As Sprint PCS shuts down its Global System for Mobile communications network in Washington, D.C., at the end of this month, speculation is increasing about what will happen to the GSM infrastructure.
All roaming with GSM operators will terminate this month, said Sprint PCS. Carriers VoiceStream Wireless Corp. and Omnipoint Corp. won’t comment on the situation.
However, Omnipoint spokes-man John Grotland said it will notify its customers of changes when appropriate. Omnipoint may be significantly impacted since a number of its New York customers roam into Washington, D.C.
Sprint PCS spokesman Tom Murphy wouldn’t comment on whether the company will sell its GSM equipment to a buyer like Omnipoint, which recently signed an agreement to purchase East/West Communications Inc., giving it access to another 10 megahertz of spectrum in Washington, D.C. Omnipoint already owns a basic trading area license in that market. All of Omnipoint’s licenses will be wrapped up with VoiceStream through a merger expected to close early next year.
Industry sources believe Omnipoint is trying to work out a deal to purchase Sprint PCS’s equipment and keep roaming up until the transaction is completed.
Sprint PCS began notifying customers in July of the network changes and is swapping out GSM handsets for free Code Division Multiple Access phones. Last year, Sprint PCS launched CDMA service alongside the GSM network.
Sprint PCS, which once held a 58.5-percent interest in the Sprint Spectrum network, purchased the remaining shares of its partnership with pioneer’s preference winner American Personal Communications in January to make the GSM venture wholly owned by Sprint PCS.
Handset rental company InTouch USA said it will provide phone rentals to GSM roamers who discover they don’t have access to service in Washington, D.C. Sprint PCS did not reveal how many subscribers roam on the GSM network there.
