T-Mobile LTE & Network Discussion

[Fraydog]

T-Mobile's coverage map was updated today showing band 2 coverage. Definitely "hotspot" type coverage.

It's pretty accurate, from what I tested on a $30 plan around Perryville and Ste. Genevieve. Perryville is blanketed and Ste. Gen is very spotty as there isn't a T-Mobile tower really close to the town. To be fair, all mobile coverage sucks there, especially in the Old Settlement part of town by the river.

[lou99/maximus1987]

Has anyone found the Band 12 only coverage yet? I looked at Colorado Springs and couldn't find any Band 12 only dialog.

There likely won't be one: b12 would only exist on fully modernized towers. Sure b12 stretches out father than b4 but they may not have created the map logic to look at b12 vs area covered by b4 when you click.

 

Ray explicitly mention dc. Try around there if it exists at all (the b12 popup).

[derrph]

So this is the updated map that I am currently looking at as of now?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lou99/maximus1987]

So this is the updated map that I am currently looking at as of now?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The purple one yes but it's incomplete. some areas like formerly metro lte are showing as no coverage at all.

[maxsilver]

they may not have created the map logic to look at b12 vs area covered by b4 when you click.

 

For what it's worth, this new map does contain logic to show Band 12 700mhz LTE, and to alert you if you need a Band 12 device to use it (you can see it for yourself by loading it up in developer tools)

 

It also has a device page for it - http://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/coverage-phones-700.html

 

I haven't found an area that actually triggers it yet. But if/when that trigger happens, there's logic in that map, today, to support Band 12 required areas.

[derrph]

The purple one yes but it's incomplete. some areas like formerly metro lte are showing as no coverage at all.

Hmm I'm intrigued with the coverage I may go and get prepaid T-Mobile phone or do a test drive to test it outside of my city. Last time I had them was in 2012 and that was for a week because the service was horrible outside of my city but seeing that there is LTE now in those areas I want to compare them to my current sprint service.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[milan03]

For what it's worth, the map does contain logic to show Band 12 700mhz LTE, and to alert you if you need a Band 12 device to use it.

 

It also has a device page for it - http://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/coverage-phones-700.html

 

I haven't found an area that triggers it yet. But if/when that happens, there's logic in the map, today, to support that.

Typically where Band 12 is deployed, Band 4 is also available which could explain why you can't find the areas that trigger Band 12 device alert.

That should change in the second half of 2015 when they start expanding into the areas of no coverage potentially using only Band 12.

 

We still need some clarity on whether they'll expand the coverage with Band 12 only or Band 2/4/12 since it's going to require new RRUs anyway.

[lou99/maximus1987]

Typically where Band 12 is deployed, Band 4 is also available which could explain why you can't find the Band 12 only areas.

That should change in the second half of 2015 when they start expanding into the areas of no coverage using that Band 12.

But any modernized tower will have 4/12 so for the same reason you wouldn't see b12 only areas.

[milan03]

But any modernized tower will have 4/12 so for the same reason you wouldn't see b12 only areas.

That's a logical assumption, but we still don't know for sure how will they deploy into these new areas. They could decide to cut as much cost as possible, and go with Band 12 Only, as most of these ares are tertiary markets.

[lou99/maximus1987]

That's a logical assumption, but we still don't know for sure how will they deploy into these new areas. They could decide to cut as much cost as possible, and go with Band 12 Only, as most of these ares are tertiary markets.

1) will tmus bring lte to ALL of their current cell sites

2) because of AWS buildout requirements, is it safe to assume that they will fully modernize all existing cell sites to be 2/4/12 lte?

3) current 2g footprint is 285ish million. I wouldn't be disappointed if most of the current att roaming is only covered with b12.

Exception is upper half of lower michigan

[milan03]

Pick a T-Mobile exec and send him an email. I doubt that anyone here will have all the answers to your questions.

[maxsilver]

3) current 2g footprint is 285ish million. I wouldn't be disappointed if most of the current att roaming is only covered with b12.

Exception is upper half of lower michigan

 

 

Why the "exception"? They have enough spectrum there.

[lou99/maximus1987]

 

Why the "exception"?

I meant: it's not okay for upper half of lower mich to be b12 only because there's a few decent sized cities. Those cities at least should get 2/4/12 towers

[lou99/maximus1987]

Article: in Austria, consolidation from 4 to 3 players resulted in the num 1 operator increasing smartphone charges by 50%.

[Fraydog]

Please stay on topic.

