Sprint’s COO of Technology Guenther Ottendorfer, who announced hours after taping an interview with Cheddar Friday that he is stepping down from his post, discussed what the telecommunications company has in store for the year ahead. Ottendorfer said that in 2018 Sprint is looking to add new sites to its network and will spend $5 to $6 billion in the next year. He added the company is prioritizing massive MIMO, a multi-antenna technology, and plans to expand its High Performance User Equipment (HPUE) program, which was unveiled in late 2016. “That will help us, in a world of growing data, to fulfill our customer demands,” Ottendorfer said. In a statement he said that HPUE can expand its 2.5 GHz coverage by up to 30 percent, including indoors. These investments come after Sprint recently called off a merger with rival carrier T-Mobile. The companies have been in talks on and off since 2013. The wireless telecommunication market in the United States was worth an estimated $256 billion in 2016, according to Statista. Currently, the industry is dominated by both AT&T and Verizon, the same report noted. A merger of the #3 and #4 players in the industry would have still lagged behind the giants. Still, analysts consider that as consumers prefer unlimited data, both Sprint and T-Mobile are poised to chip away the AT&T and Verizon’s market share dominance. In the tweet Friday, Ottendorfer said he was leaving the company to be with family in Vienna. “I have been working here with full energy [and] passion [and] I am proud of all we have accomplished and [I’m] excited for what Sprint will do next!” he said in the tweet, adding that the “network is in excellent hands [with] my friend Dr. John Saw,” Ottendorfer said. He’d been with Sprint since 2015.

Share:
More In Business
‘Chainsaw Man’ anime film topples Springsteen biopic at the box office
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
Flights to LAX halted due to air traffic controller shortage
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing defense workers on strike in the Midwest turn down latest offer
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
Load More