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

[Fraydog]

Muppet would have a point if he was stating that Sprint should shift prioritization. Of course the urban cores of major should get B41 first. He just had to be twisting what was said into something that it never was.

 

With NV mostly complete Sprint can rank sites by congestion and prioritize installation for B41. Of course, that's not what Muppet said.

[NYC126]

Because they [sprint] have so much spectrum, they have the ability to offer very, very high bit rates," Murphy said.

 

Nokia has held "a lot of discussions" with its other carrier customers regarding ways they might compete against Sprint if serious marketing battles over peak data rates come to fruition, Murphy said during a breakfast meeting with a handful of reporters on the sidelines of CTIA's Super Mobility Week event.

http://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/story/sprints-ability-offer-blazing-peak-speeds-worries-rivals-says-nokia-exec/2014-09-15

 

The Nokia Siemens executive basically said that Sprint can blow out everyone regarding speed and capacity.

[JimBob]

This is not accurate, and it is a report based on another misreport where someone misunderstood what Marcelo said.  I don't have more time to respond now, but I would completely ignore this article.  I hope Marcelo comes out and clarifies soon so more misinformation doesn't get spread.

 

It is far more than five markets.  Heck, there is nine in Samsung areas alone:  Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco.  And that's just one of three vendors.  The article is utter bullshit.  Moffet is smiling ear to ear.

Indianapolis is already awesome on LTE. Now there will be moar?!

[gr8nuguy]

This is not accurate, and it is a report based on another misreport where someone misunderstood what Marcelo said.  I don't have more time to respond now, but I would completely ignore this article.  I hope Marcelo comes out and clarifies soon so more misinformation doesn't get spread.

 

It is far more than five markets.  Heck, there is nine in Samsung areas alone:  Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco.  And that's just one of three vendors.  The article is utter bullshit.  Moffet is smiling ear to ear.

Could almost add Lincoln, NE to that list, as more and more 8x8R equipment keeps being spotted 

[S4GRU]

Could almost add Lincoln, NE to that list, as more and more 8x8R equipment keeps being spotted

Yeah, some cities will be pretty far along by the time the new Marcelo plan gets implemented. Enjoy!

 

Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[greencat]

It'd be nice if they add airports to their list. Very discouraging to fly around the country and get weak or slow service at the airports.

[S4GRU]

It'd be nice if they add airports to their list. Very discouraging to fly around the country and get weak or slow service at the airports.

Airport DAS upgrades are a part of NV2.0 and are planning and being worked through regardless of the Macro B41 8T8R deployment reprioritization. So it is already on the list.

 

Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Tajustin95]

Is San Jose, Ca on the list?!

[S4GRU]

Is San Jose, Ca on the list?!

 

Not specifically.  So if it is not included with "San Francisco", then San Jose will likely only be getting B41 on Clearwire sites and possibly very specific overburdened NV sites initially.  Fill in on other sites would likely come in the next stage.

[cletus]

It'd be nice if they add airports to their list. Very discouraging to fly around the country and get weak or slow service at the airports.

I totally agree with you. Sprint probably has the weakest network at airports across the country. I've lately been to Austin, DFW, Detroit airports and all 3 were 1) low signal levels 2) If triband capable had VERY low speeds of ~1-2Mbps.

[cletus]

Not sure if this is the right thread but I have noticed that ONLY CLEARWIRE sites seem to be able to hit the really high speeds I see on B41 connections. I have an EVO3D and the very few speedy WiMax sites that I historically connected to appear to copy exactly the only areas I get very high speed connections here in Austin. Otherwise the speeds CAN be quick (10-20 max down) but only these few areas seem to get very high speeds.

 

 

Is that because backhaul on the Sprint owned towers is poor or because these towers handle ONLY B41 and no other LTE bands..or both?

[dingwall1]

Indianapolis is already awesome on LTE. Now there will be moar?!

 

There are certainly areas that have nice coverage, but there are also plenty of deadzones, especially indoors. It doesn't appear that optimization has occurred. I'm right next to a tower, but indoors, so I have virtually no signal. I hope that changes soon.

[afazel]

I totally agree with you. Sprint probably has the weakest network at airports across the country. I've lately been to Austin, DFW, Detroit airports and all 3 were 1) low signal levels 2) If triband capable had VERY low speeds of ~1-2Mbps.

I was at DFW last week and had B41 outside the airport on the shuttle to express parking. Inside I had B26.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[greencat]

Airport DAS upgrades are a part of NV2.0 and are planning and being worked through regardless of the Macro B41 8T8R deployment reprioritization. So it is already on the list.

Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Great to hear they're going to do it, but if it's a DAS and independent of the rest of the build out what in the world is Sprint waiting for? I mean it's almost 2015. If Marcelo is looking for wins this should be a relatively easy one.

