Network Vision/LTE - Alabama Market (including Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile)

[Maya Blue]

Well I have been getting LTE around Madison and close to Triana off and on the past two or three days, I have mapped some of it with Sensorly, though I still have to do Zierdt and some other areas. I have to say seeing 4G on my phone was a very nice surprise after roaming for almost two weeks at home, I still wonder if what I saw at the I-565 site had anything to do with it, as it started right after I saw a lift crane (I think) at the top

Yeah, I saw that too.  We're starting to see the rollout.  Although with what we have mapped so far, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it.  Kinda random.

[Bteague13]

Excited to be picking up LTE on my iPhone out in Meridianville. Phone was showing 3G until about 11pm then was connected to LTE ever since. Only two bars though., but I'm not complaining.

[jonathanm1978]

Meth addicts costing some carrier a chunk of money...I wonder if they realize (or CARE) that they probably pulled up the backhaul and other vital lines to this cell tower??? It just doesn't say WHICH carrier...

 

Only in Alabama...I hope they catch them ALL..

 

http://www.myfoxal.com/story/24010440/camera-catches-alleged-copper-thieves-in-etowah-county?utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=bufferbe56e&utm_medium=facebook

[Bob Newhart]

Will be in Milport next week, I'm hoping for great LTE speeds!

 

[or any cell coverage from any company atleast]

[jonathanm1978]

Things have been quiet in my immediate area lately...tho Birmingham is sure becoming pretty well covered from what my travels around show. I'm guessing a mix of GMO and backhaul vendors dragging their feet is causing Sylacauga/Childersburg/surrounding to fall to the wayside. I'm betting AT&T owns most of the fiber loops around here, with charter probably being thrown in somewhere below AT&T. Hope something pops up soon around here so I can play with a new band or two.

 

Sent from my LG-LS980 (G2) using Tapatalk

 

 

[bigfdaddy]

Wish gadsden would get a really needed upgraded ... On 3g I pull .15kb -.67kb down .... That's generally at 1-5am daytime might as well forget it ... Can't even connect to Google web page without waiting at least 3-5 minitues of loading time ...

 

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

 

[jonathanm1978]

I'll be glad to see any part of Alabama getting an 800 update. Holding out on driving to Atlanta, which is an hour+, to the nearest tower I can find with 800 active over there.

 

I don't know where the closest 2600 is active near Alabama, but I think it's a good bit away from here, not worth the drive to check it out...I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be an hour or two drive, it would take a day most likely to get to the nearest 2600LTE signal ...just not sure which city would be closest. I'm guessing there's some in Chicago, I think that would be the closest right now...

[jonathanm1978]

I'm wondering if any GMO sites in Alabama have gone live with LTE yet...There are 2 GMO's near me still waiting on LTE with 3G NV updates finished...and been finished for several months now...since we're nearing the end of..what, 3rd round now?

[uh60james]

I'm wondering if any GMO sites in Alabama have gone live with LTE yet...There are 2 GMO's near me still waiting on LTE with 3G NV updates finished...and been finished for several months now...since we're nearing the end of..what, 3rd round now?

Unless Sprint finally tuned the Adamsville site Graysville's (Corridor X & Old Hwy 78) site appears to be in progress, picked up 4G driving through this morning.  Never got it within several miles of there before.

[caradineme2]

Unless Sprint finally tuned the Adamsville site Graysville's (Corridor X & Old Hwy 78) site appears to be in progress, picked up 4G driving through this morning. Never got it within several miles of there before.

I'm excited to see this, I live in West Jefferson so maybe it may hit spots of 4g around home finally

 

Sent from a galaxy within my palm

 

 

[uh60james]

I'm excited to see this, I live in West Jefferson so maybe it may hit spots of 4g around home finally

 

Sent from a galaxy within my palm

Unfortunately I haven't been able to pick it up in that location since that day so it may have just been an issue of the stars aligning correctly and getting a signal from the distant Adamsville site.

 

Some good news for Alabama though, I am now picking up 1x Voice on 800 in my basement office in downtown Birmingham so it looks like Ericsson is finally getting around to installing some 1x carrier cards in the area.

[S4GRU]

Unfortunately I haven't been able to pick it up in that location since that day so it may have just been an issue of the stars aligning correctly and getting a signal from the distant Adamsville site.

 

Some good news for Alabama though, I am now picking up 1x voice in my basement office in downtown Birmingham so it looks like Ericsson is finally getting around to installing some 1x carrier cards in the area.

Are you referring to 1x on 800? Because Sprint has had 1x on 1900 since it started service in Alabama.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

[uh60james]

Oops. Yes 1x on 800.

[jonathanm1978]

Thanks for the updates on Alabama. I'll come back to Sprint proper when Birmingham gets some love, on Virgin for now.

 

Birmingham is pretty well-showered with LTE now, a far cry from just a year ago. I talked with an AT&T DSL tech just two days ago and discussed the entire cellular/last-mile copper/fiber loops etc...

 

I wish if backhaul is the culprit, which seems a likely possibility, that the biggest owner of fiber loops around here...AT&T...would blow the dust off of their trucks and get these orders completed on fiber runs to the towers that Sprint is waiting on to flip LTE. Gracious plenty of 3G completed sites that are waiting on LTE...2 within just a few miles of me are in this state..and have been for a while.

[S4GRU]

Birmingham is pretty well-showered with LTE now, a far cry from just a year ago. I talked with an AT&T DSL tech just two days ago and discussed the entire cellular/last-mile copper/fiber loops etc...

