LTE Plus / Enhanced LTE (was "Sprint Spark" - Official Name for the Tri-Band Network)

[TheForce627]

No. You always need to buy a new device.

 

AJ

Is there a reason? I'm just asking because if it's not too difficult why not just do it, it seems like Sprint just doesn't future proof their phones other than 1x800 being added a while ago

[lilotimz]

Is there a reason? I'm just asking because if it's not too difficult why not just do it, it seems like Sprint just doesn't future proof their phones other than 1x800 being added a while ago

 

Because there is no 40mhz TDD support at all. No support in the equipment. No support in the phones. Not going to happen. What will happen is carrier aggregated 20mhz carriers (20mhz + 20mhz) but the likelihood of seeing it on phones anytime soon is quite low due to power consumption issues with having 2 radios active. 

[IamMrFamous07]

No. You always need to buy a new device.

 

AJ

They made it seem the current triband phones will work with spark-advance. Hopefully the compatibility is there and all it needs is a software upgrade.

 

 

But it's business so I know we will need to buy a new phone.

[IamMrFamous07]

Because there is no 40mhz TDD support at all. No support in the equipment. No support in the phones. Not going to happen. What will happen is carrier aggregated 20mhz carriers (20mhz + 20mhz) but the likelihood of seeing it on phones anytime soon is quite low due to power consumption issues with having 2 radios active.

True. I wonder how the other carriers will be with their carrier aggregation. Hopefully sprint can be fast with their deployment and be the first carrier with unlimited data to do so. I want us to win badly so the haters can shut up

[IamMrFamous07]

If sprint does participate in the H block auction and the 600 MHz spectrum? Will they aggregate those spectrums to Spark?

 

Just curious

[gr8nuguy]

We dont know.

 

Sent from my HTC ONE from Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Fraydog]

Because there is no 40mhz TDD support at all. No support in the equipment. No support in the phones. Not going to happen. What will happen is carrier aggregated 20mhz carriers (20mhz + 20mhz) but the likelihood of seeing it on phones anytime soon is quite low due to power consumption issues with having 2 radios active. 

 

20 MHz is where real real efficiency differences can be achieved over FDD-LTE, is this right? 

[Nickel]

If sprint does participate in the H block auction and the 600 MHz spectrum? Will they aggregate those spectrums to Spark?

 

Just curious

While we don't know for certain, I would doubt it. Inter-band CA is going to be a huge battery drain.

[runagun]

Kinda the whole purpose of Network Vision I believe.

 

If sprint does participate in the H block auction and the 600 MHz spectrum? Will they aggregate those spectrums to Spark?

 

Just curious

[RichardXy]

I hope that Sprint draws up new territories for the Spark deployments. I haven't been in impressed with Alcatel-Lucent. I'm hoping we get a different vendor in southern California.

[Paynefanbro]

I hope that Sprint draws up new territories for the Spark deployments. I haven't been in impressed with Alcatel-Lucent. I'm hoping we get a different vendor in southern California.

The only problem I've seen with Alcatel Lucent is their dislike of activating 800Mhz, but we all know there is good purpose behind that. They have the most upgraded towers out of all 3 manufacturers, so I think you should be glad.

[RichardXy]

The only problem I've seen with Alcatel Lucent is their dislike of activating 800Mhz, but we all know there is good purpose behind that. They have the most upgraded towers out of all 3 manufacturers, so I think you should be glad.

In terms of percentages Alcatel doesn't have the most completed. The three vendors don't have an equal number of towers to upgrade. Alcatel has 44.66% of the towers and the other two vendors have 27.66% each. Alcatel actually lags in LTE deployments compared to the other two as percentage of work completed.

 

But all of that is irrelevant.

 

I hope they redivide the nation into 33% chunks to make the deployment more balanced.

[utiz4321]

The only problem I've seen with Alcatel Lucent is their dislike of activating 800Mhz, but we all know there is good purpose behind that. They have the most upgraded towers out of all 3 manufacturers, so I think you should be glad.

They have the most 3G upgraded towers of any vendor, but I doubt that would hold true for lte. Further, they should have the most towers online they have the more of the top 100 markets than any of the other vendor. THe problem with AL is they are slow to roll out lte and 800. If you compare the progress of first round Chicago to first round Washington, D.C. You soon see the difference in deployment speed. There are stil tons of sites in DC that are 3G only and only a handful in Chicago.

[Rawvega]

The three vendors don't have an equal number of towers to upgrade. Alcatel has 44.66% of the towers and the other two vendors have 27.66% each.

 

Such precise numbers. Where'd they come from anyway? I've seen in the NV sites complete thread how many NV complete cell sites each vendor has. However, and I may have missed it, but I haven't seen a thread that breaks down the exact total of how many cell sites each vendor is responsible for upgrading.

[Paynefanbro]

They have the most 3G upgraded towers of any vendor, but I doubt that would hold true for lte. Further, they should have the most towers online they have the more of the top 100 markets than any of the other vendor. THe problem with AL is they are slow to roll out lte and 800. If you compare the progress of first round Chicago to first round Washington, D.C. You soon see the difference in deployment speed. There are stil tons of sites in DC that are 3G only and only a handful in Chicago.

 

I have a feeling that's not ALU's fault but rather the fault of the backhaul vendor. In NYC, sites were 3G only for some time, but suddenly they began turning into 4G towers in waves because Optimum began getting fiber to the sites.But then some areas were left out because they have different backhaul vendors.

