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port out party

lets all do kegstands. today im moving my family’s lines including in-laws to prepaid owned directly by tmobile or at&t.

unlike most company workers, verizon employees can hurt the performance of their company by choosing not to do business with verizon. humiliate verizon by promoting competitors on social media.

#Competition #Promotion #SocialMedia #Telecom

Spacex wireless

SpaceX's first earnings call (Aug 2026) after its June IPO, where President Gwynne Shotwell and CEO Elon Musk announced plans to build a real terrestrial mobile network, not just satellite-to-phone backup service, putting them in direct competition with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

The core plan

  • SpaceX is acquiring 65 MHz of spectrum from EchoStar (~$17B deal) that includes rights to build ground-based ("terrestrial") service, not just satellite.
  • Instead of building traditional giant cell towers, SpaceX wants to turn existing Starlink satellite dishes (already on rooftops) into small cellular base stations ("femtocells") — cheap and already deployed.
  • Musk argues this could give better/higher bandwidth coverage than today's carriers, especially since dishes have unobstructed sky/ground views.
  • Shotwell claims the upgraded system (new spectrum + next-gen satellites) will be "100x better" than current Starlink Mobile. New satellites start launching next year (2027), with service beginning end of 2027.
  • Shotwell won't disclose the buildout budget — she says the femtocell approach lets them scale spending gradually instead of huge upfront capex.

Why analysts are skeptical

  • 65 MHz is tiny next to what AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon collectively hold (over 1,000 MHz).
  • One analyst (Craig Moffett) says without an MVNO deal from an existing carrier, Starlink can't realistically be "competitive" in the next 5 years — and the Big 3 have all declined to do MVNO deals with Starlink.
  • The Big 3 are pooling spectrum/resources in a joint venture partly to blunt this threat.
  • The podcast (Recon Analytics) gives a more detailed, more bullish-but-nuanced technical theory: SpaceX will likely buy 800 MHz spectrum (from a company called Grain, originally from Dish/T-Mobile swap) for wide rural coverage on tall "macro" towers, then densify using its EchoStar/AWS spectrum, and eventually buy upper C-band spectrum for cities — all timed around the 2027 5G-NTN satellite standard. Their view: SpaceX will dominate rural coverage and be a real disruptor, but won't fully replace AT&T/Verizon/T-Mobile as a nationwide equal within the next several years.
  • The IEEE ComSoc "Analysis & Opinion" piece (AI-assisted) argues the most likely outcome isn't a full carrier build-out or acquiring a carrier, but a hybrid: buy spectrum + selectively lease/acquire small assets, build only where economically justified, and lean on satellite for the rest — because SpaceX's capital is increasingly being pulled toward AI data center spending instead.

Bottom line: SpaceX/Starlink is signaling serious intent to become a real, direct competitor to the wireless carriers — not just a satellite backup service — using spectrum it's acquiring and a low-cost "distributed small station" approach rather than traditional towers. Nearly everyone agrees this is a real threat (all three carriers' stocks dropped after the earnings call), but there's real debate over the timeline (2027 vs. 2030+) and whether it ever becomes a true fourth national carrier versus a strong niche/rural player that pressures the incumbents.

#Wireless #Telecom #Competition #Satellite #Acquisition

VZ outage - Aug 8, 2026 - I wonder what could be the root cause :)

https://www.foxbusiness.com/fox-news-tech/verizon-suffers-outage-some-parts-us-thousands-reports

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/08/verizon-mobile-outage-downdetector.html

https://thepcenthusiast.com/verizon-outage-disrupts-voice-calls-across-the-us-service-now-restored/

#Mobile #Outage #RootCause #Telecom

Hype vs Reality

How to separate the real signals from the hype: Starlink's business opportunity is narrower than marketing suggests.Large businesses (72%) are most receptive to Starlinkaugmented ISPs. Midsize (62%) and small businesses (44%) less so 12
27% of small businesses stay with bad providers because there are no alternatives—this is Starlink's strongest directsales case Starlink wins in coverage gaps, not headtohead competition with fiber/cable in dense areas.. Direct toDevice (D2D) is technically real—but limitedFrom measurement based research (arXiv, May 2025): ~4 Mbps per beam in outdoor conditions—functional for basic services, far below terrestrial averages.
Service progression is gradual:

