Trying to figure all this out...

[Ffryguy29]

Please bear with me. I'm relatively new to this forum. I've been with Sprint for 14 years. I have generally been OK with the service except since I moved to Madison, Wisconsin 3 years ago. At first I couldn't get voice service in my house, but that was fixed with an Airrave. Then I noticed my data speeds were very slow. I got a iPhone 4S two years ago and dealt with the slow data because I wanted to stay with Sprint. I put up with it for a year and then spent my time anticipating the time I could switch services. Then I started doing research and looking at the Network vision plan and thought it potentially could be awesome. But I was still set to move. Then I saw the unlimited guaranteed plan, which intrigued me. I figured it was Sprint's plan to stop from hemorrhaging customers until such a time at their service was acceptable. Then they would likely move to tiered data. Given the promise of Network Vision, I was tempted to get in on the ground floor and lock in for a while.

Here is my dilemma. I need (want) a new phone. I need one that has LTE to take advantage of the new network. The problem is I don't want to lock in for another 2 years if this isn't going to get better.

I currently get 0.2 MBps down and 0.05 up on 3G which seems absurdly slow, even though o. My local market board I hear about all the upgrades and Sensorly maps improvements near me, which I would assume would mean better 3G as well, but I've seen little improvement.

Maybe I need a new phone to take advantage of the upgrades?

So I am still left with my problem. I really want to stay with Sprint. I like the Unlimited idea and I don't want to give my money to Verizon (the only good option in my area) unless I absolutely have to. I like Sprint's underdog role. But I don't want to lock in and at the end of two years feel like I'm in the same position with slow speeds. I also doubt whether Sprint's estimate of the timeline for this rollout is very ambitious. There's no way I think the end of the year is feasible or the end of 2014 either.

 

I'm really torn. I am willing to wait for good service because the potential is good, but I don't want to be dealing with the above speeds in two years. I also wonder when they will yank the unlimited away.

My thought is to wait until there is a triband phone (nexus 5) and go from there, but I'm gun shy, especially since my Market hasn't even been announced yet.

 

What would you guys do? Go to Verizon and come back when the Service is better. Stick with Sprint (which I want to do)?

 

I'm really not trying to troll. I did research on these boards and then became a member to do some more. I think the amount of time and research people have put on here is incredible and this is one of the most well behaved and informative forums I have seen on the Internet. I am just trying to figure out what to do.

 

If this has been posted elsewhere, I apologize. I haven't been able to find a specific answer to my concerns.

 

Thanks to everyone in advance and thanks for a great forum...

[shannonbrian]

Best thing do go with someone else then come back when all there nv done.

[Ffryguy29]

Best thing do go with someone else then come back when all there nv done.

I've thought about that, but then worry I will lose the ability to keep unlimited. Therein my dilemma.

[shannonbrian]

I waited almost one year see 1st lte. I wait until next june upate to s5 with triband.

[gameaddict8]

I've thought about that, but then worry I will lose the ability to keep unlimited. Therein my dilemma.

 

Use Prepaid while you're waiting. Grab one of the next gen 2014 handsets in March

[lafester]

I would go with the nexus and wait it out. If things don't work out the way you want you should be able to use your nexus on tmobile or att.

[DCblackhole]

I am in a similar situation.  I have been with Sprint since July 2000, and I have been seriously considering jumping ship to a different provider.  My biggest issue is that I have multiple lines and 3 of them are still under contract.

 

If I could leave right now without have to pay over $700 in EFT I would leave Sprint.  I wouldn't put any more faith in Sprint and their promises of network upgrades.  I remember going through the same thing with the Wimax roll out.  When my market was finally covered I was in the middle of a contract on a device that didn't support the new technology.   Then by the time my contract was up, Sprint decided to abandon Wimax for LTE so I didn't want to buy a device that would be obsolete in a few months (that was the timeframe the Sprint reps gave).

