Sprint looking to wholesale bandwidth to connected gadget makers

by Darren Murph posted Mar 24th 2009 at 4:57PM

So, what's a flagging cellular operator to do once it has succumbed to the grim realization that no one wants to sign up for your service and you've already collected the dough from selling off nearly all of your towers? Go wholesale, of course! Unbeknownst to most, all of the Kindle downloads on Amazon's white-hot e-reader go through Sprint's network, and given just how successful that little venture has been, the carrier is hoping to expand its revenues from wholesaling bandwidth (which currently sits at just 3 percent of its total) by inking similar deals with connected gadget makers. From internet-connected vehicles to GPS systems to cameras, the options are darn near limitless, and with so much free capacity on Sprint's network, it might as well find companies to use it. 'Course, it's not like Sprint's the only one out there trying to carve these kinds of deals into stone, but it's definitely the one that needs to do it most immediately.

Filed under: Sprint, EV-DO, CDMA, Misc

Tags: bandwidth, business, connected gps, ConnectedGps, eastman kodak, EastmanKodak, gadget, garmin, industry, kodak, network, sandisk, sprint, sprint nextel, SprintNextel, wholesale

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Harold @ Mar 24th 2009 5:46PM

Stop being so goddamn negative.

I think its a good move on Sprint.

Highly Ranked

Ari @ Mar 24th 2009 5:23PM

this isn't a new theory, all the operators whole-saled to MVNO's. That didnt work, because the that business model hasnt been effective. But it only makes sense to pursue the option elsewhere. However it is odd to see one post today that Networks are overloaded and might charge more for peak data usage, and then see SPrint trying to sell more data usage elsewhere.

Neutral

James villan @ Mar 24th 2009 5:35PM

Dude.....i couldn't said it better my self took the tought right out my head

Neutral

Derek @ Mar 24th 2009 5:30PM

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127149&p=NewsArticle&id=1269204

Neutral

bernardino @ Mar 24th 2009 7:24PM

Didn't they just fire a boatload of people?

Neutral

ace587 @ Mar 24th 2009 7:05PM

Awesome, but why so negative about Sprint?

Neutral

Big R. @ Mar 24th 2009 7:48PM

Why so negitive about Sprint? That is just the way Engadget has been and probably always will be until it's done it's part to bash Sprint into non-existence. Hopefully that day never comes because I still enjoy my high quality level of service at a good price, all provided by Sprint and it's superior CDMA technology.

Neutral

emaildejan @ Mar 24th 2009 11:38PM

Speak for yourself. Sprint, in my view, has ruined Nextel in every way imaginable. I hope the company dies a slow and painful death (just like it's doing) because...in my view...it deserves nothing less than the worst death imaginable: a slow, painful one. As for technology, sorry but Verizon uses the same CDMA technology, and Verizon (despite getting out of the gate later than Sprint) has more of their LARGER native network covered already in EVDO (and EVDO rev A no less). Sprint's toast. :) HA, ha, ha, ha.

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