Allen: No corrections - you got it right about Sprint's fixed MMDS customers, using Hybrid Networks gear (is the vendor that took over for HN still around?) called Sprint Broadband Direct. As far as I know, they're still out there, though their numbers are way, way down as Sprint (or their subcontractor - perhaps Kite) had some INCREDIBLE problems that drove SBD customers to find ANY other source of Broadband Internet Access, including satellite. One of the most damning (and one of the most fundamental services for an ISP) issues was unreliable DNS. I was subscribed to a mailing list by SBD users, and the complaints about unreliable DNS were amazing.
Like you... I've learned the slow, sad, hard way over the decade that I've been writing about Broadband Wireless Internet Access that SO many companies that entered into the BWIA industry were never about actually providing services, but rather ALL about, either subtly, or overtly, purely stock scams. They did the minimum that they could get away with while pumping out press releases for even the most mundane corporate accomplishments, paid handsome salaries, and exercised atrocious technical judgment. The example you cite from personal experience is but one of many such stories. Some of the most egregious, such as Teligent and WinStar were detailed in a chapter of Om Malik's EXCELLENT book Broadbandits. An acquaintance of mine here in the Seattle area tells a story eerily similar to yours about the outcome of selling his very-well regarded ISP to WinStar. All this said... the trend towards consolidation / rollups of ISPs / WISPs is real and continuing, and there are a number of "acquirers" out there that ARE doing a good job of consolidation. I think it all boils down to due diligence on the part of those selling a business - if you can't make sense of the potential acquirer's business model or talk to the leadership of previously acquired companies and hear good things from them, you might want to think twice. Thanks for taking the time, and soul searching to offer your cautionary tale, Allen! Steve On 9/12/07, Allen Marsalis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: <snip> > The Old Sprint MMDS Project > > Steve Stroh can correct me if I'm wrong. His > memory is much better than mine. But recall the > old Sprint MMDS network in Phoenix and a few > other markets? They had about 15k or 20k users > at one time as I recall before they put a freeze > on signups back years ago. 20k isn't much by my > dial-up standards, but this was the largest fixed > wireless network in the country IIRC. Well Sprint > found someone named Jerry Sullivan at Kite > Networks (Old Tritel mogul?) to contract out the > maintenance of these licensed spectrum fixed > wireless customers owned by Sprint. > > MOBL buy's Kite from Jerry for something like > $20MM (I forget). (wink wink) Last month, MOBL > just sold Kite to someone called Gobility for > barely $2MM only the deal has fallen through > cause they can't get funding or > something. Whatever.. So this represents yet another major stockholder loss. > > As a side note, Robert Hoskins at Broadband > Wireless Exchange was so duped. Even at this > moment he lists MobilePro as the largest WISP in > the USA by Robert. LMAO……I don't believe it, do you? > > <http://www.bbwexchange.com/wireless_isp/>http://www.bbwexchange.com/wireless_isp/ > > MOBL owns very few true wireless > customers. Sprint owns all those MMDS > customers. Robert is smarter than that so I have > to wonder. Sprint is technically the largest > WISP in the nation measure by customers OWNED > rather than customers "served" as a > subcontractor. But Sprint never claimed that > honor (or got to Robert for the publicity) Sorry > Robert, I'm not dissing you. Just disappointed > for the lack of due diligence or whatever. Quite > a big zit on your website if you ask me. Butr hey, what do I know..... <snip> > Allen > am at bandwise dot com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** Join us at the WISPA Reception at 6:30 PM on October the 16th 2007 at ISPCON ** ** ISPCON Fall 2007 - October 16-18 - San Jose, CA www.ispcon.com ** ** THE INTERNET INDUSTRY EVENT ** ** FREE Exhibits and Events Pass available until August 31 ** ** Use Customer Code WSEMF7 when you register online at http://www.ispcon.com/register.php ** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