 

Honestly you have to decide what is more important to you... quality or quantity?  Right now I feel like unlimited data is useless because it is too slow to take advantage of.  I told a friend it is like Verizon is giving you a cooler of bottled water and saying "this is all you get, when it is gone it is gone" and Sprint says "you can drink all the water in this ocean, but you have to distill it before you can drink it" lol

 

I have been reading and picking up so much info from these forums that I would have never imagined.  But with all the different frequencies and varying types of spectrum Sprint currently has, there is no telling what may happen with them.  It seems like the wisest thing to do is pick the best network in your area right now, and just come back to Sprint when they finally smooth everything out.

[Dkoellerwx]

I am in a similar situation.  I have been with Sprint since July 2000, and I have been seriously considering jumping ship to a different provider.  My biggest issue is that I have multiple lines and 3 of them are still under contract.

 

If I could leave right now without have to pay over $700 in EFT I would leave Sprint.  I wouldn't put any more faith in Sprint and their promises of network upgrades. 

 

Leave if you have to, but as a Sponsor with access to all the information that we have, I'm surprised to see you make that statement. There is no reason to doubt that network upgrades are coming. With SoftBank in the mix, it will not be WiMax, the roll-out isn't going to suddenly stop in the middle.

 

TD-LTE ( Band 41, Clear LTE, 25/2600 LTE, whatever you want to call it) is already live across a good portion of Cincinnati, and most WiMax markets for that matter, and will be covered by Spring. Granted, you do need a capable device, but Tri-Band is the future of Sprint. Everything from this point on out - save for the Note 3 and iPhone 5s - will be Tri-Band. 

[tommym65]

Please bear with me. I'm relatively new to this forum. I've been with Sprint for 14 years. I have generally been OK with the service except since I moved to Madison, Wisconsin 3 years ago. At first I couldn't get voice service in my house, but that was fixed with an Airrave. Then I noticed my data speeds were very slow. I got a iPhone 4S two years ago and dealt with the slow data because I wanted to stay with Sprint. I put up with it for a year and then spent my time anticipating the time I could switch services. Then I started doing research and looking at the Network vision plan and thought it potentially could be awesome. But I was still set to move. Then I saw the unlimited guaranteed plan, which intrigued me. . . .

A suggestion: Hold on just a few more weeks before you make your decision. As a sponsor, and with Sensorly, you can see the actual LTE progress being made, and it has been substantial in SE Wisconsin. What you haven't yet seen is the new 800 voice/text capability that is on the near horizon (= much better in-building penetration), because Robert isn't getting those reports as frequently.

 

By the end of the year -- probably by the end of October -- you should see a significant improvement in voice in Madison. If you move up to either the iPhone 5s or 5c, you will get that and you will get LTE on 1900 within that time frame, and 800 LTE soon thereafter, if not at the same time. Of course, if you changed now, you would have the 2 year commitment, so wait just a little. Consider waiting at least a couple or four weeks, and if people in your area haven't seen the promised improvements, then think about changing.

[peteyz24]

If you want to stay.  Pick up a tri band phone this fall.  If you end up not being happy with your service in 6-12 months you can always jump ship and sell the sprint phone on ebay/craigslist to recoup the etf.

[Ffryguy29]

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. It is tempting to wait to see how Sprint is going to handle the Nexus 5. If I can buy it from Google and use it on Sprint's network, then I will buy it because I have very little to lose.

I guess my hesitation wasn't about whether the network would be built. I have looked at all the maps and definitely see the progress. I was worried about the quality of the service once the rollout is complete.

I live in an area that has 4G coverage via sensorly and also is triangulated by 3 towers on the map. I would have expected 3G service to improve with these upgrades, but that has not been the case.

 

Is this a correct assumption? I fully realize I may be wrong about this,which is why I'm asking. THe whole reason behnid my orignal post is that I assumed that the LTE service would be as slow (relatively, obviously) as the 3G service I currently getting. If this is not the case and I am expecting too much in terms of 3G service improvement, I'll go out and get an LTE phone tomorrow (or Friday).

