RCA 2011: SouthernLINC maintains uniqueness amongst rural players

LAS VEGAS – As one of the few iDEN-based rural operators in the country, as well as being one of the few owned by an electric company, SouthernLINC Wireless always brings a different perspective to the mobile space. This perspective is also helped by its long-time CEO Robert Dawson who has managed to shepherd a carrier that from the outside really should not still be around through an ultra-competitive industry that stresses continues evolution, even at times to its own detriment.
At this year’s Rural Cellular Association event in Las Vegas, SouthernLINC was able to participate in some of the revelry of its fellow rural operators following a recent Federal Communications Commission decision that required larger operators to provide data roaming agreements to rural players, though SouthernLINC managed its deal in a different way.
Unlike many of its fellow rural operators, SouthernLINC’s use of the iDEN technology dramatically limits its domestic roaming options to Sprint Nextel Corp. While SouthernLINC has been operating under a cellular voice deal with Sprint Nextel for some time, it was only in the past several weeks that it was able to announce securing a data and push-to-talk roaming agreement. This allowed the carrier to open up its rate plans to consumers.
In addition to its network uniqueness, SouthernLINC also differs from most of its rural brothers in its ownership structure. While many rural wireless operators are either independent operators that acquired specturm licenses through auctions or are owned by rural telecommunications providers, SouthernLINC has a close association with parent company Southern Company (SO), which is reliant on its wireless subsidiary to provide communication services to its thousands of employees spread across the Southeast. This area is prone to hurricanes and tornadoes that has prompted SouthernLINC to “harden” most of its cell sites.
SouthernLINC does not provide customer numbers, but does acknowledge that many are employees of Southern Co.
Despite ongoing concerns regarding the future of the iDEN technology standard that is controlled by Motorola
While SouthernLINC is still wedded to its 2G-based iDEN technology, a technology that Dawson said is still the best for the push-to-talk services relied on by many, the carrier has been taking a look at the potential for network evolution. With less than 10 megahertz of specturm capacity that evolution is somewhat limited, though the 1.4 megahertz channels that are supported by the LTE standard could provide a potential avenue for the carrier.
In the meantime, SouthernLINC is confident in at least the mid-term health of the iDEN standard, which is controlled by Motorola Solutions (MSI) and Motorola Mobile Holdings Inc. Sprint Nextel has said it plans to support the standard through 2013, while a number of international operators have committed to the technology through at least the middle of the decade. This should provide SouthernLINC with plenty of time to weigh its technology future.
Dawson did note at being a bit disillusioned with all the 3G/4G hype, noting that 3G is only now really beginning to produce on its promise, while the nascent 4G deployments are still far from living up to the hype.
While network evolution is a possibility for SouthernLINC’s future, that move might be without Dawson, who is set to retire from his position later this year. Dawson has provided a unique perspective on the wireless industry based on running his own company as well as his participation on the boards of both RCA and CTIA.