Securities and Exchange Commission
October 15, 2019
Page 4
FOIA CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED BY SPRINT
CORPORATION PURSUANT TO 17 C.F.R §200.83
The FCC public interest statement reflects the expectation that Sprint’s standalone 5G network will be geographically limited due to both Sprint’s limited current network footprint on which to build 5G sites and the cost of utilizing 2.5 GHz spectrum for 5G. As disclosed on page 32 of the Form 10-K under the sub-caption Network within MD&A, if the merger transaction with T-Mobile is not completed, Sprint’s “ability to provide a nationwide network capable of competing effectively with other competitors in the wireless industry will depend on [its] access to, and deployment of, adequate low-band spectrum.” Sprint expects that it will not be able to deploy a nationwide 5G network on the same scale and on the same timeline as the combined company. Consistent with the statements that the Staff has referred to in the FCC public interest statement, Sprint’s Risk Factors disclosure on page 19 of the Form 10-K provides the following:
“If we are unable to access or acquire additional spectrum to increase capacity or to deploy the services subscribers desire on a timely basis or at acceptable costs while maintaining network quality levels, our ability to attract and retain subscribers could be adversely affected, which would negatively impact our operating results. If the Merger Transactions are not completed, our ability to provide a nationwide 5G network capable of competing effectively with other competitors in the wireless industry will depend on our access to, and deployment of, adequate low-band spectrum that we do not currently have and that we may not be able to obtain in the future on a timely basis given the lack of low-band spectrum available for purchase, or at acceptable costs.”
For emphasis of the impact to Sprint of the lack of access to low band spectrum, Sprint will revise the above Risk Factor in its future filings beginning with its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019 by adding the following sentence:
“Without access to additional low band spectrum or additional financial resources, Sprint will have limited ability to provide a 5G network outside of metro areas.”
While each of Sprint and T-Mobile have begun to offer 5G services, Sprint has consistently disclosed to investors that the performance characteristics of the network that a combined Sprint/T-Mobile would offer would exceed the performance of either carrier’s standalone 5G network. Sprint further states in Risk Factors disclosure on page 19 of the Form 10-K that if the merger transaction is not completed, it “will continue to be limited in [its] ability to compete effectively in the 5G era [and will] continue to lack the network, scale and financial resources of other competitors in, and other companies that have more recently begun providing, wireless services.”
Accordingly, we are respectfully of the view that Sprint’s disclosures in its filings with the Commission and other investor communications are consistent with the statements in the FCC public interest statement that are noted in the Staff’s comment, but Sprint will make the aforementioned enhancements to its disclosures.
Average Monthly Service Revenue per Subscriber and Subscriber Trends, page 38