[lou99/maximus1987]

Please stay on topic.

DT CEO just publicly begged for tmus to be allowed to be bought; this is on topic.

 

How is it not?

[Fraydog]

DT CEO just publicly begged for tmus to be allowed to be bought; this is on topic.

 

How is it not?

I don't want three providers ether but if it comes down to it, a GOP congress will bull rush an FCC with a lame duck President.

 

Of course that's all speculation. This has been beaten to death. There's also no hard evidence talks between SoftBank and Deutsche Telekom have been revived.

[maxsilver]

I meant: it's not okay for upper half of lower mich to be b12 only because there's a few decent sized cities. Those cities at least should get 2/4/12 towers

Ah, ok. Sounds good!

 

I know it's all just rural / small town, but I really hope they add PCS HSPA+ up there (instead of PCS LTE), in addition to whatever B12 (and potentially B4) LTE they run.

 

In some ways, Northern Michigan is a decade behind the rest of the world. The population age skews a lot older and those folks are still using a lot of older devices up there. It's also heavily AT&T country (no TMO presence + poor Sprint presence + ATT ILEC = lots of extra AT&T cellular subscribers).

 

I think there's still a solid business case to spend money deploying new HSPA+ in those particular counties.

[Fraydog]

In some ways, Northern Michigan is a decade behind the rest of the world. The population age skews a lot older and those folks are still using a lot of older devices up there. It's also heavily AT&T country (no TMO presence + poor Sprint presence + ATT ILEC = lots of extra AT&T cellular subscribers).

 

 

Sounds like Southern Illinois and Verizon (Almost no T-Mo or Sprint + ex-Verizon ILEC + Paltry AT&T presence + FirstCellular sell out + Alltel/ATNI apathy + ATNI sell out to AT&T = Cellular Monopoly for Big Red.)

[WiWavelength]

People forget about frequencies especially in the vhf and uhf bands which 600, 700, 800 mhz after apart of. Every now and then when the atmosphere charges up especially in the e-layer, you get a bounce off radio waves called skip. And during the right tone, those radio waves will carry for miles. Not unheard of hearing or seeing tv and radio signals miles from where the were. It that frequency range, signals have a habit of traveling several states because of e-skip. Propagation always has play in it. There is no defeating physics.

It won't be a problem for cellular networks.

 

That is not the point.  It may be a problem for TV broadcasters, as propagation characteristics and interference levels dictate how closely spaced co channel TV stations can be located.

 

AJ

[lou99/maximus1987]

That is not the point. It may be a problem for TV broadcasters, as propagation characteristics and interference levels dictate how closely spaced co channel TV stations can be located.

 

AJ

Why can't the tv filters do their job?

[Trip]

Why can't the tv filters do their job?

With a background in TV engineering and now working on the incentive auction for the FCC, all I can say is this: I have absolutely no idea what on Earth you are talking about.

 

- Trip

[lou99/maximus1987]

With a background in TV engineering and now working on the incentive auction for the FCC, all I can say is this: I have absolutely no idea what on Earth you are talking about.

 

- Trip

Cellular spectrum is in blocks of 5mhz and there doesn't need to be couple if blocks empty on either side to not cause interference.

 

Why can't tv channels be bunched up like current cellular spectrum? Why does there have to be an empty channel on either side of a tv channel?

[Trip]

There has to be an empty channel between wireless and TV because the relative power difference between the two is huge.  If you're near a TV transmitter (up to 1000 kW) then the TV signal will stomp on the wireless transmissions (up to 1 kW/MHz from the base station, I think, but usually much less, and not more than a few watts max on the phone side).  The reverse is also true if you're far away from a TV transmitter; the wireless transmission from the phone will be so much higher in power than the received power level of the TV signal that the TV receiver won't be able to handle it.

 

As for TV-to-TV, there doesn't necessarily have to be an empty TV channel between the two as long as the stations are geographically close together.  In your area, WOOD is on channel 7 and WWMT is on channel 8 without issue.  Where there is a problem is when there is distance between the two stations such that areas exist where one station will be more than about 30 dB stronger than the other, causing receivers to be unable to decode the weaker signal.

 

- Trip

[bigsnake49]

That is not the point.  It may be a problem for TV broadcasters, as propagation characteristics and interference levels dictate how closely spaced co channel TV stations can be located.

 

AJ

Sorry AJ, I am not really sympathetic to the proliferation of UHF stations all running reruns of the same hit series.