article claims that Sprint LTE launches with "3G speeds"

[P_M_G]

kudos to all here for an intelligent discourse and discussion. I'm so tired of all the trolling that is on other sites where something like this would immediately denigrate into name-calling and the typical "No YOU suck" rants.

 

As much as they would like to, no carrier is the be all end all for everyone. I'm living with less than stellar Sprint network (for now fingers crossed) issues because I don't want to pay the exorbitant amounts (literally 50% more) VZ wants for my same plan with a data cap that my daughter and I would blow through in less than 2 weeks, Because I don't want to have the spottier coverage and outdated network of TMO and because after my years with Cingular/ATT and their own lousy coverage issues and abyssmal customer service I'll never go back to them.

 

I read all over the forums where users say "I've been with Sprint for 10 years and now I'm leaving"...likely in part due to articles akin to this one...and I say "why now?" The opportunities were there to leave when VZ still had unlimited data plans but you didn't? You're waiting until Sprint's finally starting to roll out a massive upgrade, really making it the NOW Network, to jump ship?

 

Great - good riddance - enjoy your data caps, throttling and massive bills!

[Deval]

kudos to all here for an intelligent discourse and discussion. I'm so tired of all the trolling that is on other sites where something like this would immediately denigrate into name-calling and the typical "No YOU suck" rants.

 

As much as they would like to, no carrier is the be all end all for everyone. I'm living with less than stellar Sprint network (for now fingers crossed) issues because I don't want to pay the exorbitant amounts (literally 50% more) VZ wants for my same plan with a data cap that my daughter and I would blow through in less than 2 weeks, Because I don't want to have the spottier coverage and outdated network of TMO and because after my years with Cingular/ATT and their own lousy coverage issues and abyssmal customer service I'll never go back to them.

 

I read all over the forums where users say "I've been with Sprint for 10 years and now I'm leaving"...likely in part due to articles akin to this one...and I say "why now?" The opportunities were there to leave when VZ still had unlimited data plans but you didn't? You're waiting until Sprint's finally starting to roll out a massive upgrade, really making it the NOW Network, to jump ship?

 

Great - good riddance - enjoy your data caps, throttling and massive bills!

 

Thank you *slow clap*

 

People are looking to leave after 10 years because they can't get the same perks they used to for free.

[kg4icg]

 

Thank you *slow clap*

 

People are looking to leave after 10 years because they can't get the same perks they used to for free.

 

Believe it or not, I have been with Sprint since December of 96 when it was Sprint Spectrum, and I plan on not going anywhere.

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

[pii100]

The article should have included the speeds guaranteed by the other carries for comparison instead of vaguely referencing HSPA maximum speeds from years past. This would have given some semblance of balance to it.

[Deval]

Believe it or not, I have been with Sprint since December of 96 when it was Sprint Spectrum, and I plan on not going anywhere.

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

Glad to hear that.

[darthbiscutt]

All I know is if this is consistant with the build out in total then that would mean there network would be more consistant thru out the build than those other guys.

[nmbr1scoobs]

http://www.wired.com...s-in-5-markets/ This article claims that Sprint rolled out HSPA+. *facepalm* This author doesn't know what he's thinking.

[holmern]

That was awesome. Enjoyed the replies way more than the article itself!

[WiWavelength]

All I know is if this is consistant with the build out in total then that would mean there network would be more consistant thru out the build than those other guys.

 

Yes, one likely possibility that tends to go overlooked in this debate is that Sprint's average LTE data speeds may actually trend FASTER over the next few months. To explain, Sprint has launched current LTE markets with typically less than 50 percent of all sites live. So, as time goes on, the number of live LTE sites in those markets will double or even triple until completion. And that will not just double or triple capacity, it will increase it geometrically because 1) users overall will be spread across a greater number of LTE sites (i.e. fewer users per site) and 2) users overall will be more likely to be closer to LTE sites (i.e. stronger signal, higher data rates).

