Editorial: The Cost of Telecom, Sprint Below $4

I just bought 100 shares of Sprint for less than $400. It’s only fitting, considering that the company just launched the nation’s first 4G network. This crazy market condition could leave us with telecom bargains seen once in a generation… or it could leave our country stuck in 3G for the next decade. Read more to see why America’s wireless portfolio shouldn’t look like the guy on the right.

I’ve made some good buys on Wall Street, but I’m no stock market analyst. Buying lots of Apple shares at $4/each seemed like a good idea at the time. Then again, that was when Gil Amelio was running the company. It took some guts, and some insanity to buy Apple back then. And, buying Sprint at the “bargain” of $20/share also seemed like a good idea.

So, you’ve seen the good, and you’ve seen the bad. That said, I’m quite bullish on telecom at the moment. While the credit crunch has devastated Wall Street… it hasn’t touched the technicals… and by that, I mean technology.

Sure, getting venture capital is going to be tough. I personally am feeling that right now. But, let’s not forget that technology in the market is far less affected by credit, than technology not yet made. WiMAX is here, now. Apple is forging laptops out of a single piece of aluminum. And, despite the tough times of this past year, 10 million iPhones were sold. Would those things have been estimated, had we been told the stock market would fall nearly 4,000 points this year?

I have no idea what will happen on Wall Street tomorrow. But, I do thing it will either surge or crash. I doubt tomorrow will be a mediocre day.

And, that brings me to the point of this article. You, the individual investor, needs to keep one thing in mind. Something that the media tends to forget. You can help decide what path this country takes, not just at the polls. If you think Sprint is worth more than $4 a share. If you think the company that is making the first mass-production consumer electric car, is worth more than $5 a share… it’s time to vote with your wallet.

Full disclosure: I also made a sizable purchase in GM today.

Now, I’m not saying spend money you don’t have. I’m not even saying spend money that you do have. But, if you would rather take a trip to Vegas this upcoming holiday season, if you plan on going on some expensive vacation, if you plan on buying a TV that you can barely afford… think about this; if you are willing to undervalue America, if you are willing to let the American economy be undersold, what do you think other countries will do?

I see the future hitting right home. If the economy dives into a deep recession… or even a depression, we probably won’t see 4G for years. Sure, it will be in the cities that it’s in right now. They’ll roll it out in areas where there’s little-to-no investment needed. Why? Because if T-Mobile buys Sprint next week, you can bet that they’ll match AT&T’s five-to-ten year “vision” for deploying 4G in America. It would be in their interest to do so.

If you want truly nationwide broadband internet for all… Sprint is $4 a share. I’d rather be bullish on America, than gamble it away in Vegas. And, that’s why I took my vacation dollars and just invested them.