4G Cores (Switch centers)

[4ginnc]

It's been mentioned many times in various forums that the 4G cores (switching centers) need to be online before 4G goes live in a market (obviously). Has anyone seen information about where all the cores are and any schedule information for them?

 

Is it typically one core per market, one core supporting mutliple markets or multiple cores per market? Probably a mixed bag, as with everything else, depending on the size of the market, etc.

 

Just curious since I haven't seen as much detail or info floating around about the cores as the sites themselves.

[pii100]

The sponsor maps shows what switch each site is connected to. I have not seen any location information on these switches but they are likely in a hardened facility/Central Ofice just like normal phone switches.

[pii100]

You know, I think I'm going to finish the AlcaLu videos. Maybe they mentioned something about the cores in there.

[iansltx]

You know, I think I'm going to finish the AlcaLu videos. Maybe they mentioned something about the cores in there.

 

They did. I think it was video 2. They only mention the cores in AlcaLu's service area though.

[pii100]

Yep only watched video 1 so far. Time to bake a pizza and pop some popcorn!

[pyroscott]

If I remember correctly, that story that technobuffalo ran about "4g active in certain cities" was actually just the 4g cores being finished.

 

Sent from my Jelly Bean Toro using Forum Runner

[S4GRU]

The 4G Cores (DDC's) are scattered all around the country. 30 to serve 97 markets. Each site will have a preferred core, but the system is designed for redundancy and each site will be capable of running through backhaul to other cores, depending on dynamic loads of the network. The only exceptions being Puerto Rico and the Hawaiian Islands. They would only go to a stateside core if their local cores were to be down.

Sprint 4G Core Locations:

Alcatel/Lucent:

• Phoenix, Arizona
• Pearl City, Hawaii
• Burbank, California
• Anaheim, California
• Rialto, California
• Washington, D.C.
• Elkridge, Maryland (2)
• New York, New York
• Harrison, New Jersey
• Springfield, Massachusetts
• Fairfax, South Carolina

Ericsson:

• Miami, Florida
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Ft. Worth, Texas
• Nashville, Tennessee
• Kansas City, Kansas
• Houston, Texas
• Orlando, Florida

Samsung:

• Chicago, Illinois
• Buffalo, New York
• Akron, Ohio
• Bayamon, Puerto Rico
• Cheyenne, Wyoming
• Omaha, Nebraska
• Stockton, California
• St. Paul, Minnesota
• Tacoma, Washington
• Seattle, Washington
• Englewood, Colorado
• San Jose, California

[Kevster1321]

Robert have you heard anything on the 4g core for Boston market.

[S4GRU]

Robert have you heard anything on the 4g core for Boston market.

 

Not beyond there was a date it was supposed to be live in May. I'm guessing it is live now that LTE sites are coming online in the market.

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

[irev210]

I love how Cheyenne, Wyoming has a 4G Core...

 

Makes you wonder why. FIT in Montana, 4G Core in Wyoming... seems odd.

[S4GRU]

I love how Cheyenne' date=' Wyoming has a 4G Core...

 

Makes you wonder why. FIT in Montana, 4G Core in Wyoming... seems odd.[/quote']

 

It is odd. Especially since there are locations in the Denver area and Omaha area. But, like mentioned above, the LTE network and cores are designed for redundancy. Even though each site has a primary core, traffic (all or a portion) can be directed to many different cores. This will provide a more consistent experience and also probably help prevent the problems of the core crashes that Verizon has had.

 

With dynamic core loading, Sprint can start to shuttle off part of a cores traffic to other cores, seamlessly on the fly. And if they have a catastrophic failure that shuts down a core, they can change all that traffic somewhere else. Almost instantly. And they can spread that traffic across several cores, not just one.

 

It's pretty awesome. They wish they had that kind of flexibility with their 1x and EVDO network at MSC Switch facilities.

