In the ongoing hunt for more spectrum in the US mobile market, the two operators MetroPCS and Sprint Nextel have declared their interest in the spectrum currently held by satellite TV provider Dish Network.
At a Barclays Capital conference in Phoenix…
In the ongoing hunt for more spectrum in the US mobile market, the two operators MetroPCS and Sprint Nextel have declared their interest in the spectrum currently held by satellite TV provider Dish Network.
At a Barclays Capital conference in Phoenix yesterday, Sprint CFO Joseph Euteneuer said that his company would be on the lookout for spectrum in the future.
He specifically noted the spectrum held by Dish and the frequencies that the FCC could potentially offer.
Referring to Dish’s chairman Charlie Ergen, Euteneuer said that Sprint would be a “great hosting partner for him if he needed one”.
More generally, Euteneuer also said that Sprint believed that “consolidation should happen in the industry”. He added that “everyone’s talking to everybody and we’ll see where it goes”.
Euteneuer added that Sprint’s agreement with WiMAX provider Clearwire should satisfy its spectrum usage requirements until 2016 or “maybe a little more”. He claimed that Sprint does not have an immediate need to look at the opportunities for more spectrum.
Sprint currently has an agreement with Clearwire to have access to its WiMAX services until at least 2015. The operator has also agreed to support Clearwire’s deployment of an LTE network in the US.
Euteneuer also said that Sprint is “still on track” to finalise US$1bn-US$3bn in vendor financing in Q2. The company made a US$2bn bond offering in February.
Meanwhile, MetroPCS’s VP Finance and Treasurer Keith Terreri said that his company’s “number one strategic focus” is attaining spectrum in the markets where it operates. He specifically mentioned that it is looking at opportunities related to Dish’s spectrum.
Also speaking at the Barclays Capital conference, Terreri said that MetroPCS would have around US$1-1.5bn to spend on spectrum.
“Everyone that’s got spectrum, we’re talking to them about it. We’ve got a bit of a war chest built up,” he said.
At the end of 2011, Sprint had over 55 million wireless subscribers, while the smaller MetroPCS had 9.3 million subscribers.
Dish plans to launch a terrestrial-only wireless broadband network in the US. The proposal is currently being reviewed by the FCC.
Earlier in March, the FCC delayed its decision on whether to allow Dish to implement this network plan. The company may now need to wait until the end of the year before a decision is made.
Dish declined to comment.
