Subject: Re: [NEXTEL-1] Nextel / Public Safety Retune

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 10:02:00 EST

I have to disagree with two of the statements: (1) the number of retunes done 
in the Upper 200; and (2) Nextel "badly needing" the subscribers.

1.  The number of Upper 200 retunes was significant (I did more than twenty 
myself, so I know that it was much more than you estimated).  I can generalize 
(generalize only) who sold vs. who retuned as follows: (1) LTR operators sold, 
EDACS operators retuned, Motorola operators were mixed.  What I heard 
repeating from the EDACS operators was that they couldn't sell (they felt) because of 
the public safety customers on their systems that they knew could not be 
served by Nextel and the operator didn't want to abandon them; (2) Urban dealers 
sold, rural dealers retuned.  Logically, this last situation was clearly the 
result of Nextel paying a LOT more for urban channels.  Also, Nextel has done a 
number of retunes on public safety systems (other than Denver, which hasn't 
started yet) and internal user systems.

As far as the number of retunes necessary in re-banding, see Nextel's July 
31, 2003 ex parte, which lays out those numbers.  Of course, it assumes that 
each and every licensee is constructed (which I know that a good number are not).

2.  The customer situation was mixed in the sale situations.  In some cases, 
Nextel wanted the subscribers, in some cases Nextel gave us the choice of 
retaining the customer base, and in some cases Nextel wasn't interested in the 
customer base at all (and practically begged us to move the customers to 450).  
If I had to estimate, if memory serves, it was probably about 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 on 
what Nextel was interested in.  Perhaps you are right that Nextel was looking 
for added subscribers (the changeover rate was about 70%), but it certainly 
was often not the case, too.

That doesn't make what you said wrong, You are certainly correct that Nextel 
won't be offering "such a glamorous or profitable deal" of PS operators.  In 
fact, by the Consensus Plan, Nextel can't, because Nextel won't be using the 
NPSPAC channels that most of the PS folks are on, and would be moving to.  And 
you're right, a PS agency should not be looking at this as a way to obtain all 
new radios.  At best, it would be trading their oldest NPSPAC only radios for 
newer models, maybe new, maybe used, depending on the agreement reached 
between the PS agency and Nextel.  And, that would only apply to Motorola NPSPAC 
systems, as EDACS NPSPAC radios are all capable of being retuned to the current 
General Category frequencies, and (as I understand it) without the software 
re-write that's necessary for the Motorola NPSPAC radios.

Alan

In a message dated 11/19/2003 12:22:58 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
[email-masked] writes:
Have to jump in here with my 2 cents regarding Nextel and the idea that using 
the used radios from the warehouse will compensate a particular public safety 
agency needing the equipment.

I agree with Alan that there were some retunes done several years ago by 
Nextel to change a licensee out of the 860's Nextel so desperately needed.   
However....I have to believe the few operators that did agree to a  "used for used" 
 swap were far and few between.  As an operator who was in that situation,  I 
can guarantee Nextel made it extremely easier  ( $$$)  to help the operator 
decide which way to go. 

 What  " really "  happened is obvious by the few remaining operators left in 
the industry.  Keep in mind too... the end users ($$$) of these systems were 
badly needed by Nextel to keep subscriber numbers in sync with Wall Street 
expectations.

To judge that public safety systems can be so easily retuned via swapping 
repeater for repeater is not exactly correct.  It's my humble opinion that no 
more than 20 operators throughout the country  took advantage of the swap system. 
  Those are pretty small figures if used to compare with public safety.  The 
number of  public safety agencies, radios, repeaters, combiners, antennas 
etc....pales in comparison.

What Public Safety does not realize about the former " retune plan "  is that 
not only did Nexel gain clear contiguous spectrum throughout the US ... they 
picked up thousands of paying subscribers along the way.   Public Safety 
cannot offer such a glamorous nor profitable deal for Nextel.   One now has to ask 
how this cordial retune will really pan out.  

As far as used equipment from the warehouse, I too,  have purchased equipment 
from them.  You definitely buy  "as is" and hope for the best.  With so many 
radio shops no longer in existence and many smaller public safety agencies who 
have to contract out their service....how will they know if their being 
treated fairly and in accordance with the rules and guidelines of the consensus 
plan ? 

It's my fear that Public Safety will see this whole consensus plan as an 
angle for all new radios.  What they might not see is they're swapping one 
headache for another.

Cathy Sutter