Network Vision/LTE - Memphis Market

[dmaxx67]

any of the memphis members catching any 800 signals from anywhere else?

[dmaxx67]

http://circle.cspire.com/blogs/speedoflight/2013/09/24/c-spire-announces-breakthrough-fiber-to-the-home-initiative

Check this out looks like MS might be getting some gigabit fiber to the house through cspire.

[dmaxx67]

I have really been enjoying going out and getting LTE almost everywhere and be able to surf the web at blazing speeds.

[dmaxx67]

Anyone seeing 800 cdma anywhere in town

 

Sent from my Optimus G using Tapatalk

[dmaxx67]

Disregard last message. Downloaded signalcheck and im getting 800. I jyst dont thibk they have been tuned yet. Im only seeing around -95 at house and work in building

 

Sent from my Optimus G using Tapatalk

[Brooksman9]

Anything new on the Sprint network lately. Switched to Verizon last summer. LTE is good when you can get a signal. How is the LTE on sprint these days? Verizon can't penetrate the building I work in. Phone is almost useless there. 

[hectorartm]

Hello! I tried Sprint out last year and recently tried it out again. There's B26 all over the Germantown area, by the river, Mud Island, from Memphis to Brownsville TN and Jackson TN. Coverage has greatly increased compared to last year. It was good enough that I decided to port my main and secondary lines over to Sprint. We didn't get 4G around Gallaway TN or most of 70/79 from Memphis to Jackson, but we usually don't drive that route anyway. I40 from Memphis to Jackson has 4g about 90% of the way now. To my surprise, the 4G is solid in Brownsville TN with B25 and B26 both being pretty strong. Millington is somewhat spotty, but usable.

 

BTW, I have not seen B41 anywhere yet.

 

Hope this helps!

:-)

Edited September 27, 2014 by hectorartm

[hectorartm]

Found B41 by N Germantown Pkwy and Dexter Rd (somewhere close to that area).  I picked it up by Wolfchase Toyota as well.  

[LastMumzy]

I've been mulling over buying a Sprint iPhone 6 to get unlimited data (I'm using Gophone atm on an iPhone 5).  One of my biggest concerns was their lack of low frequency bands for building penetration.  Looking over the Site Acceptance Reports I see Memphis is listed as have something like 240 B26 800Mhz LTE and 270 CDMA 800Mhz.  What exactly does "Site Acceptance" mean; something they've already upgraded or just plan to in the future?  I'm currently in Olive Branch right at the edge of Memphis on HWY 78 (about 2 miles south of the Nike plant on Tuggle).  

 

I'm really wanting unlimited data and my only options are Sprint and T-mobile.  T-mobile coverage has waaay to much 2g or just plain nothing coverage around here for me to use.  Plus BNSF has a 20% discount with Sprint.  Sprint seems like it's taken a beating over the years but they appear to be making a strong effort to get back in the game.  I'm not one of those speed test junkies that require 50mb downloads; 5mb or higher is fine for what I want to do.  

 

Happy new year fellow Memphians!

[S4GRU]

With those types of expectations, it sounds like your be very happy with Sprint in the Memphis market. They have a lot of B26 (800) LTE coverage. They are lacking a lot of B41, which brings the speed. That will come in time, though.

 

Using Nexus 5 on Tapatalk

[hectorartm]

Here my direct comparison to tmo (just switched a few lines back to Sprint). T-Mobile is simply faster and seems to have better indoor coverage. I'm attributing this to cell density. Anyway, Sprint is still a bit too slow in some areas, but I saw B41 all over the wolfchase mall area, on the 40 going towards to 240 and down from the mall to Shelby Park Dog Park area. So there's definitely some upgrades being done. Germantown by Hacks and Poplar Pike now has B26 and is fully covered. Everything by the golf course and Fieldstone apartments still stinks bad. Driving to Collierville from Winchester/Hacks Cross is now fully covered with B26 (before only B25). So there's definitely activity in the last few months, but still they have a long way to go. The consistency is nowhere near tmo yet. I'm confident they will get there.

[atomic50]

Sprint leases 700 MHz A-block spectrum from C-Spire in addition to PCS spectrum

 

http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applAdminAttachments.jsp?applID=9191702#

[WiWavelength]

Sprint leases 700 MHz A-block spectrum from C-Spire in addition to PCS spectrum

 

http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/ApplicationSearch/applAdminAttachments.jsp?applID=9191702#

 

That is all of C Spire's licensed spectrum in the Memphis market.  Additionally, the leases are long term, de facto transfer, signaling that this likely precedes an actual transfer of licenses.  In layman's terms, C Spire almost certainly is exiting the Memphis market.  Much like USCC in St. Louis, that urban coverage expansion has not worked out, apparently.

