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Network Vision/LTE - Washington DC Market

dstrait

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RAvirani Member Level: LTE Advanced

RAvirani

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, RedSpark said:

Is there any way to tell in my iPhone 12 Pro's Field Test Mode if I'm on mmWave?

Wow. Field Test Mode looks really different than before.... Is that due to me being "on" T-Mobile with my device or being on iOS 14.2?

No. In NSA mode you can only see LTE anchor information, and SA mmWave is not deployed.

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RedSpark Member Level: LTE Advanced

RedSpark

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Posted
17 hours ago, RAvirani said:

No. In NSA mode you can only see LTE anchor information, and SA mmWave is not deployed.

That's good to know. Thanks. I'm still getting used to this new Field Test Screen interface....

Under "Serving Cell Info" I'm seeing 66 under "freq_band_ind".

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dewbertdc Member Level: 1x Advanced

dewbertdc

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Looks like the iOS 14.3 beta has an updated field test mode that at least indicates whether you're on NSA or SA 5G.

I am willing to bet there's no mmWave in DC still.  They'd be shouting it from the rooftops if there were.  The good news is that N41 is blazing fast and they're deploying it at a breakneck pace around here.

 

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RedSpark Member Level: LTE Advanced

RedSpark

Posted
Posted
26 minutes ago, dewbertdc said:

Looks like the iOS 14.3 beta has an updated field test mode that at least indicates whether you're on NSA or SA 5G.

I am willing to bet there's no mmWave in DC still.  They'd be shouting it from the rooftops if there were.  The good news is that N41 is blazing fast and they're deploying it at a breakneck pace around here.

 

Neat. I'll look forward to checking that out once the 14.3 update is released. (I never run Beta software.)

My peak DL speeds on T-Mobile's 5G seem to be about the same as when I was on Sprint's LTE. However, my 5G speeds are much more consistent and reliable than when I was on Sprint. My UL speeds are up to 10x faster than Sprint's, which is a huge improvement in usability for the device. Everything App related in that respect is much faster. I'm seeing ~75 Mbps upload speeds.

Yeah, there's a lot of runway left for N41. However, it seems it would make sense to put the mmWave gear on the sites when they're being upgraded so the techs don't have to make another climb/trip. There are a number of dense areas in the DMV which could benefit from mmWave: The area around The White House, Nationals Park, The Wharf, National Harbor, etc.

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PhillipJames89 Member Level: 1xRTT

PhillipJames89

Posted
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On 11/19/2020 at 4:42 PM, RedSpark said:

Neat. I'll look forward to checking that out once the 14.3 update is released. (I never run Beta software.)

My peak DL speeds on T-Mobile's 5G seem to be about the same as when I was on Sprint's LTE. However, my 5G speeds are much more consistent and reliable than when I was on Sprint. My UL speeds are up to 10x faster than Sprint's, which is a huge improvement in usability for the device. Everything App related in that respect is much faster. I'm seeing ~75 Mbps upload speeds.

Yeah, there's a lot of runway left for N41. However, it seems it would make sense to put the mmWave gear on the sites when they're being upgraded so the techs don't have to make another climb/trip. There are a number of dense areas in the DMV which could benefit from mmWave: The area around The White House, Nationals Park, The Wharf, National Harbor, etc.

They definitely need mmWave on U st lol. But yeah they acquired the spectrum in March. They will most likely deploy it sometime next year. 

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RedSpark Member Level: LTE Advanced

RedSpark

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On 11/22/2020 at 9:43 AM, PhillipJames89 said:

They definitely need mmWave on U st lol. But yeah they acquired the spectrum in March. They will most likely deploy it sometime next year. 

Yup. U Street definitely fills up in the evening! Haven't been over there since COVID began, but people are always fiddling on their phones. 😀

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RedSpark Member Level: LTE Advanced

RedSpark

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On 11/22/2020 at 9:43 AM, PhillipJames89 said:

They definitely need mmWave on U st lol. But yeah they acquired the spectrum in March. They will most likely deploy it sometime next year. 

