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And would you believe it, in the five minutes it took me to set up in a parking lot and run my RF sweep, the police pulled into the parking lot. Fortunately, it turned out that they were there to assist two motorists who had been involved in a small fender bender. But I thought that I was going to get questioned AGAIN! AJ

Awesome husbands often have awesome wives. You two have a Happy Valentines Day.

S4GRU Member in Indianapolis market found 2xCA and just hit 119Mbps.

To further explain what the PCC (primary component carrier) and SCC (secondary component carrier) is here is a basic summary of it: Each aggregated carrier is called a component carrier. The primary carrier is called the PCC (primary component carrier) and is the one where other carriers are aggregated with. Each component carrier aggregated with the PCC is called the secondary component carrier (SCC). In todays LTE releases the PCC provides both the downlink and uplink bandwith while the SCC adds additional downlink bandwith. So in sprints existing B41 configuration, each carrier have a theoretical max of ~80/17 so 2xB41 CA will have a theoretical max of about ~160/17 since only the downlink on the SCC are utilized and the uplink on the SCC is left untouched. -- Current devices that support 2xB41 CA are Samsung Galaxy S6 / 6 edge, Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, LG G Flex 2, LG G4, and HTC One M9.

S4GRU is the only thing keeping my hopes up and staying with Sprint. Had I not found this site I would have left Sprint on my last contract renewal. Robert Sprint most definitely owes S4GRU for a lot of Customer Retentions

Yes, it's our understanding that Marcelo is not stopping a nationwide B41 deployment, but reprioritizing. Instead of doing anything and everything, and just letting the market managers do what they want with deployment, he is challenging the NV Plan of anything and everything a focusing on high demand sites first. I completely agree with this thinking. Focus on LTE sites that already have backhaul in place but performance is suffering because of high demand. Start permitting these sites first. Focus your crews on these sites first. And as these start clearing out, second focus on cities with the highest Sprint customers or where you want to attract customers. Then third, focus on all remaining sites nationwide that have backhaul upgraded to support Band 41. And last, catch everything else as they get backhaul upgraded. Band 26 deployment is still going hot and heavy nationwide to almost every site that has LTE capable backhaul (outside the IBEZ). He is even starting to question and push to make sure anywhere that can receive it does by the end of the year. And the places that can't...why not? How can we speed that up? Go Marcelo! GO!!!

Anyone who is just a Sponsor should really consider upgrading to Premier Sponsor using Robert's Christmas to New Years special of 25% off. The LTE 800 and LTE 2600 deployment maps are well worth the price.

I sent your quick analysis around to some of the blogs hoping you guys would get credit for the scoop (hope you don't mind). Looks like it's getting some traction... http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/05/lg-nexus-5-fcc/

Late 2014? That's not clear. That's your wild ass guess and gut feeling based on your observations. It is not abundantly clear, as you say. The final completion date of the entire upgrade is not important. Verizon and AT&T are not anywhere near complete with their upgrades yet, and they are not even doing a complete top to bottom overhaul of their network that Sprint is. So even if it is not until the end of 2014, it doesn't much matter. Sprint will still have completed their upgrade, start to finish in less time than the big two. And T-Mobile is not even upgrading all their sites to LTE, let alone a full nationwide upgrade. What matters is total coverage. And more importantly for you, coverage in San Diego County. Well, deployment is under way in SDC, as you are aware. And furthermore, the first three sites started to go live in San Diego yesterday and today. So, you will have measurable coverage in San Diego in the next few months, and pretty close to total coverage before the end of the year. So if they are still working on an obscure site outside Winston-Salem, North Carolina in Fall 2014, it wouldn't be very material to your circumstances. I find your lack of faith disturbing. Especially since there are tangible upgrades happening right around you that you have already experienced and written about in our forums. Robert

I've had it for 10 days. Just now getting around to being able to write about it. Robert

I give Marcelo kudos for his quick action. I am thoroughly pleased.

Victory!

If SoftBank requires unlimited to be dropped, it will be because it is seen as a necessity. SoftBank offers unlimited in Japan, so they are obviously not adverse to it. Raising prices is also not an option anytime soon. Sprint, or even the New Sprint, is not in the position to charge as much or more than VZW and AT&T. In fact, SoftBank wants to significantly increase their market share in the U.S. They are not going to be increasing market share by raising prices. SoftBank is not stupid. They want to come in and attempt to dominate the market. They will not be careless and will make very intelligent and shrewd decisions. Any moves that they make will be very calculated and not rash. None of us are going to get whiplash from the changes. If anything, I think there is more chance of lower prices, than raising them. SoftBank wants to increase market share, not profits. I hate to use a stereotype, but Japanese investors are much long term focused than their American counterparts. They will not make rash decisions for short term gains. Robert

$8 billion is a lot of money. Sprint could seriously speed up Network Vision, crowding out T-Mobile even, buy Clearwire (so they can deploy TD-LTE wherever they want without paying roaming fees to Clear) and maybe pick up Leap as well if the price is right. Hit all three and you've got a formidable competitor to T-Mobile...and maybe even VZW and AT&T.

