Network Vision/LTE - Swiftel Market (Sioux Falls/Sioux City/Brookings)

[MacinJosh]

Is that a "Nessy" sighting?

 

 

AJ

 

Hey, it might be.

[S4GRU]

Oh, well now what have we here?

 

 

Very observant!!!! That almost looks like Sprint is counting Swiftel in its LTE coverage area by the end of NV. Maybe they are cooking something up? But oddly, Sprint is confirmed working with Shentel with NV/LTE, and yet the Shentel area is not shaded in. Maybe Sprint is going to buy out Swiftel after all? Now there is a rumor if you ever heard one!

 

Robert

[lynyrd65]

Is that a "Nessy" sighting?

Now it is

 

[WiWavelength]

Tree Fiddy?!

 

 

AJ

[S4GRU]

Emmm...ribs....

[pyroscott]

Now it is

 

 

I said, dammit Monster, get off my lawn, I ain’t gonna give you no tree fiddy.

[pyroscott]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qcbgclG4_A&feature=player_embedded

[Pierocksmysocks]

So not to bring up an old thread, but... after reading this thread there seems to be a lot of confusion about Swiftel's plans for expansion and 4G implementation. I just thought I'd offer up a few facts that might help to clear things up.

 

4G is on the road map for Swiftel's expansion. To expand on this statement, there's a lot of options for how Swiftel wants to run a 4G network, and it's not exactly an inexpensive endeavor. The decision on who they want to get their equipment from, setup type, etc. has to be made based on available funding and longterm support. If say Ericsson, AL, Motorola, or Samsung were to say the heck with it and stop supporting their hardware for the backend, then Swiftel would have to reinvest a ton of money to change everything up. They then have to decide on what locations to deploy the LTE tower, and keep in mind they won't work on just any tower setup. Throw in some FCC approval, testing, and hiring more personnel to fix issues that come up... Make sense why it's not happening at the speed of which you would demand?

 

Now for expansion of the regular network, Swiftel cannot expand that far to the west without purchasing spectrum in those areas. It just doesn't make sense to spend booku-monies on spectrum just so a family farm can have service. The population base just isn't there to make it a cost effective situation, and Sprint isn't interested in the idea either. It's just more cost effective to have a roaming agreement in place for those areas.

 

As far as Sprint buying out Swiftel... not going to happen. They inked a contract, and that buyout wouldn't be able to happen for quite some time. But the real question is why would Sprint want to buy Swiftel? There's not much of a population, and it would cost them more money in the long run... I would feel bad for them having to deal with the customer's who're used to getting their way with Swiftel.

 

Oh and FYI that Crossroads Wireless mess was horrible. If the powers that be in that situation had stopped trying to micromanage and they had their act together, life would have been better off for them.

[bigsnake49]

Yes, that is partly correct. In fact, just a few weeks ago, Robert and I were discussing Swiftel's canceled buyout. The buyer was Crossroads Wireless, which was a Sprint Rural Alliance partner.

 

For the Swiftel buyout applications, start with the 6/30/2008 Assignment of Authorization. Click on each application link, then click on the Admin tab within that application. Toward the middle of each application Admin page, you will find the attached document(s). Start here:

 

http://wireless2.fcc...p?licKey=193016

 

Crossroads was to be focused on rural highway coverage (hence, the name), so Swiftel and its I-29 centered footprint would have been a natural fit for Crossroads. Sprint partitioned and disaggregated some 10 MHz blocks of PCS spectrum to Crossroads for the rural highway buildout.

 

For the partitioned and disaggregated spectrum, see Attachment 1 from this application:

 

http://wireless2.fcc...?applID=4627816

 

However, Crossroads ran into severe financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy protection. So, the Swiftel acquisition was aborted and the rural highway buildout never happened. To add insult to injury, Crossroads, as Debtor-in-Possession, even liquidated the spectrum that Sprint had partitioned and disaggregated to it, and sold that spectrum to VZW, AT&T, et al.

 

See Restated Order Approving Spectrum Sales here:

 

http://wireless2.fcc...?applID=5087986

 

AJ

 

Wait, Sprint did not have first lien on the spectrum? If not, somebody should have been fired.

[Pierocksmysocks]

It's one of those situations where crossroads was going to be an SRA for Sprint so they wouldn't have to manage as much of their network. Sprint just didn't anticipate them going under, let alone so fast. Sadly enough they had a couple hundred employees one month, then just a handful the next. That and they couldn't get their act together network wise... but that's just a personal opinion.

[Fraydog]

This is a big bump, I realize, but T-Mobile is claiming 4G in Sioux Falls, SD, even though their coverage maps still say EDGE. You sure you want to go there T-Mobile? I realize that I have someone on HoFo saying that it could be available. I'm just pinging this thread to see if anyone in Sioux Falls can verify if T-Mobile upgraded anything.