[Cubbiefan82]

I hope that Sprint draws up new territories for the Spark deployments. I haven't been in impressed with Alcatel-Lucent. I'm hoping we get a different vendor in southern California.

Even if they do have al as vendor for your area again, they only have to get permit and put the antenna up. The backhaul will already be there and will be upgraded before they put up the new antenna, I wouldn't worry so much about who gets what. Now Sprint also has tons of money to throw at this, things will get faster at deployment. Softbank isn't about to let the big two take its customers lol

[RichardXy]

They have the most 3G upgraded towers of any vendor, but I doubt that would hold true for lte. Further, they should have the most towers online they have the more of the top 100 markets than any of the other vendor. THe problem with AL is they are slow to roll out lte and 800. If you compare the progress of first round Chicago to first round Washington, D.C. You soon see the difference in deployment speed. There are stil tons of sites in DC that are 3G only and only a handful in Chicago.

My area isn't getting 800 until after 2016 so I pretty much ignore 800 altogether. There's nothing that Alcatel can really do about it because of the international agreements.

[RichardXy]

I find it very amusing that everyone is saying its OK if Alcatel-Lucent is my vendor again but no one is saying that they would love to have Alcatel as their vendor. 

[Rawvega]

I have no qualms with AlcaLu being the vendor for my market. What I find very interesting is that for one reason or another, Sprint deemed AlcaLu worthy of being brought back for the Spark deployment unlike Ericsson... 

[lilotimz]

I have no qualms with AlcaLu being the vendor for my market. What I find very interesting is that for one reason or another, Sprint deemed AlcaLu worthy of being brought back for the Spark deployment unlike Ericsson... 

 

China did select ALU as one of their major TDD-LTE vendors a few months ago... economy of scale maybe? ALU Lightradio TDD equipment is quite good according to most publications. 

[halcyoncmdr]

I have no qualms with AlcaLu being the vendor for my market. What I find very interesting is that for one reason or another, Sprint deemed AlcaLu worthy of being brought back for the Spark deployment unlike Ericsson... 

 

Perhaps Ericsson has so much on their plate currently that they didn't bid... or NSN had a better offer... or Sprint isn't happy with how Ericsson handled the network maintenance agreement in addition to NV deployment and has chosen to avoid them this round... At this point we just don't know.

[Rawvega]

Perhaps Ericsson has so much on their plate currently that they didn't bid... or NSN had a better offer... or Sprint isn't happy with how Ericsson handled the network maintenance agreement in addition to NV deployment and has chosen to avoid them this round... At this point we just don't know.

 

Nope, we don't know and probably never will. However, I don't *think* that it was the first thing that you mentioned.

 

Courtesy of the link that lilotimz provided earlier in this thread:

 

 

When asked whether Ericsson wasn't picked to be a vendor because Sprint's Spark service will use carrier aggregation in the 2.5 GHz band, Ewaldsson said that he would not comment on the specifics of the deal other than to say that Sprint was involved in a "big overhaul" of its network.

 

Read more: Ericsson CTO responds to vendor's absence from Sprint's Spark program - FierceWireless http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/ericsson-cto-responds-vendors-absence-sprints-spark-program/2013-10-30#ixzz2jRR8lwFI 

Subscribe at FierceWireless

 

 

If Ericsson didn't bid, then that would've been a relatively simple way for their CTO to have answered that question.

[lilotimz]

Nope, we don't know and probably never will. However, I don't *think* that it was the first thing that you mentioned.

 

Courtesy of the link that lilotimz provided earlier in this thread:

 

 

If Ericsson didn't bid, then that would've been a relatively simple way for their CTO to have answered that question.

 

Trust me when I say that they lost the bid. No way in hell they're not going to bid when their mortal enemy (NSN) is bidding. 

[WiWavelength]

China did select ALU as one of their major TDD-LTE vendors a few months ago... economy of scale maybe? ALU Lightradio TDD equipment is quite good according to most publications. 

 

I have forgotten.  Does Ericsson have a known small cell solution?  That is apt to be paramount for TD-LTE deployment.

 

AJ

[lilotimz]

I have forgotten.  Does Ericsson have a known small cell solution?  That is apt to be paramount for TD-LTE deployment.

 

AJ

 

Definitely but i'm not sure if it's public yet. Only thing I can find about small cells are this :

 

http://www.ericsson.com/news/1677764

• Combined cell allows small cell capacity build without interference 

  Ericsson demonstrates techniques for avoiding interference between small and macro nodes as users move through the heterogenous network. Within the combined cell, the system dynamically optimizes the base station and small cell transmission and reception to provide the best possible cell-edge performance and the overall mobile broadband user experience. 

• Concept reveal: world's smallest active antenna system 

  Ericsson will showcase a new technology design with the world's smallest 8 x 8 MIMO active antenna system. This marks another step in Ericsson's heterogeneous network development, in which we advance and build small and easy-to-deploy network-radio equipment. The small cell active antenna system demonstration provides up to 1 Gbps data speeds and will make 8 x 8 MIMO deployment more practical and cost-effective for service providers.  As standards advance, LTE 8 x 8 MIMO will ultimately enable users to enjoy extremely fast data downloads and streaming of rich media content and high-definition videos.

 

So they do have 8x8 mimi equipment but I'm not sure if it's TDD-LTE compatible. The highest end TD-LTE vendors appears to be Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), Alcatel-Lucent, Samsung, Huawei, ZTE, and then Ericsson.