Sprint, some thoughts

These days it seems like everyone has to dump on Sprint. Frankly, I'm a little perplexed and if you're reading this you must care about why I think this way.

First off, in the interest of full disclosure I should say that I worked for Radio Shack selling both Sprint and Verizon phones and services and then later worked for Sprint LTD which was the "Local Telephone Division". This company was then spun off to form what is now EMBARQ.

I worked for Sprint LTD/EMBARQ for a total of 3 years and for Radio Shack for just over 6 months. Overall I would rate my job satisfaction as high under the Sprint banner and I owned Sprint products, but I was not blind to its faults.

Now down to brass tacks.

So here it is, Sprint is one of two major CDMA carriers in the US and of course it owns iDen provider NEXTEL.

Lately, Sprint has been seeing a significant drop in its consumer satisfaction rating and as a Sprint user myself I am still left shaking my head because it doesn't line up with my own customer experiences.

My past employment history aside, it seems like Sprint is really nothing more than a whipping boy for all those At&t iPhone "loyalists" who are looking for more reasons to turn their noses up anything but the iPhone. (FYI I am not an iphone hater, I concede that its a beautiful piece of hardware and I would own one but for my SERO plan with Sprint).

The simple fact is that Sprint has offered (And still does offer) some really great deals. While the "Free incoming" plan seems to be all but retired, I think its safe to say that many a small business owner has benefited from knowing that their incoming calls were free. (BTW, if the demand is high enough I bet you'll see those plans resurrected).

The free nights after 6pm ad on, while not entirely unique to Sprint was/is an excellent and reasonably priced option.

Finally, lets not forget the stellar SERO plan. A little known but hugely beneficial plan that offers subscribers virtually all they could ask for in a wireless plan for tremendous savings. (Seriously, ex: 500 min, free nights and weekends after 7pm, free EVDO wireless web browsing, Unlimited Text Messaging for $30/month!) I have not seen anything like that plan anywhere else.

I haven't even mentioned the PTT (Push to talk) diehards and the construction industry PTT users. Even when trying to pitch intercompany sales, it was hard to convince the Nextel crowd to look at anything but an rubber clad, uber armored Motorola with a big oval button on the side.

I don't blame them either, there is something unique about being able to fire off quick conversational packets without the hassle of having to dial. Sure we're talking mere seconds, but it is faster in many cases. Plus, you can drop the thing in cement, step on it, drop it, etc... and then dust it off and keep on going like nothing ever happened. Not many portable electronics can boast that kind of durability!

The NEXTEL experience novel. It presents both an evolutionary and retro feel all in one package. You get the "Walkie Talkie" fun of yesteryear with unprecedented range and clarity of today. Its like the instant messenger of the hand held wireless communication experience.

Sure we all hate the schmucks who keep their NEXTEL on speaker with the volume at max, but we are hating the users actions not the technology.

So here we have a company that has a loyalist base that rivals the iphone (NEXTEL) and the technological capability to run wireless high speed web with the likes of Verizon, and all people can say about it is how bad it is.

Well, I for one will say "nah uh!" I think that Sprint is definitely got to tighten its collective ship and begin a major campaign to fix its flaws (After all no ones perfect). But, at its core the company has a lot of potential. With WiMax looking like the winner of the 4g foot race and Verizon and AT&T looking to get back in the PTT game again, Sprint might just find that it has something of greater value than it originally thought and could have an opportunity turn the tide of bad press.


My $.02 USD