Network Vision/LTE - Minnesota Market

[motytrah]

I'm connected to 4G in Bloomington MN as I type. Seems pretty quick so far. So stuff is getting turned up.

[bogeypro]

I'm connected to 4G in Bloomington MN as I type. Seems pretty quick so far. So stuff is getting turned up.

 

where in bloomington were you located. Just curious... thanks

[S4GRU]

I'm connected to 4G in Bloomington MN as I type. Seems pretty quick so far. So stuff is getting turned up.

 

We have not had any confirmed 4G LTE sightings in Minnesota, yet. Please post some screen shots and provide locations. Also, it would be great if you could download the Sensorly app and upload your results there so we can all see and plot the Sprint 4G LTE progress in Minnesota. Thanks.

 

Robert

[S4GRU]

I'm connected to 4G in Bloomington MN as I type. Seems pretty quick so far. So stuff is getting turned up.

 

If you are on a Ting Samsung Conquer, then you wouldn't be getting Sprint 4G LTE. You are likely getting 4G WiMax.

 

Robert

[ButtaKnife]

In other threads it has been discussed that NV is being deployed from the edge of a city inward. Is a pattern used for the towers at smaller towns or along the interstate as well? Not that I'm anxious for my Western Wisconsin town to get some NV upgrades...

[S4GRU]

In other threads it has been discussed that NV is being deployed from the edge of a city inward. Is a pattern used for the towers at smaller towns or along the interstate as well? Not that I'm anxious for my Western Wisconsin town to get some NV upgrades...

 

Other than Chicago, most markets are actually done in a shotgun approach.

 

Robert via Samsung Galaxy S-III 32GB using Forum Runner

[shifted]

I work in downtown Minneapolis (Live in Eagan). Is there an easy visual way to know whether towers have the LTE or Vision equipment installed without walking up to the cabinet? I ride the light rail to work and it goes by a few towers and I drive by about four of them on the way to the light rail but I have no idea of what to look for to know whether the equipment is installed or getting installed.

Edited August 24, 2012 by shifted

[pyroscott]

There will be a new set of larger antennas alongside the legacy equipment. There will also be RRUs behind the antennas with a mess of wires hooking the antennas to the RRUs.

['06Siguy]

Can't wait for the upgrade to complete in our area.

 

:waiting:

[Sim-X]

Also can't wait. We dumped our sprint cards for Verizon hotspots at my work. What a difference it's was like going from Net Zero dial up to high speed cable everywhere and then some. We pretty much get coverage everywhere N, S, E, W of the metro we can go pretty far out without any disruption. We are gonna stick it out a little longer with Sprint for our phones but if LTE coverage is anything like wimax were gone including my personal line. Wimax is one of the worst networks every built it's complete garbage. You would think when they tested it in a test market someone would have said wow this sucks we should not spend millions of dollars building a worthless network that is nearly impossible to stay connected to unless you hold still in one spot under the tower on a clear day. I hope Sprint LTE does not dissapoint I have high hopes for it.

[S4GRU]

Also can't wait. We dumped our sprint cards for Verizon hotspots at my work. What a difference it's was like going from Net Zero dial up to high speed cable everywhere and then some. We pretty much get coverage everywhere N, S, E, W of the metro we can go pretty far out without any disruption. We are gonna stick it out a little longer with Sprint for our phones but if LTE coverage is anything like wimax were gone including my personal line. Wimax is one of the worst networks every built it's complete garbage. You would think when they tested it in a test market someone would have said wow this sucks we should not spend millions of dollars building a worthless network that is nearly impossible to stay connected to unless you hold still in one spot under the tower on a clear day. I hope Sprint LTE does not dissapoint I have high hopes for it.

 

S4GRU will be in Waco, Texas this weekend which is the only 100% built out city with Sprint LTE. We will be testing the network to see how it performs, as well as how four LTE devices perform on the network. We will discuss it in some upcoming articles and contrast it with the WiMax Network.

