Cricket Merger or Sale

[Dex]

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[thesmitty68521]

Ever since I have been flashing phones and on these forums I have heard this rumor. It all makes sense. Both companies have a similar business model and pretty much where one isn't the other is. Also, add in the fact that Metro and Cricket are the only two that have AWS markets that I know of and it all comes together.

Now, what I would like to see is somewhat of a merger that Metro phones and Cricket phones work on the same network. That would expand flashing incredibly. From my understanding Sprint phones can be fully flashed to Metro service because that system is the same.

But the kicker is the AWS bs. That is the part that sucks. There aren't a ton of phones for the AWS market. I hope these companies don't forget what made them popular: flashed phones.

[Dex]

the problem is tho that if cricket merges then we become metro custys which would make flashing a lil harder since they have that database stuff next i think cricket is possibly thinkin about buyin metro since there custy base has grown so much in the past few years not to mention that the amount of cricket custys that are new and existing that are getting fones flashed so that they can have the best fones in the market with the lowest plan with all the features they want

[thesmitty68521]

True, that is how it usually works. I know a few on Metro PCS. They have the same weakness Cricket has in that they don't offer a lot of phones and the fact their phones aren't the greatest in quality.

But Cricket has one up on them in that they don't care what phone you bring in to activate for the most part and the amount of phones that can be flashed to Cricket far outnumbers Metro.

[meanngreen04]

From what I heard, Cricket is actually looking for a buyer, not vice versa. Seems that the owners are looking to get out from under it.

[identified800]

All I can say is that between Metro and Leap/Cricket, IF there is a buyout or merger, Metro's policies on byod are unfortunately the more restrictive of the two. They allow outside carrier phones to be put on their network but ONLY via Houdini. So you have phone freedom on Houdini, but a limited one compared to Leap.

If Metro is Cricket's merger partner, there will probably be an impact on the flashing community and independent flashers will have to make adjustments.

The AWS/Trimode limitation on available handsets have blunted both Cricket and Metro's initial byod/flashing edge in their newer markets. But thanks to both, the desire for byod on cdma networks has spread greatly compared to only two years ago.

Gsm has obviously been the traditional stronghold of byod but other regional cdma unlimited independents (like Pocket who owns Houdinisoft), Revol, Blue, etc,
Verizon mvnos (allows Verizon and mvno phones on) and even Boost cdma have helped cdma users enjoy byod more then ever.

Sprint mvnos /resellers as a general class (with an exception here or there like Boost cdma) don't have byod to a large extent.

But I'm sure minor inconveniences like that can't stop cdma gurus.