Network Vision/LTE - Charlotte Market

[unccjester]

"Site acceptance reports from Tuesday (10/15), Wednesday (10/16), Thursday (10/17):

 

 

* Charlotte - 25 updates (3G)"

 

Oh dip

 

 

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You just beat me to it. 

 

What did I just say on 10/9, further up the page? Patience is a virtue... 

[djw39]

So is the pattern Thursday updates for Charlotte?

 

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[owensri2]

I can tell you that within the last week, 1x800 has been turned on for quite a bit of the area.  I went from Charlotte, NC to Columbia, SC late last week, and held 1x800 all the way down to about Winnsboro, SC!

[thewezgrays]

I can tell you that within the last week, 1x800 has been turned on for quite a bit of the area.  I went from Charlotte, NC to Columbia, SC late last week, and held 1x800 all the way down to about Winnsboro, SC!

 

That is great... they get my GMOs built up here and move that our way it will be like a whole new network for me.  

 

I also noticed they they did the 3G side on a ton of sites in the Charlotte area on the last update, too... so that half of the network should be good now too (oddly the only thing that is still 4G only is that within the freeway beltway)...

[bill875]

Did anyone else in the Charlotte market wake up to only 1x800 on their device(s)?  No eHRPD or EV-DO.  1x800 is appears to be  officially live in Conover at site CR03AW150, unfortunately, LTE is not.  It held on all of the way into Hickory near Valley Hills Mall at -103 to -105 RSSI.  It then hopped over to Carolina West Wireless until I got to work and then while within range of my Wi-Ex repeater which has a roof mounted antenna, which then switched to Sprint 1xRTT and eHRPD.

The Sites Complete map shows LTE having been accepted at CR03AW150 for over two months, but I have not connected to LTE yet.  If eHRPD (EVDO) is any indication, it doesn't seem as if the backhaul is in place.  Even at 4am, the best I can get it about 124ms ping & 1600kb/s down with an RSSI -62

[unccjester]

• Charlotte - 25 updates (5 LTE)

Whaaaat?! They are going nuts with lighting up NV 3G right now and even getting in a handful of LTE sites!

 

Sprint could REALLY stand to put up some panels at the tower by Rocky River and Lower Rocky River (8030 Lower Rocky River). The service out there, especially 3G/4G, is just terrible on Pharr Mill, Lower Rocky River, and Rocky River, until you get close to 485. Even 1X barely hangs on to towers a LONG way away.

[unccjester]

• Charlotte - 107 updates (3G)

 

 

[Fraydog]

I wish I could hit the like button a bunch of times right now.   

[surma884]

Ping times on 3G are still very high and speeds are low.  What were those 107 updates specifically?

[bill875]

Ping times on 3G are still very high and speeds are low.  What were those 107 updates specifically?

I'm thinking that EVDO at that these sites is still on old backhaul, just like so many other CLT sites.  I don't recall seeing anyone post improved latency or speeds on EVDO anywhere in the CLT market.  Just the same, I've noticed that the latency on LTE in the CLT market is higher than other markets (around 100-135ms) when using my Nexus 5.  Other markets see latency as low as in the 50ms range, perhaps even lower at times.  It can make a big a difference in the feel of how fast the connection is.

 

It's my hope that this is all just temporary backhaul and it will improve once connectivity to the sites improves.

[djw39]

Ping times on 3G are still very high and speeds are low.  What were those 107 updates specifically?

This does appear to be the massive update I was waiting for, they have finally 3G accepted most of the remaining towers inside I-485. I think there are still two sites uptown that haven't been touched, and some others near where I live that are shown as 3G only, but this was an incredible update.

 

Now, in practice, I'm uptown now and connecting to EV-DO Rev. A in areas where it used to say eHRPD, and latest speed test was 8.5 kB/s, so evidently this stuff is not truly up and running just yet. And no sign of LTE. We shall see...

[bovicepacino]

Lots of updates recently. Hoping this means solid connectivity to LTE all around Charlotte. I used to have better service in my building downtown (101 S Tryon) but now it is very off and on. I have been getting a 1x signal mostly since Monday, with spotty 3G and LTE. But just have to keep hoping things progress and get better. In other areas of Charlotte I have noticed more LTE though.

[djw39]

Looks like they hit one of the two remaining towers uptown on Wednesday

 

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[owensri2]

Looks like they hit one of the two remaining towers uptown on WednesdaySent from my LG-LS970 using Tapatalk

I know for sure that they were running fiber to the site on top of the Holiday Inn Hotel in uptown. Saw Alcatel Lucent trucks parked outside.

