Network Vision/LTE - East Michigan Market (Detroit/Flint/Ann Arbor/Tri-Cities)

[RCM]

I thought the new year was supposed to bring more active towers online.

 

This raises a few questions for me. Where did you get this impression? Was there an expectation for LTE to go live at a ton of sites on the new year? What is your definition of new year?

 

Let me put this out there: there are no hard dates for anything to happen. There is a lot of speculation and conjecture and plain ol' pulling guesses out of one's arse. What we thought we knew didn't turn out to be reality. Things change, changed and will continue to change. We just go along for the ride. Some of us happy, some not so much.

 

As for updates, Samsung contractors have been busy integrating legacy sites into the NV network focusing on getting 100% upgrade completion and less on rolling out LTE.

[johngeos]

No updates from users?  I thought the new year was supposed to bring more active towers online

Around Christmas 2 sites in Canton, 1 in Plymouth, and a number around Downtown Detroit went live with LTE without much fan fare. It was nice getting good LTE Downtown for new years! Hope that is a bit of a ray of hope for you.

[madjammin]

This raises a few questions for me. Where did you get this impression? Was there an expectation for LTE to go live at a ton of sites on the new year? What is your definition of new year?

 

Let me put this out there: there are no hard dates for anything to happen. There is a lot of speculation and conjecture and plain ol' pulling guesses out of one's arse. What we thought we knew didn't turn out to be reality. Things change, changed and will continue to change. We just go along for the ride. Some of us happy, some not so much.

 

As for updates, Samsung contractors have been busy integrating legacy sites into the NV network focusing on getting 100% upgrade completion and less on rolling out LTE.

 

I got this impression from a few sources.  This site, Sprint.com's forums (when asking for updates from Sprint Reps) speaking to Sprint reps in stores.  My post (#940 I believe) which I took the Anticipated Completion from the Network Forum:

 

^{Do you guys still believe this is accurate? Jan 2014?}

 

^{East Michigan}

^{Status:  Partial LTE Launch/Full Builds Continuing}

NV Sites Accepted = 51%

^{LTE Sites Accepted = 37%}

Anticipated LTE Launch = Summer 2013 (Flint/Saginaw launched 7/2013)

^{Original Scheduled Completion = September 2013}

Current Production Rate Completion = January 2014

 

Now, I didn't say I was expecting it to go live. I said

 

"I thought the new year was supposed to bring more active towers online."

 

Basically, from what I gathered, Samsung was making a push to activate as many towers as possible by the New Years. I guess I was wrong.

 

Just like everyone else, I'm just frustrated and I was a little concenred when I didn't see any activity on this forum (East Michigan) for the last couple of weeks.  I was up for an upgrade in Jan 2013.  I told myself I wouldn't get one until LTE was online. I thought Q2 (when the S4 was about to launch) was the time.  Then (after doing more reading) Nov would be the date.  Then (after even more digging) I thought Jan 2014 would be the the absolute latest. 

 

It's 2014.  I've never had any type of 4G (I bought an S2 one month before they cancelled the WiMax build out), and every competitor in this area does.  I thought it would be worth it to hold out for Tri-Band, but now that I live 100KM from Canada, my phone, at best, would be dual-band.  The only reason I've held on this long is because I'm still on SERO.  I can't hold on any longer.  I'll probably book a flight to space before I get Sprint LTE in this area.

 

Thanks to all for the updates.  Maybe I'm the bad luck, and once I cancel my Sprint Service, LTE will light up like a Xmas tree.

Take care everyone.

[S4GRU]

Current Production Rate = January 2014 means that if the current rate of site acceptance continues, all the sites in the market should be complete with being converted to Network Vision by the end of January 2014.

 

There is no way to forecast when every last site will get LTE backhaul, so forecasting a 100% completion date is not important. Also, there are still many Verizon and AT&T sites that are still not upgraded. So even they cannot claim 100% completion at every site. It doesn't matter that there is one site here or one site there that is not complete. So this is not even an important metric.

 

What matters is 100% coverage. 100% coverage can be achieved without every site. But in a place like East Michigan, it will take many more sites since they will not have the benefit of LTE on 800.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

[madjammin]

So, now with the CSFB issue and the lack of LTE on 800, there is no way anyone can predict when we will get 100% coverage. 

 

I agree with most posters that the CSFB issue will be solved, but it's taking away the LTE backhaul.  I'm assuming there is no time table on the CSFB correction?

 

I know there are a handful of LTL upgraded towers up and running, but with the lack of 800, it's going to take even more than any other market to achieve coverage necessary to make an impact.

