Should I come back to Sprint

[kripatel]

I'm a former sprint customer, and recently moved to T-mobile.  The main reason I moved to T-mobile had to do with the speed of the network from the speed testing websites, and they seemed to be more reliable.  The second resons was that it was on GSM network which would allow for International roaming when abroad.  However, I've found that when T-mobile is available it is fast, but lacks indoor penetration, something I notieced of Sprint as well, it also is not available everywhere such as sprint overall coverage.  So I am now thinking of switching back to sprint because I live in Indiana and travel a lot on the road, which requires coverage that is not readily provided by T-mobile.

My question, if and when Sprint moves LTE to 800mhz and 2.5Ghz, are new phones required to take advantage of that frequency or will the Moto X and Iphone 5s work on those bands?  Secondly, I read that Verizon will be shutting down its CDMA network sometime next year and move to Voicelte, I'm thinking this will effect Sprint coverage since I'm sure they use their network at times.  Any thoughts on that or has Sprint also announced moving to Voice over LTE?

My main concern was with speed of the network, which when I have coverage with T-mobile, is much slower than Sprint (my wife still has sprint).  I'm not sure I understand why the network is slower on Sprint and whether that will improve over time specfiically in Indianapolis.  I appreciate any feedback so that I might move back to Sprint for the best long-term viability.

[bigsnake49]

I'm a former sprint customer, and recently moved to T-mobile.  The main reason I moved to T-mobile had to do with the speed of the network from the speed testing websites, and they seemed to be more reliable.  The second resons was that it was on GSM network which would allow for International roaming when abroad.  However, I've found that when T-mobile is available it is fast, but lacks indoor penetration, something I notieced of Sprint as well, it also is not available everywhere such as sprint overall coverage.  So I am now thinking of switching back to sprint because I live in Indiana and travel a lot on the road, which requires coverage that is not readily provided by T-mobile.

My question, if and when Sprint moves LTE to 800mhz and 2.5Ghz, are new phones required to take advantage of that frequency or will the Moto X and Iphone 5s work on those bands?  Secondly, I read that Verizon will be shutting down its CDMA network sometime next year and move to Voicelte, I'm thinking this will effect Sprint coverage since I'm sure they use their network at times.  Any thoughts on that or has Sprint also announced moving to Voice over LTE?

My main concern was with speed of the network, which when I have coverage with T-mobile, is much slower than Sprint (my wife still has sprint).  I'm not sure I understand why the network is slower on Sprint and whether that will improve over time specfiically in Indianapolis.  I appreciate any feedback so that I might move back to Sprint for the best long-term viability.

 

I can guarantee you that Sprint's network will be more reliable and speedy and have better indoor penetration and better outdoor coverage, but it might take until the end of 2014 to do so. You could become a sponsor so you can determine the progress of the network in your area, etc. Make sure you get a tri-band phone if you decide to come back to Sprint.

Edited October 22, 2013 by bigsnake49

[Geesmill]

I would say come back to Sprint, but let's get some additional information.  Is your T-Mobile phone unlocked?  If so then you might checkout http://www.aiowireless.com/home.html and see if their coverage will meet your needs for the time being.  They run on AT&T's GSM network and do not allow for unlimited data, but if you want to wait until Network Vision is complete this might be something to investigate.

 

Since you travel it may be hard to determine when the areas you travel to will be complete with the Sprint upgrades, but yes as new phones roll out they are beginning to have tri-band LTE radios.  When LTE 800 rolls out you will experience greater building penetration and overall coverage.  To answer your question the Moto X and iPhone 5s do not support triband, but the new G2 does.  Again, going forward there will be additional tri-band support.  The upcoming Google Nexus 5 is reported to support tri-band, but it has not been released as of yet.

 

As far as Verizon VoLTE it is indeed coming and VZW may very well take down a carrier here or there to reuse spectrum for the LTE network, but I don't see VZW shutting down their CDMA/1X network completely for a while to come.  Some others in the forums have more info as I don't have access to LTE in my area yet, but as I understand it the LTE connection is more fragile than CDMA/1X, which could result in issues with VoLTE without a robust rollout/coverage area.

