including the antennas on cell towers and computers that transmit the phone and data traffic across landlines.
Phasing out iDEN would alleviate Sprint of huge customer losses and expensive upkeep. Sprint's buyout of Nextel in 2005 -- ranked as one of the worst mergers of the last five years -- has required expensive investment to maintain call quality. But the investment has done little to stem customers migrating to networks based on newer technolgy.
IDEN also is badly designed to accommodate the data services, such as video and Internet surfing, that wireless customers increasingly demand.
Gradually making way for the new CDMA network, Sprint has introduced fewer iDEN handsets while highlighting CDMA Android-based smartphones compatible with its growing fourth-generation, or 4G, network.
Hesse did not give specifics on the timeline of the transition, but he contextualized it as part of the company's evolution.
"Over time, we'll have fewer and fewer customers on the iDEN network," Hesse said. "That allows us to use some of that capacity on the network that is freed up and use it for CDMA. It's a gradual process."
Hesse also detailed some of Sprint's 4G plans. The carrier, which holds a 54 percent stake in Clearwire, resells its WiMax service under the Sprint 4G brand. While Hesse said Sprint's current plan is to maintain its relationship with Clearwire, Hesse did say Sprint had a set of alternatives to Clearwire but declined to discuss specifics.
But other companies, such as Verizon, are already moving into 4G networks. Verizon is set to begin rolling out its 4G coverage at the end of this year, and AT&T has plans to roll out 4G next year.
With Sprint gradually fading out the aging iDEN Nextel network, the company looks to compete against carriers who are already leaping into next-generation technologies.
