There are 82 sites live in the Houston market as of the last update we received on July 15th.Robert

I didnt mean the whole Houston market , which includes Greater Houston also, i meant the main area of houston within the beltway. I count 20-21 towers in the most populous areas.

People are being big babies, and I think the reality is people will never be satisfied. Sprint coud get to 100% coverage tomorrow and then people would be asking why they don't have LTE-Advanced deployed yet. I personally feel like people just want to complain...

I honestly wouldn't care, except that it is showing Sprint that they were right in now bringing the sites on one-by-one, which I really want them to do. Sprint, if you're listening, people with always complain, so just launch soft-launch the sites as they're completed and then wait until you reach whatever your critical mass percentage is for the official launch!!

Amazing article!

Hi Robert, I understand why some of the recent comments drove you to this point... however...does this mean the posts to report the inability to stay connected to the 'active' LTE network are considered whining? I agree they don't need to be dramatic, etc, but I think there may be some valid issues being reported by some of us 'new members'. It sounds like some of us Sprint fanboys in Houston have been hunting down LTE signals like mad, and when we find them and try to use them, we are instantly demoted to 3G. I'm greatful to read the possible explanation you provided that there may be a combination of weak signals and undesireable android logic at play. I would love for us all to work together to understand if that's actually happening, specifically in Houston. I'm a little concerned that my phone may be defective....but I'm not jumping to that conclusion yet. So I've personally been reporting my attempts to connect in hopes that others will confirm a similar experience or counter with a more positive one. I'd love for someone to report a good place in Houston to have a positive LTE experience so I can attempt to duplicate it.....just to figure out if I'm crazy or not (oops...hyperbole...oops...sarcasm ) But seriously. I love the site, and appreciate the info. Maybe the site could have FAQs on things like which apps are good for tower analysis so us newbies could be more productive and report facts that help others. And who knows, maybe there is a serious glitch underneath all the dramatics. I'm pretty sure I can connect to what appears to me to be a healthy LTE signal everytime I update my profile but then get demoted within a minute to 3G on the same tower. (This is where FAQs might help me confirm this experience with harder data.) I used to work for Sprint many years ago as a customer service software consultant...and I will say this: If my Houston LTE experience is typical and there were a significant number of customers anticipating that official LTE anouncement, well... I imagine there will be some unhappy execs running around Overland Park looking for answers. As Archon pointed out....this is more about botched communication than the challenges of new technology. The nerds are forgiving, and who knows how many Sprint customers really even understand what LTE even is, it's the fans you have to worry about. Again, not whining...just observing. And please let me know if I should refrain from posting any more of my 'less than successful' LTE experiences that are sticking to facts such as time, device, location, etc.

Perfectly makes sense to me. I always look at the glass full and half empty. Count your lucky stars that you have LTE in your area...my area wont be included until hopefully 2013 (the first half would be nice!)

There’s an exaggeration of response from those unimpressed by the LTE launch. ‘Get a grip’ and ‘it’s not the end of the world’ might not apply to people who are just mad that they don’t have LTE. I’m sure they know life will go on, but as for Sprint, they don’t like it so much. I’m not one for telling a group of people how they should act; especially grownups. In my experience, I’ve seen that people generally complain when they don’t get what they want. General populace end users aren’t going to have the same level of knowledge than us here, so in taking the high road, we can emphasize with their whining, instead of bashing them for feeling a certain way.

It’s a bold statement for Sprint to say ‘we’re launching in Atlanta’ when they mean ‘Jonesboro’ or ‘bits and pieces of Atlanta.’ Most of the news articles I found online simply stated that Sprint was releasing LTE in various markets; not much mention of percentages and increments. If you go to sprint.com/4GLTE it will tell you that customers in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas, etc are ‘already experiencing 4G LTE service and improved 3G coverage.’ So if I’m Joe sitting in ATL with an Evo 4G LTE and 3G bars, it may leave me a bit confused and upset that I don’t have this thing the Sprint website says I should have.

Those hypocrites! Rob, you’re basically saying “don’t whine at Sprint” while kind of whining at whiners. ‘…our geek party was frequently interrupted by incessant whining’ and ‘…I feel like I am at a breaking point here.’ Those are valid feelings that you have, which I support you sharing with us, which very well could parallel similar feelings coming from those you’re talking about. Not to single you out of course, because there have been vocal others who feel just as you do; the many others who are fed up with the whiners who are fed up with Sprint.

But, that’s all for me though, I’m a new guy with less than 20 posts, so I don’t actually matter but good article, peace, love and fried chicken.

People, Robert's main points are completely valid.