 

AJ

[Rasta Cheesehead]

This deal looks good for both parties :  The instant transaction involves Sprint leasing from CSL certain 700 MHz and 1.9 GHz

spectrum in six counties in Tennessee and five counties in Arkansas

 

The nine counties are: Crittenden, Cross, Lee, Phillips and St. Francis, AR and Fayette,

Haywood, Shelby and Tipton, TN. In Crittenden, AR and Fayette, Sheldy and Tipton, TN

Sprint’s total attributable spectrum already exceeded the spectrum screen threshold.

 

The instant transaction also involves CSL leasing or subleasing from Sprint certain 800 MHz, 1.9 GHz and 2.5 GHz spectrum in four counties in Florida and five counties in Mississippi.

[Fraydog]

Sprint's spectrum already exceeding the threshold. Is this the new "include all spectrum like it's the same" dumb threshold?

 

Also, heck yes Sprint should go for 700 A deployment in Memphis. Aggregate B12 and B26. That would be excellent.

 

I'm shocked Sprint went for B12 there but they should be going for it in remaining markets now that it's supported on Sprint devices.

[lilotimz]

Sprint's spectrum already exceeding the threshold. Is this the new "include all spectrum like it's the same" dumb threshold?

 

Also, heck yes Sprint should go for 700 A deployment in Memphis. Aggregate B12 and B26. That would be excellent.

 

I'm shocked Sprint went for B12 there but they should be going for it in remaining markets now that it's supported on Sprint devices.

You cannot aggregate sub 1 ghz spectrum. Furthermore 700a is blocked by a local station.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

[Trip]

Furthermore 700a is blocked by a local station.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

That doesn't really matter here, I don't think.  It's a one time expense of maybe $1 million and there are plenty of other open channels WPXX could be moved to.

 

- Trip

[lordsutch]

Something odd with my Pixel 2 XL yesterday: in Itawamba County (on the border with AL east of Tupelo) my phone would connect to CSpire's LTE network but I couldn't get any data session to work ('x' on the signal strength indicator) - although I had no trouble roaming on AT&T LTE in NW Alabama earlier. But perhaps more interesting is that at least some of the towers were broadcasting on Band 25, which is the first evidence I've seen of a RRPP partner deploying on Sprint's spectrum. I also saw some Band 12 (presumably the 700 A block spectrum CSpire bought).

I haven't seen any evidence of Sprint deployment on Band 12 in Memphis so far but I'll keep an eye out.

[greenbastard]

On 11/18/2017 at 4:33 PM, lordsutch said:

Something odd with my Pixel 2 XL yesterday: in Itawamba County (on the border with AL east of Tupelo) my phone would connect to CSpire's LTE network but I couldn't get any data session to work ('x' on the signal strength indicator) - although I had no trouble roaming on AT&T LTE in NW Alabama earlier. But perhaps more interesting is that at least some of the towers were broadcasting on Band 25, which is the first evidence I've seen of a RRPP partner deploying on Sprint's spectrum. I also saw some Band 12 (presumably the 700 A block spectrum CSpire bought).

I haven't seen any evidence of Sprint deployment on Band 12 in Memphis so far but I'll keep an eye out.

Are you sure it was the G block and not just At&t using MFBI on their PCS band? Because I've gotten LTE roaming to show up as B25 from At&T's F+C block

[lilotimz]

Are you sure it was the G block and not just At&t using MFBI on their PCS band? Because I've gotten LTE roaming to show up as B25 from At&T's F+C block

Att does MFBI b25 and 26.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[lordsutch]

Att does MFBI b25 and 26.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Now I've had a chance to look through the log, it was definitely not AT&T; it was CSpire (311-230) MFBI (band 2/25), EARFCN 8440 (1970 MHz downlink). There was also quite a bit of band 12, EARFCN 5145; while the phone would register on the network I never got a successful data session and actually had to reboot to get it to connect again to LTE when I got into Sprint coverage.

[Dkoellerwx]

On 11/18/2017 at 4:33 PM, lordsutch said:

Something odd with my Pixel 2 XL yesterday: in Itawamba County (on the border with AL east of Tupelo) my phone would connect to CSpire's LTE network but I couldn't get any data session to work ('x' on the signal strength indicator) - although I had no trouble roaming on AT&T LTE in NW Alabama earlier. But perhaps more interesting is that at least some of the towers were broadcasting on Band 25, which is the first evidence I've seen of a RRPP partner deploying on Sprint's spectrum. I also saw some Band 12 (presumably the 700 A block spectrum CSpire bought).

I haven't seen any evidence of Sprint deployment on Band 12 in Memphis so far but I'll keep an eye out.

NexTech Wireless in Kansas and Colorado has deployed Band 25 LTE in the G block all along I-70 from Goodland, KS to just east of Denver. This happened back in May and June. 

[lordsutch]

I had no more luck on the way back; my Pixel 2 XL wouldn't even connect to 1X or 3G on CSpire. My Nexus 6 on Project Fi wouldn't connect either when I forced it to connect via CDMA/LTE using the *#*#FISPR#*#* dialer code.