However, Sprint is, and has been for years, a joke. Even you predict that the next shareholder meeting will show yet another YEAR of multi-billion dollar losses, due to another YEAR of poor customer service (only major carrier with outsourced customer care) and unacceptably high handset prices. The only thing they MIGHT have been good for in the past was another acquisition into Verizon, but they fudged that up by going WiMAX instead of LTE. Willful incompatibility with every other network in the world, leading to more problematic and overpriced handsets, just like the last time with Nextel. AT&T stock can lose 80% of its value and still be worth more than Sprint. Their rate plans reek of desperation to keep customers. Since they accept virtually everyone onto their network, they are not only begging to keep customers, they are begging to keep customers with a history of not paying their bills. This cycle of handing out high dollar phones to people who can’t pay their bills leads to nothing but defaulted accounts and overall loss. Expect Sprint to be purchased for dirt cheap by Verizon or completely bankrupt within three years.

On the other topic. Watch Sprint when they report Q1 2010 earnings (well losses again this quarter). They are on track to make a profit later this year. Their subscriber base has stabilized.
Sprint and Verizon are both using CDMA technology for its cell phones. The upgrades to different technologies for the more advanced 4G services are in their infancy; and therefore acquisition would be simple for the right price.

Buy the way, Sprint trades at $4.20 today. With reduced debt, which is coming along nicely, they are a good buy out target (like Alltel before).

Second, by the time Sprint is out of debt and out of poor management (well, if…) everyone will be 4G. Sprint’s 4G is WiMAX. AT&T’s is LTE. Verizon’s is… LTE. Neither is compatible with WiMAX. Sprint will go out of business before it gets taken over.

And on another topic. Watch what happens when Sprint is fully out of debt, caused by poor management, and making a profit. They will become a take-over target. Guess what…. AT&T’s equipment is not compatible with Sprint….. Verizon’s is!

just thought I would let you know that the iphone is now available for Bell and Telus in Canada who I believe are both CDMA networks, was originally only available to Rogers/Fido which are GSM/UMTS, so the fact that the iphone is still only available through AT&T has everything to do with the joint contractual agreement between AT&T and Apple and not the technology

That is exactly correct.

If you want the best reception in the boonies with non-smartphones, Verizon might be a good option for you. Just realize a few things.

1. Your upgrade cycle will be slower, so if you break your phone, you’re less likely to get a free replacement.
2. Your phone quality will be lower, as all the good phones are manufactured for GSM.
3. When VZW does finally flip to LTE, you WILL (not might, could, should) have to buy a new phone to use what you already have.

and, with this being said, isn’t the “3g” that verizon is using merely a data overlay to their CDMA network, very similar to that of EDGE on the GSM network only faster?

and if i’m not mistaken AT&T has GSM with EDGE pretty much everywhere and then in addition to this, their 3g service is UMTS which is not merely a data overlay but a whole different technology again which also now has HSPA to improve the data?

and if this is the case … then the maps are kind of misleading, because they imply that Verizon and AT&T are on the same kind of technology and that Verizon pretty much has more towers which is not the case at all.

Just a thought, I don’t have service with either provider, so it’s of no concern to me, although I have been enjoying watching the two comapnies slate each other with their ads!