By Sandy Fitzgerald | Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:39 pm |
Sprint just signed up for the same LTE services from LightSquared aviators say could interrupt jets' GPS signals, while some people might just be getting a little too attached to their smartphones.
The Score is a weekly column scoring controversial events in the mobile industry. Want to get to the point? We'll break it down and give you the score.
LTE Good for Sprint, Bad for Planes?The Setup: Sprint said this week it's joining forces with satellite company LightSquared to boost its 4G service so it can compete against AT&T and Verizon. Its announcement came out the same day the Federal Aviation Administration said LightSquared's technology messes with planes' GPS systems. Sprint is set to get $9 billion from LightSquared for spectrum service and another $4.5 billion in credits so it can buy half of LightSquared's satellite LTE capability. In the race for high-speed service, Sprint may finally get a leg up after ill-fated earlier attempts with troubled WiMax partner Clearwire. Sprint: +100 pointsLightSquared gets to latch onto Sprint's 3G system and get its 4G system out a year ahead of time, all while saving $13 billion. So really, it's getting the $13 billion back it just gave to Sprint. Take that, wacky Extreme Coupon ladies! Can you match that at the grocery store with that big box of coupons? LightSquared: +100 pointsSprint might add LTE to its 4G network and get their unlimited service out to more people. If LTE can give Sprint more than one bar of service at a time, they might even bring some people over who don't want to pay AT&T and Verizon extra just for playing Farmville all day. And if the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile goes through, Sprint may be glad for the additional muscle. Sprint: +100 pointsBut LightSquared wants to add more than 40,000 antennas, including on some of Sprint's towers, so they can sell more service back to Sprint. Sounds good, right? LightSquared: +150 points, Sprint: +50 pointsThe FAA says LightSquared's frequencies might overpower GPS systems and the systems would have to be retrofitted to block out LightSquared signals. Now those 40,000 antennas may be looking a little ominous. LightSquared: -200 pointsGPS interference could cost billions of dollars and kill hundreds of people if LightSquared gets to put up its antennas, the FAA says, and it wants a hold on the network expansions. LightSquared: -500 points; Public Safety: Can anyone really put a score on that?The Score: Sprint: +250 points, LightSquared: -450 points What it means: Sprint and LightSquared have teamed up for a multi-billion dollar bill that will let Sprint offer high-speed service and let LightSquared extend its services all over the country. Sprint is making a bundle of money, but LightSquared gets to put up even more antennas and sell more wholesale service to more people all at the same time. They're both winners and mutual benefactors in the deal. But the FAA says LightSquared's systems are dangerous to aviation, and if GPS systems fail, planes could crash and kill hundreds of people. So while the Sprint/LightSquared deal is a corporate lifesaver, if the FAA blocks LightSquared's antennas, the satellite company might literally crash and burn.
Smartphone Users Falling in LoveThe Setup: Many smartphone users are becoming addicted to their phones. Some of them check their phones as often as an obsessed stalker drives past his ex's house, even calling their phones pet names and buying them outfits. Psychologists say some people would rather fiddle with their smartphones than actually interact with human beings. Hmmmm. Maybe these are people you might not want to interact with in the first place. Obsessed: -100 points, Not Obsessed: +100 pointsThe fear of missing out on something means some people sleep with their phones in their hands. Obsessed: -100 points, Not Obsessed: +100 points, Husbands, Wives, Girlfriends and Boyfriends of Obsessed: -100 pointsPeople go quickly from not having a smart phone to falling in love with it, then giving it a name, buy it cute little outfits and ask it to the prom. Maybe this is okay, since you're likely stuck with it for the remainder of your contract, making the relationship with a phone longer-lasting than one on, say, "Jersey Shore." Obsessed: -300 points Not Obsessed: +300 pointsSome people compulsively check their smartphones all day, just in case they'll miss something. Obsessed: -100 points, Not Obsessed: +100 pointsSome people need quick rewards and instant information to keep from being bored, so they play with their phones instead of talking to other people. Instead, they'd rather interact with virtual cows and busy Smurfs, because you know important those Smurfberries really are in the grand scheme of things. Obsessed: -200 points, Not Obsessed: +200 pointsThe Score: Obsessed: -800 points, Not Obsessed: +800 points What it means: As more people buy smartphones and add apps to them, they're falling in love with them. Could this mean Charlie Brown would fall in love with his iPhone, if he had one, and out of love with the "cute little redheaded girl?" Maybe. It's pretty easy to get caught up in all of the cool apps and functions on those smartphones, since people get addicted to all kinds of things. But psychoanalysts are coming up with new names for these addicts, and people who still know how to talk out loud and make eye contact with actual humans are making fun of people who just can't put down their phones. But people in love just don't care what everyone else thinks, anyway.
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