Network Vision/LTE - Chicago Market

[pyroscott]

Thread closed.

 

Edit: thread reopened

[Luke0536]

 

 

 

Most of Crown Point is not covered. From Merrilville into Crown Point, it works until you hit the Lake County Government building. From there until the hospital, you only get 3G. I haven't been able to make it past the hospital but I heard it works south of there and into Lowell. As far as the Gary signal, it startd about a half mile east of I-65 and US 12/20. So basically the answer to the miller question is no. I found it funny they didn't light miller up because one, ...it's a part of Gary, and two, it's the most populated (and largest income earning) area of Gary.

 

I was on 65 near Lowell and Hebron and picked up lte. once I was at the crown point exit I lost lte.I mapped it on sensorly.

[drock2750]

I've noticed that in the past few days in Uptown, my phone loses 4G even while standing still, but the strange thing is that it won't fall back to 3G...instead I'll have no data connection at all until 4G reappears. I assume that it's related to work going on in the area...has anybody else seen anything similar elsewhere? I can reproduce this on Broadway from Wilson down to Irving.

 

And no, I'm not in LTE only mode!

[mellimel2212]

 

It also seems to show the much more sensible (in my opinion) strategy of deploying from the loop outward. Covering the area with the densest subscriber base first means a maximum number of happy users. Those users also happen to be closest to any kind of backhaul infrastructure anybody could need. It is frustrating that LTE coverage improvements seem to have ground to a halt in the city as evidenced by sensorly and my own experience. Rather than racing to cover the maximum number of square miles, you'd think they'd want to cover the maximum number of paying subscribers...

 

I posted over a month ago that I noticed a slowdown in active LTE coming online, and weeks and weeks later, no noticeable progress has been made and the NV complete % is essentially frozen. Does anybody have any knowledge of why the pace of the buildout has changed so much? While the nerd in me likes to know which sites have been NVed, the distinction between sites with NV but no active LTE doesn't really matter in any kind of useful way. There is no way that their contractor doesn't have a project schedule...if it's gonna be done in, say, 6 months, just tell us! We'd be ok with it!

 

This is my lowest score outside out and about with sprint lte. How is this slow? Sure it isn't vzw speed but that's not what sprint was aiming at

 

Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus Rockin 4.2.1 using Tapatalk 2

 

[mellimel2212]

And if u don't base the success of of % complete WHAT DO U BASE IT OFF OFF??? Lol

 

Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus Rockin 4.2.1 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[drock2750]

And if u don't base the success of of % complete WHAT DO U BASE IT OFF OFF??? Lol

 

Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus Rockin 4.2.1 using Tapatalk 2

This is my lowest score outside out and about with sprint lte. How is this slow? Sure it isn't vzw speed but that's not what sprint was aiming at

 

Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus Rockin 4.2.1 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

 

 

I never said Sprint LTE was slow...it's screamin' fast in my experience. Are you sure you replied to the correct post?

[mellimel2212]

Idk I'm a lil above the influence right now lol but I thought u was hinting that sprints lte was inferior to att

 

Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus Rockin 4.2.1 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Dkoellerwx]

Idk I'm a lil above the influence right now lol but I thought u was hinting that sprints lte was inferior to att

 

Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus Rockin 4.2.1 using Tapatalk 2

 

It was about the rollout speed, not the network speed. Probably best to leave well alone.

[Jamal46409]

I was on 65 near Lowell and Hebron and picked up lte. once I was at the crown point exit I lost lte.I mapped it on sensorly.

 

I'm thinking that maybe Sprint hasn't gotten a zoning permit for Crown Point yet (or something of that nature).

[bmakattak]

Im curious if anyone in the Plano, Sandwich areas have experienced LTE? Looking at Sensorly, it seems as if the LTE signal just stops around Lakewood Springs subdivision.

 

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[drock2750]

Since Sprint is buying US Cellular's customers, and they've vowed to upgrade all towers, I wonder if that means LTE eventually in State and Dearborn St subways. Netmonitor used to report US Cellular as the operator when roaming down there, but now it reports SprintCom...obv the equipment is still the same, so it seems like software changes are already happening. I've connected to some 3G towers near my apartment lately that are totally unfamiliar also. I know the deal isn't completed, but maybe they're integrating networks already? I have no way to prove this, just my wild speculation!