Based on this article, it seems like mmWave has actually been deployed in DC as one of the "five cities" listed: https://www.fiercewireless.com/5g/verizon-s-5g-mmwave-crushing-it-but-for-how-long

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dewbertdc Member Level: 1x Advanced

dewbertdc

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On 11/23/2020 at 5:12 PM, RedSpark said:

Based on this article, it seems like mmWave has actually been deployed in DC as one of the "five cities" listed: https://www.fiercewireless.com/5g/verizon-s-5g-mmwave-crushing-it-but-for-how-long

Verizon definitely has mmWave in DC - all the very dark red areas on this map are coverage areas. The article you linked was just referring to 5G speeds overall.  Verizon's average speed has been very high because they'd been relying exclusively on mmWave for 5G until recently, but now that they're using DSS for "Nationwide 5G," they're seeing average speeds fall.

On the other hand, T-Mobile's average speed is notching up because of the 2.5GHz 5G deployments.  T-Mobile's known mmWave cities are Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York.  They pretty much halted mmWave deployment and pivoted to 600MHz 5G for Nationwide deployment, and now they're starting to re-farm Sprint's 2.5GHz spectrum to 5G.  They'll still deploy mmWave where they expect very heavy traffic, but they're not relying on it as heavily as Verizon.

Screen Shot 2020-11-27 at 18.46.36.png

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RedSpark Member Level: LTE Advanced

RedSpark

Posted
Posted
On 11/27/2020 at 6:52 PM, dewbertdc said:

Verizon definitely has mmWave in DC - all the very dark red areas on this map are coverage areas. The article you linked was just referring to 5G speeds overall.  Verizon's average speed has been very high because they'd been relying exclusively on mmWave for 5G until recently, but now that they're using DSS for "Nationwide 5G," they're seeing average speeds fall.

On the other hand, T-Mobile's average speed is notching up because of the 2.5GHz 5G deployments.  T-Mobile's known mmWave cities are Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York.  They pretty much halted mmWave deployment and pivoted to 600MHz 5G for Nationwide deployment, and now they're starting to re-farm Sprint's 2.5GHz spectrum to 5G.  They'll still deploy mmWave where they expect very heavy traffic, but they're not relying on it as heavily as Verizon.

Screen Shot 2020-11-27 at 18.46.36.png

Looking at that map, Verizon has a long way to go on mmWave coverage here.... which means that T-Mobile has probably barely scratched the surface with it.

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dewbertdc Member Level: 1x Advanced

dewbertdc

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1 hour ago, RedSpark said:

Looking at that map, Verizon has a long way to go on mmWave coverage here.... which means that T-Mobile has probably barely scratched the surface with it.

Personally, I think Verizon's strategy of using mmWave for their primary 5G band was solely because they're so spectrum constrained.  The technology is more suited to a "hotspot" where substantial capacity is needed - a crowded outdoor market, a football stadium, a concert venue, etc. - than to provide any sort of reliable coverage.  The DSS technology that Verizon is allows 5G and LTE to coexist on the same spectrum, but at a performance cost to both technologies.  It won't be until Verizon starts to deploy some CBRS and/or C-Band spectrum that we see significant 5G coverage that isn't running in the same channels at LTE.

That's where T-Mobile has the upper hand - they've got tons of 2.5Ghz spectrum so they can run fairly wide 5G channels and don't need to rely on mmWave to get very good 5G speeds.  They've got mmWave spectrum and I'm sure they'll eventually deploy it, but right now they're laser focused on Sprint network integration and expanding 2.5GHz 5G coverage.

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grapkoski Member Level: eHRPD

grapkoski

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After saying I couldn't find any permits updating Sprint/TMo sites in DC, I find a permit for my home site which was issued in January...

T-Mobile proposes removing (3) antennas and installing (9) antennas at the existing telecommunications facility.

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RedSpark Member Level: LTE Advanced

RedSpark

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2 hours ago, grapkoski said:

After saying I couldn't find any permits updating Sprint/TMo sites in DC, I find a permit for my home site which was issued in January...

T-Mobile proposes removing (3) antennas and installing (9) antennas at the existing telecommunications facility.

That's a nice improvement.

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RedSpark Member Level: LTE Advanced

RedSpark

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Finally!