 

AJ

[Ascertion]

I didn't mind when people made fun of Sprint when they had the worst network and continued to let it be. But now that they have very competitive lte markets and are aggressively rolling out network vision at an expensive cost, my respect for then has jumped tremendously. It touches me the wrong way when people belittle sprints efforts when they're doing things right now.

[pyroscott]

Felt like you guys were ganging up on me earlier...

[djmiro83]

Thank you *slow clap*

 

People are looking to leave after 10 years because they can't get the same perks they used to for free.

 

This is soooo true. Granted, I've been guilty to squeeze a couple dollars out of Sprint here and there... I still stick with them knowing what the future holds with their network. I just wish more folks will be patient with the deployment.

[Deval]

What irritates me is that people jump on the Sprint haters bandwagon. Case in point, this article on Engadget.com: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/17/sprint-online-buyback/

 

A quick read of the comments raised my blood pressure and I closed the window.

[bkrodgers]

I think you have to give some of the Sprint haters some slack. The fact is that many complaints against the state of Sprint's network today and for the last year are extremely legitimate. People have a right to be angry. They're not getting what they're paying for. Some might say, well, just leave. But many users are in a situation where they're under contract and would have to pay Sprint for the privilage of leaving for a functional network. Others might say you should have tried the network out first and cancelled during the return policy. But for many users, the network was very good when they signed their contract, and it's collapsed since then.

 

On top of that, most users have no idea about Network Vision or where to get information about it (i.e., here). The GOOD reps in the store and on the phone tell people they don't know when the network will be fixed. Others simply make up information that the upgrade is coming sooner than all indications here would indicate in the hopes it will calm someone down or even worse, close a sale and get them to sign a new agreement. I have the knowledge and resourcefulness to find more information out about what's really going on, which helps me stay more level headed. Many people don't.

 

I'm not saying that the wild ranting is justified or helpful. And I'm not defending people complaining about having perks taken away or prices rising over time in the form of the Premium data fee or similar. But there are a LOT of Sprint customers who have every right to be upset. Sprint's taking their money without delivering the service, the official line is that it may be as much as 18 more months before it's fixed, and no recourse is being given since usable data service speeds are "not guaranteed." Why shouldn't there be a lot of Sprint haters out there?

Edited July 17, 2012 by bkrodgers

[pyroscott]

I think you have to give some of the Sprint haters some slack. The fact is that many complaints against the state of Sprint's network today and for the last year are extremely legitimate. People have a right to be angry. They're not getting what they're paying for. Some might say, well, just leave. But many users are in a situation where they're under contract and would have to pay Sprint for the privilage of leaving for a functional network. Others might say you should have tried the network out first and cancelled during the return policy. But for many users, the network was very good when they signed their contract, and it's collapsed since then. On top of that, most users have no idea about Network Vision or where to get information about it (i.e., here). The GOOD reps in the store and on the phone tell people they don't know when the network will be fixed. Others simply make up information that the upgrade is coming sooner than all indications here would indicate in the hopes it will calm someone down or even worse, close a sale and get them to sign a new agreement. I have the knowledge and resourcefulness to find more information out about what's really going on, which helps me stay more level headed. Many people don't. I'm not saying that the wild ranting is justified or helpful. And I'm not defending people complaining about having perks taken away or prices rising over time in the form of the Premium data fee or similar. But there are a LOT of Sprint customers who have every right to be upset. Sprint's taking their money without delivering the service, the official line is that it may be as much as 18 more months before it's fixed, and no recourse is being given since usable data service speeds are "not guaranteed." Why shouldn't there be a lot of Sprint haters out there?

 

Sprint is dumping millions into the "band-aid" fixes that are bringing data speeds back into the usable realm. It takes time for backhaul to be installed, yes they let it get out of hand, but they are working to fix it. This is effectively throwing money down the drain, because none of these improvements will be carried over to the Network Vision upgraded towers. All this to satisfy their customers.

 

Maybe Sprint could have diagnosed network problems better if carrier IQ was still on devices. No, everyone wants their complete "privacy" but many install apps blindly without studying the permissions they grant it. Yeah, privacy...

