Sprint Nextel (S) is set to shut down its Nextel iDEN network to make room for LTE. The shutdown will result in nearly 30,000 iDEN installations being taken off the air. All of that ewaste needs to be part of a recycling Project.
FierceBroadbandWireless explains that Sprint has deployed FDD-LTE using the 1900 MHz Band 25 spectrum. Sprint holds two 5 MHz channels in the G band adjacent to the PCS spectrum. The carrier’s Band 26 800 MHz spectrum is currently used for CDMA as well as end-of-life iDEN service. Sprint will gain another two 5 MHz channels for LTE once it shutters its iDEN network on June 30 and re-purposes that 800 MHz spectrum for LTE.
According to Sprint, its last full day of iDEN service will be June 29. Sprint said it will close switch locations “in rapid succession on June 30.” After the shutdown equipment will be powered down and backhaul at each cell site will be eliminated. Tens of thousands of iDEN cell sites will be deconstructed and taken off the air. Sites, where CDMA and LTE equipment are colocated, will be left intact, minus the iDEN gear, said Sprint.
100 million pounds of recycling
The shutdown will generate over 100 million pounds of leftover iDEN network gear. The equipment and materials include cables, batteries, radios, server racks, antennas, air conditioners, and other equipment. Much of the equipment s being staged for recycling vendors. Most concrete shelters housing iDEN cell sites will be crushed and turned into a composite for roads and bridges, said Sprint.
The iDEN recycling project is expected to continue into early 2014. “Recycling a nationwide wireless network is a huge undertaking, but one that we’re committed to,” said Bob Azzi, senior vice president-network. “The company has earned a reputation for environmental stewardship. The iDEN recycling effort extends our commitment.”
The market for used iDen equipment is pretty limited. GigaOm points out that iDEN is a dying technology, and Nextel was the world’s largest iDEN carrier. iDEN’s sole manufacturer, Motorola Solutions, still supports the technology, and a handful of operators in North and South America, as well as Asia, still use it.
The recycling and reusing move isn’t just about PR. GigaOm says that Sprint can save significant money by reusing its tech. They could make money from recycling if it sells the scrap to a waste vendor. There are also some state laws that require the recycling of certain types of e-waste, particularly substances that could be hazardous material that could seep into a landfill.
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.