On Tue, 6 May 2008 08:05:51 -0600, "Todd Allcock"
<elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote:
>
>"Ron" <ronclifford@peoplepc.com> wrote in message
>news:q49v14dt80v3mupn9omtbkgogflokpshjb@4ax.com.. .
>>
>> Qwest will switch from Sprint to Verizon for selling Cellular to its
>> customers
>>
>> http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/2008...pcworld/145503
>
>Sort of. Currently Qwest sells "Qwest Wireless" to it's customers, not
>Sprint. Qwest just happens to be a Sprint MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network
>Operator) like, for example, Virgin Mobile is. Qwest buys airtime at
>wholesale from Sprint but in all other respects, is just like a cellular
>company themselves- they sell handsets, offer their own rate plans, and bill
>customers directly.
>
>The article makes it sound like this switch to Verizon basically is a
>retreat from the wireless business for Qwest- they'll be selling Verizon
>service AS Verizon service- not rebranding it as "Qwest" and competing
>against Sprint, Verizon, etc. for customers. They'll sell it like they sell
>DirecTV for TV service- as an already popular "parner" product you can
>bundle with your Qwest home phone/DSL bill to save a few bucks a month.
>
>After four years, Qwest still has less than 1,000,000 wireless customers, so
>this story is really more a reflection of Qwest's inability to market
>wireless
Nice try at spinning. Even a Sprint MVNO has to suffer Sprints
1900 Mhz poor coverage and lack of indoor penetration.
\=
>(they used to be the incumbent wireline 800MHz cellular carrier in
>their market and sold their entire system to Verizon, which is why they had
>to go the MVNO route in the first place!) rather than any reflection on
>Sprint. Qwest had a 5-year MVNO deal and seems to simply be bailing out of
>the biz at it's expiration.
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