 

Hope this helps, just my two cents and welcome to S4GRU.

[lynyrd65]

I'm a former sprint customer, and recently moved to T-mobile. The main reason I moved to T-mobile had to do with the speed of the network from the speed testing websites, and they seemed to be more reliable. The second resons was that it was on GSM network which would allow for International roaming when abroad. However, I've found that when T-mobile is available it is fast, but lacks indoor penetration, something I notieced of Sprint as well, it also is not available everywhere such as sprint overall coverage. So I am now thinking of switching back to sprint because I live in Indiana and travel a lot on the road, which requires coverage that is not readily provided by T-mobile.

My question, if and when Sprint moves LTE to 800mhz and 2.5Ghz, are new phones required to take advantage of that frequency or will the Moto X and Iphone 5s work on those bands? Secondly, I read that Verizon will be shutting down its CDMA network sometime next year and move to Voicelte, I'm thinking this will effect Sprint coverage since I'm sure they use their network at times. Any thoughts on that or has Sprint also announced moving to Voice over LTE?

My main concern was with speed of the network, which when I have coverage with T-mobile, is much slower than Sprint (my wife still has sprint). I'm not sure I understand why the network is slower on Sprint and whether that will improve over time specfiically in Indianapolis. I appreciate any feedback so that I might move back to Sprint for the best long-term viability.

The Moto X does not support 800 or 2500 LTE

 

The iPhone 5s supports 800mhz LTE

 

Verizon will not be shutting down its CDMA network for at least 7 years (2021 I believe) however Sprints new plans only allow 100mb of data roaming where it used to be 300mb.

 

Sprint will add Volte to its network in the next few years but that doesnt mean it will roam with VZW's network although it may roam on some regional carriers networks like US Cellular in the future.

[kripatel]

my motox is unlocked, I looked at Aio plan and unfortunately they only have individual plans and not family as I need 4 lines on my account, but appreciate the advice Geesmil.  

[S4GRU]

Moderators...I'm OK with these mentions of AIO above.

 

Members...no more mention of AIO in this thread. It is technically a violation of the posting guidelines.

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1197-s4gru-posting-guidelines-aka-the-rulez/

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[Fraydog]

Neither Verizon or Sprint are shutting down CDMA 2000 for a LOOOOONNNGGG time.

 

I wouldn't think too much about that.

[S4GRU]

Neither Verizon or Sprint are shutting down CDMA 2000 for a LOOOOONNNGGG time.

 

I wouldn't think too much about that.

To echo your point, Verizon said they plan to start VoLTE service, but never mentioned shutting down CDMA. They have tens of millions of CDMA users and it will take years for there to be so few of them on the network to shut it down or force upgrades.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[WiWavelength]

Moderators...I'm OK with these mentions of AIO above.

 

Members...no more mention of AIO in this thread. It is technically a violation of the posting guidelines.

 

Assuming the AT&T-Leap transaction is approved, Aio is reportedly going away in favor of keeping the Cricket brand running.  So, we may have to update our rules to prohibit too much chirping in our threads.

 

 

AJ

[gf11speed]

I don't know about T-Mobile but Sprint is not a network I would switch to if I was considering it. Not at the current time. Their network is unfinished, in progress, and flat out garbage in a lot of places. Yea, maybe it'll be great when it's done, but "when it's done" is in some unknown amount of time. I'd switch to AT&T or Verizon for 2 years and re-evaluate then.

[Rocket87]

Where are you indiana? Work and family take me from south bend to Evansville, currently work in Indy abd live in Columbus. NV has made huge strides all over the state. Almost all the decent sized cities have Lte and 800 voice has really helped out especially in the south bend market and Indy market. I get better coverage in places I used to roam. I have Lte almost non stop when i drive from Columbus all the way to kokomo and where I loose it it the 3g keeps streaming music just fine.

 

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