When under great adversity, leadership and focus are two forces that must radiate to overcome obstacles. Let’s be honest, Sprint is having it’s fair share of issues like a 52-week low stock price of only $5.63 (52-week high of $23.42). So now for the leadership and focus that are going to overcome this negativity, say hello to Sprint’s plan to become a fully IP-based cell network and become truly unified.
The plan is to be one of the first, if not the first company to have a unified cellular network based on the same structure as the Internet, according to Sprint’s core technology VP Ben Vos. Sprint will break from the old technologies at the many different stages of their network and switch to IP (Internet Protocol) based networks for the entire backbone of their system. This will also apply for multimedia systems and under this IP based network, Sprint’s devices will share a common platform that works properly for Sprint’s upcoming Xohm WiMAX network. With the IP-based network providing the backbone for WiMax, the devices will behaves the same way on its CDMA and iDEN networks.
At this point in the game, we will question this migration to an IP-based network for a unified cell network because it’s been years since the merger between Sprint and Nextel and I still can’t stand the chirp. Nextel remains on the iDEN network and Sprint has not been able to migrate the technology over to it’s CDMA network. One network was the plan which would remove the limited device selection of Nextel phones and make the entire deal seem like the merger it should have been.
The IP-based cell network will not impede the release of the Xohm network, which is still on track after initial delays according to Vos. The successful soft launches of their WiMax offerings in Baltimore, Chicago and Washington D.C. are a sign of a full-scale launch coming this summer. The big question in all of this is the Q1 financial results which really need to be impressive in order to repair the falling Sprint stock price.
[credit: electronista]
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