  1. Text messaging
  2. Limited voice/lowrate data
  3. Basic web in uncovered areas
  4. Higher speeds later (more satellites, spectrum)
    Reality check: D2D works, but it's not 5G replacement territory yet.. Spectrum sharing is the real battleground Starlink doesn't want Cband auctions—it wants to share spectrum This a "power play"—if SpaceX gets this, what stops them from getting any spectrum they want? Wireless industry (CTIA) wants auctions; Starlink wants flexible sharing frameworks
    This is about regulatory strategy. Carrier partnerships are pragmatic, not strategic surrender.TMobile's SuperBroadband (5G + Starlink) uses satellite as failover/backup 2
    AT&T/Verizon's joint satellite initiative is technical alignment, not a defensive wall 5
    Carriers retain customer relationships; Starlink becomes infrastructure layer
    Carriers aren't folding—they're hedging.
    Physics constraints: limited spectrum per beam, shared capacity, lineofsight requirements
    Starlink lacks: retail distribution, billing infrastructure, customer support at carrier scale
    Current capacity: ~4 Mbps vs. terrestrial 5G at 100+ Mbps 3
    Starlink complements coverage; it doesn't replace dense networks.
    D2D messaging market is modest—Apple's Globalstar deal costs ~$100M/year for global coverage 6
    Economic return unclear on D2D investments
    Regulatory hurdles remain significant (some countries ban terrestrial spectrum use from space).D2D is a coverage feature, not a standalone business model.
    Carriers own spectrum, customers, and terrestrial infrastructure
    They can diversify (AST SpaceMobile, OneWeb, etc.)
    Dependency would commoditize carriers—they'll resist.Carriers will use Starlink selectively, not surrender control.Starlink will monopolize satellite telecom" Starlink has a huge lead but won't monopolize the global market:
    Competition from: Amazon Kuiper, OneWeb/Eutelsat, AST SpaceMobile, traditional GEO providers.Starlink leads, but the market is multiplayer.What's actually happening is subtler but more important:Starlink's biggest opportunity: filling coverage gaps + backup connectivity. Not replacing fiber/cable in competitive markets.Carrier channels (TMobile, Comcast) can reach enterprise accounts Starlink can't efficiently
    Cband spectrum request is a "power play" to establish precedent for spectrum sharing 4
    D2D market size far smaller than fixed broadband opportunity.
    Wireless industry shouldn't pop champagne yet on Cband. Outcome uncertain; compromises possible (some spectrum for exclusive use, some for satellite sharing)
    Starlink is becoming infrastructure layer that carriers may rent. Regulatory flexibility (spectrum sharing, buildout waivers) is the key variable Coverage gaps and backup are the nearterm sweet spots
    What to watch:
    FCC decisions on spectrum sharing and buildout requirements
    Carrier responses (partnerships vs. competitive satellite investments)
    Actual D2D performance as more satellites deployThe shift is from "satellite vs. telecom" to "satellite as part of telecom"—but that's a gradual evolution, not a sudden takeover.
#Telecom #Wireless #Competition #Regulations

Market based price increases

More plans now getting price increases.

As for why the prices are going up, AT&T’s support pages read, “This change helps us continue providing reliable network service, quality products, and great customer experiences.”

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/making-sense-of-at-ts-hiked-prices-for-legacy-phone-plans/

#Pricing #Price #Telecom #Customers

AT&T will be forced into more layoffs

Starlink is GLOBAL revenue and its subscriber numbers will continue to surpass T. There is ZERO chance that T's fiber investment will be able to compete. That is the hard truth and layoffs WILL continue. You can NOT compete with a global market after you spent decades outsourcing your labor and support to India. You need to get the word GLOBAL in your head when you think about subscriber potential . T is a has dying has been.

#Layoffs #Outsourcing #Telecom #Competition #Strategy

AI infrastructure in the COs

I saw this on LinkedIn. I doubt the COs have sufficient space and power to compete with traditional data centers but it’s interesting nonetheless.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aiuae_aiinfrastructure-digitalinfrastructure-telecom-share-7486679186003136513-rRJQ

Verizon disclosed a $1 billion dark fiber contract with Google on Friday's Q2 call, and Dan Schulman said the year-end line will run into multiple billions.

Most of the coverage will focus on the fiber-lease mechanics. The consequential fact is that an incumbent US carrier has been publicly repriced as an AI-infrastructure counterparty, and the fiber and central-office estate acquired for the mobile and consumer broadband era has become a scarce asset inside the hyperscaler build cycle. Schulman's own words on the call: "the build out of AI infrastructure across the United States is one of the largest capital cycles of our lifetime."

