Following up on a previous report, Sprint has revealed the first details regarding its planned sunset of the iDEN network and transition to multi-mode network hardware. The carrier has announced that the initiative will be dubbed Network Vision and will involve Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, and Samsung as its hardware partners in the transition.
The aforementioned network equipment providers will work with Sprint to consolidate selected regions with their respective multimode hardware, which also includes the reassignment of select bands and spectrum. Sprint has indicated that it will reassign vacated 800Mhz spectrum to support CDMA service in the future. The transition is expected to begin next year.
Regarding iDEN, Sprint has announced 2013 as the initial sunset date for the current iDEN network and infrastructure, while the carrier will introduce its next CDMA-based PTT platform in 2011 after the attempted and failed iDEN to QChat transition started in 2008. Further details on platform selected and deployment have yet to be revealed.
Sprint expects total expenditure on the initiative to total between $4-$5 billion after completion and has hinted that the new hardware would allow it to transition to LTE service should it be necessary.
Will 1x advanced factor in the modernization in any way?
Muti-mode hardware certainly could support the standard if Sprint wants it to. However, I’m not sure it’s necessary. Voice is not the issue in Sprint’s network capacity. It’s local loops and 4G.
CDMA 1X Advanced would only make sense if Sprint wanted to cannibalize CDMA spectrum to allocate for 4G.
1X Advanced makes the most sense in new markets where CDMA is still a viable platform for future use; developing markets like India and Africa.
[…] Vision initiative partners Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Samsung will hold a keynote detailing its Network Vision network infrastructure transition initiative intended to give Sprint flexibility in rolling out multiple standards with more efficient […]
[…] Vision initiative partners Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Samsung will hold a keynote detailing its Network Vision network infrastructure transition initiative intended to give Sprint flexibility in rolling out multiple standards with more efficient […]