Marcelo Claure, Town Hall Meetings, New Family Share Pack Plan, Unlimited Individual Plan, Discussion Thread

[dnicekid]

It's absolutely fair to be disappointed or mad that Sprint doesn't have the large service area of the other 3 but in my opinion it's not fair to pseudo-demonize Sprint for focusing on 3xCA deployment instead of building out thousands of new macro sites. I'm sure Sprint did a cost benefit analysis of this and saw that when you can cover 95% of the POPs of the country's largest network while having a network one third of the size, then for now spending billions on expansion isn't worth it. I don't see the problem in giving a better/more solid experience to those in the current footprint before expanding outward.

 

For now Sprint needs to beat everyone else within their current footprint, something that T-Mobile did early on before they expanded. It makes sense for Sprint to do the same.

I agree to a point. 3xca is important in populated areas for congestion and reputation. However, 3G in a very popular tourist spot is unacceptable this late into things. Save the money on 3xca but a b26/25 carriers for at least lte hell 1 b41 carrier since lake George is in the mountains a b41 that covers downtown. Use 25/26 on the outlaying towers. Problem is sprints 3G is so awful you have to have lte to be able to anything. Sprint should recognize this and pursue it aggressively.

 

I have been fully aware of the buildout and was patiently waiting, I can't imagine sprint selling any phones if the next town over doesn't have service... Well 3G only

[greenbastard]

Except Cricket's pings are way slower than Sprint. When I tested the network, I never had below 200 ms pings. Meanwhile on Sprint GMO 3G, the worst pings I'd ever have are low 100's. Usually I get pings of 30s in New York City on either 3G/LTE, 60s in State College on GMO LTE, and 80s on GMO 3G in rural PA along the interstate.

 

The only time pings should really matter are when you're playing multiplayer games online.

 

Also, Cricket pings average around 170-180 ms in my area. Not bad at all.

[Johnner1999]

The only time pings should really matter are when you're playing multiplayer games online.

 

Also, Cricket pings average around 170-180 ms in my area. Not bad at all.

Only time slow pings bothered me was when I only received 50-200kbps [emoji6]

 

 

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[Paynefanbro]

The only time pings should really matter are when you're playing multiplayer games online.

 

Also, Cricket pings average around 170-180 ms in my area. Not bad at all.

Once pings cross over 150ms, then they start to affect browsing experience. Pages begin to take longer to start loading, etc. Good thing I haven't seen a ping above 60ms in over a year.

 

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[zodiac12345]

The only time pings should really matter are when you're playing multiplayer games online.

 

Also, Cricket pings average around 170-180 ms in my area. Not bad at all.

I'm not arguing that high pings are unbearable. Its just that it was the first thing I noticed. Loading a webpage on Sprint and T-Mobile was instantaneous, with Cricket it took a little longer. It really is just a preference. If you can deal with high pings, Cricket offers a lot of value. But for me, I've been spoiled by such low pings that I knew this MVNO wasn't for me. 

[BlueAngel]

I hardly ever see pings above 50ms, usually they're around 30ms or less. Pings matter a lot, I couldn't imagine going over 100ms pings.

 

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[greenbastard]

Once pings cross over 150ms, then they start to affect browsing experience. Pages begin to take longer to start loading, etc. Good thing I haven't seen a ping above 60ms in over a year.

 

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If you can tell the difference 150 ping and 200 ping, then you got one hell of an ability. 99.9% of people won't be able to tell the difference between 100 ms and 200 ms unless they are playing games online or comparing VoIP delay side to side.

 

I hardly ever see pings above 50ms, usually they're around 30ms or less. Pings matter a lot, I couldn't imagine going over 100ms pings.

 

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Many of the webpages you browse probably go over the 100ms mark. You don't know where they originate from or how many servers they jump to get to your location. Just because your speed test app shows good ping time doesn't mean that every website will return that same ping.

 

Ping times are important for a lot of things. But for web browsing and video, they really don't do much to the experience unless they are unusually high. I would definitely recommend Cricket to anyone curious about their service, especially with the quality of network they offer. For the prices they offer, 8 Mbps max download with respectable ping times and bigger coverage than T-Mobile or Sprint is something you can't beat. It's probably the best value in the market out there for people looking at unlimited data plans.

[Paynefanbro]

I can't tell the difference between 150 and 200ms. However I can tell the difference between 26-30ms (what I typically get) and 150ms easily.

 

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[S4GRU]

I can tell the difference between 30-50ms and 150-200ms. When I jump on a higher ping network/site, it feels like I'm bogging down.

 

Remember, ping is not just how long it takes for the flow to start. It is also measures how long it takes to start every single piece of data called for. So if you're using an app or a website that is constantly requesting data or information, you're going to feel significant increases in ping.

 

Will it be earth shattering? The difference between 30-50ms and 150-200 ms...no. But depending on your usage style, it could be quite annoying. And a deal breaker for many.

 

I am not even a gamer. But I do find 150-200ms pings annoying in this day and age. But I'd take that over no signal at all, obviously.

 

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[JWMaloney]

Remember, ping is not just how long it takes for the flow to start. It is also measures how long it takes to start every single piece of data called for. So if you're using an app or a website that is constantly requesting data or information, you're going to feel significant increases in ping.

 

Will it be earth shattering? The difference between 30-50ms and 150-200 ms...no. But depending on your usage style, it could be quite annoying. And a deal breaker for many.

 

Robert brings up an excellent point that is often overlooked. One thing I've noticed with Cricket in busy areas is that the sheer number of requests during a task can add up to a real-world delay of several seconds. Client applications will sometimes treat the high latency as a connection timeout (e.g. showing an X where a photo should have loaded, or a search returning "Can't reach Google at the moment").

 

While the delays are frequent enough to notice (particularly during brief interactions such as performing a search or setting a reminder), they are negligible in comparison to Sprint's performance in the same locations. Being stuck on a poor EV-DO signal often means that the resulting low throughput will result in a longer wait time than the high latency alone would on Cricket; and that's if the requests are even completed successfully.

 

Of course, that type of situation on Sprint usually results in low throughput and high latency, with client applications treating it as connection timeouts. A lot of modern software is written to fail quickly and show an error rather than to wait indefinitely.

[caspar347]

It actually does.

 

Page 23 of SAR report.

 

 

So "Intra-Band Contiguous CA Operating Bands - CA_41" means just two carriers? The document is kinda ambiguous there but I don't have any experience reading these things.

[lilotimz]

So "Intra-Band Contiguous CA Operating Bands - CA_41" means just two carriers? The document is kinda ambiguous there but I don't have any experience reading these things.

 

Yes. Intraband Contiguous CA_41 implies they are in the same band and the LTE carriers are adjacent. 

 

Non contiguous does carrier  CA_# + # to denote that there is a gap between each LTE carrier but it's still in the same band. 

[caspar347]

Yes. Intraband Contiguous CA_41 implies they are in the same band and the LTE carriers are adjacent. 

 

Non contiguous does carrier  CA_# + # to denote that there is a gap between each LTE carrier but it's still in the same band. 

Ahh so 3x counts as non-contiguous since the first and last carriers aren't touching. Gotcha.

[lilotimz]

Ahh so 3x counts as non-contiguous since the first and last carriers aren't touching. Gotcha.

 

Nope. It's contiguous since all three carriers are directly adjacent to each other and are one giant contiguous block of spectrum. 

 

Non contiguous implies there is a gap between the aggregated carriers. So for Sprint, it could be EARFCN 40978+41176 and then +39858. 

 

40978-41176 (2618-2658) is contiguous and adjacent but 39858 (2506-2526) is not adjacent and thus you need intraband non contiguous 3xCA support to aggregate that third carrier ie CA_41_41_41. 

[caspar347]

Nope. It's contiguous since all three carriers are directly adjacent to each other and are one giant contiguous block of spectrum. 

 

Non contiguous implies there is a gap between the aggregated carriers. So for Sprint, it could be EARFCN 40978+41176 and then +39858. 

 

40978-41176 (2618-2658) is contiguous and adjacent but 39858 (2506-2526) is not adjacent and thus you need intraband on contiguous 3xCA support to aggregate that third carrier ie CA_41_41_41. 

So the problem is that the third carrier EARFCN Sprint happens to be using is not contiguous with the other two?

[lilotimz]

So the problem is that the third carrier EARFCN Sprint happens to be using is not contiguous with the other two?

 

No. That's an example that showcases it. 

 

Non contiguous B41 CA support is required whenever there is a gap that makes LTE carriers not contiguous. 

[JimBob]

Sprint offers $200 more to users who switch back from Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile

 

http://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/report-sprint-offers-200-more-to-users-who-switch-back

[RedSpark]

Sprint offers $200 more to users who switch back from Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile

 

http://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/report-sprint-offers-200-more-to-users-who-switch-back

 

Looks like it runs through September 15th... Assuming the iPhone 7 launches before the 15th, as per the circulating rumors, people who switch back to Sprint for the iPhone 7 could get quite a bit of cash back as part of their purchase.

[caspar347]

No. That's an example that showcases it.

 

Non contiguous B41 CA support is required whenever there is a gap that makes LTE carriers not contiguous.

I guess I just didn't phrase my original question well. I meant to ask if the document specifically said how many carriers could be aggregated.

[Johnner1999]

Did anyone post this yet.

 

https://twitter.com/pogue/status/765386075313467392

 

 

 

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[JeffDTD]

If I were going to switch back, I'd much rather jump for the $60 unlimited plan than a $200 one time credit. I'd also expect many retailers are going to be offering $100-250 gift cards again throughout the holiday season for upgrades and new lines

 

 

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[kg4icg]

For those in DC having problems. Check out @sprintcare's Tweet: https://twitter.com/sprintcare/status/765579298971451392?s=09

 

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[BlueAngel]

Anyone hear about at&t matching sprint plans? My friend and his wife were going to switch over to sprint but apparently at&t matched whatever sprint was offering and gave them unlimited data without having direct TV. I find it a bit fishy myself he is known to bs a bit, but it kinda has me wondering however. Sad part is he is always bitching about losing data in the most random parts around town where me being on Sprint I have great service so he has me a bit confused lol.

 

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[RedSpark]

For those in DC having problems. Check out @sprintcare's Tweet: https://twitter.com/sprintcare/status/765579298971451392?s=09

 

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Turns out it was due to an underground transformer fire:

 

Sprint media relations representative Adrienne Norton told FOX 5 on Tuesday that the problems resulted from an underground transformer fire that occurred in downtown D.C. early Tuesday morning.

[derrph]

Anyone hear about at&t matching sprint plans? My friend and his wife were going to switch over to sprint but apparently at&t matched whatever sprint was offering and gave them unlimited data without having direct TV. I find it a bit fishy myself he is known to bs a bit, but it kinda has me wondering however. Sad part is he is always bitching about losing data in the most random parts around town where me being on Sprint I have great service so he has me a bit confused lol.

 

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That's hard to believe as a upcoming promo geared towards sprint users. If it is true, this was something that was only given to them by the retention dept to keep them. I wouldn't give it too much thought.

 

 

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