Three things from that call matter more than the headline number.

First, Verizon is retrofitting central offices into power-ready edge data centers under an AI Connect program. That is an asset-repositioning decision, not a product launch. Central offices sit inside metro power envelopes, they are already carrier-neutral, and they are the closest thing an operator owns to inference-ready real estate. Every European and GCC incumbent has structurally the same asset. Very few have decided what it is worth.

Second, Verizon called this revenue "success-based capex" with margins equal to or above the existing business. Read that as the wholesale infrastructure line moving from a cost-recovery bucket to a margin bucket. TowerCos and FiberCos went through the same shift fifteen years ago, and it changed how the underlying assets were valued.

Third, the third-party capacity that Alphabet publicly acknowledged buying "as a bridge" on Wednesday's earnings call now has a named US counterparty writing the first checks. The five-provider compute stack sits on someone's fiber. Two days apart, both sides of that trade have been quoted in public.

The $600 million five-year network-sharing business case I helped structure inside MNO taught me one thing about deals of this shape: the operator that wins the pricing does not have the biggest asset. It has the sharpest marginal-cost view of what that asset is worth to the counterparty. Every GCC incumbent has fiber, central offices, permits and metro power. The quiet strategic question is which one has the diligence discipline to price them inside a hyperscaler build cycle before someone else does.

The Verizon call on Friday was not a fiber lease announcement. It was the first public quote for a market that was priced privately until then.

#AI #Infrastructure #Telecom #Capex #Strategy

Little VZ stock pop is due to the Iran conflict heating up, NOT due to VZ leadership decisions

AT&T and TMO are also up. Look at the history of these telecom stocks. They go up when the other equities go down due to market risks increasing (wars, rising oil, etc.). Grandma clutches her pearls tighter and moves her money to utilities. She'll move it out of telecom when she thinks the risk is less, and VZ will then continue it's slide.

#Leadership #Market #Risk #Stock #Telecom

Nothing new under the Telco sun.

This is a very volatile industry, whether you survived the layoff(s) or not, we constantly need to reinvent ourselves to remain competitive, unless you're lucky enough to retire. I've been in the industry now for going on 30 years and have seen CEO's come and go. Seidenberg, Lee, McAdam, Vestberg and now Shulman, all got their cut and moved on. Take what you can from the experience and reinvent yourself, here or somewhere new. Life is too short to let these companies dictate your life to you. Peace to all

#Telecom #Layoffs #Career #Retirement #Advice

Verizon Announces Further Workforce Reductions

Verizon is preparing to implement another round of job cuts this week as part of its ongoing cost-saving initiatives. The telecommunications giant aims to reduce expenses under the leadership of its new CEO, Daniel Schulman. These layoffs follow previous reductions in November and May, with the company having previously announced a goal of $5 billion in operating expense savings for 2026. CEO Schulman has emphasized that these measures are necessary to reinvest in the company's value proposition and address declining customer satisfaction. The company's stock has seen a modest increase this year, but it continues to trail the broader S&P 500 index.

New York, NY

https://www.barrons.com/articles/verizon-layoffs-73f1fc34

#Layoffs #WorkforceReduction #CostCutting #Telecom #NewYork

This will help us keep/bring in customers

  • T-Mobile forces legacy Magenta, ONE, and Simple Choice customers onto pricier 5G plans mid-July.
  • Cumulative increases reach up to 60% above original rates for some grandfathered plan holders.
  • T-Mobile’s five-year guarantee excludes fees, which the carrier has already raised twice in one year.

https://www.gadgetreview.com/t-mobile-just-ripped-8-million-customers-off-their-grandfathered-plans-and-raised-their-bills

#Customer #CustomerSatisfaction #Pricing #Telecom

Former V Teamer here, feel very sorry for you all

I still keep in touch with former co workers in addition to keeping up with postings on this site. I am so glad to no longer be in the firestorm that is being a VZ employee. This was a once great company and I am very grateful for all the skills I acquired during my tenure. That has allowed me to become very successful, but this AI takeover is very real and it seems to be impacting a few key industries the hardest, telecom being one of those. Regardless if you decide to hold off for severance, weather the storm, or depart on your own terms just remember, YOU GOT THIS!

