OK, let's check the logic in this. SprintPCS (CDMA) takes a 40B write-down on the value of their purchase of Nextel (iDEN), a system with incompatible technology. And you think that T-Mobile (GSM/UMTS) is likely to try to purchase SPCS, which now has TWO technologies that aren't compatible with theirs? Doesn't make any sense to me. But, the SPCS/Nextel merger didn't make sense either...

And Cordelli - tower access is usually strictly a business and/or space consideration. Almost no towers are single-occupant any more, and it makes little sense to refuse to lease to someone else - in fact, most companies would like to recover their site development expenses. Significantly, a high percentage of towers are now owned by companies such as American Tower, SpectraSite, SBA etc and will lease space to anyone that can come up with the $$. Sprint had a "Sprint Sites" website, but as of a few years back they were in the process of selling off their portfolio to a tower company.

Now, there *might* be some advantage to a merger - currently SPCS and NXTL can probably put their antennas at the same height from a lease perspective (as you lease a tower position) but problems with tower sharing are far more likely to be structural (wind loading etc), equipment space on the ground and overall space available (typically 10' vertical separation between antennas) than any corporate access decisions.

RFTraveler...