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

[The Dave]

It is just odd. I once had T-Mobile, but I don't go looking for articles dealing with T-Mobile so that I can bash them. It seems to be largely a Sprint phenomenon.

 

Either way, as Sprint continues to roll out NV/Spark, the trolls will have to work overtime to delude themselves and make their egos feel better by bashing us while we enjoy unlimited ultra high speed data and seamless HD voice. But we must be idiots since "Sprint sux", right?

[KD8JBF]

It is just odd. I once had T-Mobile, but I don't go looking for articles dealing with T-Mobile so that I can bash them. It seems to be largely a Sprint phenomenon.

 

Either way, as Sprint continues to roll out NV/Spark, the trolls will have to work overtime to delude themselves and make their egos feel better by bashing us while we enjoy unlimited ultra high speed data and seamless HD voice. But we must be idiots since "Sprint sux", right?

 

I just moved over from Verizon Wireless...yeah, it didn't work where I needed it to, and their Customer Service stinks...but I'm not going to go around bashing them and name calling....I moved to Sprint, end of story...I find bashing to be counter productive....Look for the solution...Bashing and name calling isn't going to get anything solved...:-)

[milan03]

Just as AJ suggested, there are absolutely no 4x4 or 8x8 MIMO commercial user setups. Not only the form factor, but power consumption is the biggest challenge for higher order MIMO in the UE. 

 

NSN Flexi 10 supports 8-pipe radio, each port capable of 2x2 MIMO and upgradable to 4x4 and 8x8 down the road. It just doesn't make any sense for carriers to deploy 4x4 or higher at this time.

[AMejia1976]

Wonder if Sprint Spark is related to the Transformers AllSpark? In any event, I think Sprint for one picked an exiting and powerful name for the next revolution.

 

SS4GRU anyone?

[utiz4321]

It is just odd. I once had T-Mobile, but I don't go looking for articles dealing with T-Mobile so that I can bash them. It seems to be largely a Sprint phenomenon.

 

Either way, as Sprint continues to roll out NV/Spark, the trolls will have to work overtime to delude themselves and make their egos feel better by bashing us while we enjoy unlimited ultra high speed data and seamless HD voice. But we must be idiots since "Sprint sux", right?

No, it happens with all carriers even vzw. Att would get hit pretty hard when the iPhone brought its 3G network to its knees. Sprint's network has been really bad for a couple of years now and in many place still is. These troll will be hard to find in comment sections as the network improves just like with ATT. But they'll never really completely go away as people do like to hold on there bad experiances for a very long time.

[Deval]

It is just odd. I once had T-Mobile, but I don't go looking for articles dealing with T-Mobile so that I can bash them. It seems to be largely a Sprint phenomenon.

 

Either way, as Sprint continues to roll out NV/Spark, the trolls will have to work overtime to delude themselves and make their egos feel better by bashing us while we enjoy unlimited ultra high speed data and seamless HD voice. But we must be idiots since "Sprint sux", right?

 

Unfortunately the trolls outnumber everyone else.

 

Back to topic, I'm really looking forward to testing out the network using my Zing.

[nexgencpu]

Unfortunately the trolls outnumber everyone else.

 

Back to topic, I'm really looking forward to testing out the network using my Zing.

Don't forget to connect it directly to a computer via USB to avoid any penalty associated with Wifi.

[glenavo34]

While I don't agree with the "trolls" posting just to bash Sprint, I certainly understand the frustration that might lead them to it.

 

If you're in an area that gets great LTE speeds, then you would see it as being baseless but there's countless Sprint customers that are hanging on in HOPES of what will happen.

I have been with Sprint for years and continue to hold hope that this will be a great network and the only one truly offering unlimited. As it is, I currently get 24Mbps LTE a block from my house yet need an Airvana at home.

 

At work, I get .20-.35 speeds which is frustrating, but I'm clinging onto my plan because of what the future holds.

 

The folks that are bashing Sprint probably came on with the OG Evo or the Iphone and expected similar speeds or coverage to whatever it is they left from. My cousin had 4 lines on Verizon with unlimited plans. When he had to pay out of pocket to upgrade for 4 iphones, he said screw it and came to Sprint. He gets great coverage in LA on his primary line, but the rest of his family have useless data in the Riverside area. He plans to keep his line and cancel all the others when their contracts are up..so I certainly understand the frustration that some may feel.

[WiWavelength]

Hey now. Maybe not a normal-sized phone. Or even a Mega. But something as small as the iPad mini could probably fit 8x8 in there.

 

And if that's not big enough, then what is? A desktop modem? I wouldn't mind if Sprint brought Sprint Broadband Direct back, except 100x faster. Nor would the thousands of folks who just lost Millenicom service this morning.

 

The tradeoff I envision is that a device built for three 20 MHz TDD carrier aggregation with 8x8 MIMO may not be able to do anything but band 41 TD-LTE 2600.  The at least 60 MHz of amp bandwidth, possibly from three separate amps, and the six additional Rx antennas required above and beyond 2x2 MIMO stand to take up the space and engineering that would be used for other bands and modes.

 

AJ

[miguell2]

Responses from Samsung, Alcatel-Lucent, and Nokia Solution & Networks regarding the awarding of the contracts for the TDD-LTE deployment to them.

 

Samsung

http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/sprint-selects-samsung-mobile-deliver-advanced-lte-wireless-network

 

Alcatel-Lucent

http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/alcatel-lucent-awarded-tdd-lte-contract-sprint-support-its-25ghz-4g-lte-exp

 

Nokia Solutions & Networks

http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/mobile-broadband-ace-nsn-wins-sprint-deal-large-scale-tdd-lte-roll-out

Ericson apparently responded too.

