January 13, 2019
BOOST MOBILE SETS END OF LIFE DATE FOR 3G DEVICE ACTIVATIONS
Recently, a Boost Mobile customer shared a message he received from the MVNO that shows that the network will no longer support 3G devices after April 30, 2019. After this date, Boost Mobile will no longer reactivate service on any 3G device.
Boost stated that customers who are still using 3G devices will endure “possible interruptions” in their service. Additionally, they will no longer be offering technical support to these devices.
3G Infrastructure That Is Only 15 Years Old Being Turned Off :
Many financial experts liken a Wireless Telecom experts to a utility in terms of CAPEX and the associated cash flows that these CAPEX investments generate…. They couldn’t be more wrong in putting Wireless Operators in the same category as an Electricity/Water Distribution or even Generation companies.
Imagine the following scenarios :
In the UK a few years ago there was a major water crisis in the UK… Water wasn’t getting to homes in the South of England and there was quite a bit of flooding that ensued.. The reason is that the cast iron water pipes (Distribution) that had been in the ground for over 100 years had finally started to rust out.
Imagine that Water Pumping Station and the associated piping needed to be completely replaced every 15 years and the infrastructure associated being end-of-lifed every 15 years…
Further imagine that the water company or electricity company had to spend 3 to 5 billion every 5 to 7 years in 1 time fees for the right to continue to deliver their services? [Spectrum]
Wireless Operators have financial models that are unique relative to the other “Utilities” that thy get lumped into…. Why is I that the EBIT yields have been historically considerably higher for Wireless Operators vs. that of Utilities…
The difference is due to the re-investment cycles and the rip-and-replace-100%-of-your infrastructure dynamics that exist due to their technology bent…
If you think that 5G is going to be cheaper than 4G think again.
Look for more announcements around 3G infrastructure being end-of-lifed by the wireless operator community.
BOOST MOBILE SETS END OF LIFE DATE FOR 3G DEVICE ACTIVATIONS
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