Network Vision/LTE - New York City Market

[T-MoblieUser207]

I have added T-Mobile eNB 879366, a Sprint convert site, to the list of gig+ sites, as I was able to break the 800 Mbps ceiling with it.

I'm still trying to understand the DAS mess at LGA and locate them, but the bad thing about it is inside the terminals I can occasionally pick up the macros inside. It anchors 5G, which is great for a speed boost, but occasionally data hangs because my device is having a handoff frenzy trying to pick the best macro and/or band for the 5G connection.

 

I have spotted 2 more Dish sites, one on the corner of Church Avenue and East 16th (photo below), and the other is an in progress site co-located with Verizon eNB 81069.

 

At Verizon eNB 81069, the ports on the Dish panel weren't connected yet, brand new racks were being used on the roof Verizon is on, and it looks like Sprint's equip is still up on the building next door.

[AirlineFlyer]

29 minutes ago, T-MoblieUser207 said:

I have spotted 2 more Dish sites, one on the corner of Church Avenue and East 16th (photo below), and the other is an in progress site co-located with Verizon eNB 81069.

 

At Verizon eNB 81069, the ports on the Dish panel weren't connected yet, brand new racks were being used on the roof Verizon is on, and it looks like Sprint's equip is still up on the building next door.

You also snagged a shot of the new oDAS in there, too. 
 

I also spotted one while on LIRR above Atlantic Ave. They’re starting to really get rolled out now.

[T-MoblieUser207]

1 hour ago, AirlineFlyer said:

You also snagged a shot of the new oDAS in there, too.

I did mention it before, but I don't remember if I did post a picture of it, so I did a 2-for-1 special the second time around.

2 hours ago, AirlineFlyer said:

I also spotted one while on LIRR above Atlantic Ave. They’re starting to really get rolled out now.

Ah, so that is what I saw. I walk by Boys and Girls field if the C train takes forever to show up in the late evening, but I cared more about getting home than investigating it lol

[T-MoblieUser207]

The DAS at Grand Central for the Lexington lines platform (4/5/6) has upgraded B2 for T-Mobile to 20 MHz. Also, 23rd, 28th, and 33rd Street stations on the 6 line have ULI (UpperLayer Indicator for anchoring a 5G band) turned on. 

[Paynefanbro]

Spotted a Link5G at Clinton and Grand.

[mirskyc]

On 8/13/2022 at 3:28 PM, T-MoblieUser207 said:

The DAS at Grand Central for the Lexington lines platform (4/5/6) has upgraded B2 for T-Mobile to 20 MHz. Also, 23rd, 28th, and 33rd Street stations on the 6 line have ULI (UpperLayer Indicator for anchoring a 5G band) turned on. 

My phone has been showing 5G at 33rd street for a long time. I think the DAS might be off or something since the the signal is never strong when I’m near the antenna. 

[AirlineFlyer]

Another Link 5G, on Vanderbilt Ave at Myrtle Ave Fort Greene/Clinton Hill. What bugs me the most about these things, aside from the hulking nature of them, is the placement. This particular area needs no help with cell coverage. In fact, it’s directly under a Verizon macro site with 2 Gbps mmWave. T-Mobile has 3 sites within just a few blocks. Even ATT is just three blocks away. Unless Dish intends to use these things for its rollout, most of the Links are likely going to be empty forever.

Edited August 15, 2022 by AirlineFlyer

[T-MoblieUser207]

Would this be a T-Mobile COW outside LGA Terminal A? eNB 49106 seems to line up to its position, plus the arm for the trailer to hook onto a truck says T-Mobile. Here is the NYC streetcar view the image was pulled from.

 

 

Quote

My phone has been showing 5G at 33rd street for a long time. I think the DAS might be off or something since the the signal is never strong when I’m near the antenna.

For all the years I have been monitoring the DAS, I have never gotten -55 or better, even after passing by every antenna in a station that is deep enough to have 0 outside macros reaching in. The SNR is still 20+, so its probably designed that way on purpose.

Edited August 16, 2022 by T-MoblieUser207

[Paynefanbro]

 

34 minutes ago, T-MoblieUser207 said:

Would this be a T-Mobile COW outside LGA Terminal A?

Cool find! Been there since 2018 according to Cellmapper. The only other time I've seen them leave up a temp site like this for a long period of time was when a nearby site is temporarily inoperable like the one in Red Hook Houses. That doesn't seem to be the case here and it's pretty much a GMO site at this point.

My best guess is that T-Mobile wanted to put a site there to fill in coverage but because it's on LGA's grounds getting the actual permission to do so is extremely complex so they worked out a deal with the Port Authority to put up a COW in the meantime.

 

[Paynefanbro]

Looks like T-Mobile added mmWave to Yankee Stadium:

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/network/t-mobile-5g-swings-into-yankee-stadium

[Paynefanbro]

40MHz n41 + 20MHz B66 and B2 in Bay Ridge. No evidence of NR carrier aggregation in FieldTestMode.

Seems that T-Mobile decided that if they can't get the spectrum they're just gonna throw backhaul at the problem in the meantime.

[AirlineFlyer]

So that’s what the inside of an NYC oDAS Omni directional antenna looks like! Crowne Castle node at Jay and Sands St.

[mirskyc]

14 hours ago, AirlineFlyer said:

So that’s what the inside of an NYC oDAS Omni directional antenna looks like! Crowne Castle node at Jay and Sands St.

Wow, how the heck did that even happen?!?!

