Latest is that they are trying to combine SWOPS and FOPS in to one group. Rumors are that they will be moving some SWOPS techs into the field and some FOPS techs into the switch to see who can adapt better, then lay off the excess. I see this coming from the "lean" Sprint culture that left us with tons of leaking, non-functional backup batteries, no working HVAC at any shelter sites, termite infestations unchecked, disabled high temp alarms, leaking shelters and obvious signs of neglect by Sprint contract technicians. If this level of stupidity continues, TMO will go back to being the "bottom of the barrel" carrier. Sad, really sad. Mr Sievert, please put a stop to this stupidity NOW!
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Theres a market in the northeast thats already been doing this for a good 8+ years now. Hybrid technicians.
Everybody that contributes to the network is critical, however field techs are where the rubber meets the road, or where the network meets the customers phone. They face challenges every day & night that unless you have actually done the job you could not even imagine and I wouldn't waste my time trying to explain. Go ahead outsource see if contractors give a rats A$$ about your network. They will clear the alarm, close the trouble ticket and go on with their lives while your sites rot. That is a fact. Maybe you should consider that in your next meeting? LMFAO!!!
As a current Sr Switch Technician and former Field Technician for T-Mobile I don’t believe for a second that either of these jobs are the solely responsible for our network. In my market we all work with the RF department as well. I believe that its a joint venture from the entire OPS department. We together are working together daily to find and develop new solutions for the ongoing challenges we face with continuous S/W upgrades and continual changes being implemented from above. T-Mobile has provided myself and my family a very comfortable life, some days I ask myself if its worth the long days and sleepless nights but I get up everyday and keep supporting my portion of the network. Change is inevitable and yes some of us will become static’s of the future, but thats okay because we have been able to be part of something special. I myself have been working in telecom for a very long time 30 plus years, I keep hearing that people are going to be trialing new positions: FOPS and SWOPS will be working as triage specialists in a remote position, performance engineers focusing on customer improvements caused by no so visible problems. You definitely have to be able to accept that our jobs are changing, I have been working with T-Mobile for a long time and we have always had changes even if it was just the tools we used. I agree that sometimes people hate the process but everyone always has made it to the other side. I personally just wish they would do whatever they are going to do so that people can get back into their normal routines without worrying about losing their jobs. T-Mobile has destroyed the company morale and people are leaving to pursue other jobs because of the lack of transparency from the SLT. I say that people should do whatever is best for them even if that means taking a new position somewhere else if given the opportunity. I just hope that if SLT is planning to move forward with the way Sprint ran the OPS department that they remember the failures caused by their decisions and build from it.
Field techs are one of many critical positions. But they tend to believe the world revolves around them because they are responsible for maintaining cell sites. That's a very narrow view and why field techs really need to get out of their bubble to understand why so many other roles are also critical.
To many talkers not enough doers... Field techs are the reason there is a network and that keeps running. Network is the product that T-Mobile sells. Without it your phone would be a very expensive paper weight.
I agree, the waymany field techs talk, it's as if they believe the company exists to employ them and that the job should remain exactly the same forever.
I’m a Field Tech and love the opportunity working with SWOPS. The problem is there are to many old timers that don’t like change in the field. I mean I’ve been here awhile as well but I’ve adapted with all the changes. I mean honestly I feel the job has outgrown a lot of the guys here. Most the techs I work with still wish they could use flip phone lol. You either need to adapt or play somewhere else. This is a tech company for goodness sakes smh.
Outsourcing FOPs would be disastrous. The short time with Sprints outsourced techs, there work was laughable. Sites would sit down for days and weeks. 😄
Switch techs will be nationalized. Local SWOPS will be let go. FOPS will be outsourced. And work at the MSC (card change, etc) will be performed by outsourced FOPS.
I said that about FTs as an Ops person. I witnessed years of whining from techs about change. It's consistently the most change resistant group in any market. Everyone has to learn new systems, technologies, and tools. I'm saying as a field tech, you need to think hard about the future of the role and how it must evolve. Having a higher site count is not evolving or growing you. Learning entirely new functional areas and tasks will. Adapt or you can look forward to Sprint's approach with Field Ops. Period.
Recently former SWOPS tech here. The funny thing is, the senior leadership has no idea what they are doing or how to do it. RNE&O is a rudderless ship just floating further and further away from shore and headed for the Bermuda Triangle. It’s the same mediocrity that Sprint leadership accepted a decade ago and now that vision is here. Don’t get butthurt former Sprint employees, no one is blaming the frontline employees for what you had to endure for over a decade. You ,if anyone, should recognize the leadership decisions that you had to endure that have now become culture here. It is not your fault, you were pawns then and now we’re all pawns for the same a--holes. Well, I WAS, not anymore.
Makes sense, given they've put all IP and transport under a single Sprinter VP who reports to Ulf.
Maybe field techs should stop pretending their jobs will be the same forever and actually try to learn other functional areas. There's less on-site work now than ever. Field Ops won't be eliminated, but it will evolve and it will happen with or without you.