Network Vision/LTE - Chicago Market

[Vince]

I understand some newer CA androids may need an update, but I have a feeling that CA hotspot would already be active. I wish I had one to test; I drive through Elmhurst every day, and it's only 20 minutes from my house.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6

[milan03]

CA can typically be enabled on Samsung Galaxy devices by navigating the ServiceMode.

[lilotimz]

CA can typically be enabled on Samsung Galaxy devices by navigating the ServiceMode.

hardware level disable. They will have to push an update out. People cannot manually enable it.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

[milan03]

hardware level disable. They will have to push an update out. People cannot manually enable it.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

You mean firmware. Has anyone even given ServiceMode a serious shot here?

[lilotimz]

You mean firmware. Has anyone even given ServiceMode a serious shot here?

*firmware

 

Straight from engineering documents here. That's what they say. No devices will have CA enabled until they push it out to all devices when ready.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

[milan03]

*firmware

 

Straight from engineering documents here. That's what they say. No devices will have CA enabled until they push it out to all devices when ready.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

All operators will always say the same thing, it's their corporate spiel. They simply don't expect average user to know how to dial into the Engineering Mode, and then navigate and enable CA.

 

But we've been able to do just that many times before on Samsung devices from multiple operators, don't see why it wouldn't work on Sprint's devices. Of course, unless someone actually tried the method and failed.

 

Let me know if I should just stop talking 

[Vince]

What is the cheapest CA Sprint android? Would it be a used S5?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6

[WiWavelength]

What is the cheapest CA Sprint android? Would it be a used S5?

 

Nope.  Band 41 2x CA at 20 MHz TDD per carrier did not become a possibility until the Qualcomm MDM9635 baseband -- or IP on die with the Snapdragon processor.  The first known handset was the Samsung Galaxy Edge.

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-380-cellular-cornucopia-a-sort-of-sprint-holiday-shopping-guide/

 

AJ

[EvanA]

All operators will always say the same thing, it's their corporate spiel. They simply don't expect average user to know how to dial into the Engineering Mode, and then navigate and enable CA.

 

But we've been able to do just that many times before on Samsung devices from multiple operators, don't see why it wouldn't work on Sprint's devices. Of course, unless someone actually tried the method and failed.

 

Let me know if I should just stop talking

It's likely a modem level disable. Back before the Nexus 5 received its Spark update it was possible to get into the engineering menu and "enable" band 41/26, but it didn't do anything. Band 41/26 remained disabled until the modem firmware was updated.

[milan03]

It's likely a modem level disable. Back before the Nexus 5 received its Spark update it was possible to get into the engineering menu and "enable" band 41/26, but it didn't do anything. Band 41/26 remained disabled until the modem firmware was updated.

Samsung Galaxy UEs with TouchWiz framework have very little to do with AOSP, but I guess we can go on about why it's just not gonna work without even trying.

 

If someone with Note Edge or GS6/Edge actually wants to give this a shot, feel free to PM me.

[EvanA]

Samsung Galaxy UEs with TouchWiz framework have very little to do with AOSP, but I guess we can go on about why it's just not gonna work without even trying.

 

If someone with Note Edge or GS6/Edge actually wants to give this a shot, feel free to PM me.

More power to anyone willing to give it a shot, but given Sprint's track record it's likely gonna be a modem level disable.

 

I'm very familiar with Android's system structure, and all of the engineering screen settings interact with the modem almost directly. From what I've heard, Sprint is really wanting to keep CA disabled until every party involved is ready. This is what makes it most likely that CA is hard disabled.

[Vince]

Our market has low participation. There's only a few of us that are active, and of those, half have iPhones.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6

[Arysyn]

How is the engineering screen accessed in order to make carrier aggregation work?

[milan03]

This is what makes it most likely that CA is hard disabled.

Cool story.

 

I literally just walked into Sprint corp store, quickly navigated through ServiceMode on one of the floor S6 units, and went from CA-Disabled to CA-Not Configured (at the site). Took me less than 30 seconds.

 

 

 

So much for that hardware disabled spiel.

[EvanA]

Cool story.

 

I literally just walked into Sprint corp store, quickly navigated through ServiceMode on one of the floor S6 units, and went from CA-Disabled to CA-Not Configured (at the site). Took me less than 30 seconds.

 

Alright cool.

 

The question is even with CA enabled will the network allow the phone to aggregate 2 B41 carriers or do they have it blocked network side for engineers only?

[milan03]

That's up to you to figure out.

 

As I said earlier, if you believe that it's just not going to work without actually trying it, you'll never know.

[EvanA]

That's up to you to figure out.

 

As I said earlier, if you believe that it's just not going to work without actually trying it, you'll never know.

I would, if I had a CA device and was in the Chicago market.

[Vince]

Milan, could you please tell me how to enter the service mode on a Samsung? I may get bored this weekend, and find a sprint store in/near our second band 41 carrier cluster and see what happens.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6

[nexgencpu]

Guys, you are very lucky to be Sprint's testbed for awesomeness...

 

Here are some of those CA results!!

 

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/6319-marcelo-claure-town-hall-meetings-new-family-share-pack-plan-unlimited-individual-plan-discussion-thread/?p=421755

[NYC126]

http://www.rootmetrics.com/us/rsr/chicago-il/2015-1H

 

Sprint dropped to 3rd,but overall all carriers are even.

[kyle_4thousand]

What knocked Sprint down this time is whatever extra spectrum AT&T deployed to increase their data speeds.

 

Everyone else seems consistent with the results from last time. Sprint did increase their DL by about 3mbps.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Vince]

What knocked Sprint down this time is whatever extra spectrum AT&T deployed to increase their data speeds.

 

Everyone else seems consistent with the results from last time. Sprint did increase their DL by about 3mbps.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That doesn't make sense. They tested last in September. Since then, sprint has gone ape sh*t with band 41. So AT&T notched up because they widened B4 to 10x10?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6

[saywhatman]

That doesn't make sense. They tested last in September. Since then, sprint has gone ape sh*t with band 41. So AT&T notched up because they widened B4 to 10x10?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6

 

There are still plenty of areas of Chicago that have horrendously configured downtilt and site spacing (*cough* chinatown, hyde park, near south side *cough*) where it's very easy to lose LTE or simply be on unusable B26 or B25 with not a hint of B41 in sight, especially inside. I can totally understand these results based on my own personal experience.  

[EvanA]

That doesn't make sense. They tested last in September. Since then, sprint has gone ape sh*t with band 41. So AT&T notched up because they widened B4 to 10x10?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6

AT&T has carrier aggregation in Chicago too, but I'm not sure if the S5 is capable of CA on AT&T.

[lilotimz]

AT&T has carrier aggregation in Chicago too, but I'm not sure if the S5 is capable of CA on AT&T.

 

GS5 can for ATT. 

 

Cat 4 UE so 20 mhz total aggregated spectrum maximum.