 

The fact that US Cellular didn't deploy a lick of LTE in Chicago makes my cynical mind think that this sale was a long time in the making...maybe they didn't have a buyer, but they were probably evaluating options. Chicago is their home market after all...I doubt they'd neglect it without a reason like that. Too bad their LTE freq isn't useful to Sprint's current handsets!

[Joeynach]

Since Sprint is buying US Cellular's customers, and they've vowed to upgrade all towers, I wonder if that means LTE eventually in State and Dearborn St subways. Netmonitor used to report US Cellular as the operator when roaming down there, but now it reports SprintCom...obv the equipment is still the same, so it seems like software changes are already happening. I've connected to some 3G towers near my apartment lately that are totally unfamiliar also. I know the deal isn't completed, but maybe they're integrating networks already? I have no way to prove this, just my wild speculation!

 

The fact that US Cellular didn't deploy a lick of LTE in Chicago makes my cynical mind think that this sale was a long time in the making...maybe they didn't have a buyer, but they were probably evaluating options. Chicago is their home market after all...I doubt they'd neglect it without a reason like that. Too bad their LTE freq isn't useful to Sprint's current handsets!

 

I actually disagree that Sprints deal with US Cellular was a long time in the making. I think two more recent things happened that allowed this deal to make sense for both parties. First is the obvious $20B deal with Softbank gives Sprint some much needed cash to continue to invest in across the board infrastructure improvements and customer acquisition campaigns. I consider the acquisition of US Cellular to be a customer acquisition campaign. And to me the desire to exit the market by US Cellular is more of a recent phenomenon, I would say last 18 months or so. If im US Cellular, I have a small buy loyal subscriber base, my costs are less, I charge customers less, but I offer less. They are usually the last bring the newest or best phones to market, their technology is whole hardheartedly 3G based and very 2000s by technology standards. They saw the shift in the marketplace. Its a race on who can spend billions if not tens of billions to acquire spectrum, upgrade their networks to 4G, replace legacy infrastructure......all for the thirst of the vibrant smarthphone market. Those are all things US Cellular is not good at, they are not a top handset and smartphone provider, they are not heavy in infrastructure improvements, they don't have the cash for something like network vision, they don't have cash for an acquisition for the spectrum needed to compete with the big three. So they decided it was best to exit the market, a market that as it matures, like most markets, will become dominated by a few large players vs. many small players, ala the airline industry or other telecom. US Cellular is wise for selling and selling now before the value of their company and subscriber base deflates.

[bkrodgers]

First is the obvious $20B deal with Softbank gives Sprint some much needed cash to continue to invest in across the board infrastructure improvements and customer acquisition campaigns. I consider the acquisition of US Cellular to be a customer acquisition campaign.

 

I think the customers were secondary. The spectrum, especially in Chicago, was what Sprint was interested, from what I've seen posted here and elsewhere. Chicago was a market where Sprint was spectrum constrained. I don't think that is true in downstate IL and St. Louis, which they also bought, but USCC may have just wanted to offload those markets in one transaction. I'm sure they don't mind the customers coming along or a competitor leaving the 3rd largest market in the country, but the spectrum was probably what brought Sprint to the table.

[Joeynach]

I think the customers were secondary. The spectrum, especially in Chicago, was what Sprint was interested, from what I've seen posted here and elsewhere. Chicago was a market where Sprint was spectrum constrained. I don't think that is true in downstate IL and St. Louis, which they also bought, but USCC may have just wanted to offload those markets in one transaction. I'm sure they don't mind the customers coming along or a competitor leaving the 3rd largest market in the country, but the spectrum was probably what brought Sprint to the table.

 

Well yea for sure, the whole industry is marred in M&A's and consolidation for spectrum. There is a shortage we all get that. What Im saying is US Cellular realized with that being the case, they either have to be a buyer (of spectrum) or a seller, and exit the market. They made the correct assement that given their size and resources if they choose austerity they would go out business and they don't have the ability to Billions in capital improvement or acquisition, so they correctly decided the best course of action was to sell. My point is that this is probably a realization they came to in the last 18 months as they assessed their business and the markets trend.

[WiWavelength]

The fact that US Cellular didn't deploy a lick of LTE in Chicago makes my cynical mind think that this sale was a long time in the making...maybe they didn't have a buyer, but they were probably evaluating options. Chicago is their home market after all...I doubt they'd neglect it without a reason like that. Too bad their LTE freq isn't useful to Sprint's current handsets!

 

You are playing conspiracy theorist too much. USCC has churn issues in its weaker urban markets, namely Chicago and St. Louis. And USCC lacks additional spectrum to deploy LTE in Chicago. Those are the reasons why USCC divested several markets to Sprint.