Sprint gets criticized for releasing LTE devices without a live LTE network. So, to placate some of that unrest, Sprint unleashes access to partly completed markets. And now Sprint gets lambasted for that.

Some people will never be satisfied. "I want it 100 percent, and I want it yesterday" is just not possible in this situation.

AJ

It's ridiculous.. People speak without spending 10 seconds to look up the facts..

I wondered why the WiMax deployment stopped literally 1 mile from my house in So Cal. The reality of the matter is that Sprint, T-Mo, VZW, and AT&T operate much differently than Apple and Microsoft. The FCC just canceled AT&T and VZW's big spectrum grabs.

When Sprint bought Nextel the conditions on spectrum use were HEAVY. Sprint was forced to go Wimax and everyone knew back then that LTE was going to be the standard. If Sprint would have waited on for LTE they would have lost all of their 2500mhz spectrum. Sprint single-handedly almost made WiMax a competing standard which is commendable. LTE radios and chipsets barely caught up to Wimax recently. I'm sure you all remember the first round of terrible VZW Lte phones.

And then Sprint is forced to keep iDen running on top of that. They were literally forced by the gov't to run not one but two obsolete networks (Wimax is obsolete from a handset component standpoint) for YEARS instead of saving money and planning an LTE buildout.

Sprint was the first to 2, 3, and 4G; and again they are setting the standard with NV. But on the other hand we don't owe Sprint anything but the contract we signed, so if you can get a better deal somewhere else I'd suggest going.. Fast.. But endless ranting isn't warranted it's like people want Sprint to BK; when Sprint has been pushing cutting edge technology and low prices more than anyone that's the last thing they want.

People that are saying that they see people whining because there isnt 100 percent coverage, can you please point that out? Most of what ive seen is people being dissapointed because, despite lte "launching", theres actually not much coverage at all.

The thing that exacerbates the issue is the fact that 3g is so horrid, and ive been dropping to 1x recently.

No, I dont expect sprint to be anywhere near 100 percent complete, only a fool would ask as much; but i did expect at least 30 percent, which is not here.

omg....omg....omg i love it, this article was a gay guys paradise. Damn noobs need to check themselves before they wreck themselves. Robert you are a force to be reckoned with. I appreciate all that you do, out of your spare time to bring us this information that we all want. So all i can say THANK YOU ROBERT!!!!!! P.S. Robert is not sprint customer service, CALL SPRINT!!!

Louis CK Described it best - "Everything's amazing and nobody's happy"

What?! I can't believe they launched LTE in cityX before launching in MY city! My city is WAY more important than cityX because I live there.

Richard...as usual, we disagree on some points. (I had to re-read your comments, they didn't absorb tonight)Robert

Right, Right... I just don't worry that Sprint will delay their launch plans because of people complaining about spotty coverage. The fact of the matter is that they need to have as many cities listed as possible as having 4G LTE even if the coverage is not so great. I think Sprint will continue to launch markets with as little as 40% coverage.

Verizon launched San Diego in 2010 and they still haven't covered the whole San Diego market. It took them over a year to get to my neighborhood. Sprint also needs to launch markets as soon as possible. If you check google news, all the stories are about Sprint's new coverage and not about complaints by customers.

I have to agree with your editorial. People these days lack any sort of patience. I purchased a Galaxy S3 from Sprint in June and I live in the east Michigan area. I know full well it will take awhile to implement as projects on this grand of a scale are not plug and play exercise.

I whole heartedly agree with this Robert, being in IT I Feel your pain. If users are able to figure out that this site exists you would hope they would take the time to learn and get educated from it.

This place gives me the willingness to put up with shotty service i have right now, because i know that eventually it will be better. I have been with Sprint for 13 years now and run 5 phone lines and a wifi adapter. I've adopted almost every technology they've offered over the years, and I've been extremely upset with the way they communicated their goals to the consumers. But then again. NO Carrier communicates their end game with their consumers.

Can you see the advertisements if they pushed reality and not the "promise"

"LTE Now available in your town, we'll beat AT&T Home internet speeds, and cost less. Can you hear me now? NO? well sprint can help you there.. " Pause for Dramatic Effect.. micromachine guy chimes in... "Not available in 80% (count down changes each week) of our community but its changing every day.. be strong be proud you WILL EVENTUALLY get what you pay for.. happy heart every one!

Users drive us nuts Robert. I loved your rant and e-mail I hope that it gets through to the users. You guys do great work here. Please keep it up.

LTE Is not a lie..

Yea I know exactly what you mean Robert. Its gotten to the point where I wish S4GRU had not gotten so much word of mouth around mainstream tech sites just so we wouldn't get an influx of ignorant, ungrateful trolls flooding the site.