 

I'm not going going to take anymore guesses on 100% coverage.  It's futile and frustrating.  Like I said in my previous post, I attempted to do it last year and it was painful to hear how slow the updates rolled out (even before any CSFB delays)

 

I know I sound like a majority of posters that needs to vent, but there comes a breaking point for each individual.  I tried my best to hold on as much as I possibly could. I was thrilled when I didn't upgrade to the HTC One because of the lack of Tri-band, but as long as I live here, I can't even take advantage of it.

 

Maybe I'll grab a Nexus 5, and give it another month until jumping ship (since I have no plans to join Verizon).  That will probably be my last fiber of hope.

[hoagie]

I have LTE 95 percent of the time where I go now.  Your statement of "I've never had any type of 4G and every competitor in this area does.", simply doesn't hold water any more.  Have you looked at a sensorly map of the Sprint 4G coverage in the SE Michigan area lately? The purple is EVERYWHERE!!

 

In the end, it's your decision. There is no way to accurately predict when the entire market will be online and upgraded aside from traveling back in time from the future.  

[RCM]

So, now with the CSFB issue and the lack of LTE on 800, there is no way anyone can predict when we will get 100% coverage. 

 

I agree with most posters that the CSFB issue will be solved, but it's taking away the LTE backhaul.  I'm assuming there is no time table on the CSFB correction?

 

I know there are a handful of LTL upgraded towers up and running, but with the lack of 800, it's going to take even more than any other market to achieve coverage necessary to make an impact.

 

I'm not going going to take anymore guesses on 100% coverage.  It's futile and frustrating.  Like I said in my previous post, I attempted to do it last year and it was painful to hear how slow the updates rolled out (even before any CSFB delays)

 

I know I sound like a majority of posters that needs to vent, but there comes a breaking point for each individual.  I tried my best to hold on as much as I possibly could. I was thrilled when I didn't upgrade to the HTC One because of the lack of Tri-band, but as long as I live here, I can't even take advantage of it.

 

Maybe I'll grab a Nexus 5, and give it another month until jumping ship (since I have no plans to join Verizon).  That will probably be my last fiber of hope.

 

I certainly can't blame you for being frustrated. There are times when I'm right there with you. Just make sure that you make an informed decision whatever you ultimately decide to do.  Sprint isn't going to be the be-all-end-all in our market compared to the majority of the country. Be sure to take into consideration competitor price, coverage and caps.  As cranky as I get with Sprint, the employer discount I get plus the amount of data I use (~10GB/month)  pretty much puts the competition out of reach. 

[madjammin]

I certainly can't blame you for being frustrated. There are times when I'm right there with you. Just make sure that you make an informed decision whatever you ultimately decide to do.  Sprint isn't going to be the be-all-end-all in our market compared to the majority of the country. Be sure to take into consideration competitor price, coverage and caps.  As cranky as I get with Sprint, the employer discount I get plus the amount of data I use (~10GB/month)  pretty much puts the competition out of reach. 

I hear ya.  I'm 95% certain I'm going to pull the trigger on Nexus 5 and give Sprint another month or so.  Worst case, I'll jump onto T-Mobiles prepaid $30 plan.  I think i can get away with 5GB of 4G.

[jefbal99]

Looks like Ann Arbor got integrated, I don't think there are any purple markers left in Michigan.

[RCM]

Looks like Jackson and a couple spots in outer suburban Detroit still need integration. This update was big for us otherwise as far as 3G/CSFB is concerned.

 

800 SMR update for W Michigan was big too. Updates seem to be bipolar at least for our markets.

[biker1284]

Metro Detroit here. Just had months of dropped calls, unable to dial, unable to send/receive texts. Some improvement over the last couple weeks, but my experience has left me with little hope for Sprint. I was told 15+ estimated dates of repair, countless tickets that would just replace each other. Service was so bad that I've been released from my contract. Of all the techs I talked to, none gave me any solid hope for significant LTE progression in-between metro detroit city centers. Bummer - service in Chicago was great before I moved.

[RCM]

There are a couple small pockets of Detroit that have not yet been integrated into the new network. My guess is you live within one of those areas.

 

Funny though that you mention Chicago looking back at the amount of trouble that city endured which blazed the trail on how NV rollout occurred for the rest of the country.

[thomp2mp]

Girlfriend (whom I live with) got a text on her iPhone today from Sprint: "Over the next month the new network will be largely completed in your area." Didn't receive this on my S3. Does this bode well for us in Holly? I know that there is a site on the water tower right by the fire station (which happens to be right across the street). Not sure if that is a Sprint site. Also there is another site on the big blue water tower a little farther north into town. Which site, if any, would I see be accepted?

