Potential Sprint rural buildout by 2016

[brockeb1]

Lookee what I found in Rapid City, South Dakota. Golden West, the company that leased Sprint's PCS G Block in Western South Dakota appears to be broadcasting on G Block from their Downtown Rapid City Site on the roof of the Turnac Tower.

 

I swept this area with my spectrum analyzer just this past Friday and it looked the same as the background noise then.

 

 

I cannot connect to it, but it's there on the spectrum analyzer. When I scan just using LTE Only, I see a new carrier I've never seen "USANW". I will keep trying to connect and will check other Golden West sites.

 

 

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It's gonna get interesting now here in Rapid City and the Black Hills. Will be curious to see exactly how many sites they will actually have. Just checked number portability using Rapid City prefix, and it's not allowed on Sprint - however - they are listed as a wireless service provider on the South Dakota PUC website, unlike T-Mobile. 

Edited February 16, 2016 by brockeb1

[S4GRU]

It's also broadcasting on Golden West's Skyline Tower on the hill that separates Rapid City into West and East.

 

 

Corner of Skyline Drive and Tower Road. Checking more.

 

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[brockeb1]

It's also broadcasting on Golden West's Skyline Tower on the hill that separates Rapid City into West and East.

 

 

Corner of Skyline Drive and Tower Road. Checking more.

 

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You are a ROCK STAR my friend. 

[lilotimz]

It's also broadcasting on Golden West's Skyline Tower on the hill that separates Rapid City into West and East.

 

 

 

Corner of Skyline Drive and Tower Road. Checking more.

 

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Is Golden West a CDMA partner?

 

I smell a shared network alliance partner with Roaming+ coverage coming sooooooon...

[S4GRU]

Is Golden West a CDMA partner?

 

I smell a shared network alliance partner with Roaming+ coverage coming sooooooon...

They only have a GSM network to my knowledge. But they could add GMO CDMA easily.

 

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[S4GRU]

I have checked 4 sites around Rapid City now. PCS G block is live on 3 of 4. Downtown, Skyline and Fountain Springs. Robbinsdale (Cambell/St. Patrick) is a no...so far.

 

AJ suggested I also sweep 15x15 PCS A Block that Sprint has here. Nothing so far on that.

 

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[S4GRU]

OK, completed reviewing all six area Golden West sites. Just live on 3 out of 6. Not live at Robbinsdale, Box Elder nor Ellsworth AFB sites.

 

Nothing will connect. Not Sprint device or Project Fi. Will keep trying.

 

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[WiWavelength]

I have checked 4 sites around Rapid City now. PCS G block is live on 3 of 4. Downtown, Skyline and Fountain Springs. Robbinsdale (Cambell/St. Patrick) is a no...so far.

 

And those three sites may be all she wrote.  With the site placements, RF projections should show that they cover central, south, and north Rapid City.  That should be adequate to satisfy the Substantial Service requirement.  Real world signal will not be adequate in parts of those areas, but that is beside the point.

 

AJ

[S4GRU]

And those three sites may be all she wrote. With the site placements, RF projections should show that they cover central, south, and north Rapid City. That should be adequate to satisfy the Substantial Service requirement. Real world signal will not be adequate in parts of those areas, but that is beside the point.

 

AJ

By my estimation, this would likely be enough to meet Substantial Service Requirements for the entire BEA. But I wouldn't be shocked if one of the two GW Sturgis sites are live too. I will check when I drive through on Wednesday evening.

 

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[RAvirani]

By my estimation, this would likely be enough to meet Substantial Service Requirements for the entire BEA. But I wouldn't be shocked if one of the two GW Sturgis sites are live too. I will check when I drive through on Wednesday evening.

 

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This is awesome! If only we had someone out in Montana...

[S4GRU]

This is awesome! If only we had someone out in Montana...

I will be crossing Montana on Thursday and Sunday.

 

EDIT: Scratch that. With the snow now forecasted in the mountains of Western Montana, I'm now flying. I'm bummed.

 

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[WiWavelength]

I will be crossing Montana on Thursday and Sunday.

 

Well, during your "crossing" of Montana, do not try to deliver a condemned female criminal, do not pick up any stranded bounty hunters, and definitely do not stop at a place called Minnie's Haberdashery.

 

 

AJ

[dkyeager]

OK, completed reviewing all six area Golden West sites. Just live on 3 out of 6. Not live at Robbinsdale, Box Elder nor Ellsworth AFB sites.

 

Nothing will connect. Not Sprint device or Project Fi. Will keep trying.

 

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I was wondering if you checked the WiMAX Substantial Service Site on East Philadelphia Street (near the Popeye's Chicken) in Rapid City.  In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, those were taken over by Cellcom for Roaming+.  If true that might give you a better idea of were to look elsewhere, since those sites may have long term leases.

[S4GRU]

I was wondering if you checked the WiMAX Substantial Service Site on East Philadelphia Street (near the Popeye's Chicken) in Rapid City. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, those were taken over by Cellcom for Roaming+. If true that might give you a better idea of were to look elsewhere, since those sites may have long term leases.

So far, no change on the WiMax Protection Site in Rapid City. No LTE fired up, even though WiMax is now off. The Clearwire Huawei base station and radios still there as of last Thursday.

 

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[bretton88]

So if there's no CDMA, that means no ecsfb so are these sites useless to most Sprint users?

[RAvirani]

So if there's no CDMA, that means no ecsfb so are these sites useless to most Sprint users?

They aren't useless...there's still LTE. Sprint will probably use their A block license to deploy CDMA at some point. It's just that they have to have something up in the G-Block by March 3rd.

[dkyeager]

I looked at microwave licenses under Sprint for North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana.  I found nothing that relates to this topic, but I did find some likely sites for the Fargo ND market that were unknown to us: http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1120-comments-related-to-nv-sites-complete-site-acceptance-update-threads/page-581&do=findComment&comment=468933

[RAvirani]

I will be crossing Montana on Thursday and Sunday.

 

EDIT: Scratch that. With the snow now forecasted in the mountains of Western Montana, I'm now flying. I'm bummed.

 

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Awh...ill probs be heading out there but it will be early April

[S4GRU]

Awh...ill probs be heading out there but it will be early April

That said, B25 is doing quite well in most places I've used it around Puget Sound the past two days. A lot of 20-30Mbps speeds. And I've been floored by B41 performance. If I have B41, I blow the doors off Verizon, AT&T and Tmo. But I head back to the Dakotas tomorrow.

 

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[dkyeager]

No new likely sites spotted in microwave search for Sprint in American Somoa, or Wyoming under the name Sprint, nor any recent using Sprint's address (UbiquiTel Leasing Company, etc)
 
Now Anchorage, AK is quite different:

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1120-comments-related-to-nv-sites-complete-site-acceptance-update-threads/page-582&do=findComment&comment=469541

[S4GRU]

OK, now Golden West is broadcasting on PCS G Block in Rapid City on PLMN 311-530. Which comes up as NewCore Wireless. I mapped the three sites using CellMapper. Could not authenticate with it using Google Fi or Sprint.

 

 

 

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[belusnecropolis]

 

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Awesome find boss.

[rmfebles]

Is summer 2016 the true rollout deadline for project cedar or is it just a rumor? Sprint has been pretty mum on any specific details and seems to be playing this card close to the chest. 

[RAvirani]

Is summer 2016 the true rollout deadline for project cedar or is it just a rumor? Sprint has been pretty mum on any specific details and seems to be playing this card close to the chest.

Buildout deadline for the PCS G Block is March 3rd.

[banananuts87]

Buildout deadline for the PCS G Block is March 3rd.

Any idea how close they are to completion?