 

http://explore.t-mobile.com/verizon-att-sprint/vs/#connect-4g

 

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1793800-T-Mobile-Ad-Fail?p=15087211#post15087211

[Emjay12]

Is there ever any hope for Swiftel to update their equipment? Even the 3G? I travel a lot for work. I get WiMaxx 4G in Fargo. Fargo, ND!?! Sioux Falls is bigger than Fargo. This week I just drove on I-90 across MN to WI and in central and eastern MN my phone streamed live news over 3G! My phone works great in Omaha, Denver, and Kansas City, but in Sioux Falls my phone can barely bring up a Facebook page, there are areas in town where data just doesn't work (my gym parking lot for instance), and the worst part is that this extends through all of Swiftel's coverage area (Sioux Falls north to Watertown and south to Sioux City). I live in Sioux Falls, I have family in Sioux City, and often travel north. At the time I was fine paying the $10 premium for smart phone data, but my phone rarely even comes in contact with a good 3G signal. Does anyone have any good news about an upgrade? I have asked my local stores and they said it is about 6 months out, but also said that it is always 6 months out. You can tell they are getting sick of telling that to customers. I like Sprint, but I feel the Sprint customers in eastern South Dakota and Sioux City IA are getting short changed because our service gets routed through Swiftel.

[WiWavelength]

I like Sprint, but I feel the Sprint customers in eastern South Dakota and Sioux City IA are getting short changed because our service gets routed through Swiftel.

 

The problem is that, in your market, you are not truly Sprint subs. You are Swiftel subs. And Swiftel is not like other Sprint affiliates in that Sprint actually had to partition and disaggregate spectrum to Swiftel. So, Swiftel controls not only its network infrastructure but also its spectrum. Thus, Sprint has less sway over the situation, and the decision to upgrade ultimately lies with Swiftel.

 

AJ

[Emjay12]

Thanks WiWavelength. Is there anything I can do? Or I can get a group of people to do to get Sprint or Swiftel on the ball here? Threatening to leave is meaningless because the revenue from my contract would never even pay for the upgrade of a single tower.

 

If you look up most other cities on this there is activity. Yet, Sioux Falls stays quiet.

https://network.sprint.com/SD/Sioux-Falls?question_box=coverage%20map%20sprint&id16=coverage%20map%20sprint&question_box=coverage%20map%20sprint&id16=coverage%20map%20sprint

[userkv8031]

I remember when EVDO was being deployed and Swiftel and Sprint got into a spat about those upgrades and reimbursement per sub. That delayed EVDO for awhile in those areas. I am sure that Sprint is investigating all avenues as that would open a hole in the network that I'm sure they don't want. I would guess that there is a buyout clause in the contract. I would guess that option has been explored but they may wait until NV is done in other areas to take on that market. If Swiftel was looking at selling to Crossroads a few years ago they may be ready to get out of the cellular business. I would imagine that any offer would include the infrastructure currently in place. While the area is not heavily populated it is heavily traveled.

[WiWavelength]

If you look up most other cities on this there is activity. Yet, Sioux Falls stays quiet.

https://network.spri...%20map%20sprint

 

Well, that site is for the Sprint corporate network. Even if upgrades were taking place in Sioux Falls, I am doubtful that map would depict them, since Swiftel, not Sprint controls the market.

 

AJ

[Rawvega]

Thanks WiWavelength. Is there anything I can do? Or I can get a group of people to do to get Sprint or Swiftel on the ball here?

 

You could try contacting Swiftel on their Facebook page and see if they're willing to comment publicly on their network upgrade plans.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Emjay12]

I've hit up their Facebook page a few times. They never comment. Thanks for the information Userkv8031, Rawvega, and WiWavelength. I'm contemplating writing editorials for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Sioux City Journal, Watertown Public Opinion, and the Brookings Register (home of Swiftel). I don't want to come across as a whining customer, an ignorant consumer, or someone with a score to settle. I just want better service. Service that other Sprint customers in populated areas receive. Even thought we have 3G antennas, would I be correct in saying that the back haul equipment needs to be updated to handle the additional load from increased data usage and more customers with smart phones? Would this be a correct statement? Swiftel installed 3G antennas a few years ago. But, if they haven't upgraded the components that handle the signals from the tower to the switching center (the back haul) all additional users and use only slow down the network.

 

This area does not have a lot of population (Sioux Falls MSA 228,000, Sioux City MSA, 169,000, Watertown 33,000, Brookings 32,000) but there is a fair amount of interstate traffic. In 2012, I-29 south of Sioux Falls averaged 19,908 vehicles per day (estimate 7 million + per year), and I-90 East of Sioux Falls averaged 12,898 vehicles per day (estimate 4.5 million + per year).