Edited January 22, 2014 by thomp2mp

[RCM]

Girlfriend (whom I live with) got a text on her iPhone today from Sprint: "Over the next month the new network will be largely completed in your area." Didn't receive this on my S3. Does this bode well for us in Holly? I know that there is a site on the water tower right by the fire station (which happens to be right across the street). Not sure if that is a Sprint site. Also there is another site on the big blue water tower a little farther north into town. Which site, if any, would I see be accepted?

 

 

 

Still no LTE from sites in Fenton, Holly and Linden proper. However, all sites in the area have been integrated into the new NV network for some time.

 

The Holly site is not on the fire dept water tower. As a S4GRU Sponsor I cannot divulge the exact location of Sprint sites outside of Sponsor forums. But what I can do is point you to this link:  http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/3906-how-to-spot-sprint-antennas-and-rrus-samsung-style/&do=findComment&comment=146816, look at the 10th photo down and compare the antenna/RRU setup to the other towers (water or otherwise) in town.

[biker1284]

Funny though that you mention Chicago looking back at the amount of trouble that city endured which blazed the trail on how NV rollout occurred for the rest of the country.

 

Yes - I dealt with this while I first had Sprint in Chicago. Inner city was actually not terrible (mild to moderate issues... Still better than my previous carrier AT&T), but my family reported significant issues in the suburbs. It was all eventually resolved with great LTE speeds in both locations. Never did any of us have as significant of problems as I had here in eastern Michigan though.

[RCM]

Yes - I dealt with this while I first had Sprint in Chicago. Inner city was actually not terrible (mild to moderate issues... Still better than my previous carrier AT&T), but my family reported significant issues in the suburbs. It was all eventually resolved with great LTE speeds in both locations. Never did any of us have as significant of problems as I had here in eastern Michigan though.

 

Understandable. Just looking at your issue on the surface with dropped calls and what not seems indicative of the inability of Sprint's legacy network handing off to the updated NV network and vice versa. There are only 3 small-ish pockets of legacy network left in Michigan which I referred to earlier. Yeah, it sucks bad. I went through it in my area back in early summer. It's like night and day though once the legacy network is taken offline and those sites are integrated into the NV system. Again, I could be wrong and your issue may be different but initially that'd be my guess.

 

I suppose there are two options: 1) wait it out because while Samsung contractors are busting tail getting all sites in Michigan converted, they can only go so fast, or cut your losses and head for higher ground. I only suggest you carefully review all options (coverage, costs, data caps, etc) if you decide to switch to a different provider.

[RCM]

Another big update for our market. One more legacy network pocket knocked out and more LTE coming online!

[madjammin]

Another big update for our market. One more legacy network pocket knocked out and more LTE coming online!

What about the CSFB issue in the metro area?  Anyone with tri-band devices still have issues?

[hoagie]

With all the 3G acceptances in the market, if there are any CSFB issues, they're likely very compartmentalized and very few.

[RCM]

True dat.

[Overboost]

It's about time that the pocket of untouched towers in the Downriver area got some attention. That was a black hole for bad service.

[vryan44]

Finally the legacy pocket in macomb is gone too!

[RCM]

Hopefully the Jackson pocket gets knocked out soon then we'll be near 100% complete.

[madjammin]

I've noticed increased speeds on 3G (Galaxy SII) in Farmington Hills, MI.  1.5MB

 

Question:  A lot of people on Sprint.com's forum board has been complaining about voice/txt issues over the last 6 months (I'm sure due to tower upgrades).

I have to be honest... I haven't ran into any voice issues.  I've had slow data, but that is understanable.  I've noticed that most people complaining about voice issues are newer devices (Note 2/S3, Iphone 4 and above).

 

Is there any reason why my older device seems to be functioning fine while newer devices are struggling?  I'm not saying I've never dropped a call, but it seems like world it collapsing according to some of these posts. 

 

I also wanted to know if anyone with tri-band devices have been hit with voice issues?  I haven't seen a post where a Nexus 5 or G2 owner complained.

 

Thanks.

[owensri2]

My family back in the Wyandotte, MI (Downriver) area are getting really frustrated.  I can't even talk to them for more than a few minutes without the calls dropping.  It's happening to everyone in the area, and it's been going on for about 2 months.  I keep telling them to hold on, the wait is worth it...but to be honest, that's a bit long for the issue to be going on.  They did call in and were given $25 off the bills for the next two months.  What I believe is happening is the handoff from legacy to NV equipment is really screwing up.  Now that the two towers there in Wyandotte are complete (or near completion), it should get better.  Only time will tell.