So today, two separate clients who are considering cell site lease buyouts from Wireless Capital Partners received emails from their WCP reps that has a cryptic message regarding Sprint/Nextel’s credit rating being downgraded to junk bond status.
The messages include an attachment of a news story about the downgrade. One goes on to say that there have been some amazing changes for WCP since they approached my clients first and that pricing leases is a “moving target”. The other doesn’t suggest or tell why the story was sent. Neither really states why they were sent at this time. Since writing this post, it has come to our attention that WCP has simply stopped purchasing Sprint/Nextel leases. WCP’s financing group simply felt that there was too much risk in owning more Sprint/Nextel leases in the WCP portfolio. WCP’s business model is based around spreading risk on their leases and the Sprint/Nextel leases increased that risk too much. WCP is working on acquiring alternative financing for Sprint Nextel leases.)
If you are a landowner that has an offer from WCP for a Sprint Nextel lease- don’t dispair. Contact Steel in the Air– because their are other companies that are still buying Sprint/Nextel leases. If you are concerned about your Sprint/Nextel lease as a result of this- remember that Sprint and Nextel has no value without its cell sites. So while there may be a risk of termination due to the merger and duplication of Sprint/Nextel cell sites– these sites still form the basis by which Sprint/Nextel service their subscribers. Without them, Sprint/Nextel will really be in trouble.
Steel in the Air, Inc. and the author are not affiliated with Wireless Capital Partners or Sprint/Nextel. If you reached this post while looking for Wireless Capital Partners- go to www. wireless capital. com (without spaces) or http://www.sprint.com/.