Does Sprint have plans for service for WiMax home customers when the network shuts down?

[S4GRU]

Can you really blame people if they want cheap service?

Nope. It's OK to want. I even said I don't blame them for wanting.

 

But if I were Sprint, I'd never put unlimited home users on my B41 mobile network. It would have to be on a separate fixed wireless network where they could not degrade the mobile network performance. And this could easily be done. But I don't expect unlimited pricing to come out of this deal with DISH anyway.

 

If anything even goes forward out of the trial. Dish may make a move for Tmo and decide not to even do a joint venture wit Sprint beyond the trial. Who knows?

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[S4GRU]

Robert, when talking about Sprint's contingency plans in order to pick up choice spectrum, what choice spectrum are you talking about? I thought neither AWS-3 nor 600MHz was going to count against the spectrum screen. Are you talking about possible spectrum swap/hosting of Dish spectrum?

 

Are they thinking ahead to the lease renewal challenges for EBS?

 

How is the purported JV with Dish playing with the need to secure EBS spectrum they don't already lease? Or acquire BRS they don't already own.

I'm talking about other spectrum assets that can be picked up in the future, other than 600/AWS3. I think Sprint should aggressively pursue all LTE bands, especially 700/AWS anywhere they need to augment capacity. Since they are soon to offer devices with those bands, having B12/17/4 or even possibly 5 in one or two markets here and there is not much of a big deal anymore.

 

And everytime they can pick up these assets, they shed the over abundance of EBS in that market. Keep the prime 60MHz in every market, and be willing to shed the extra to pick up 700-A, etc. That's what I'm referring to.

 

The lease renewals will be a whole 'nother subject. I believe AT&T will be hurting for capacity then. Possibly VZW too. There could be a big move to jump into some prime EBS lease fights where lessors can challenge the auto renewal clauses. I know some schools are ready to fight Sprint. They feel they were shafted by Clearwire and being paid way below market rate.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[dedub]

No.

 

This keeps coming up. Band 41 and WiMax do not use paired spectrum. It's a single 20MHz block for B41 (for now), and a 10MHz block for WiMax.

 

 

Sent from my LG G3

 

Cool, thanks for the correction, I will try to maintain a mental note... this is one of the primary factors between TDD and FDD, yes?

 

Anyway, my point was that b41 LTE is being deployed with twice the spectrum than wimax was, in response to the much more amazing speeds of b41 lte.

 

I am sure that b25 lte would have been pretty amazing with 20mhz vs 5.

[bigsnake49]

I'm talking about other spectrum assets that can be picked up in the future, other than 600/AWS3. I think Sprint should aggressively pursue all LTE bands, especially 700/AWS anywhere they need to augment capacity. Since they are soon to offer devices with those bands, having B12/17/4 or even possibly 5 in one or two markets here and there is not much of a big deal anymore.

 

And everytime they can pick up these assets, they shed the over abundance of EBS in that market. Keep the prime 60MHz in every market, and be willing to shed the extra to pick up 700-A, etc. That's what I'm referring to.

 

The lease renewals will be a whole 'nother subject. I believe AT&T will be hurting for capacity then. Possibly VZW too. There could be a big move to jump into some prime EBS lease fights where lessors can challenge the auto renewal clauses. I know some schools are ready to fight Sprint. They feel they were shafted by Clearwire and being paid way below market rate.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

 

I hate all the spectrum squatters on EBS that basically did nothing with the EBS spectrum since the 70's and now complain that they are not getting paid enough. Rather that the greedy .edu squatters I would like the FCC to reclaim the spectrum and then auction it off.

I agree with you about other spectrum such as AWS and 700A. However I still thing that the best thing is for Sprint to get hold of Dish's near PCS spectrum and trade them EBS. Let the deal with the .edu spectrum holders.

[dnwk]

But Sprint can have some unlimited plan like TMO. High speed for certain amount and then throttle to maybe 512k

[S4GRU]

But Sprint can have some unlimited plan like TMO. High speed for certain amount and then throttle to maybe 512k

 

Sure.  That would be one reasonable way to offer unlimited home service.

 

Robert

[Nickel]

Wimax --> LTE, like betamax --> vhs, like hd-dvd --> bluray.

How is WiMAX superior to LTE and how is HD-DVD superior to Blu-ray?

[mrknowitall526]

How is WiMAX superior to LTE and how is HD-DVD superior to Blu-ray?

The arrow means "the two fought a battle, and the winner lies to the right "

[Nickel]

The arrow means "the two fought a battle, and the winner lies to the right "

Ahh, OK.

[KnarfOH]

I am the originator of this thread.  I have found most of the comments interesting.  I certainly understand Sprint's need to preserve bandwidth for their phone customers.  I am curious.  What is the typical monthly use by a "power user" using a Sprint phone?  I know what I use for my home, but not sure what people actually use on their phones.  I have never had a smartphone, just a dumb Tracfone.  LOL.

 

If they offered home internet based on Clear's offerings, like capped at 6 Mbps with a 50-100 GB limit, that would be better than nothing, IMO. I would settle in for that.

