Chicago and Boston LTE discoverable on Sept 21

[Rasta Cheesehead]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/13/sprint-flipping-the-lte-switch-in-boston-and-chicago/

[brendan4t]

So happy about this. First time ever getting a 4g signal (except for the 10 mins on testing)

 

Edit: I hope by other boston markets they mean the rest of MA sites that have LTE

[92EG8]

That's awesome two days until ill be able to pick up LTE!!

 

Sent From EVO LTE

[jeepgc97]

I was able to connect to 4g LTE for the first time ever on my HTC EVO LTE last night in Schaumburg, Il. (a Chicago suburb about 25 miles NW of the city) and ran a speed test. My download speed was 17036 kbps, and my upload speed was 9325 kbps. It was incredibly fast! The 4g was only on at night between about 9:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. or so. So I guess they're just testing it out, but it's a very good sign.

[ahecht]

Note that nowhere in the message does it say there will be a "LAUNCH" in September. It says, very specifically, "4G LTE will be available or 'discoverable' prior to launch" and later reiterates "Sprint is in a pre-launch mode".

 

You might want to edit the topic title.

 

[boomerbubba]

This internal memo is consistent with language in that Sprint press release three days ago:

 

During the pre-launch phase, customers with capable 4G LTE devices may begin to see 4G LTE coverage in these areas and are welcome to use the network even before it officially launches.

 

Which is something approaching the soft-launch strategy that several commenters here have been suggesting.

 

BTW, I agree that the headline on this thread needs editing. (Nice cateh, ahecht.) If the original poster doesn't make the fix, perhaps a mod could do so.

[S4GRU]

That's awesome two days until ill be able to pick up LTE!!

 

Sent From EVO LTE

 

If you are near one of the few completed sites.

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

[S4GRU]

Edited forum title to better match the information.

[Kevster1321]

Do you know if it will only be the towers you marked as 4G complete on the sponsor map

[92EG8]

 

If you are near one of the few completed sites.

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

there is two towers that have 4G in my area that I know of.

 

Sent From EVO LTE

[delta772er]

Convenient that it coincides with the availability of the iPhone 5, obviously LTE coverage is a major selling point for Verzion and to a lesser extent AT&T.

[Ascertion]

I phone is helping the network this time. :-P

[Feech]

This is good in the sense we should be able to get a good gauge on what the speeds will look like when the network is somewhat loaded up in a cities like Chicago and Boston. I'm praying for 7-8mbps

[lynyrd65]

If you are near one of the few completed sites. Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

 

This is still awesome and I think a step in the right direction. I think they realized in the first launches it's better not to advertise LTE until it is available in most of the market but still recognize that many users want to test the LTE network and use it as it's built.

 

I hope this means new sites won't be blocked anymore from then on, in all markets.

[RichardXy]

This is great news! Maybe Sprint isn't full of poop after all. Congratulations to Chicago and Boston. On a side note, Chicago, Boston and Houston are going to be the first US cities with regularly scheduled Boeing 787 service as well! I'd be in nerd heaven if I lived in any of those places.

[S4GRU]

This is great news! Maybe Sprint isn't full of poop after all. Congratulations to Chicago and Boston. On a side note, Chicago, Boston and Houston are going to be the first US cities with regularly scheduled Boeing 787 service as well! I'd be in nerd heaven if I lived in any of those places.

 

So are you going to make the jump to a Sprint iPhone 5? That's what I want to know.

 

Robert

[fatonuseni]

Can the network handle that many new users at once? I can't imagine the majority of iPhone 5 sales going to verizon or att with sprints selling points. Everyone who wants unlimited data and a good price will probably no e to sprint. I sure hope that Sprint is ready.

 

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2

[S4GRU]

Can the network handle that many new users at once? I can't imagine the majority of iPhone 5 sales going to verizon or att with sprints selling points. Everyone who wants unlimited data and a good price will probably no e to sprint. I sure hope that Sprint is ready.

 

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2

 

I have no concerns that Sprint LTE can handle the number of LTE devices that have been sold to date, plus the number of iPhones that could possibly sell (even if double the amount sold in the past). The real question is how much can the legacy 3G network handle while these devices sit and wait for LTE? That's the big issue here.

 

Robert

[Madfelon]

The wife and I are both due an upgrade so I went ahead and got her the new iPhone. I want to test this LTE here in Chicago before I give up my trusty,WiMAX Photon. If it's good I will wait till the note 2 comes out and make a choice.

[RichardXy]

So are you going to make the jump to a Sprint iPhone 5? That's what I want to know.

 

Robert

 

If I get the Sprint version does it work on Verizon? I'd hate to pay full price and end up with a phone that I can't take with me if Sprint flakes on LTE for San Diego.

 

Ok... who am I kidding.. I probably will buy it anyway. Maybe I'll have to go to Chicago to test it out and then fly to Houston on a United 787 and test it out there too.

[S4GRU]

If I get the Sprint version does it work on Verizon? I'd hate to pay full price and end up with a phone that I can't take with me if Sprint flakes on LTE for San Diego.

 

It will technically be able to work on Verizon. However, will Verizon let unlocked phones from the Sprint network on theirs is the million dollar question? There is no reason for them not to. But it's not known at this time. You could sell it on eBay and then buy a used VZW iPhone 5 in its place.

 

Robert

[Rikan Havok]

Are there any LTE completed sites on western Massachusetts?

Edited September 15, 2012 by Rikan Havok

[S4GRU]

Are there any LTE completed sites on western Massachusetts?

 

Not west of Springfield, yet. The Pittsfield area will be one of the last parts converted in the Boston market.

 

Robert

[irev210]

Not west of Springfield, yet. The Pittsfield area will be one of the last parts converted in the Boston market.

 

Robert

 

I am hoping that Sprint really picks up the pace in Boston now that they have allowed people to connect. The speeds/coverage is fantastic.

 

I fully understand why people think that Sprint's LTE doesn't propagate well. For example, I can connect at home to a LTE site that is actually two full sites away from my home. If I hold the phone at the window, I stay connected, but as I take the phone just a few inches, the signal starts to fall off fast (and the stronger 3G quickly overwhelms my EVO).

 

People just get so confused by the full bars and have no idea that, really, they are connecting to a site that's probably behind another site (or two!). When hanging around sites that are local, indoor coverage seems to behave normally.

[S4GRU]

I am hoping that Sprint really picks up the pace in Boston now that they have allowed people to connect. The speeds/coverage is fantastic.

 

I fully understand why people think that Sprint's LTE doesn't propagate well. For example, I can connect at home to a LTE site that is actually two full sites away from my home. If I hold the phone at the window, I stay connected, but as I take the phone just a few inches, the signal starts to fall off fast (and the stronger 3G quickly overwhelms my EVO).

 

People just get so confused by the full bars and have no idea that, really, they are connecting to a site that's probably behind another site (or two!). When hanging around sites that are local, indoor coverage seems to behave normally.

 

So true. Until LTE is rolled out on every site in a market, there is going to be mass confusion about LTE performance. People are going to wonder what the problem is when they think they have full bars of LTE that is pulling down less than 3Mbps. They are going to assume that Sprint is already experiencing LTE congestion. When in reality they just have a really weak LTE signal and just have no idea that it's weak because they have full bars in their strength indicator.

 

I am constantly having to explain this over and over. I am going into detail about it in my Waco FIT article so I will have a reference doc to refer people to about it.

 

Robert