 

I wish if backhaul is the culprit, which seems a likely possibility, that the biggest owner of fiber loops around here...AT&T...would blow the dust off of their trucks and get these orders completed on fiber runs to the towers that Sprint is waiting on to flip LTE. Gracious plenty of 3G completed sites that are waiting on LTE...2 within just a few miles of me are in this state..and have been for a while.

If the site is a full build and 3G accepted, waiting on backhaul is the culprit.

 

Robert

[jonathanm1978]

I know the remaining two sites here in my area (35150) are ground mount. I haven't asked or seen lately, but surely they are lighting up LTE on GMO's by now, right? I figure it's backhaul that is the holdup, but is the problem that these are GMO sites?

[jonathanm1978]

Well, the Corp store manager in Bham and myself had a chat yesterday -- it's rare that I get up to the store because it's an hour away and I despise hwy 280 traffic into Bham like the plague....

But, he remembers me and we discussed some tower issues around 35150, and he placed a trouble ticket for the tower that's 6.9 miles from me. I told him I really think that the tower just hasn't been optimized yet, because I can pick up B25, B26 in about a 3-mile radius from the tower. Once I go any further than that, I bounce to the tower that's about 9 miles away.

I told him that I am assuming the further tower (only 2 in this area with LTE turned on) is optimized, because I know their site IDs and I can stand in my yard and pick LTE on band 26 from the furthest tower. But that tower that is closer to me, I only get that signal in the small radius near it...both band 25 and band 26.

 

Since I got this LG tablet, i've been watching the LTE closely, and I am noticing that the G3 hangs on to 26 for quite a while even when 25 is better..

I guess the latest PRL changed the scan priority (or proirity)...but the tab will be on 25 with a -96 signal....but the G3 will be on 26 with a -112.

 

Also, I mentioned the radio shack thing to him and was told he had been doing the training at 2 locations in/around Gadsden..and discussed a job op if the local radio shack becomes partial Sprint store...he said they are looking for more to come very soon.

[red_dog007]

How is that market coming a long.  Going to the auto race this weekend in Leeds.  Trip doesn't look good from Chattanooga. 

 

B26 heavily deployed down there?  B41 coming up well?  Root just went there and for data seems like a very meh market. 

[uh60james]

How is that market coming a long.  Going to the auto race this weekend in Leeds.  Trip doesn't look good from Chattanooga. 

 

B26 heavily deployed down there?  B41 coming up well?  Root just went there and for data seems like a very meh market. 

 

A little late for you but maybe it will help someone else.  There is LTE coverage at Barber Motorsports Park.  Root Metrics wasn't wrong, data can be painfully slow here at times and at other times it is just average but acceptable for pretty much any use.

 

There are some band 26 sites online in the Birmingham area but I am not sure how widespread they are.  I have seen no band 41 at all.

[red_dog007]

A little late for you but maybe it will help someone else.  There is LTE coverage at Barber Motorsports Park.  Root Metrics wasn't wrong, data can be painfully slow here at times and at other times it is just average but acceptable for pretty much any use.

 

There are some band 26 sites online in the Birmingham area but I am not sure how widespread they are.  I have seen no band 41 at all.

Yeah BMS was good, and the area, Leeds.  Had B25/26, didn't hit any B41.  At the race speeds were 10Mbps the few times I checked.  I actually mapped there on Sensorly and did a little in Leeds as well.

 

The LTE doesn't go anywhere near Springsville on I59 like their coverage map suggests.  Gadsden was pretty accurate, I mapped that as well, but geez I was at over -120dmb on B26 for so so much.  You can barely see it on Sensorly. 

[jonathanm1978]

Alabama seems to be one of the slowest markets in terms of getting iden converts and new LTE ...

 

I did notice that locally, just a week or two ago, it seems as though SoLinc has erected a tower just outside of a local muni substation (My wife is employed by Alabama Power, but they sell power to muni's like Coosa Valley Authority..etc). One of the AlaPower substations appears to have a new...tower of sorts that was put up ...

I'm not sure if it really is SoLinc or something non-cell related...I'll try for pics next time I'm headed to Cburg...

From what I can tell, it's not the antenna heads that I see on Sprint towers at the top.

[Wireless Junkie]

Any new updates for us in Birmingham?? I know out towards Delta (Cheaha MT.) I am starting to see decent SMR LTE on my 6S and native voice. I want B41 coverage though in Birmingham!!

 

Hopefully once SoLINC has their LTE built out some (it's already live for testing in Oak Grove West Jefferson County) we can roam being they are part of the CCA and using SMR as well.

[lordsutch]

I don't think we'll see SouthernLinc roaming unless they deploy 1X as well for voice fallback, at least until Sprint supports VoLTE on devices. The good news(?) is 1X deployment might be part of the RRPP deal.

[Wireless Junkie]

I don't think we'll see SouthernLinc roaming unless they deploy 1X as well for voice fallback, at least until Sprint supports VoLTE on devices. The good news(?) is 1X deployment might be part of the RRPP deal.

They are using the same equipment as Sprint. Seems like it would make more sense to use SoLINC for data roaming, and continue to use Verizon 1X for voice roaming similar to how Verizon does in some LTEiRA markets

 

 

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[lordsutch]

They are using the same equipment as Sprint. Seems like it would make more sense to use SoLINC for data roaming, and continue to use Verizon 1X for voice roaming similar to how Verizon does in some LTEiRA markets

 

Unless SouthernLINC has some sort of deal with Verizon to enable eCSFB to Verizon's 1X network, that won't really work.

 

In any event part of the point of RRPP is to expand the network and thus avoid paying Verizon for roaming.