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

[Kevster1321]

Robert the site completion map had a live LTE site in springfield mass i went to it (the ghetto) and had really bad 3g like 2g speeds i went to settings- about phone - network and it said 1xrtt

[S4GRU]

Robert the site completion map had a live LTE site in springfield mass i went to it (the ghetto) and had really bad 3g like 2g speeds i went to settings- about phone - network and it said 1xrtt

 

Did you confirm you were actually connected to that site? If you weren't even getting EVDO, it makes me wonder if the site was down. Were there any trucks?

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

[4ginnc]

 

It's pretty awesome. They wish they had that kind of flexibility with their 1x and EVDO network at MSC Switch facilities.

 

 

So, in the market maps, if I see this on a site for the RF switch "

RAL-MORRISVILLE-MSC_1"

that doesn't tell me which 4G core, just the legacy switch. It's not saying there is a 4g core switching center in Morrisville. Right?

[S4GRU]

So, in the market maps, if I see this on a site for the RF switch "

RAL-MORRISVILLE-MSC_1"

that doesn't tell me which 4G core, just the legacy switch. It's not saying there is a 4g core switching center in Morrisville. Right?

 

That's correct. That's the MSC, which handles voice and 1x/EVDO data. Because of dynamic loading, there is really no specific 4G core for a site, only a preferred list. There is, of course, a Number 1 on the list. I guess you could refer to that one being the primary 4G core for the site. But I do not have info on the cores that specific sites would connect to. Theoretically, it could be any 4G core.

 

What I don't know is if they can cross OEM lines. Can an Ericsson site get routed through a Samsung 4G core? I don't know the answer to that question.

 

Robert

[4ginnc]

That clears things up better now. Thanks Robert.

 

Do we know if the cores are on schedule or not? The 14 or so listed in the technobuffalo article should be online by now if everything is going as planned. I was just wondering if there were any issues or delays getting this new infrastructure in place.

[S4GRU]

That clears things up better now. Thanks Robert.

 

Do we know if the cores are on schedule or not? The 14 or so listed in the technobuffalo article should be online by now if everything is going as planned. I was just wondering if there were any issues or delays getting this new infrastructure in place.

 

I have only seen one update on the docs that were shown in the TechnoBuffalo article. It looks like there was some slippage in the last update. But that update was in Mid May.

 

Robert

[Kevster1321]

Did you confirm you were actually connected to that site? If you weren't even getting EVDO, it makes me wonder if the site was down. Were there any trucks?

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

i had full signal didn't see any trucks only stayed there about a minute didn't want to get shot or robbed lol.

[iansltx]

One note on Cheyenne: Sprint's backbone has a PoP there. So it's pretty easy for them to put a 4g core there with plenty of Internet bandwidth. I wouldn't expect any more Sprint service to come to WY, but the core is.nicely redundant, since it's only a few milliseconds away from Denver.

[S4GRU]

One note on Cheyenne: Sprint's backbone has a PoP there. So it's pretty easy for them to put a 4g core there with plenty of Internet bandwidth. I wouldn't expect any more Sprint service to come to WY, but the core is.nicely redundant, since it's only a few milliseconds away from Denver.

 

That explains why some of the cores have PoP written next to them.

 

Robert

[irev210]

That explains why some of the cores have PoP written next to them.

 

Robert

 

Makes a lot more sense:

 

 

https://www.sprint.n...merica-MPLS.png

[S4GRU]

Makes a lot more sense:

 

 

https://www.sprint.n...merica-MPLS.png

 

I had never seen that map before. How cool is that? :jester:

 

Robert

[pii100]

one more for the road

 

[pii100]

Long time lover of their looking glass service.

[irev210]

Long time lover of their looking glass service.

 

I love their looking glass.

 

It's really amazing to think what a huge part of the internet Sprint used to be. Sort of sad that's changed so much over the past five years.

 

I love the annual Baker's Dozen

 

http://www.renesys.com/blog/2012/02/a-bakers-dozen-2011-edition.shtml