 

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/ericsson-cto-responds-vendors-absence-sprints-spark-program/2013-10-30

[runagun]

I couldn't have said it better myself. Having a second phone with a different carrier leaves such a bad taste in my mouth with my sprint. It just seems it's always just a waiting game with them. Sometimes people care too much and if aren't seeing any improvement for a while they start badmouthing Sprint in hopes for change.

 

Also, Sprint led the charge on wimax. They needed clear as a separate entity to raise funds. But when everyone pulled back after their initial investment it was Sprint who had to keep pouring money in. Miscalculation on their part. Sprint Mgmt gets alot of blame and still do and IMO deserving so.

 

 

While I don't agree with the "trolls" posting just to bash Sprint, I certainly understand the frustration that might lead them to it.

 

If you're in an area that gets great LTE speeds, then you would see it as being baseless but there's countless Sprint customers that are hanging on in HOPES of what will happen.

I have been with Sprint for years and continue to hold hope that this will be a great network and the only one truly offering unlimited. As it is, I currently get 24Mbps LTE a block from my house yet need an Airvana at home.

 

At work, I get .20-.35 speeds which is frustrating, but I'm clinging onto my plan because of what the future holds.

 

The folks that are bashing Sprint probably came on with the OG Evo or the Iphone and expected similar speeds or coverage to whatever it is they left from. My cousin had 4 lines on Verizon with unlimited plans. When he had to pay out of pocket to upgrade for 4 iphones, he said screw it and came to Sprint. He gets great coverage in LA on his primary line, but the rest of his family have useless data in the Riverside area. He plans to keep his line and cancel all the others when their contracts are up..so I certainly understand the frustration that some may feel.

[Deval]

While I don't agree with the "trolls" posting just to bash Sprint, I certainly understand the frustration that might lead them to it.

 

If you're in an area that gets great LTE speeds, then you would see it as being baseless but there's countless Sprint customers that are hanging on in HOPES of what will happen.

I have been with Sprint for years and continue to hold hope that this will be a great network and the only one truly offering unlimited. As it is, I currently get 24Mbps LTE a block from my house yet need an Airvana at home.

 

At work, I get .20-.35 speeds which is frustrating, but I'm clinging onto my plan because of what the future holds.

 

The folks that are bashing Sprint probably came on with the OG Evo or the Iphone and expected similar speeds or coverage to whatever it is they left from. My cousin had 4 lines on Verizon with unlimited plans. When he had to pay out of pocket to upgrade for 4 iphones, he said screw it and came to Sprint. He gets great coverage in LA on his primary line, but the rest of his family have useless data in the Riverside area. He plans to keep his line and cancel all the others when their contracts are up..so I certainly understand the frustration that some may feel.

 

In my experience the vast majority of the bashers are ex-customers, or ones who didn't get what they wanted, and thus felt slighted. 

 

I can understand completely the pains that honest customers have, and voicing them, rightly so. 

[WiWavelength]

Brian did not tell me in advance that he was doing so, but we received a nice reference from AnandTech's Brian Klug yesterday in his Spark article:

 

 

Today Sprint announced the official name for its new tri-band LTE network, Sprint Spark. For those who have been following operator rollouts of LTE in the US, today's announcement from Sprint doesn't come as much of a surprise – it's been planning on running LTE on bands 25, 26, and 41 (1900 MHz, 850 MHz, and 2.5 GHz) for a while now. We've seen a few tri-band handsets pop up recently destined for Sprint, I noted the HTC One max was a tri-band Sprint LTE device in disguise in my review earlier this week, and fellow wireless aficionado Andrew Shepherd caught the LG G2 also packing tri-band Sprint LTE. Today as part of its Spark announcement, Sprint explicitly named the One max, G2, S4 Mini, and Galaxy Mega as its first tri-band smartphones. Sprint's first Spark markets are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Tampa and Miami.

 

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7472/sprint-announces-spark-its-triband-lte-network

 

AJ

[WiWavelength]

By the way, AnandTech has it, but I have not seen anyone else post it.  This is the Spark marketing image:

 

 

AJ

[afazel]

That's kind of horrible

[cletus]

That is possibly the least creative logo I have ever seen. It looks like they combined an orange dot and the Walmart logo. Why not make it something that is at least visually interesting like so:

 

[Nickel]

Does the Spark logo remind anyone else of the Wal-Mart logo?

[billgeo]

cletus... VERY NICE!

[WiWavelength]

I say it evokes a basketball and a sunflower.  Both are appropriate for Kansas, the home state of Sprint.  In either regard, are you gonna mess with Kansas?  I suggest not...

 

AJ

[Nickel]

I say it evokes a basketball and a sunflower.  Both are appropriate for Kansas, the home state of Sprint.  In either regard, are you gonna mess with Kansas?  I suggest not...

 

AJ

[WiWavelength]

 

I said basketball and sunflower, not football and edelweiss.  Did I not make myself clear?

 

AJ

[Nickel]

I said basketball and sunflower, not football and edelweiss.  Did I not make myself clear?

 

AJ

You said "are you gonna mess with Kansas?  I suggest not..." and I am merely pointing out that everyone messes with Charlie weis' Kansas teams and gets away with it.

[WiWavelength]

You said "are you gonna mess with Kansas? I suggest not..." and I am merely pointing out that everyone messes with Charlie weis' Kansas teams and gets away with it.

I recommend you appreciate the meaning of "In either regard" as both an introductory phrase and a qualifier. Do you get my drift?

 

AJ

[Paynefanbro]

When they supposedly upgrade to 40Mhz TDD, will the current gen of Tri-Band phones be able to get improved speed?

[WiWavelength]

When they supposedly upgrade to 40Mhz TDD, will the current gen of Tri-Band phones be able to get improved speed?

No. You always need to buy a new device.

 

AJ