@DetroitFlyer, you seem disconnected with the article contents. What's this got to do with Wimax? Detroit?

This site seems to have plenty of information available to a Sprint customer living in Detroit, it's made clear when they think Detroit will get LTE / 3g enhancements (not yet, but beginning later in the fall through next year)

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-301-east-michigan-network-visionlte-deployment-schedule-update/

There have been articles and forum posts up the wazoo that tell exactly how Sprint will be deploying LTE and 3g enhancements from backhaul to radio units, etc. and the performance to expect.

I would think that information would be pretty valuable to a Sprint customer living in Detroit. Honestly, you could make an informed decision right now about whether it's worth waiting for Sprint Network Vision, instead of complaining on Sprint "fanboy" sites.

I couldn't have said this better, what a bunch of misinformed whiners I have come across on many other forums. Having to repeat the same old stuff gets a little long in the tooth when if they would just go research what is going on they would ind the answers they were seeking.

It is just easier to sit back whine and complain rather than find out what the problem is...it's the American way!

I needed to register and post because this "editorial" is somewhat enraging.

The problem is not with the Sprint LTE Rollout, its the communication from Sprint.

When 4G WiMax was rolled out, Sprint did a fairly good job entering the market and making a valid attempt at offering fast speeds to urban customers. Unfortunately, WiMax failed to deliver for reasons beyond Sprints control but Sprint still charged a monthly10$ 4g fee for using a very lackluster 3g network.

Now they announced a 4G LTE Market across their 2500 MHZ channels that would be released for select markets on July 15th.

The towers were turned on and a handful of customers are able to receive a 4g LTE signal.

The sprint press release, however, makes it seem like the Bush "Mission Accomplished" banner and everything is fine and dandy in those markets. Store reps and call center reps seem clueless that we are not receiving a 4g signal in areas that are colored in the map and have no idea why/why not some receive signals and others do not.

I understand IT teams and engineers are working extremely hard at getting these towers up and running and turning them on gradually is much better than "all at once" but at least tell the reps that this is the case. Make it clear to the customer that it might take some time to get a signal and your mileage may vary.

Customers are buying Sprint products based on these promises communicated down from corporate and to not have a clear message of what is happening is downright infuriating and dishonest.

I'm only mad they decided to go to WiMax markets first.As far as living in a market that is launched but not having coverage goes, buy an amplifier! It works wonders and to borrow a term from the late Steve, its magical. I get service in areas well outside of Sprints coverage map. The wilson Sleek is only $70 too! I'm actually about to buy another one tonight.

I agree, but at the same time I'm sure they are just trying to correct the mistake that was Wimax.

TO ALL DETRACTERS:

My editorial is not directed at the average Sprint customer. It is directed at S4GRU members and readers. You people do know what is going on. We have told you over and over and over again.

My issue is with S4GRU members who knew there was going to be a limited deployment. And most of them even knew where the active sites are located.

I agree that Sprint is often poor at communicating information, but S4GRU is not. My issues were mostly related to our members who should know better and the trolls who showed up and tried to take over our board the past 5 days.

This is why I used the term hypocrites. I am speaking from first hand experience. I am speaking directly to the S4GRU hypocrites. The tipping point for me was a few very specific members who were constantly asking for Sprint to open up the LTE network early, were now all of a sudden whining about coverage. This was probably the tipping point for me.

One of the key points I am trying to make with this editorial is, regardless of what Sprint maybe should have done, we only have two options before us now. The first is to allow markets to come live early with spotty coverage, or wait until the market is complete 6-10 months down the road (depending on the market). I want people to realize is that if Sprint only hears people complaining about launch coverage, then they are more likely to hold future markets.

At the end of my editorial, I am asking our readers to go and help set the record straight. Sprint is failing to do this. People need to have the background info that S4GRU provides.

We have allowed and will continue allow people to post in our forums information about what they are encountering, even if negative. But negative comments need to be on topic and relevant and not attacks or rants. We are not Sprint's complaint board. We are not an arm of their customer service outreach. Constant griping and rants make it difficult for people to read and get useful content from our site. Even people with thoughtful negative comments get drowned out by the ranters.

We are a different forum than any other one out there. Our core members want the flavor of our community to stay the same, even with the growth. S4GRU is a site for wireless enthusiasts. We are the geek squad. However, we have also become the last bastion for Sprint fans as well.

We will not allow our site to degrade and be like all the other sites out there full of Anti-Sprint Trolls. Some of you may not like S4GRU and the way we moderate our forums. That is fine. We cannot please everyone. And we will not even try. But we will continue to moderate our boards around our core mission statement,

"To provide a forum for discussion and education about wireless spectrum, networks, and Sprint Network Vision, in particular, in an online community that is mature, intelligent, and free from uncritical negativity."