[tommym65]

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. It is tempting to wait to see how Sprint is going to handle the Nexus 5. If I can buy it from Google and use it on Sprint's network, then I will buy it because I have very little to lose. I guess my hesitation wasn't about whether the network would be built. I have looked at all the maps and definitely see the progress. I was worried about the quality of the service once the rollout is complete. I live in an area that has 4G coverage via sensorly and also is triangulated by 3 towers on the map. I would have expected 3G service to improve with these upgrades, but that has not been the case.   Is this a correct assumption? I fully realize I may be wrong about this,which is why I'm asking. THe whole reason behnid my orignal post is that I assumed that the LTE service would be as slow (relatively, obviously) as the 3G service I currently getting. If this is not the case and I am expecting too much in terms of 3G service improvement, I'll go out and get an LTE phone tomorrow (or Friday).

 

Frankly, the 3G improvement with Network Vision has been small, at least in the Chicago area. Voice is about the same, and data is somewhat faster, but one of Sprint's issues has been backhaul speed, and once the backhaul is improved, 4G LTE becomes available, so 3G data becomes almost irrelevant.  The real payoffs so far in Chicagoland have been 800 voice and 1900 LTE, both of which are imminent in SE Wisconsin. I am holding my breath for 800 LTE, which should dramatically improve coverage and in-building reception.  Don't know the specs of the Nexus 5, so I am not sure what bands it covers.  That's why I mentioned the new iPhones (that, and the fact that you have an old iPhone), because I know that they will cover both 800 and 1900 voice and data.  My recommendation somewhat pains me, because I am an Android bigot, but we are still several weeks away from any Android that will cover 800/1900.

[saywhatman]

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. It is tempting to wait to see how Sprint is going to handle the Nexus 5. If I can buy it from Google and use it on Sprint's network, then I will buy it because I have very little to lose. I guess my hesitation wasn't about whether the network would be built. I have looked at all the maps and definitely see the progress. I was worried about the quality of the service once the rollout is complete. I live in an area that has 4G coverage via sensorly and also is triangulated by 3 towers on the map. I would have expected 3G service to improve with these upgrades, but that has not been the case.   Is this a correct assumption? I fully realize I may be wrong about this,which is why I'm asking. THe whole reason behnid my orignal post is that I assumed that the LTE service would be as slow (relatively, obviously) as the 3G service I currently getting. If this is not the case and I am expecting too much in terms of 3G service improvement, I'll go out and get an LTE phone tomorrow (or Friday).

 

I think you're expecting a bit too much from 3G improvements. 4G LTE enhancements, especially with up and coming tri-band deployment will really be where the improvement is at. Also, judging by the sponsor maps, all of the improvements in Madison have been 4G only, meaning that the new 3G panels and RRUs have not been accepted for activation yet, probably for interference concerns with legacy Motorola equipment, so the 3G improvements might not be as large yet as they will be. 

 

Frankly, the 3G improvement with Network Vision has been small, at least in the Chicago area. Voice is about the same, and data is somewhat faster, but one of Sprint's issues has been backhaul speed, and once the backhaul is improved, 4G LTE becomes available, so 3G data becomes almost irrelevant.  The real payoffs so far in Chicagoland have been 800 voice and 1900 LTE, both of which are imminent in SE Wisconsin. I am holding my breath for 800 LTE, which should dramatically improve coverage and in-building reception.  Don't know the specs of the Nexus 5, so I am not sure what bands it covers.  That's why I mentioned the new iPhones (that, and the fact that you have an old iPhone), because I know that they will cover both 800 and 1900 voice and data.  My recommendation somewhat pains me, because I am an Android bigot, but we are still several weeks away from any Android that will cover 800/1900.

 

The FCC documentation for the LGD820 (which is rumored to be the Nexus 5) has it listed as capable of using all three LTE bands on Sprint (B25 800, B26 1900 and B41 2600). The LG G2, as well will offer triband coverage on Sprint. If you can wait, the release date of the Nexus 5 should be in mid-October. I think I'm dropping my HTC One off on ebay and grabbing one of these guys to take advantage of the huge amounts of 2600 being deployed in Chicagoland right now