Sprint network earns high marks in key Chicago market

Sprint has followed up last week’s attention-grabbing marketing move with a strong network test result in Chicago — one of its most important markets — that reinforces its new marketing message.

Sprint’s marketing coup was recruiting former Verizon pitchman Paul Marcarelli, who has had wireless customers repeating his iconic TV ad question “Can you hear me now?” since 2002.

Marcarelli’s marketing message for Sprint was that this is 2016 and “every network is great,” so Sprint’s half-off rate plan offer is reason enough to switch.

The “every network is great” message gained traction Monday from a RootMetrics network performance report on Chicago. Sprint landed in a three-way tie for first among the four national carriers. Only T-Mobile US lagged in the Chicago overall performance ranking and narrowly so, according to RootMetrics’ report.

“Notably, this marks the first time Sprint has won or shared the Overall RootScore Award in Chicago,” RootMetrics said.

Chicago has long been an important market for Sprint. It is where the company developed the model for its decentralized management approach called One Sprint that it uses across the nation.

Dave Tovar, Sprint spokesman, said Chicago was first to have its own market president with responsibility for marketing, sales, network, or essentially everything. He said the RootMetrics ranking reflects the network benefit of that local focus and that Sprint is starting to see that in other markets. Chicago simply got a year’s head start, he said.

Sprint had crowed a year ago about sharing the top ranking with Verizon in RootMetrics’ first-half 2015 report on Kansas City. If fell to second behind Verzion and T-Mobile in a first-place tie in RootMetrics’ second-half 2015 Kansas City report. RootMetrics has yet to release a 2016 report on Kansas City.

Chicago spun out another update on Sprint Monday. This one came from Wells Fargo Securities analyst Jennifer Fritzsche, who works in Chicago. Her note to clients said Sprint continues to be “one of the most interesting and most controversial names on our coverage list.”

To wit: Fritzsche reported “heavy (heavy!!) demand” for an investor trip she is leading to the Sprint campus in Overland Park on June 24.

Specifically, it means 18 investors will accompany Fritzsche for the sessions with Sprint’s investor relations team and “top management,” according to the analyst.

High interest may stem from more than a notion that Sprint’s stock is a good buy, which is what Fritzsche tells clients. She noted in her Monday report that about half of the investors she speaks with, in both the stock and bond markets, think Sprint “will have to file for bankruptcy protection at some point in the future.”

Fritzsche offered clients several reasons why she disagrees with that concern, including Sprint’s recent steps to raise cash, an ability to do more of that in the future, and her own analysis showing revenue trends are close to reach a favorable “inflection point.”

This story was originally published June 13, 2016 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Sprint network earns high marks in key Chicago market."