[Rawvega]

I've hit up their Facebook page a few times. They never comment.

 

I do hate that. It's, for lack of a better term, simply rude. If they can't have enough decency to respond to their customers then they shouldn't have made a Facebook page.

 

I'm contemplating writing editorials for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Sioux City Journal, Watertown Public Opinion, and the Brookings Register (home of Swiftel). I don't want to come across as a whining customer, an ignorant consumer, or someone with a score to settle. I just want better service. Service that other Sprint customers in populated areas receive.

 

I think that'd be a good idea. Since they didn't want to respond on their Facebook page, why not put them on the spot for everyone in the area to see. I bet they might respond then.

 

Even thought we have 3G antennas, would I be correct in saying that the back haul equipment needs to be updated to handle the additional load from increased data usage and more customers with smart phones? Would this be a correct statement? Swiftel installed 3G antennas a few years ago. But, if they haven't upgraded the components that handle the signals from the tower to the switching center (the back haul) all additional users and use only slow down the network.

 

 

I certainly can't say definitively, but yes it's a safe guess that the backhaul needs to be upgraded.

[S4GRU]

I'm in Brookings today. No eHRPD, only EVDO-A. None of the sites I've seen show any signs of Network Vision activity. 3G EVDO performs fair, running 400kbps to 1.5Mbps.

 

 

Sprint needs to move beyond Swiftel in Eastern South Dakota.

 

Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[S4GRU]

I've been in Sioux Falls for an hour now. Been on 6 sites. Speeds are awful and site spacing is only fair. Signal quality is quite poor. Averaging 50kbps - 400kbps. Pings are no good, either. 250ms+.

 

Drive across the border into Minnesota and into a Sprint corporate market and you get LTE and CDMA 800 right away. It's so bad, that it's hard to imagine anyone would use Sprint here because of Swiftel. Although AT&T still has no LTE here, Tmo is EDGE only. So it pretty much is a Verizon dominated market at this point.

 

Sprint could build out the Nextel sites here in this area pretty easily and dump Swiftel. In the Bookings/Sioux Falls area it appears that Swiftel only has like 25 sites in their whole network. They would be easy to replace as a corporate market. Sprint should dump them.

 

Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Nickel]

I've been in Sioux Falls for an hour now. Been on 6 sites. Speeds are awful and site spacing is only fair. Signal quality is quite poor. Averaging 50kbps - 400kbps. Pings are no good, either. 250ms+.

 

Drive across the border into Minnesota and into a Sprint corporate market and you get LTE and CDMA 800 right away. It's so bad, that it's hard to imagine anyone would use Sprint here because of Swiftel. Although AT&T still has no LTE here, Tmo is EDGE only. So it pretty much is a Verizon dominated market at this point.

 

Sprint could build out the Nextel sites here in this area pretty easily and dump Swiftel. In the Bookings/Sioux Falls area it appears that Swiftel only has like 25 sites in their whole network. They would be easy to replace as a corporate market. Sprint should dump them.

 

Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Do you know when Sprint and Swiftel's agreement expires?

[WiWavelength]

Sprint could build out the Nextel sites here in this area pretty easily and dump Swiftel. In the Bookings/Sioux Falls area it appears that Swiftel only has like 25 sites in their whole network. They would be easy to replace as a corporate market. Sprint should dump them.

1. Mellette
2. Southlake
3. Exit 177
4. Exit 164
5. Exit 150
6. Exit 140
7. Volga
8. Brookings
9. Brookings
10. Exit 121
11. Exit 109
12. Exit 98
13. Crooks
14. SF 2Way
15. SF Cable
16. 101 S.Mai
17. Michaels
18. North Cli
19. Tuthill
20. Brandon
21. Burbank
22. KTTW
23. Kuehn Par
24. Menlo Par
25. Exit 62
26. Beresford

AJ

[S4GRU]

 

• Mellette
• Southlake
• Exit 177
• Exit 164
• Exit 150
• Exit 140
• Volga
• Brookings
• Brookings
• Exit 121
• Exit 109
• Exit 98
• Crooks
• SF 2Way
• SF Cable
• 101 S.Mai
• Michaels
• North Cli
• Tuthill
• Brandon
• Burbank
• KTTW
• Kuehn Par
• Menlo Par
• Exit 62
• Beresford

AJ

Wow, not bad on an educated guess. Off by one.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[S4GRU]

Do you know when Sprint and Swiftel's agreement expires?

2018, according to this article: http://www.brookingsregister.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=76&story_id=5230

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro