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


KnarfOH

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I am presently customer of the old Clearwire for home internet service.  By twist of fate, there are no other high-speed internet providers in my area - NOTHING! - unless you consider satellite services.  Clearwire was reluctant to give me a CLEAR EXPRESS HUB and sign me up originally because my home is literally shown to be in a marginal area of service.  My lot was shown to be covered but not the adjacent lots (not sure how that happens?).  Anyway, they gave me the modem and I experience around 6 Mbps downloads and 1 Mbps uploads (with an outside antenna).  For someone coming off dial-up and satellite (Wildblue) these speeds were terrific!  I am happy!  I understand my service is not as good as many others, but for this area it is fabulous!
 
With the recent announcements that Clearwire's Wimax service will be phased out by the end of 2015 - I am on pins and needles waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I live in Canal Winchester (suburb of Columbus, OH) and would be devastated If I lost my Clearwire service and we are not part of some Sprint LTE upgrade that will allow us to obtain high-speed internet when Clearwire goes away
 
Why isn't Sprint more open about their future plans to provide service to areas they acquired from Clearwire, including types of services and time frames other then generalities that I sometimes see published.  The tower I ping off of is located in Columbus (moderate density housing) and I have to believe that Columbus (15th largest city in the USA) would be near the top.  The tower is 3 to 4 miles away.

 

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Edited by KnarfOH
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It's unfortunate for many people, but unlimited home plans are not profitable in the current Clearwire business plan and it is what lead to its demise. Sprint currently has no definite plans for unlimited home ISP usage on its LTE network.

 

As it stands now, you will likely lose service when Sprint shuts down Clearwire's old WiMax network at the end of next year. They are turning off even sooner in some markets to be announced in the future. We don't know if your area is included in that.

 

Sprint is working with DISH network on a trial down in Corpus Christi, Texas with LTE home ISP service. Depending on how that turns out, that may go nationwide. But what types of plans and the data allotment that will come out of that is still unknown. And whether anything will come out of that in enough time to help you is also unknown. Stay tuned.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

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I changed the name of your topic to be more appropriate to your post. Because Sprint has been open about plans for their WiMax customers. They need to migrate to Sprint LTE and pick a plan that best fits their needs. And Sprint does not offer unlimited home LTE plans. Sprint only offers unlimited for smartphones.

 

Also, there is some small hope though that Sprint may change their mind on home LTE usage plans because of this fixed trial with dish Network. There are just no definite answers for someone in your position at this time.

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I am presently customer of the old Clearwire for home internet service.  By twist of fate, there are no other high-speed internet providers in my area - NOTHING! - unless you consider satellite services.  Clearwire was reluctant to give
 
Balance of original post snipped due to size and maps.

 

 

 

 

I doubt if anybody can give you an answer that is going to be a guarantee.  I sure can not.  But here is what I would expect:

The site or a nearby site will get 2500 LTE.   If it is the same site that gets converted to LTE, I would surely think that you would get a good signal on the LTE with Sprint's better antennas/radios.  However, if they dump this site because they can place 2500 LTE on a nearby site, you could have an issue. Looks to me like your area is "high" enough to see the existing Wi-Max antennas. It may not have a good view of a nearby site even though it is very near the old Clearwire site.

You need to determine if the current Clearwire site has any existing Sprint service on the same site.  If Sprint & Clearwire are both on the same site currently, my best guess is that you will eventually get Sprint 2500 LTE.

Another issue you may have is that the data plan you get with Sprint may burn your pocketbook .  You may wind up with lesser amount of  data at a higher price. Nobody wants to provide unlimited over the air home internet service at a reasonable price.

You are not being unreasonable when you are stating that you are nervous about this situation.

I would worry more about Sprint allowing you to have a "home internet connection" and use all the data that goes with that.

You might be able to get  a Sprint "Hotspot" and use a little data at home, but you would have to be very conservative on the amount of surfing you do.

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I thought AT&T serviced DSL in that area. Also, by the time that WiMax is decommissioned, TWC/WOW/AT&T may just get around to getting something down there, because it's not too far from their services.

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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? :)

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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? :)

 

Not gonna happen that way. Network can't handle it.

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Not gonna happen that way. Network can't handle it.

 

Obviously it wouldn't handle it in WIDESPREAD fixed broadband service.  That's not what I'm talking about if you actually read my post.

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Obviously it wouldn't handle it in WIDESPREAD fixed broadband service.  That's not what I'm talking about if you actually read my post.

 

I did read your post buddy. Even with a minimal distribution, having a constant connection to the network by some former Clearwire users would kill the network and it couldn't handle it, even with all that Sprint is releasing. Traffic shaping and QOS adjustments aren't going to change that. If they did use that, it would have to be so heavily done that it wouldn't be worth having the service anyway.

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I thought AT&T serviced DSL in that area. Also, by the time that WiMax is decommissioned, TWC/WOW/AT&T may just get around to getting something down there, because it's not too far from their services.

There is AT&T DSL all around us, but not on this street or another small sub-division (on a different street) within 1/8 mile away.  However, all the adjacent streets in this area have something available - just not us!  It is like we are in a no man's land.  I have lived here 13 years and from the day I moved in, AT&T was promising it was headed our way, instead no progress over all of those years.  The cable company that serves this area was the old INSIGHT COMMUNICATIONS which Time-Warner purchased.  Everything out here is the old analog type cable, i.e. not capable of handling internet or even the large catalog of TV channels you now see being offered on other systems.  I was hoping that Time-Warner would at least upgrade the old INSIGHT system since they purchased them, but who knows if and when that will happen.

 

SPECIAL NOTE:  Everything you mentioned (TWC/WOW/AT&T) is right around the block from us.  We are completely surrounded by these services.  I feel like a guy dying of thirst, but I can see the water!

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I was hoping that Time-Warner would at least upgrade the old INSIGHT system since they purchased them, but who knows if and when that will happen.

 

I think they have the money to fund the upgrade and want the money they'll get from it. So, only time will tell. You have 16 months to find out.

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I changed the name of your topic to be more appropriate to your post. Because Sprint has been open about plans for their WiMax customers. They need to migrate to Sprint LTE and pick a plan that best fits their needs. And Sprint does not offer unlimited home LTE plans. Sprint only offers unlimited for smartphones.

 

Also, there is some small hope though that Sprint may change their mind on home LTE usage plans because of this fixed trial with dish Network. There are just no definite answers for someone in your position at this time.

The name change for the topic doesn't bother me, but are you saying that Sprint has been open with WIMAX home internet users?  Or are you saying they have been open to WIMAX phone users?  Big difference since I am the former and not the later.  Except to see news reports that they plan to have WIMAX shut-down by end of 2015, I have not seen anything from the company about their plans for home internet users.   Clearly people are posting here what they believe will be happening, but where did you get your information?

 

Can you link me to this information (from Sprint) where they discuss what they are doing for the home internet users once WIMAX is eliminated?

 

I am only asking to see information from Sprint about this subject.  They certainly know how to send monthly bill reminders and occasional promotional material,  but I have never received anything from them telling me directly (as a current WIMAX home internet customer) what their plans are.  That is why I suggested in the original title of this topic that I wasn't being kept informed.  

 

Lastly, thanks for the reply - not just yours but the others!

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I have provided an in detail response to your PM.  It gives the background.  You can Google most of this information yourself.  The Clearwire demise and Sprint takeover is pretty well documented.  I don't keep a list of links handy, and too busy to do internet searches for people.

 

I know you don't like the answer.  WiMax customers have come in here often and mad they don't get to keep their golden goose unlimited broadband plans forever.  And they get mad at us because we give them info they don't like.  They ultimately get banned.  WiMax is a good thing for many home users.  They love it.  They don't like it's going away unless it's being replaced with something equal or better for the same price or less and unlimited.

 

Clearwire was going under for a reason.  The final fate of what Sprint LTE service for home users will look like in the future is still up in the air.  And the current Sprint LTE home options are not acceptable to most unlimited WiMax users.  We don't know what to tell you other than plan for the worst and hope for the best.

 

Robert

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There is AT&T DSL all around us, but not on this street or anther small sub-division (on a different street) within 1/8 mile away.  However, all the adjacent streets in this area have something available - just not us!  It is like we are in a no man's land.  I have lived here 13 years and from the day I moved in, AT&T was promising it was head our way, instead no progress over all of those years.  The cable company that serves this area was the old INSIGHT COMMUNICATIONS which Time-Warner purchased.  Everything out here is the old analog type cable, i.e. not capable of handling internet or even the large catalog of TV channels you now see being offered on other systems.  I was hoping that Time-Warner would at least upgrade the old INSIGHT system since they purchased them, but who knows if and when that will happen.

Can you get or do you now have AT&T WIRED phone service?  If so, you have half of the battle won in order to get DSL.

DSL only is possible if you are within 15,000 feet of their DSLAM equipment.  You may be that close since neighbors seem to be.  You could be closer or further away depending on where their equipment is located.

A DSLAM installation has a certain amount of "ports" for DSL.  They may refuse to give you DSL just because their DSLAM is full and they do not want  to upgrade it.

The phone cable between your home and the DSALM may not run the shortest route.  EXAMPLE, my DSLAM is 100 feet behind my home, but the cable connecting me to it is 4 blocks long.  You need to pester AT&T and find out WHY you are not able to get DSL.

Are you really over 15,000 feet away??  Sometime their records are wrong. Sometimes they restrict new DSL connections if their internet capacity is overloaded in the area and they just do not want to spend any money to upgrade it.

  Your DSLAM may be in a AT&T building or in a little box along a curb or hanging on a pole.

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KnarfOH,

 

Perhaps you could work out a deal with your neighbors that can get DSL/Cable and then set up a small point-to-point wireless network from their premise to  yours?  Just depends on the terms and services of said provider if that's acceptable with their services.

 

Ubiquity Airmax or Mikrotik SXT antennas are perfect for that application.

 

Just a thought.

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KnarfOH,

 

Perhaps you could work out a deal with your neighbors that can get DSL/Cable and then set up a small point-to-point wireless network from their premise to  yours?  Just depends on the terms and services of said provider if that's acceptable with their services.

 

Ubiquity Airmax or Mikrotik SXT antennas are perfect for that application.

 

Just a thought.

 

This would be a great solution. Good thinking. Shouldn't be too expensive either.

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I did read your post buddy. Even with a minimal distribution, having a constant connection to the network by some former Clearwire users would kill the network and it couldn't handle it, even with all that Sprint is releasing. Traffic shaping and QOS adjustments aren't going to change that. If they did use that, it would have to be so heavily done that it wouldn't be worth having the service anyway.

 

For my understanding, how would having a few fixed services over double to triple digit devices on a sector have an adverse effect on the sector performance while offering the same limited 6Mbps/1Mbps speeds?  Don't higher SNR connections effect a sector less than many low SNR mobile devices?  Once, or if, 8x8 MIMO is deployed, how could it possibly be *that* detrimental to network performance?  That's more bandwidth than an 8x4 channel bonded DOCSIS 3 node!

 

I'm not saying they'll do it, but mostly trying to understand why they wouldn't allow it for customers that have stayed with the service due to lack of other offerings to the bitter end other than to line the pockets of the execs more.  I'm all for getting rid of the service, really.  It just seems like a rather large middle finger to the customers that use and don't abuse the fixed service with constant file sharing and large downloading.

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For my understanding, how would having a few fixed services over double to triple digit devices on a sector have an adverse effect on the sector performance while offering the same limited 6Mbps/1Mbps speeds?  Don't higher SNR connections effect a sector less than many low SNR mobile devices?  Once, or if, 8x8 MIMO is deployed, how could it possibly be *that* detrimental to network performance?  That's more bandwidth than an 8x4 channel bonded DOCSIS 3 node!

 

I'm not saying they'll do it, but mostly trying to understand why they wouldn't allow it for customers that have stayed with the service due to lack of other offerings to the bitter end other than to line the pockets of the execs more.  I'm all for getting rid of the service, really.  It just seems like a rather large middle finger to the customers that use and don't abuse the fixed service with constant file sharing and large downloading.

 

I get what you're saying, but even taking such plans, I don't see it working out as imagined. The traffic we're seeing with what already have in place is taking huge hits. Even moving those people over to B41 will impede on the network when you have certain users that are going to sit there and hammer the network using it as their provider.

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I get what you're saying, but even taking such plans, I don't see it working out as imagined. The traffic we're seeing with what already have in place is taking huge hits. Even moving those people over to B41 will impede on the network when you have certain users that are going to sit there and hammer the network using it as their provider.

 

Fair enough and good point.  There will always be 'unlimited' abusers.

 

Chamb makes a good point about pestering the Telco/Cableco.  That's really the only way they'll change or decide to expand their footprint in your area if you can't go with the P2P wireless option with a neighbor you're friends with.  In my anecdotal experience it took 2, almost 3, years to remedy a random disconnect issue with cable internet service.  It finally took my neighbor, who had VoIP service and was also getting D/C's, calling in as well for them to FINALLY come out and replace the filter/dropdown box on the telephone pole that fed our two houses.  Once that was replaced, all issues went away.

 

Good luck!

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Can you get or do you now have AT&T WIRED phone service?  If so, you have half of the battle won in order to get DSL.

DSL only is possible if you are within 15,000 feet of their DSLAM equipment.  You may be that close since neighbors seem to be.  You could be closer or further away depending on where their equipment is located.

A DSLAM installation has a certain amount of "ports" for DSL.  They may refuse to give you DSL just because their DSLAM is full and they do not want  to upgrade it.

The phone cable between your home and the DSALM may not run the shortest route.  EXAMPLE, my DSLAM is 100 feet behind my home, but the cable connecting me to it is 4 blocks long.  You need to pester AT&T and find out WHY you are not able to get DSL.

Are you really over 15,000 feet away??  Sometime their records are wrong. Sometimes they restrict new DSL connections if their internet capacity is overloaded in the area and they just do not want to spend any money to upgrade it.

  Your DSLAM may be in a AT&T building or in a little box along a curb or hanging on a pole.

I could write a book about my experiences with AT&T and their DSL services.  They actually got mad at me for calling and signing up for DSL because every time I did, that meant they had to send me a modem and have a service rep. available to do the install at my home and at their box on the street.  And every time it ended up I was too far away from the central office.  I think I signed up 6 or 7 times.  I know some of my neighbors kept signing up too because we kept getting their promotional material saying it was available in our area.  LOL..  I still have 3 of their modems that I never returned because I was so pissed they would tell me on the phone it now available even though I pointed out "WELL IN THE PAST YOU WERE OUT HERE AND IT WASN'T!" NO NO, they claimed I could get it now.  They wasted their time and mine.

 

Every time I saw a technician working at the phone box, I would walk over and ask him what he was doing and 2/3 of the time he was trying too hook someone up with DSL.  LOL.  Sometimes it would be the same guy that was out here last week trying to do the same thing.  And they knew from their previous visit it wasn't available.  Anyway, like I said I kept 3 of their modems.  They paid postage to return them, but after I insisted we had no DSL service here (and they insisted we did) I decided I wouldn't waste my time returning their modems anymore unless they billed me for them.  GUESS WHAT?  They never billed me or contacted me again about returning their modems.

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I could write a book about my experiences with AT&T and their DSL services.  They actually got mad at me for calling and signing up for DSL because every time I did, that meant they had to send me a modem and have a service rep. available to do the install at my home and at their box on the street.  And every time it ended up I was too far away from the central office.  I think I signed up 6 or 7 times.  I know some of my neighbors kept signing up too because we kept getting their promotional material saying it was available in our area.  LOL..  I still have 3 of their modems that I never returned because I was so pissed they would tell me on the phone it now available even though I pointed out "WELL IN THE PAST YOU WERE OUT HERE AND IT WASN'T!" NO NO, they claimed I could get it now.  They wasted their time and mine.

 

Every time I saw a technician working at the phone box, I would walk over and ask him what he was doing and 2/3 of the time he was trying too hook someone up with DSL.  LOL.  Sometimes it would be the same guy that was out here last week trying to do the same thing.  And they knew from their previous visit it wasn't available.  Anyway, like I said I kept 3 of their modems.  They paid postage to return them, but after I insisted we had no DSL service here (and they insisted we did) I decided I wouldn't waste my time returning their modems anymore unless they billed me for them.  GUESS WHAT?  They never billed me or contacted me again about returning their modems.

AT&T is claiming you are too far away.  Does this make sense to you? Is there a neighbor that is further away with the service?

If you see the AT&T technician, try to get him to explain how they have your neighborhood wired.  Maybe the phone cable in front of your home comes via some crazy weird route that makes it much longer than it needs to be.

You might call AT&T AGAIN and demand to know just how far away from the DSLAM your are.  Demand that somebody "in the know" verify it.  I have seen quite a few instances where the records were wrong. That is common. If you mess with their minds long enough, they may do something to shut you up.  They may actually get off their butts and do something.

AT&T may be entirely correct, but I would mess with their minds anyway.

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In Pahrump, there is fiber running down a major road about half a mile from me. They claim that the only reason I don't get DSL is because the junction box I'm tied to never received DSLAM upgrades. They said that AT&T is putting money in to upgrade the infrastructure, so hopefully my junction box gets upgraded in the process. This came from a technician who has been in the area for a long time. He's disappointed at his bosses for their lack of investment, because he knows how disappointed people are in my area.

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None of us have any idea of what Sprint will do with fixed broadband. I believe they will offer some form of it in conjunction with Dish in the more suburband/exurban/rural areas. I think it will be some kind of metered service. All of us will have to wait and see.They will not offer it in areas that are well covered by cable or U-Verse or fiber, but then again they might. I think the plans that Dish and Ntelos are offering should be a good guide.

Edited by bigsnake49
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AT&T is claiming you are too far away.  Does this make sense to you? Is there a neighbor that is further away with the service?

If you see the AT&T technician, try to get him to explain how they have your neighborhood wired.  Maybe the phone cable in front of your home comes via some crazy weird route that makes it much longer than it needs to be.

You might call AT&T AGAIN and demand to know just how far away from the DSLAM your are.  Demand that somebody "in the know" verify it.  I have seen quite a few instances where the records were wrong. That is common. If you mess with their minds long enough, they may do something to shut you up.  They may actually get off their butts and do something.

AT&T may be entirely correct, but I would mess with their minds anyw

 

 

 

Yes the service is actually available, but they liked coming out 6 or 7 times to tell me it isn't while spending half a morning trying to get it to work. The techies have been great.  The marketing people are pushing something that isn't in our area is the real problem.  Could they fix it?  Probably!  Have they?  Not in the 13 years I have lived here!

 

In Pahrump, there is fiber running down a major road about half a mile from me. They claim that the only reason I don't get DSL is because the junction box I'm tied to never received DSLAM upgrades. They said that AT&T is putting money in to upgrade the infrastructure, so hopefully my junction box gets upgraded in the process. This came from a technician who has been in the area for a long time. He's disappointed at his bosses for their lack of investment, because he knows how disappointed people are in my area.

This is exactly the same response I have gotten.  The techies are pissed because they keep marketing the product in my area when they have been out a zillion times only to end up with disappointed customers.  Of course the customers get mad at the person standing in front of them.  I don't get mad at the techies - I just keep the hardware as payment for them wasting my time!

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I cant wait until Google Fiber hits houses in more locations throughout the country :)  One can only dream though right? 

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