[S4GRU]

I give pessimistic customers slack all the time. But if they will not allow me to explain to them what is going on and listen to any point, then they should go. Really. You can't work with someone like that. People really do have a choice. And no one forces them to stay with Sprint. My tolerance level for these people has been severely reduced the past few days, and I'm not going to take it anymore.

 

Maybe I just need a vacation?

 

Robert

[pii100]

Vacation or a stiff drink! I prefer both myself.

[Deval]

This was my vacation view last month: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ycuqkw6u737hve/2012-06-02%2013.06.52.jpg

[pyroscott]

Lately, everything I read makes me think of a song...

 

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forum Runner

[pii100]

This was my vacation view last month: https://www.dropbox....%2013.06.52.jpg

I was not expecting their pool to be that nice!

[MacinJosh]

This was my vacation view last month: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ycuqkw6u737hve/2012-06-02%2013.06.52.jpg

 

Awesome vacation.

 

Sent from my LG Viper 4G LTE using Forum Runner

[bkrodgers]

Sprint is dumping millions into the "band-aid" fixes that are bringing data speeds back into the usable realm. It takes time for backhaul to be installed, yes they let it get out of hand, but they are working to fix it. This is effectively throwing money down the drain, because none of these improvements will be carried over to the Network Vision upgraded towers. All this to satisfy their customers.

 

Maybe Sprint could have diagnosed network problems better if carrier IQ was still on devices. No, everyone wants their complete "privacy" but many install apps blindly without studying the permissions they grant it. Yeah, privacy...

 

I don't see those band-aids as throwing money down the drain at all, nor are they something Sprint should get any particular kudos for. They should have been done a year or more ago on many towers. And in markets where NV is still up to 18 months away, they MUST be done if Sprint has any interest in retaining any customers for that time. They simply don't have a product to sell in many areas of their markets right now. Any extent to which the benefits of the expense aren't spread over a longer period of time is Sprint and Ericsson's own fault. They could have gotten 2-3 years out of those expenses if they'd been on top of things.

 

I don't think Carrier IQ has anything to do with it. For one thing, it *was* on most people's phones during the time of neglect we're talking about. The issue is the lack of proactive monitoring on the part of Ericsson. Heck, they don't even reactively monitor it in some cases. I've had network tickets closed not because they disputed what I was reporting, but simply because they said they weren't going to do anything about it until NV. This was 3-4 months ago in a market (St. Louis) that still has no official date for NV and unofficially here might roll out early next year if they're agressive.

 

I also just have to respond to the "All this to satisfy their customers" comment. That's what we're paying them to do. How else do they expect to survive if they don't satisfy their customers?

 

I give pessimistic customers slack all the time. But if they will not allow me to explain to them what is going on and listen to any point, then they should go. Really. You can't work with someone like that. People really do have a choice. And no one forces them to stay with Sprint. My tolerance level for these people has been severely reduced the past few days, and I'm not going to take it anymore.

 

Maybe I just need a vacation?

 

Robert

 

Well, you may well need a vacation...I'm impressed by how much effort you put into this site. I agree fully with you that people need to be reasonable, learn about the plans for improvement, and decide how patient they can be. I'm not excusing people who won't listen. But at the same time, no amount of hope for the future changes the situation now or, for many people, for the next 12-18 months. You're right to a point that nobody is forced to stay, but the ETF is an impediment to many -- even if it's just on principle. Yes, the ETF is related to the subsidy for the cost of the handset, but the handset is sold with the service and the contract is on the service. If the service no longer performs remotely close to the level that it did on the day the contract was signed, the customer should not have to pay an ETF to leave. I know the contract says data service is not guaranteed, but if areas that were fine when the contract was signed now can't support more than 20-100K, I think that's a far more material adverse change on the customer than some 2 cent increase in a regulatory recovery fee, for which they let people out of contracts with no questions asked.