Where I am able to get LTE here in San Antonio it has been amazingly fast. I am impressed. I know that Sprint still has a long way to go here in SA, but now that I can actually see the progress. It gives me renewed patience to wait for the completion. I know it wont be much longer. And until NV is complete I can play with whatever LTE is available or use WIFI. Im feeling much better about this NV now. Go Sprint!

Atlanta for the win, its about damn time. Anyway though, if it weren't for s4gru I would have probably jumped ship to att months ago. Thanks Robert for all your hard work.

Glad to see you post an article again. It has been a while since we have had the fearless leader do a write up. Welcome back! I look forward to more.

Not really. To a Sprint network enthusiast, bands supported would be more important than having the latest computing power and RAM. The specs of the Mega are more than sufficient for 98% of users. Most of us want Band 26 for in-building and far distance performance and Band 41 for high capacity and higher speeds. I bet S4GRU Members would choose the Sprint variant of the Mega over the GN3 by 2:1. The general public could be a different story. Robert

from CNET... nice quote Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son isn't impressed with the high-speed wireless networks in the United States. "Everytime I come to the U.S., I say 'Oh my God, the mobile phone network is so slow,'" Son said during a conference call with analysts today. Now, Son is in a position to change things to his liking after Softbank and Sprint Nextel agreed on a deal in which Softbank would take a 70 percent stake in the U.S. carrier.

I think this is easily my favorite piece that you have written. Thanks Robert for having the balls to stand up and say what (desperately) needed to be said. I don't think many people would publicly publish a piece like this, but I'm really glad you did. I am going to be a fan of this site for a long time to come.

This was an excellent, well written editorial. People seem to forget that Verizon had much more issues when they launched LTE.

We all know about Sprint's past. Our site is not a catalog of complaints about Sprint's past, but a site of information and discussion about Sprint's future. There are many places around the internet that are well suited to host Sprint complaints. They are well aware of their problems, and Sprint does indeed read our site. In fact, this site is full of information about the things Sprint is planning and doing to fix their issues to the best of their ability with the resources they have. They have heard from people like you loud and clear, and they get it. Our site is not well suited for those who are not focused on Sprint's future. We can understand if a forum for Sprint fans that brings original internal sourced information is not for you. We are working diligently to bring an upbeat and positive place for Sprint customers on the web who are interested in solutions for the future, delivered in a constructive format. Our members are counting on me to maintain that environment. If this sounds like a place for you, I encourage you to hang around here and get to know our members in our forums. Best Regards, Robert Herron S4GRU.com

I wrote this but Robert posted it for me. (As I am not a "Full-Time" writer for S4GRU) LOL

If he monitors the network daily.. I wonder what his username is here?

Hallelujah on the B41 strategy! Sprint finally has a leader that understands the real value of that high band spectrum! Provide "one of a kind" wireless data experience in top markets, and you will have much higher ROI and customer growth. That's how it's done, it's the T-Mobile approach. Exciting times ahead of us!

Even though they have been gone for a few years now, this move makes me truly miss the black and white Dan commercials. They were classy, which rhymes with the characteristic of recent T-Mobile commercials. Take a guess. AJ

I am not surprised and I am glad this finally came out. HOwever, I am disappointed about Hesse. He was good for Sprint. Farwell and enjoy retirement.

Band 4 is AWS, and Band 12 is 700MHz A/B/C block. The resource I use for LTE bands and EARFCN/frequencies is this website: http://niviuk.free.fr/lte_band.php Yes, with full CCA implementation, the green in the bottom map shows a fully built out and anticipated coverage. Sprint is expected to expand native coverages themselves in some strategic places where there is no CCA coverage. Or work with existing RRPP or Sprint Affiliates to expand coverages in those areas. This will be very beneficial, possibly even necessary, in some booming areas like the Dakotas.

If Apple says, "Jump", Sprint asks, "How high?" I do not like it, but that is just the way it goes because of the iPhone mystique among the unwashed masses. AJ

This is hilarious since i literally just popped over from an AC forum post where the user was screaming "I hate this phone and I hate Sprint" because she "got no 4G no more" in Chicago....(RANT) And then I come the sanctity of sanity here and see this amazingly helpful write-up on possible "why's" and "what to do's"... You the man. S4GRU 4 LIFE!

Well said, Robert. And +1 pulling out bloviate. Don't run across that one every day. Have a nice vacation.

I think people will take issue with your comment. The comment is problematic for several reasons. 1. Clearwire did not start WiMax in the largest markets first. They had to practically be forced by Sprint to switch to the largest markets when the EVO was preparing to launch. There were SO MANY complaints that Sprint/Clearwire were not upgrading the largest cities initially. They didn't even finish them all before they stopped deploying WiMax in early 2011. 2. These are all large cities. Dallas, Houston and Atlanta are among the largest cities in our country. 3. New York and Los Angeles have already begun Network Vision and LTE. They are working on them. However, these markets are so large, that they will take more time to be ready for launch. Should they wait to launch very large cities even longer until the most worthy of large cities are ready? Of course not. The bottom line is, they should launch every market as soon as possible. And they are very interested in launching every market. However, Sprint's deployment order makes much, much more sense than Clearwire's did with WiMax by every measurable standard. Robert

S4GRU will not tolerate insults directed to other members. Please keep the tone civil towards each other. Your immediate compliance is required. Thanks. Robert

Time to let Apple know how much they suck! I will never buy iProducts LMAO.