Robert

GREAT article!!! Thank you for saying this!!

On another note, Houston is covered by WiMax and now is getting LTE, and while I understand how people may be upset about WiMax area's getting LTE first in some cases, let me tell you about WiMax...

It is horrible. I never used it, and I had two phones that were WiMax capable. Battery life was non existent, and connections were REALLY tempermental. In two years, I was never able to consistently use WiMax (well, once, in an airport). As soon as you entered any building the signal would drop from 4 bars to nothing and put you right back onto 3G. LTE with under 40% deployment is already more consistent than a full rollout of WiMax ever was for me in Houston, without battery sacrifices either.

I think you have the wrong idea to begin with in your arguement, you are presuming that WiMax is worthy of calling a 4G network in the first place. While I don't blame Sprint for choosing WiMax initially, almost anybody that has attempted to use it would agree it's bad. Handoff to 3G is bad, and handoffs between WiMax towers I don't even think are possible. If I were sprint, I would not even pay attention to WiMax maps when choosing where to deploy LTE.

Robert, you are right...and I agree with your article 100%. Yes I jumped the gun out of anger, and hereby admit I was wrong. Thanks for helping me get a grip!!!! GEEKS RULE!!!!!

I think the frustration felt is warranted in some cases and not in others. If you were "burned" by the WIMAX experiment (as many of us were) and thus paid that premium data fee (I'm not one who still insists it's a "4G" fee) without any consistent access to a premium network to enjoy such premium data AND then jumped out and pre-ordered or bought a new LTE phone at launch then you have NO BUSINESS complaining about a damn thing because YOU KNEW that the network wasn't ready yet (even Sprints advertising for the LTE phones said the network wasn't ready yet).

Most people don't even know sites like this exist. If you know about this site, and read the content, YOU KNOW THE NETWORK WASN'T/ISN'T COMPLETE and should know better than to complain here.

Now if you are complaining on AC or XDA and don't follow S4GRU (shame on you!) then yes, hearing "LTE is LIVE in San Antonio/Houston/Atlanta" or wherever and then flipping your GS3 or EVOLTE to find ..... no 4G ... I'd be screaming too because I didn't know any better.

If you bought a Ferrari with the promise of access to the new autobahn and then found that new autobahn was only in limited areas and then they just said, we're no longer building this autobahn anymore you'd be upset.

If you then bought the McLaren SLR with the promise that you would EVENTUALLY be able to drive on the even better new autobahn, then they said "whoo hooo the new autobahn is open in Houston" only for you to find that the autobahn turned into a school zone in 70% of Houston...you'd be upset.

Now if you read S4GRU and were upset about any of this then you need to learn how to read more better (yes, I said more better) since Robert and the guys here (AJ, Pyro, etc) kick freaking @ss with Sprint knowledge. It's one reason I stick to the development forums at AC and XDA since general is just fraught with whiners that think it's their g-d given RIGHT to have 100mbps downloads on their phone in rural KY or Montana or one of those Dakotas right now, and if they don't then they are leaving Sprint for good this time.

Sprint has not met customer expectations on a very broad scale. They have been outright dishonest in their communication to their loyal customers. At this point in time, I have no reason whatsoever to believe anything I hear from Sprint. So, I stumble across this site that claims to be independent of Sprint. Great, I can get some accurate and objective information. I do not have to rely on half truths or outright lies from clueless Sprint personnel. But wait, some posters complain that the LTE service is not meeting their expectations and all of a sudden they are not meeting the TOS and their threads are shut down. Then as a registered member, I receive a blanket Email basically telling me that you cannot post anything that the site owner does not like. Now we have this "editorial". If you do not think that the Wimax experience has left many of us VERY skeptical of Sprint's claims for LTE, then you live in a different world than I do.... Yes, I am absolutely interested in when LTE launches in various markets, especially here in Detroit. I have read almost every market summary. BUT, I am even more interested in how well the LTE network performs for real world customers like me. I do not really care if 10% or 100% of the LTE towers are active. I want to know what real world people in LTE markets are experiencing good or bad. If this site gets scrubbed of comments perceived to be too negative, it becomes nothing more than another Sprint propaganda machine. We get more than enough of that from Sprint directly. As I said, the site owner has EVERY right to run this site exactly as he sees fit. I support that 100%. If I do not like it, I just will not visit anymore. At the end of the day, the more open and honest the communication, the more value the site has to me. I would not ever consider financial support for a site that is simply Sprint propaganda. A site that provides great information and allows open and honest communication is a different matter.

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