With the inevitability of a 4G LTE iPhone 5, the tech media is beginning to report on the technical complexities of an LTE iPhone 5 in the world market. For the U.S., can Sprint offer a truly 4G iPhone 5, and will it be big success for them?
We haven’t heard or talked too much about Sprint lately in relation to the iPhone 5. Left in a kind of mobile Purgatory, Sprint appears to be treading water as usual in the marketplace. It was well documented last year that Sprint was rolling the dice on the iPhone, in spite of the fact that their deal with Apple was not going to be a winning short-term proposition. The gambit for Sprint, however, was that they could lock in more or their subscribers long term, since losing customers to the dreaded “churn” has been a real thorn in their side. In addition, their industry-leading flat rate data plan was to be a lure for on boarding customers for their eventual 4G rollout.
Well, with the iPhone 5 set to be 4G LTE, here is where it will pay off — assuming the Sprint 4G LTE iPhone 5 really materializes on Sprint after all.
I have some trepidation about Sprint getting a truly 4G LTE iPhone 5 after the fact that to date, the iPad 3 still isn’t offered by them. Why not? I recall a long Sprint conference last year, just on the heels of the iPhone 4S being released, and reporting on how the company was to invest heavily (with money they didn’t yet have) in a robust 4G infrastructure. That rollout was going to lead to a flurry of 4G mobile products in 2012. To date, however, there are just 9 4G smartphones to choose from and, most conspicuously, Sprint never got access to the 4G iPad 3.
Moreover, in Chris Davies piece on SlashGear today, any discussion of Sprint is conspicuously absent — Davies concerns himself with AT&T and Verizon, but Sprint doesn’t even seem to be on his radar in parsing the concerns of an LTE iPhone 5.
To me, the whole point of Sprint’s investment in 4G was going to be about reasserting itself in the U.S. mobile market. Sensing that the advent of mainstream 4G connectivity would be somewhat of a restart for AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, the opportunity was there for Sprint to have comparable network reach to the “big two.” And obviously, once a 4G iPhone was released, the new race would really begin.
But if for any reason Sprint cannot make good on its 4G promises, it could turn ugly for its share of the 4G market share, as well as iPhone 5 sales, with iPhone customers in the U.S. clamoring for LTE connectivity — you’ll recall that “no 4G” was the biggest complaint from consumers with the iPhone 4S last year.
At present, it’s hard to get an exact picture of where the 4G iPhone 5 spends with Sprint. There has definitely been some spin, with SeekingAlpha reporting on Sprint’s success with Nextel, and that “Sprint will fill the gap left by Nextel’s 2G services with the launch of a new 4G-LTE network. The firm is hopeful that former Nextel customers will transition smoothly to Sprint’s new “Direct Connect” technology, which most notably offers a push-to-talk facility.” A dueling article from Gotta Be Mobile, however, points out that:
Sprint customers may have to wait far past the supposed September 21 iPhone 5 release to buy Apple’s latest phone. Even worse, Sprint may not even be a viable option for iPhone 5 buyers since the company’s been slow to roll out its 4G LTE network. . . The worst thing about Sprint’s 4G LTE network for iPhone 5 buyers is that unlike AT&T, Sprint hasn’t announced future plans to expand its 4G LTE footprint. iPhone buyers shouldn’t take the word of Sprint salespeople who say that 4G LTE is coming to their neighborhoods soon. The simple fact is that at this point nobody knows if or when Sprint will launch 4G LTE in any particular market except for Sprint employees much higher up the food chain than retail reps.”
Ouch.
The fact is, 4G LTE is going to be a big selling point for the iPhone 5 in the U.S., along with a new shape, form factor, and display. But if Apple’s mobile partners cannot make good on providing an ample national coverage, then there’s no sense in rushing to give them the iPhone 5. And that appears to be the case:
“According to leaked Sprint documents, the carrier appears to be scheduled to begin selling the iPhone 5 on October 15. Of course, this could be wrong, but if this is accurate, it could give Verizon and AT&T a big head start. Early adopters surely won’t want to wait almost a month past the expected September 21 iPhone 5 launch date.”
I’ve argued in the past that even AT&T and Verizon iPhone users should root for Sprint. Their steadfast commitment to value pricing, flat rate data plans, and a focus on customer service helps to keep the other carriers honest. In short, they help control costs for the entire U.S. market. No one should wish Sprint dead — except for maybe AT&T and Verizon. But Sprint has to get it’s act together if it is going to survive and thrive.
Unfortunately, it remains to be seen on whether Apple is an ally or enemy to Sprint. After withholding the iPhone from them, their deal with Sprint to acquire the iPhone 4 and 4S last year was anything but a sweetheart deal. Some would even say it seemed more like a business killer than helper. It’s unclear if Apple appreciates the lower prices and unlimited data models that Sprint rolls with — would Cupertino have more to gain if Sprint kicked the bucket, causing the data plans of AT&T and Verizon to “necessarily skyrocket?”
Hang in there, Sprint. And get your 4G network up and running — fast.
By Michael Nace
Source : iphone5newsblog[dot]com
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