[djw39]

I know for sure that they were running fiber to the site on top of the Holiday Inn Hotel in uptown. Saw Alcatel Lucent trucks parked outside.

Awesome! Uptown needs some serious sprint love

 

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[bovicepacino]

Awesome! Uptown needs some serious sprint love

 

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I get a decent signal walking around downtown for the most part, decent LTE. Just when I get up in my building and I'm on the 34th floor it goes in and out a lot.

[anthony.spina97]

I recently ran a Speedtest from my home which is about 2 miles from my nearest tower (The tower being the one by Lowe's, I mean Charlotte Motor Speedway, and my home being in Rocky River Crossing) while on 3G, and I got a 88 MS Ping, which I have to say is the fastest 3G ping I have ever gotten and that I have ever seen! That even beats some of my LTE ping times when I do happen to clamp onto a -113 LTE signal. Download speeds were still around .3 down and up, but hey, that's what you get when you live that far away from the tower. Maybe they will make the Clearwire/T-Mobile tower that is on the corner of 49 and Morehead into a NV tower. Here's to hoping!

[anthony.spina97]

I get a decent signal walking around downtown for the most part, decent LTE. Just when I get up in my building and I'm on the 34th floor it goes in and out a lot.

Well that sounds a lot better than what I was getting in downtown about 2 months ago when I was at Ruth Chris. Glad to hear things are getting better down there!

[llm5505]

I get a decent signal walking around downtown for the most part, decent LTE. Just when I get up in my building and I'm on the 34th floor it goes in and out a lot.

I am at College and 6th Street, I had a week but usable 4g signal until a month ago. But luckily last week the 3g speeds became usable, My phone was pretty much useless before,

the the 3g was so bad.

 

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[djw39]

5.1 kB/s today at 5th and Tryon outside. I have never seen LTE on Tryon st. Occasionally at college or further east, but it is weak e.g. 2mbps down.

 

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[surma884]

Ping times on 3G are still very high and speeds are low.  What were those 107 updates specifically?

 

Update:  I'm seeing lower ping times now at some 3G sites around town.  Also slightly better speeds.  I'll keep testing to confirm.

[caspar347]

Well as of this morning I can connect to LTE on my Nexus 5 in Charlotte. Yay!

[mmellon]

Hi. I'm considering a Sprint / Virgin / Republic phone. My wife has a Samsung Galaxy Victory LTE phone. We're right next to the Appalachian State campus. ATT and Verizon have both had 4G up here for two years in town (nobody does more than a mile out of Boone), but we like the Sprint pricing options. I'm just wondering if I get another Sprint network phone, how long would I anticipate waiting for 4G LTE? From what I've read, it seems the Charlotte market rollout has been going on a while.

 

Surely they are planning to do it; there are 40,000 people within just a few square miles here every weekday and probably about 70,000 on football game days. Right?

 

The phone I am most interested in is the Republic Moto X, since the university pretty much blankets the area I work in with WiFi.

Edited November 21, 2013 by mmellon

[Towerdragon]

Have to admit a lot of the Area in South Charlotte is use able have really not had any bad issues with streaming music or anything else good about the nexus 5 I'm hopefully getting mine soon. Curious how long it will Charlotte to be spark ready?

 

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[unccjester]

Hey guys, I submitted a request for Sprint's "Pinpoint" system to review the area around 8030 Lower Rocky River Rd, which is the address of a tower Sprint's not currently hanging off of. The service out there is pretty dismal, which most of the Cabarrus / Mecklenburg county folks know that have been out there. I've asked them to review the area along Pharr Mill Rd and especially Rocky River Rd. from that point out close to I-485. Service at that tower would do wonders for the Harrisburg area!

 

The girl advised me that the more people call in about it, the more quickly a team would go out and look, so I'm looking for help from some local folks here.  There is no ticket number to be had. I'm hoping you guys that are also having issues out there would also call in and light their Pinpoint system up for that area because it honestly needs it. I tried to go through Sprint Chat but was redirected to 1-888-211-4727, option “4”. Hours of operations are: Monday - Friday: 5:00am – 2:00am EST, Saturday: 5:00am – 12:30am EST and Sunday 5:00am – 2:00am EST.

 

TIA to anyone that takes a little time to call in to help out.