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Network Vision/LTE - Central Illinois Market (Peoria, Springfield, Quincy, Bloomington/Normal, Terre Haute)

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blc95 Member Level: Digital

blc95

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I've seen only sporadic flashes of 4G in Champaign-Urbana but 3G speeds seem to have improved, at least overnight when demand is low.  My guess is that NV equipment has been installed on many/most of the towers and testing is going on.   The big unknown is how long it will take for the upgraded backhaul to arrive.  

 

I agree 3G speeds have defiantly improved...Yesterday on campus I was getting 2.21mbps up and .92mbps down...It was pretty great...I spoke with someone on Sprint's Chat on their website and they said that I should expect LTE by March...We shall see if they actually know what they are talking about.

 

I drove to Mahomet last week and was able to pickup LTE on my iPhone -- hoping that means it's that much closer to being in CU!

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shaferz
shaferz

Fairbury.  The tower in question is one that came along with Project Ocean.   Here's a quick google maps thing that I put together showing where the tower is, and the approximate directions the sect

S4GRU
S4GRU

It's amazing to think you could be getting 140Mbps on Sprint in a place like Fairbury, Illinois. Amazing!   Using Tapatalk on Note 8.0

shaferz
shaferz

Bump again. For the first time ever, I just caught a second B41 carrier on the Fairbury tower. Woohoo.   No CA capable phone, but I got a 77.83 download / 14.72 upload speed.

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blc95 Member Level: Digital

blc95

Posted
Posted

I've seen only sporadic flashes of 4G in Champaign-Urbana but 3G speeds seem to have improved, at least overnight when demand is low. My guess is that NV equipment has been installed on many/most of the towers and testing is going on. The big unknown is how long it will take for the upgraded backhaul to arrive.

Where in champaign-Urbana have you seen flashes of 4G? :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Matthias Member Level: Digital

Matthias

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The main tower in downtown Peoria needs backhaul upgrades badly.  My office is in the same city block and at the same level within 100ft of the tower.  I did make it into to work on Monday and with a lot of people not going to work that day in downtown, I was only able to pull 800kbps down with a 3g phone.  For that day, with probably as few people in downtown compared to normal, I think I finally determine it is a backhaul issue (I have suspected that for over a year)

 

The Four Points Sheraton, where the tower is on top of the building, is being remodeled so I am wondering if Sprint is waiting till the remodel is done to upgrade the backhaul.

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wesman Member Level: 1x Advanced

wesman

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will be Sprint really be as good as what they say they will be? for years theyve been telling me that they are updating towers with speeds sometimes like 0.02 download and 0.01 upload sometimes I wonder and they started lte around here but for months theres been no progress and no lte at home but lte 10 minutes away... I'm just wondering rather to stick it out anymore... unlimited does me no good if I cant use internet...

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S4GRU Member Level: LTE Advanced

S4GRU

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will be Sprint really be as good as what they say they will be? for years theyve been telling me that they are updating towers with speeds sometimes like 0.02 download and 0.01 upload sometimes I wonder and they started lte around here but for months theres been no progress and no lte at home but lte 10 minutes away... I'm just wondering rather to stick it out anymore... unlimited does me no good if I cant use internet...

There are already quite a few LTE sites live around the Peoria area. Haven't you used them, yet? It should be evidence that the upgrade is occurring.

 

Samsung has pretty much finished all the physical upgrades to the network in the Peoria area. However, the LTE can only be turned on at each site as high speed internet backhaul arrives and is connected. So the remaining sites around Peoria will come online one at a time over the next 6 months or so.

 

Sprint is a mobile wireless service. It is not a home ISP. Most of us don't use LTE in our home, we use WiFi. We use LTE where we go. I personally don't care if my home has LTE, I just need a strong voice signal at home. But ideally, I would like LTE from my driveway and the places I go from there. And maybe that's what you mean when you say you want LTE at home. If you are only looking to use Sprint unlimited because you want to use it at home, let me be the first to encourage you to switch providers.

 

I think you can expect to have a pretty consistent coverage area around Peoria within 6 months. Especially if you have a device that supports Band 26 by then.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

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wesman Member Level: 1x Advanced

wesman

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Thanks Robert! You're always very helpful. Thanks for the info. I guess I'll wait it out a few more months.

 

 

There are already quite a few LTE sites live around the Peoria area. Haven't you used them, yet? It should be evidence that the upgrade is occurring.Samsung has pretty much finished all the physical upgrades to the network in the Peoria area. However, the LTE can only be turned on at each site as high speed internet backhaul arrives and is connected. So the remaining sites around Peoria will come online one at a time over the next 6 months or so.Sprint is a mobile wireless service. It is not a home ISP. Most of us don't use LTE in our home, we use WiFi. We use LTE where we go. I personally don't care if my home has LTE, I just need a strong voice signal at home. But ideally, I would like LTE from my driveway and the places I go from there. And maybe that's what you mean when you say you want LTE at home. If you are only looking to use Sprint unlimited because you want to use it at home, let me be the first to encourage you to switch providers.I think you can expect to have a pretty consistent coverage area around Peoria within 6 months. Especially if you have a device that supports Band 26 by then.Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

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wesman Member Level: 1x Advanced

wesman

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I don't have wifi at home or lte outside that's why I want 4G at home. Lol. Plus I use my phone for everything seeing I'm broke and have no computer. :-/. That's what makes it frustrating. I'm just gonna hold out for now. Can't afford the big red... Thanks for all the info on here about sprint. Gotta say it's been real helpful

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bdlarck Member Level: Morse Code

bdlarck

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Hello all, I'm not much of a poster but here goes. I received this message from Sprint on 1-18-14 message below.