How do I give back my old one and get one of these lol?

My screenshot made it to the wall. I never thought it could happen. Great article AJ.

Marcelo talked about the shift in B41 priorities during the all-hands call a couple of weeks ago, and Sprint's definitely not backing off of the plan to roll out b41 across the entire network. It's just a change in priorities, or really a welcome change in mindset if you think about it. Taking care of the easier rural and urban sites first before tackling the more difficult urban areas was what made sense for Sprints needs whereas the new priority is more focused on what the customer needs. To be fair, there were good customer-focused reasons for working from the outside-in on network vision, as the whole point was to minimize customer impacts. But I do feel that focusing on the sites that need capacity the most whether it's easier for Sprint or not demonstrates a greater focus on the end user's needs. Ultimately in the long run being forced to build out a denser network that our competitors should leave Sprint in a more competitive position as we'll have more sectors in a given area along with greater spectrum.

So does the article you're commenting on. Robert

Yes. Student discount, teacher discount, military discount, conscientious objector discount, senior discount, junior discount, police/fire/EMT discount, Welfare-To-Work discount, SSI discount, Work Opportunity discount, non-profit organization discount; for-profit organization discount, cash discount, credit card discount, loyalty card member discount, clergy discount, union member discount, retiree discount, Mason discount, Order of the Eastern Star discount, DAR discount, medical professional discount, AAA discount, anyone not covered by any of the above discount. $25 off but only until Dec 31. Act now! Edit: Here is the Premier Sponsor discount offer link http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/5198-special-premier-sponsor-offerfor-the-holiday-season-through-new-years-eve/

The only problem is waiting! Sprint loyalist right here <---

I personally don't care about world phone support. I would much rather have a triband LTE device with SVLTE vs. triband LTE device with world frequency band support. If I use my phone internationally, I am just using wifi calling using apps like Viber or GrooveIP. If Sprint is able to find a way to do triband LTE support with SVLTE minus the world frequency band support, it should aim to do that.

There's always a headset or bluetooth for those that need to jab on the phone all day. I'm sure they've thought of that. I can care less what I look like on the phone. I can care less what others think as I'm no longer in middle school trying to fit in with the right "look". So back to the size thing. What kind of pants do people have that a phone that is 0.6 inches longer and 0.3 wider but yet thinner not fit in? If this were true that it didn't fit in the pocket, then my Note2 in the Otterbox defender definitely would not fit in my shorts, workout shorts, or 32 inch waist jeans. Us older folk actually used to carry around this thing called a check book with all kinds of crap stuffed in behind the register sheets, which ended up being bigger than this phone. Get over it. Some people will enjoy this phone some will not. Some will just secretly be jealous of the device and hate the fact that it isn't hip and they have to get a small phone to "fit in". It's just the way things are. It's great to have so many choices in phones and not stuck to just one size and look. I'm not 100% sold on getting this device but I think it's great that Sprint has chosen to carry this device and make it tri-band to boot! Awesome!

Yeah, the news here is not that it exists or that it's coming to Sprint. The news here is that it is Triband LTE for Sprint (B25, B26, B41). That was not known until this afternoon. And to contrast that to the Note 3 as being only on one LTE band for Sprint, and you have the making of a drama for Sprint nerds. Robert

Nice article. We need more estrogen on this site. It sucks being the lowely gay guy to provide balance here lol lmao.

DetroitFlyer, We are not a Sprint propaganda machine. There are dozens of places for people who want to complain about the Sprint network to go. Even community.sprint.com. We are not a complaint board. We have a core mission and posting guidelines. Our members do not want to sift through rants. And they aren't going to have to, because we will enforce our rules. Whether you think Sprint is dishonest, lies or WiMax sucks is not relevant to our conversations. Negative comments are allowed if they are constructive, have a point, relative to the conversation and don't go into a rant. I understand that some people will want to be more negative than our tolerances. They will need to go somewhere else. We aren't begging anyone to stay. If you don't like our community, you are welcome to go. If we do not enforce these rules, then the people who really add value to S4GRU and create our content and the people we get information from will leave. And all we will be left with are the complainers and S4GRU will wither and die. It is our core members that make S4GRU, not the people looking for a sounding board to complain. Robert

I simply hate apple

Nice to hear progress on this topic. I think that the iDEN thinning of towers has been often overlooked as a key piece of Network Vision of reducing operational costs to help Sprint's balance sheet. Hopefully some time in early 2013, we can hear the good news that the entire iDEN network has been decommissioned which will pave the path for LTE at 800 Mhz.

Currently, S4GRU is the only thing out there attempting to maintain momentum for Sprint. Dan Hesse needs to visit our PayPal donation section and make a donation!!!

Come on sprint make me proud, oh and you better make me some money on that stock purchase from a few months ago.