[AirlineFlyer]

Just now, mirskyc said:

Wow, how the heck did that even happen?!?!

I really can't figure it out. I mean, I've seen these damaged by building scaffolding in the past, but usually the antenna breaks off or is at an angle. But this one had nothing around it. And the sheathing broke off entirely! Street View shows it broken since at least when they last went by in July. I emailed Crowne Castle's DAS NOC, we'll see if they ever fix it.

[twospirits]

Can a lightning strike do that? So weird.

[T-MoblieUser207]

I haven't been able to properly confirm it, but for the past week or 2 I haven't gotten B41 from Sprint keep sites anymore. I haven't had time to check B25 either, but B26 is definitely still chugging along.

 

The subway DAS seems like is getting some treatment. More and more stations have 312-250 now, but still only the three 6 line stations I mentioned before have ULI on. 

[Paynefanbro]

2 hours ago, T-MoblieUser207 said:

I haven't been able to properly confirm it, but for the past week or 2 I haven't gotten B41 from Sprint keep sites anymore. I haven't had time to check B25 either, but B26 is definitely still chugging along.

Another user on Reddit mentioned that they noticed that Sprint Band 41 was absent in eastern Queens last week. They hypothesized that the second n41 carrier is at 40MHz now but they weren’t able to confirm it. 

[AirlineFlyer]

Is T-Mobile's 3G HSPA network still alive and kicking? It was last week but now my phone doesn't seem to see it anymore

[T-MoblieUser207]

4 hours ago, T-MoblieUser207 said:

I haven't had time to check B25 either

Still live along with B26

 

2 hours ago, Paynefanbro said:

Another user on Reddit mentioned that they noticed that Sprint Band 41 was absent in eastern Queens last week. They hypothesized that the second n41 carrier is at 40MHz now but they weren’t able to confirm it. 

They usually move quickly to widen NR after closing down LTE, so I agree they probably did widen NR, but I would assume it's 30 MHz if that's an option for n41, not 40, since the last time I checked Sprint macros it was 10 MHz B41 live. 

 

2 hours ago, AirlineFlyer said:

Is T-Mobile's 3G HSPA network still alive and kicking? It was last week but now my phone doesn't seem to see it anymore

Checked just now at work in Queens, seems like it's turned off, I'll check when I get home. 

Edited August 30, 2022 by T-MoblieUser207
Missing words

[T-MoblieUser207]

18 hours ago, T-MoblieUser207 said:

Checked just now at work in Queens, seems like it's turned off, I'll check when I get home. 

It's off on my home tower as well, so I think it's safe to say 3G is off across the city. 

The subway system DAS has both 2G and 3G off, but macros still have 2G active. Still haven't spotted any 5G bands underground yet, besides ULI. 

[AirlineFlyer]

Ericsson AIR 6419 just replaced an older AIR 32 on this site in Fort Greene. eNB 56195. Guess that explains why HSPA vanished last week 😂

[T-MoblieUser207]

T-Mobile still does 2xB41 in Bay Ridge, but it's 20(2558)+15(2599). I haven't done a scan of the neighborhood in a while, but I would assume it's still only T-Mobile eNB 131646 that does it. 

The subway system DAS is definitely getting some love now. More and more stations have B2 at 20 MHz, and Sprint bands (25/26 at most stations, 41 at select stations) are either broadcasting the keep PLMN, or have been removed entirely. I no longer pick up Sprint at the Fulton Street station in Manhattan. 

More Sprint towers that T-Mobile has decom'd have gotten their panels removed, as Sprint eNB 15937 is wiped clean now. I also passed by Sprint eNB 6879 to see if it's been converted, but it hasn't, and the tower is currently off. I wonder if they are still keeping it.

 

AT&T is having fun rolling out the AEQK, as some towers that I thought were Verizon have gotten the AEQK now. 

I spotted the new LinkNYC poles further into Brooklyn now, 1 at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Eastern Pkwy, and another on Fort Hamilton Pkwy 45th Street. 

Edited September 7, 2022 by T-MoblieUser207
LinkNYC and 2xB41 in Bay Ridge

[wispiANt]

Not sure if this is old news, but SA n41 as the PCC hasn't been available for at least a few weeks. 

On 9/7/2022 at 7:21 AM, T-MoblieUser207 said:

T-Mobile still does 2xB41 in Bay Ridge, but it's 20(2558)+15(2599). I haven't done a scan of the neighborhood in a while, but I would assume it's still only T-Mobile eNB 131646 that does it.

Still enabled on certain sites in the Bed-Stuy/Williamsburg/Bushwick area.

[Paynefanbro]

On 9/7/2022 at 7:21 AM, T-MoblieUser207 said:

I also passed by Sprint eNB 6879 to see if it's been converted, but it hasn't, and the tower is currently off. I wonder if they are still keeping it.

All of the Sprint towers that serve my home were turned off for a while but they've been back online since at least Labor Day. I wasn't getting any sort of signal from them nor were they appearing when I checked the network selector as recently as a week ago. Don't know what that was about.

[RAvirani]

I’m at the US Open in Flushing Meadows right now and the T-Mobile service is horrendous. My phone is bouncing between unusable NR, unusable LTE and no service.

Looks like they’re trying to make use of DTX/DRX/short inactivity timer/etc but I’m getting more RRC connection failures than successes. My phone has dropped down to no service for extended periods of time despite T300 being set to only a couple seconds as well  

Meanwhile, AT&T and Verizon are both delivering 100+ Mbps .