#AI #EmployeeRelations #Layoffs #Support #Telecom

California says AT&T lied to FCC in attempt to shut off old phone network.

California says AT&T lied to FCC in attempt to shut off old phone network
FCC considers AT&T petitions to preempt state rules and discontinue phone service.

California state regulators say AT&T lied to the Federal Communications Commission in an attempt to shut off its old copper phone network without providing an adequate replacement.

“AT&T asserts that California seeks to prohibit or hinder wireline carriers from discontinuing copper facilities and investing in fiber,” said a June 15 filing by the state of California and the California Public Utilities Commission. “Indeed, AT&T has been making this argument for years. It is not and has never been true.”

As we reported last month, AT&T sued California over the state’s refusal to let it stop providing phone service to all potential customers in its wireline network territory. AT&T also petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to declare that California cannot enforce its rules and to let AT&T stop providing service to about 199,000 phone customers.

Although California officials say AT&T is allowed to upgrade copper lines to better technology, such as fiber, AT&T has repeatedly claimed state rules force it to maintain the copper lines. For example, AT&T told the FCC in a petition that “in California, the aging, fragile, and expensive copper lines are still there, frozen in time by California regulations enacted by prior generations for the benefit of prior generations.” AT&T told the FCC in another filing that “California requires AT&T to continue offering POTS [Plain Old Telephone Service] throughout its territory.”

California told the FCC that, in reality, the CPUC declined to adopt rules that would prevent phone companies from replacing copper lines with fiber. In a 2008 decision, it decided that such rules would “discourage and delay fiber systems from being built in California, contrary to clear state legislative direction to bring affordable and widespread high quality communications services to all Californians.”

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/california-says-att-lied-to-fcc-in-attempt-to-shut-off-old-phone-network/

#Regulators #California #FixedLine #Telecom

Morale at Verizon

From: https://www.fierce-network.com/wireless/verizon-launches-simplicity-pricing-new-loyalty-program

As for talk that morale is low among Verizon employees right now, Entner quoted former Verizon CEO Denny Strigl, saying “happy people don’t make numbers. Numbers make happy people.”

Back in the Strigl days, “this was a carrier that was kicking a-s and taking names. It was winning,” he said. Over the past several years under former CEO Hans Vestberg, “they got kicked around, and morale in a company that is losing accounts and market share is not a happy place.”

Soon into his tenure, Schulman announced a massive lay-off of more than 13,000 workers and he’s been candid about how AI is going to replace workers.

Naturally, morale is low, Entner said.

“When Verizon turns around, gains subscribers, gains accounts and wins, morale will soar,” he said.

Circling back to Clark, she said the latest price and loyalty plans are just the beginning. Since Schulman took over as CEO in October, they’ve been centered on putting the customer first.

#Morale #Layoffs #AI #Leadership #Telecom

Morale at Verizon

From: https://www.fierce-network.com/wireless/verizon-launches-simplicity-pricing-new-loyalty-program

As for talk that morale is low among Verizon employees right now, Entner quoted former Verizon CEO Denny Strigl, saying “happy people don’t make numbers. Numbers make happy people.”

Back in the Strigl days, “this was a carrier that was kicking a-s and taking names. It was winning,” he said. Over the past several years under former CEO Hans Vestberg, “they got kicked around, and morale in a company that is losing accounts and market share is not a happy place.”

Soon into his tenure, Schulman announced a massive lay-off of more than 13,000 workers and he’s been candid about how AI is going to replace workers.

Naturally, morale is low, Entner said.

“When Verizon turns around, gains subscribers, gains accounts and wins, morale will soar,” he said.

Circling back to Clark, she said the latest price and loyalty plans are just the beginning. Since Schulman took over as CEO in October, they’ve been centered on putting the customer first.

#Morale #Layoffs #AI #Leadership #Telecom

SpaceX/ Starlink threat to legacy carriers

Anyone with half a brain knows that Starlink is no longer just a rural internet fix. With 9.2 million paying customers ($10B in annual rev), and direct-to-cell satellites already working on standard smartphones, SpaceX is building a parallel network that bypasses carriers like ours entirely. Oppenheimer recently flagged it as a threat to the entire $1.6 trillion US communications industry. Legacy carriers spent decades owning and building the costly infrastructure. SpaceX just launched its own.

SpaceX is going scotch earthed and VZ will be roadkill!

#Satellite #Telecom #Competition #CompetitiveAdvantage #Strategy