PCMag Tests Sprint's LTE Network

[S4GRU]

Will LTE penetrate building coverage better than wimax?

 

Sprint's LTE will penetrate about the same as their 3G does now. Much better than WiMax. Next year, Sprint will start deploying LTE on 800MHz. That will penetrate even better.

 

Robert

[DC_MTP]

Sweet! I am in the downtown DC area and wimax is horrible in my office with a window. Constantly switching from 3g /4g all day.

[themuffinman]

That will penetrate even better.

 

Robert

 

Yep, that's what she said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just couldn't help myself with that one.

[jefbal99]

Sweet! I am in the downtown DC area and wimax is horrible in my office with a window. Constantly switching from 3g /4g all day.

 

If you have an 800Mhz capable handset and Sprint puts 800Mhz at your location, it will be amazing, but that is 12-18 months out...

[Ascertion]

Upload speeds aren't that big of a problem to me. I get away with 1mbps all the time. It's all about DL speeds, and if Sprint's is really higher than Verizons, then I'll be excited.

[HawaiiD]

I've long believed that "any press is good press" but I don't like this article. Specifically, the last paragraph

 

But not knowing when LTE is coming is a big problem for Sprint customers. The carrier's 3G network is the slowest of the major wireless providers, and even high-end phones like the new EVO 4G LTE are stuck on 3G for now. Sprint has to provide more clarity quickly on where LTE is rolling out or risk losing high-end smartphone users to LTE networks that actually exist.

 

 

This attitude is resonating with multiple tech outlets. It clashes completely with the "under promise and over deliver" mindset they want to take with NV. This article should have ended with "sprint continues to upgrade backhaul and connectivity at 1000's of sites, coast to coast as well. Check network.sprint.com for expected improvements in your area"

 

 

This article will cause many pissy customers to conclude "The only thing that can help me is LTE and they're not going to do it here soon enough"

 

Jeff,

 

Glass half full buddy.

 

I'd rather have those pissy customer staying put on their networks with their capped data plans.

That way we Sprint customers can enjoy our unlimited data with LTE (unburdened).

And if current Sprint customers are going to leave?

I say... Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

Sometimes a negative can be a positive!

 

\ooo/

HD

[pyroscott]

Apparently the clowns at AT&T claim that the upload speeds for their network that PC Mag tested prior and used for comparisons in the article in the OP are not correct and caused by the incorrect version of Android being run on the test device. PC Mag ran an article on it here http://www.pcmag.com...,2405939,00.asp

[S4GRU]

Apparently the clowns at AT&T claim that the upload speeds for their network that PC Mag tested prior and used for comparisons in the article in the OP are not correct and caused by the incorrect version of Android being run on the test device. PC Mag ran an article on it here http://www.pcmag.com...,2405939,00.asp

 

AT&T

 

Robert

[twospirits]

^ I so agree.

 

Anyway, has anyone figured out if other media outlets have done of their own testing?

 

TS

[Deval]

At the end of the day, having a 3rd party use/test the network officially makes for some press, which Sprint needs. When looking at the speeds that posters on this board have gotten, I'm impressed.

 

The latest results of speed tests for all the carriers came out, and Sprint was painfully behind I'm really hoping this, along with NV, will improve that.

[twospirits]

But if i am not mistaken its not that bad, it is still better than wimax and if the unlimited stays around I feel that would be a win win.

 

TS

[HawaiiD]

Sprint's LTE will penetrate about the same as their 3G does now. Much better than WiMax. Next year, Sprint will start deploying LTE on 800MHz. That will penetrate even better.

 

Robert

 

Robert do you dare to speculate what locations or markets will get 800MHZ LTE?

[S4GRU]

Robert do you dare to speculate what locations or markets will get 800MHZ LTE?

 

I can tell you which markets. Virtually all of them. What is in question is only markets near the Mexico and Canadian borders, but it sounds like Sprint and the FCC are working that out.