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2021/07/montgomery-county-votes-in-favor-of-5g-cell-towers/

https://www.localdvm.com/news/maryland/montgomery-co-passes-5g-wireless-amendment-some-residents-raise-safety-concerns/

https://dcist.com/story/21/07/26/montgomery-county-council-to-vote-on-5g-zoning-bill-amid-pushback/

This has been a long time coming.

How could this affect T-Mobile's build around here?

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dewbertdc Member Level: 1x Advanced

dewbertdc

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55 minutes ago, RedSpark said:

Finally!

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2021/07/montgomery-county-votes-in-favor-of-5g-cell-towers/

https://www.localdvm.com/news/maryland/montgomery-co-passes-5g-wireless-amendment-some-residents-raise-safety-concerns/

https://dcist.com/story/21/07/26/montgomery-county-council-to-vote-on-5g-zoning-bill-amid-pushback/

This has been a long time coming.

How could this affect T-Mobile's build around here?

Given that this mostly affects small cell mmWave deployments like the ones that Verizon and AT&T are using, I don't see much changing for T-Mobile.  They're mostly focused on adding mid-band 5G to their existing T-Mobile and Sprint-keep macro sites, which have been happening in this area pretty quickly.

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RedSpark Member Level: LTE Advanced

RedSpark

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10 hours ago, dewbertdc said:

Given that this mostly affects small cell mmWave deployments like the ones that Verizon and AT&T are using, I don't see much changing for T-Mobile.  They're mostly focused on adding mid-band 5G to their existing T-Mobile and Sprint-keep macro sites, which have been happening in this area pretty quickly.

Good point. I guess it could be helpful for when T-Mobile does mmWave deployments in the area.

Bethesda Magazine has another interesting write-up about it: https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/government/council-approves-change-to-pave-the-way-for-expanded-5g-coverage/

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RedSpark Member Level: LTE Advanced

RedSpark

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9 hours ago, dewbertdc said:

T-Mobile has updated their coverage maps to include 5G Ultra Capacity (N41) coverage.  Shows how quickly they've added it to towers in the DC area.

Screen Shot 2021-07-28 at 1.33.02 PM.jpg

They've made incredible progress here in such a short period of time. The network is great!

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Trip Member Level: 4G LTE

Trip

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Posted

I got a new OnePlus N10 5G a month ago or so, rooted and ready for collection.  Until yesterday, I'd only seen n71.  I connected to n41 via several sites in Tysons, and then again on two sites along I-270, one near Germantown and one just across the county line into Frederick County.

I wonder why the n41 SA deployment is so... selective.

- Trip

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RedSpark Member Level: LTE Advanced

RedSpark

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On 3/7/2022 at 9:07 AM, kg4icg said:

Have the new S22 Ultra myself been connecting to 71, 2, 41, 66, and at times getting 5GUC. So far getting up to 700mb dl

I've seen pretty great speeds and lots of 5G UC all around DC, Bethesda and Fairfax. No complaints at all.

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grapkoski Member Level: eHRPD

grapkoski

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Anyone (those TNX'ed) still having very spotty 5G and sometimes LTE service at DCA? I swear my phone becomes unusable at times. I fly out of DCA nearly weekly and as crowds have returned (yay for our industry!), service continues to degrade. I know MWAA was looking for a new DAS provider, but don't know if that ever got finalized.

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RedSpark Member Level: LTE Advanced

RedSpark

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, grapkoski said:

Anyone (those TNX'ed) still having very spotty 5G and sometimes LTE service at DCA? I swear my phone becomes unusable at times. I fly out of DCA nearly weekly and as crowds have returned (yay for our industry!), service continues to degrade. I know MWAA was looking for a new DAS provider, but don't know if that ever got finalized.

Haven't been to DCA recently so I can't say. Have you Tweeted at Neville (@NevilleRay) to let him know what you're experiencing there? MWAA might also provide you info about the DAS at DCA: https://www.flyreagan.com/dca/comments-reagan-national-airport

Curious what you find out!

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Trip Member Level: 4G LTE

Trip

Posted
Posted

On Saturday, I went down to Fredericksburg for the day.  While previously I only saw n41 SA immeidately around Newington, I now had it from home all the way to the Prince William/Stafford County line on I-95.  I assume it's now widespread through must of at least the Virginia side of the DC area.

- Trip

 

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