 

SprintFreeMsg: Over the next month the new network will be largely completed in your area making it better than ever! http://sprint.us/network1 Reply S to stop.

 

So the long wait for Champaign-Urbana Lte may be over.

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blc95 Member Level: Digital

blc95

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Posted (edited)

My iPhone 5C has been changing from 3G to 1x all day here in Champaign - Urbana.....sign of upgrades? :)

 

Also might add that I have had mostly full bars all day....

Edited by blc95
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Dkoellerwx Member Level: LTE Advanced

Dkoellerwx

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Hello all, I'm not much of a poster but here goes. I received this message from Sprint on 1-18-14 message below.

 

SprintFreeMsg: Over the next month the new network will be largely completed in your area making it better than ever! http://sprint.us/network1 Reply S to stop.

 

So the long wait for Champaign-Urbana Lte may be over.

Don't read to much into it. People ALL OVER THE COUNTRY have gotten that text. I just got it as well here in Springfield Mo, and I know for a fact that the network here won't be anywhere near complete in a month.

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S4GRU Member Level: LTE Advanced

S4GRU

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a bit disappointed, was in springfield for a business trip and still no LTE, had LTE most of the way from Chicago to Springfield on I-55 but not within Springfield proper

The issue in Springfield must be the backhaul provider in that locale. All the sites have been upgraded and waiting for backhaul. Almost every other city has at least one site running LTE. Except for Bloomington.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

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thefisch6 Member Level: 1xRTT

thefisch6

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This is more of a general question (sorry if there's a more appropriate page on which to post this.) I know a lot of sites are waiting on backhaul for LTE to become active. My question is will there be a noticeable improvement in data speed over 3G once new fiber is in place or will it only affect LTE?

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cdk Member Level: 4G LTE

cdk

Posted
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This is more of a general question (sorry if there's a more appropriate page on which to post this.) I know a lot of sites are waiting on backhaul for LTE to become active. My question is will there be a noticeable improvement in data speed over 3G once new fiber is in place or will it only affect LTE?

 

3G speeds once the fiber connection is in place will probably improve (I don't know what speeds you are seeing now) to near its theoretical maximum assuming the air-link isn't over saturated.

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thefisch6 Member Level: 1xRTT

thefisch6

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3G speeds once the fiber connection is in place will probably improve (I don't know what speeds you are seeing now) to near its theoretical maximum assuming the air-link isn't over saturated.

That was my suspicion. Thanks for the update.

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bdlarck Member Level: Morse Code

bdlarck

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Champaign Urbana does not have any LTE site active as far as I can tell. I am all over the twin cities regularly and only get 3G. Usually at very low speeds like .04 down and .3 up. The only place I find LTE is outside of town, it truly is quite maddening at times. Hurry up and wait in CU while every podunk town around you enjoys lighting fast Internet. Sometimes Sprint makes me so angry.

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bdlarck Member Level: Morse Code

bdlarck

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Robert, I know you dont speak for Sprint but I dont really understand; it seems that all the cities in central Illinois are not covered and all the roads outside of town are. Forgive my ignorance but can you explain this. I live in (C-U) Champaign-Urbana and am all over town and there are no LTE site active. Now if I go out of town evrything is great. Are they stuck on backhaul or regulatory problems in the cities?

 

Thanks in advance for helping me understand.

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S4GRU Member Level: LTE Advanced

S4GRU

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Robert, I know you dont speak for Sprint but I dont really understand; it seems that all the cities in central Illinois are not covered and all the roads outside of town are. Forgive my ignorance but can you explain this. I live in (C-U) Champaign-Urbana and am all over town and there are no LTE site active. Now if I go out of town evrything is great. Are they stuck on backhaul or regulatory problems in the cities?

 

Thanks in advance for helping me understand.

Most of the Central Illinois market has all their equipment upgraded and ready for LTE. So any site that does not have LTE live, it is most often backhaul related.

 

Rural areas are much more likely to get backhaul sooner. I know it seems strange, but rural sites are often along major highways with fiber running right along the site. And when they are not, access is often easier because trenching in farm areas as there is typically just dirt in between fiber and the site. Not roads, concrete, buildings, etc.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

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      Totally agree.  In my county and surrounding counties, TM did not place n-41 on every site.  When I look at the sites in question, I probably would have not placed it there either.  I can find just a few with n-71 only and in most of those cases if you live there and know the probable usage of the residents, you would not do a full upgrade on those sites.  One site in particular is set up to force feed n-71 through a long tunnel on the Turnpike.  No stopping allowed in the tunnel. No stores, movie theaters, bathrooms, so n41 would be a waste.    n25 is not really needed either, so it is not there.  The tunnel is going through & under a mountain with more black bears than people.  TM was smart.  Get good coverage in the tunnel but do not waste many many thousands of dollars with extra unused spectrum. I also see sites with only n71 & n25.  Again this makes sense to me.  Depending on what county we are talking about, they moved much of their b25 from LTE to nr.  Some counties have more n25 than a neighboring county, but luckily, it is plenty everywhere.   When you are in a very rural area, n41 can run up the bills and then be barely used.  I am NOT finding sites that should have had n41 but TM failed to provide it.  They may have to come back later in a few years and upgrade the site to n41.  However, we just may eventually see the last little piece on Band 25 leave LTE and move to n25. I am not sure if the satellite to phone service is using band 25 G block as LTE or nr. We also can possibly have at least some AWS move from LTE to nr at some point.  Yes, everybody wants n41. it is not justified in some cases.  When I travel, I desire some decent service along the entire route but it does not have to be 1 or 2 gig download.   If I can get 50/5 on a speedtest with data that will flow and not stutter, I am very happy. Yes, they will swap out the USC gear.  TM needs to match their existing network. The USCC equipment did the job for years, but it is time to retire it.

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