 

I can also tell you that Sprint is aiming for approximately 80% of all NV sites to get LTE 800 in its initial deployment. The last 20% is mostly in areas with redundant coverage, so there will be not much detectable to the customer with that last 20%. LTE 800 will only be added on those 20% when additional capacity is needed.

 

Robert

[HawaiiD]

 

 

I can tell you which markets. Virtually all of them. What is in question is only markets near the Mexico and Canadian borders, but it sounds like Sprint and the FCC are working that out.

 

I can also tell you that Sprint is aiming for approximately 80% of all NV sites to get LTE 800 in its initial deployment. The last 20% is mostly in areas with redundant coverage, so there will be not much detectable to the customer with that last 20%. LTE 800 will only be added on those 20% when additional capacity is needed.

 

Robert

 

Thanks again Robert

[Steven800]

Talking about 800mhz spectrum when I get an upgrade to a new phone next year in September or something will I be able to take advantage of LTE on it say the phone has that ability when sprint launches the Little Rock market or will be have to wait again for another year that way they can finish upgrades? Does that sound right? Oh and watch a lot of people complain in the fall when iOS 6 is released when facetime over 3g is allowed!!! I get like 1.2mbs down inside but my upload speeds inside are like 200kbps-300kbps and thats super slow and would give the person your talking to horrible video while yet i well see them clearly as long as they have good upload!

[supert0nes]

The tower should have the ability once it gets Network Vision, however they will wait to turn on LTE on 800 until after all the Nextel Towers are removed. Sprint has put the official EOL for the Nextel Network at June 30 of next year. I'm sure it wont take them long to flip the switch after that.

 

CDMA 1X on 800 will be rolling out starting this fall, because they already have enough free spectrum on 800 to do that. So voice coverage should start improving on every tower with Network Vision upgrades then and after.

[supert0nes]

Some towers in urban areas wont get an 800 radio, but this is by design as Sprint towers are densely packed and Sprint doesn't want to overlap signals too much in those areas.

[Josh]

Some towers in urban areas wont get an 800 radio, but this is by design as Sprint towers are densely packed and Sprint doesn't want to overlap signals too much in those areas.

 

Maybe not in some areas, but here in pittsburgh in building coverage is still lacking, and though NV should help some (when it finally comes) it would be nice to have the 800Mhz propagation here. The only thing that I will say is that once Clearwire unleashes their new TDD-LTE, everyone in the dense urban areas will not have need for the other spectrum assets except to fill in some dead spots in their coverage and poor indoor coverage areas.

I want PC MAG to do a test next year and compare to this year, because over half of all sprint towers should be completed and clearwire should be launching their LTE in cities they already service and where sprint askes them to add LTE. The comment they said about sprint only having a 5X5Mhz LTE channel will completely disappear, because they will have 40Mhz on clearwire (or so other reports have said), 10Mhz on PCS and 10Mhz on SMR 800Mhz spectrum... The short version is that the future is not one where Sprint barely keeps up with their larger competition, but gives them a run for their money! In addition to brand new equipment and backhaul, any 3G bottleneck should be alleviated due to heavy users being offloaded to 4G LTE, all giving better 3G results too!

I do feel bad for people that have been promised things with WiMax, but even that was not all sprints fault, as they deployed through clearwire and not by themselves. The spectrum was not the right choice for wide coverage, and clearwire did not really care about sprint's coverage compared to vzw, they just wanted to cover cities for their own mobile broadband plans (which have mainly failed) Now the future is much brighter, and sprint knows what must be done to repair their image and return to the days where they were competitive...

if anyone was going to jump ship, it should have been last year, because then your contract with AT&VZW would be ending right when Sprints coverage really improves!

[S4GRU]

You can have complete 800 service without being on every site. Just like Verizon has complete LTE 700 coverage on being on 50% of their sites.

 

Robert via Galaxy Nexus using Forum Runner