[orangeblue]

I still have a phone on Freedompop in the OC and WiMAX plays nice in my area while LTE needs to improve.

 

But I would like to know what Sprint will do with the EBS services. Not sure but I think it was on this site but EBS spectrum holders offer service via clearwire

[Flompholph]

I am the originator of this thread.  I have found most of the comments interesting.  I certainly understand Sprint's need to preserve bandwidth for their phone customers.  I am curious.  What is the typical monthly use by a "power user" using a Sprint phone?  I know what I use for my home, but not sure what people actually use on their phones.  I have never had a smartphone, just a dumb Tracfone.  LOL.

 

If they offered home internet based on Clear's offerings, like capped at 6 Mbps with a 50-100 GB limit, that would be better than nothing, IMO. I would settle in for that.

Top 5% of smartphone users use about 5 GB. Not sure the top 5% of home use but the average is around 25 GB.

 

Band 41 should be amazing with the right backhaul but I don't think it will survive city density maybe rural areas where many are still on dail-up. Many will be disappointed while their streaming an all night marathon of Netflix when everything start to stuttering.

[dnwk]

LTE broadcast for Netflix?

[WiWavelength]

LTE broadcast for Netflix?

 

How?

 

AJ

[dedub]

LTE broadcast for Netflix?

 

If everyone were all watching the same movie at the same time, perhaps.

[orangeblue]

 

Sure. That would be one reasonable way to offer unlimited home service.

 

Robert

 

That would only extend the time a heavy user needs to get his data and defer traffic over longer time

[Azimuth]

Isn't this a perfect case for a WISP operator? WiMAX has also been decommissioned in my country but WISPs are thriving. Uncapped data on 2,4 and 10Mbps plans.

 

What's the story with WISP operators in the US?

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Azimuth]

Why wouldn't Sprint offer limited availability MIMO devices to customers in this situation? With traffic shaping and a little QoS for various services, why wouldn't it be a sustainable business opportunity considering LTE is more spectrally efficient.

 

Perhaps team up with Ubiquity or Mikrotik to come up with some inexpensive home base stations for these types of use scenarios. Though I'm not sure how well the MIMO setup would work if you were in a situation that required an external antenna on a pole to get service.

 

We can dream, right?

I'm not sure about the companies in the US but the big name here and in Europe is Poynting. I know they have resellers in the US too.

 

This is my game and I have lots to share on this.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[S4GRU]

Isn't this a perfect case for a WISP operator? WiMAX has also been decommissioned in my country but WISPs are thriving. Uncapped data on 2,4 and 10Mbps plans.

 

What's the story with WISP operators in the US?

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

They seem to have difficulty gaining traction. In places where WISP's are the only broadband option, or they have done a successful job marketing, they seem to be doing well. Competition is fierce for many WISP's in places where other broadband options exist.

 

There are no national or super regional WISP outfits in the U.S. Most are very localized. There are a few that focus on Enterprise solutions in major cities (a.k.a. Towerstream).

 

We have a WISP operator here on our site from Illinois. He may chime in with many more thoughts on the subject.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[MacinJosh]

A number WISP operators here in the US are owned by a company called Jab Wireless. I think they have like 9 or 10 different companies now. They serve many mid-western and a few western states. They are in mostly areas with just the local phone company who refuses to finish their fiber buildout, and maybe a cable company who wants $5,000+ to run cable less than a quarter of a mile. In my area, my WISP works pretty well, offering 3/5/10/15Mbps plans. I just recently found out that they are capping the 10 & 15 Mbps plans now. Nothing on their website says they are, yet. Otherwise my only other option is a mobile broadband card from one of the 4 major wireless companies, but it's too expensive when you have such a small data cap.

[dnwk]

A number WISP operators here in the US are owned by a company called Jab Wireless. I think they have like 9 or 10 different companies now. They serve many mid-western and a few western states. They are in mostly areas with just the local phone company who refuses to finish their fiber buildout, and maybe a cable company who wants $5,000+ to run cable less than a quarter of a mile. In my area, my WISP works pretty well, offering 3/5/10/15Mbps plans. I just recently found out that they are capping the 10 & 15 Mbps plans now. Nothing on their website says they are, yet. Otherwise my only other option is a mobile broadband card from one of the 4 major wireless companies, but it's too expensive when you have such a small data cap.

 

What technology did Jab Wireless use?

[MacinJosh]

What technology did Jab Wireless use?

I have to confirm with them, but the company they bought out used WiMax on a different frequency than Clearwire.

[iansltx]

What technology did Jab Wireless use?

 

Unlicensed or light-licensed spectrum (2.4, 3.65, 5 GHz), using wither WiMAX (3.65) or 802.11 based systems. There's also some Moto..er...Cambium Canopy gear in there, but not as much anymore.

[MacinJosh]

Unlicensed or light-licensed spectrum (2.4, 3.65, 5 GHz), using wither WiMAX (3.65) or 802.11 based systems. There's also some Moto..er...Cambium Canopy gear in there, but not as much anymore.

I have Moto gear mounted on my house.

[orangeblue]

I have Moto gear mounted on my house.

 

There is a local wimax outlet in Moab, UT and they use Motorola equipment too.