 

See my article on The Wall:

 

http://s4gru.com/ind...road-shoulders/

 

AJ

[mellimel2212]

And plus we are sprints and uscc biggest market. Both are spectrum strained but uscc more than sprint which helped the deal

 

Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus Rockin 4.2.1 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[mhammett]

USCC's spectrum actually compliments Sprint's very well. From what I read, it is immediately adjacent. Having it all in Sprint's hands frees up the guard bands, so the sum of them is larger than the two separately.

[Jamal46409]

*crank yankers voice* Updated interactive maps !! yaaaayyyyyyy !!!

[nmbr1scoobs]

Chicago's in a better situation now.

[WiWavelength]

USCC's spectrum actually compliments Sprint's very well. From what I read, it is immediately adjacent. Having it all in Sprint's hands frees up the guard bands, so the sum of them is larger than the two separately.

 

Yes, that is a very good way of putting it. The sum is larger than its constituent parts.

 

AJ

[Joeynach]

Newest NV sites complete map, updated Dec 9th, still shows no significant changes to Chicago loop. This is still pretty disappointing, one 4G tower in River north, one in South Loop, one in West Loop, thats about it, same as before. I wonder if Sprint is treating the Loop like a whole beast in its own, working to get a big chunk complete, grouping Loop towers as one build out in itself relatively close proximity for backhaul. Like maybe they do em all at once, flip a switch and boom, 20 towers light up. By my count there about 20 additional Sprint Towers in the Loop area that haven't been marked on the sites complete map, so obviously plenty of room for improvement. I wonder if this something Sprint is working for with a completion data and press release, announcing serious LTE service in the Loop would be huge PR and a milestone in itself.

[aerxx]

Newest NV sites complete map, updated Dec 9th, still shows no significant changes to Chicago loop. This is still pretty disappointing, one 4G tower in River north, one in South Loop, one in West Loop, thats about it, same as before. I wonder if Sprint is treating the Loop like a whole beast in its own, working to get a big chunk complete, grouping Loop towers as one build out in itself relatively close proximity for backhaul. Like maybe they do em all at once, flip a switch and boom, 20 towers light up. By my count there about 20 additional Sprint Towers in the Loop area that haven't been marked on the sites complete map, so obviously plenty of room for improvement. I wonder if this something Sprint is working for with a completion data and press release, announcing serious LTE service in the Loop would be huge PR and a milestone in itself.

 

Historically, Sprint will light up a site that is completed when its completed and Accepted by Sprint. There's no, 20 sites being completed and then BAM, Sprint flips a switch.

[aerxx]

Chicago's in a better situation now.

 

And it's getting even better now that they're adjusting radio tilt!

[Bird_Chicago]

Ballgames at Wrigley probably add around 10,000 additional Sprint Customers about 81 times a year, I have never seen or heard of issues here.

I live in the Wrigley area and can tell you that we have issues there all the time. Even this weekend with the Tbox drunk-fest on Clark Street I had problems getting service at my place. Any time there is an event at the park or a very busy night on Clark Street, you will have problems with service. Sadly, if you don't switch to Airplane mode on your Android device it will burn through your entire battery in under 25 minutes while trying to connect to a signal.

[Joeynach]

I live in the Wrigley area and can tell you that we have issues there all the time. Even this weekend with the Tbox drunk-fest on Clark Street I had problems getting service at my place. Any time there is an event at the park or a very busy night on Clark Street, you will have problems with service. Sadly, if you don't switch to Airplane mode on your Android device it will burn through your entire battery in under 25 minutes while trying to connect to a signal.

 

Oh I get that problem all the time. Whenever my phone is struggling with service its obvious its cycling through connections and kills my battery. Thats what happened at Solider Field two weeks ago. Every open of the NFL app, Twitter update, email refresh, browser open that went timed out or cannot access network killed my battery in about 2 hours. When Sprint service is bad you are better off in Airplane mode or turning your phone off. But again, back to my original point, in places like Wrigley, Soldier Field, US Cellular Field, Im shocked there is no extra capacity built in and around these massive scheduled gatherings of people. The idea that the macro network and neighborhood towers are good enough is ancient. You would think by default all carriers would place extra cell sites around ballparks, the micro sites, extra panels on nearby rooftops or billboards, etc, to help ease the burden on the regular tower sites in place in these areas.