[Dkoellerwx]

Great to hear they're going to do it, but if it's a DAS and independent of the rest of the build out what in the world is Sprint waiting for? I mean it's almost 2015. If Marcelo is looking for wins this should be a relatively easy one.

 

DAS updates can be trickier than regular cell site updates. 

[Nickel]

DAS updates can be trickier than regular cell site updates. 

Is there a post somewhere that explains DASs? I've always wondered how those worked.

[Fraydog]

I totally agree with you. Sprint probably has the weakest network at airports across the country. I've lately been to Austin, DFW, Detroit airports and all 3 were 1) low signal levels 2) If triband capable had VERY low speeds of ~1-2Mbps.

That's what makes the Spark network deployed at O'Hare more remarkable. 50-60 Mbps averages.

[Dkoellerwx]

Is there a post somewhere that explains DASs? I've always wondered how those worked.

 

I believe there is in the FAQ, if not, Wikipedia has a brief article if you don't want to get too technical. The setup is similar to WiFi, but off course cellular. 

[Nickel]

I believe there is in the FAQ, if not, Wikipedia has a brief article if you don't want to get too technical. The setup is similar to WiFi, but off course cellular. 

Ah, so multiple APs only instead of 2.4/5 it would use whatever signals the carrier chooses, in this case (Sprint) some combination of 800, 1.9 and 2.5/6?

[Dkoellerwx]

Ah, so multiple APs only instead of 2.4/5 it would use whatever signals the carrier chooses, in this case (Sprint) some combination of 800, 1.9 and 2.5/6?

 

Depends on the DAS. Some run multiple carriers (ATT/VZ/TM/S). Some need a separate DAS for each carrier. It's not likely you'll see DAS support for 800. The emphasis will likely be on 2.5 and 1900.

[vlee]

Ah, so multiple APs?

More like one AP with lots of antenna tentacles spread throughout the facility.

 

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

[cdk]

Depends on the DAS. Some run multiple carriers (ATT/VZ/TM/S). Some need a separate DAS for each carrier. It's not likely you'll see DAS support for 800. The emphasis will likely be on 2.5 and 1900.

 

I must have ran into a few oddball systems when I was searching for online info on DAS systems a couple of months back. Those that I found did support 800 (Cellular and Public Safety) as well as 1900.

[S4GRU]

Yes, DAS systems are complex. They aren't like the macro sites where the new vendor can just replace with his stuff. About 3/4 of DAS sites are owned by the property owner or a third party that installs/manages the DAS. Most DAS systems are multi provider too. And there are dozens of different vendors and equipment types. Each is a unique situation. Some will involve tearing into ceilings and disrupt the property function. Unfortunately, most DAS systems were not designed to be easily adaptable to future technologies.

 

The last third are ones owned and installed by Sprint. But these are mostly used in corporations and not public venues. A lot of these are being worked on now. In our NV Sites Complete maps, we label DAS systems that have been upgraded to Network Vision. It is occurring, but it is a very slow process. We expect it to start gaining momentum next year.

 

VZW, ATT, Tmo have been struggling to upgrade their Public DAS systems to LTE too. But they have a few advantages. ATT and VZW have low frequency spectrum advantage which gets their signal inside airport terminals from sites off the airport grounds. ATT and Tmo often have pretty robust 3G on airport DAS systems that have not been upgraded, because they often include 5MHz WCDMA channels.

[cletus]

I was at DFW last week and had B41 outside the airport on the shuttle to express parking. Inside I had B26.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Neat! I was there just a few months ago and had pretty poor coverage. Now if only they would address the Austin airport

[stlman314]

Yes, DAS systems are complex. They aren't like the macro sites where the new vendor can just replace with his stuff. About 3/4 of DAS sites are owned by the property owner or a third party that installs/manages the DAS. Most DAS systems are multi provider too. And there are dozens of different vendors and equipment types. Each is a unique situation. Some will involve tearing into ceilings and disrupt the property function. Unfortunately, most DAS systems were not designed to be easily adaptable to future technologies.

 

The last third are ones owned and installed by Sprint. But these are mostly used in corporations and not public venues. A lot of these are being worked on now. In our NV Sites Complete maps, we label DAS systems that have been upgraded to Network Vision. It is occurring, but it is a very slow process. We expect it to start gaining momentum next year.

 

VZW, ATT, Tmo have been struggling to upgrade their Public DAS systems to LTE too. But they have a few advantages. ATT and VZW have low frequency spectrum advantage which gets their signal inside airport terminals from sites off the airport grounds. ATT and Tmo often have pretty robust 3G on airport DAS systems that have not been upgraded, because they often include 5MHz WCDMA channels.

 

Here in St. Louis at Lambert we have a B41 tower that covers the East Terminal pretty well. I pulled I think 20mb down back in April on it. We don't have DAS here in our airport according to the maps but once all the towers near it (which is one left) are upgraded it will be better for single band phones.