 

My only point here is that while I strongly do feel there's a lot of hope for what Sprint will be in 18 months, Sprint and those who advocate for Sprint need to accept that a lot of people have every right to be unhappy with the way things still are today and still will be for that time. People do still have a responsibility to be civil, and many aren't. I've seen some of the posts you're referring to and I fully agree that it isn't useful or helpful. I have no problem with you clamping down on that. There's a good chunk of people on here, SU.com, community.sprint.com, and the comment sections of blogs that let their emotions about Sprint get out of hand in their posts. But for many Sprint haters, there's a very rational, legitimate basis in fact underneath that.

[S4GRU]

I don't see those band-aids as throwing money down the drain at all, nor are they something Sprint should get any particular kudos for. They should have been done a year or more ago on many towers. And in markets where NV is still up to 18 months away, they MUST be done if Sprint has any interest in retaining any customers for that time. They simply don't have a product to sell in many areas of their markets right now. Any extent to which the benefits of the expense aren't spread over a longer period of time is Sprint and Ericsson's own fault. They could have gotten 2-3 years out of those expenses if they'd been on top of things.

 

I don't think Carrier IQ has anything to do with it. For one thing, it *was* on most people's phones during the time of neglect we're talking about. The issue is the lack of proactive monitoring on the part of Ericsson. Heck, they don't even reactively monitor it in some cases. I've had network tickets closed not because they disputed what I was reporting, but simply because they said they weren't going to do anything about it until NV. This was 3-4 months ago in a market (St. Louis) that still has no official date for NV and unofficially here might roll out early next year if they're agressive.

 

I also just have to respond to the "All this to satisfy their customers" comment. That's what we're paying them to do. How else do they expect to survive if they don't satisfy their customers?

 

 

 

Well, you may well need a vacation...I'm impressed by how much effort you put into this site. I agree fully with you that people need to be reasonable, learn about the plans for improvement, and decide how patient they can be. I'm not excusing people who won't listen. But at the same time, no amount of hope for the future changes the situation now or, for many people, for the next 12-18 months. You're right to a point that nobody is forced to stay, but the ETF is an impediment to many -- even if it's just on principle. Yes, the ETF is related to the subsidy for the cost of the handset, but the handset is sold with the service and the contract is on the service. If the service no longer performs remotely close to the level that it did on the day the contract was signed, the customer should not have to pay an ETF to leave. I know the contract says data service is not guaranteed, but if areas that were fine when the contract was signed now can't support more than 20-100K, I think that's a far more material adverse change on the customer than some 2 cent increase in a regulatory recovery fee, for which they let people out of contracts with no questions asked.

 

My only point here is that while I strongly do feel there's a lot of hope for what Sprint will be in 18 months, Sprint and those who advocate for Sprint need to accept that a lot of people have every right to be unhappy with the way things still are today and still will be for that time. People do still have a responsibility to be civil, and many aren't. I've seen some of the posts you're referring to and I fully agree that it isn't useful or helpful. I have no problem with you clamping down on that. There's a good chunk of people on here, SU.com, community.sprint.com, and the comment sections of blogs that let their emotions about Sprint get out of hand in their posts. But for many Sprint haters, there's a very rational, legitimate basis in fact underneath that.

 

This is a well written post. It's OK to write a detracting post. It just needs to be rational, well thought out and explained. Good job.

 

Robert

[pyroscott]

There are some who have poor service, but most of the time, when the network is good, nobody says anything. When the network is bad, people take to the internet to tell everyone how they are overpaying and sprint is underdelivering.

 

You have a point that the network issue responses were not proactive but reactive. I am rather surprised that Sprint has kept their numbers fairly steady, even with all their problems. I figured more people would leave. I guess the numbers will speak for themselves next week when they announce financials for the second quarter.

 

I would speculate that Sprint planned for WiMax to help them avoid the 3G grinding down to a near halt in places. Add the iPhone onto that, and the network was toast in many places. They have done a lot to try to make it right in the near term and Network Vision should get them out of the hole in the long term.

 

I don't understand why the ETF is such a good deterrent for people wanting to leave the carriers. It sure works though.

[ryry4ya]

I don't know if I'm that Geek ish ,but I don't know what happened last 6 of 7minutes ? Ok. RH

 

 

 

Mobile with 24oz. EVO