What will it take to fix Sprint?

What will it take (other than job cuts), to fix Sprint?  Olga Kharif (Businessweek) reports that layoffs (resulting in cost saving of $1.2B) aren't enough to make their customers want to stay.  

What's next for the number three wireless carrier in the US?  Get Olga's take HERE.  

Clearwire Loses Money - Says Merger on Track

source: FierceWireless

Clearwire said its losses increased in the second quarter to $199.1 million, or $1.21 per share, compared with a loss of $118.1 million, or 72 cents per share, in the second quarter 2007. Revenue increased to $58.6 million from $35.5 million a year ago.

The operator, which plans to deploy certified mobile WiMAX in select markets later this year as well as merge with Sprint Nextel's WiMAX business, added 18,400 customers in the second quarter, representing a growth of 54 percent compared with 2007.

Clearwire says its merger plans with Sprint Nextel's WiMAX business is on track to be finalized by the end of the year, pending regulatory approval and approval from Clearwire's board. Google, Intel and cable companies are investing some $3.2 billion in the new company.

Meanwhile, Sprint, which announced it lost 901,000 wireless subscribers in the second quarter, significantly reduced its spending on WiMAX in the second quarter, likely in preparation for the division's merger with Clearwire. After upping its spending on WiMAX in the first quarter, spending $236 million, the company said spending fell to $100 million. Sprint plans to launch WiMAX in Baltimore next month.

http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/clearwire-posts-q2-loss-says-clearwire-sprint-merger-target/2008-08-08?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal&cmp-id=EMC-NL-FW&dest=FBW

Sprint to Cut Jobs and Close Stores

With their stock plummeting last Friday, Sprint has announced it will cut 4,000 jobs and close 125 retail locations. The goal: to trim labor costs by $700 to $800 million in a year.

Hesse's hard work has only just begun.

Read Margart Stafford's complete BusinessWeek article....HERE.

Wireless News: Dan Hesse, Sprint's New Mountain Climber

10 years and 10 months ago, I made the best decision of my career.

I joined AT&T Wireless as a recruiter.

It was a great decision, and, it was also a very cool time to jump in to the world of wireless. The phones were getting smaller, the cell sites were popping up like crazy, and we had more jobs to fill than we could get our arms around.

And, Dan Hesse was the President of the company (which, by the way, had the lion's share of wireless subscribers).

I admired Hesse's leadership, and recall that he was well-liked and revered for his leadership. Which is why everybody was disappointed when he left (while still on top) to a startup called Terabeam (now Proxim Wireless).

Fast-forward a decade or so, and it seems Hesse is about to climb his steepest mountain to date: Sprint (for a detailed article on Hesse's-mountain, click HERE).

All I can say is....if anybody can do it, I think Hesse can.

In the spirit of wireless competition...Go Dan - we're rootin' for you.