 

Robert, S4GRU.com

[dcshobby]

Sprint LTE will be a HUGE improvement over the Wimax junk network that barely worked in MSP when I tested it last year. Sprint LTE will slowly be implemented on EVERY sprint tower in the nation including every tower in the Minnesota market. Anywhere you get Sprint 3G now will have LTE by the end of next summer in Minnesota. Then later 2013 into 2014, they will also put an 800MHz carrier on the air which will help LTE penetrate further and better indoors.

[frecklenutz]

Does that mean that the Dakota market is going to start next spring? I live in Alexandria and that's in the Dakota market do I am wondering about that.

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[dcshobby]

Yes the far western part of Minnesota including Alexandria is in the Dakotas market which is a round 3 or 4 market which means it starts sometime next year. S4GRU hasn't yet announced the start dates of those markets because they keep moving around the schedule and it is not firm yet. When things appear more solid, Robert will start announcing the round 3 and 4 markets. Most of network vision is supposed to be finished by the end of 2013 with some sites finishing up early 2014 so you can use that as a general guideline as to when network vision will be started in your area.

[frecklenutz]

Is there any way to find out what they are doing now in my area? The service has been getting worse and the sprint site shows upgrades coming.

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[S4GRU]

Is there any way to find out what they are doing now in my area? The service has been getting worse and the sprint site shows upgrades coming.

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

 

In Non Network Vision markets, the only source for network maintenance information is network.sprint.com.

 

Robert

[pyroscott]

Is there any way to find out what they are doing now in my area? The service has been getting worse and the sprint site shows upgrades coming.

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

 

The upgrades shown at network.sprint.com are NOT network vision related. That only tracks upgrades to the legacy network. The Minnesota market might be gearing up now, but Alexandria is in the Dakotas market which will be a 3rd or (probably) 4th round market and will not see any work start until sometime in 2013.

[dcshobby]

Is there any way to find out what they are doing now in my area? The service has been getting worse and the sprint site shows upgrades coming.

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

 

What you see listed on the network.sprint.com for your area are only upgrades to the legacy equipment currently there and has nothing to do with Network Vision work. Data capacity is a carrier add or additional spectrum and a data speed add is an additional T1. Hopefully these upgrades will be completed soon and you should notice some increase in data speeds. They have been doing these upgrades to Rochester, MN as well and I have noticed improved data performance ahead of Network Vision from these upgrades.

 

EDIT:: Didn't see the other replies on Page 3.. Sorry guys ha

Edited August 29, 2012 by dcshobby

[S4GRU]

Although it hasn't been reported so, yet, I do believe that Sprint will still use network.sprint.com to report network upgrades, like additional carriers being added to even Post-Network Vision sites. Carrier adds will be an ongoing network management item even in a post Network Vision world. However, backhaul upgrades will be a much rarer event (the so-called speed upgrades).

 

Robert

[Sim-X]

S4GRU will be in Waco, Texas this weekend which is the only 100% built out city with Sprint LTE. We will be testing the network to see how it performs, as well as how four LTE devices perform on the network. We will discuss it in some upcoming articles and contrast it with the WiMax Network.

 

Robert, S4GRU.com

 

Looking forward to articles, I hate wimax.

[tbs123456]

Looks like ehrpd was just turned on in the last week or so. I wasn't connecting that way before. Used to just say evdo in cdma field test. I'm new to all of this having just switched to sprint from tmobile so cdma technology is all new to me.

[JL421]

Yep, it seems as if most of the Minnesota and Dakota markets have had eHRPD switched on recently.

[tommym65]

Driving this morning on I-90 from Albert Lea west to South Dakota, virtually the entire route had a strong case of eHerpes. Once I crossed into S. Dakota, service fell back to EVDO-a. It looks like Sprint NV is making substantial progress in southern Minnesota.

[tbs123456]

In white bear still no ehrpd(at least by century college and the maplewood mall). Go about 15 mins north on 35w and ehrpd kicks in.

[tbs123456]

Ehrpd went live today in white bear. And I meant 35e, not w. Totally different freeway!