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

[though]

I live in Minnesota. Sprint loses signal or LTE in places. Including Wisconsin also. I'll be driving thru Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana then Florida.

 

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with the S5?

[IamMrFamous07]

I would be mad if T-Mobile finishes or nearly completes 600mhz deployment before Sprint finishes 2.5 deployment

 

We all know 2.5 is valuable but with 600mhz, AWS 3, LTE U/ LTE LAA and mix all that with Carrier Aggregation...I feel it makes Band 41 inferior

[RedSpark]

I would be mad if T-Mobile finishes or nearly completes 600mhz deployment before Sprint finishes 2.5 deployment

We all know 2.5 is valuable but with 600mhz, AWS 3, LTE U/ LTE LAA and mix all that with Carrier Aggregation...I feel it makes Band 41 inferior

Last we heard from Günther 3 months ago (https://www.reddit.com/r/Sprint/comments/5ipysj/2nd_ama_here_we_come/dba5dup/):

 

"70% of our LTE sites have 2.5GHz. We are doing both. A lot of parallel work going on here as you can see..."

 

Maybe we'll hear an update on this during the Earnings Call.

[nexgencpu]

I would be mad if T-Mobile finishes or nearly completes 600mhz deployment before Sprint finishes 2.5 deployment

 

We all know 2.5 is valuable but with 600mhz, AWS 3, LTE U/ LTE LAA and mix all that with Carrier Aggregation...I feel it makes Band 41 inferior

I don't know....60Mhz of B41 3XCA+2xCA UL running HPUE/4x4MIMO/256QAM just seems way simpler and more robust..

 

Throw in 2XCA B25 and B26, not even accounting for Massive MIMO.

 

Sprint just needs to execute, which they are, just not fast enough for some folks.

[lilotimz]

I would be mad if T-Mobile finishes or nearly completes 600mhz deployment before Sprint finishes 2.5 deployment

 

We all know 2.5 is valuable but with 600mhz, AWS 3, LTE U/ LTE LAA and mix all that with Carrier Aggregation...I feel it makes Band 41 inferior

In high density high capacity deployments. 600 MHz is just another 5/10/15/20 MHz FDD layer.

 

It is not too significant in the grand scheme of things and sprint has a good case with their 2.5 spectrum in major markets.

 

In suburban and rural land the greenfield 600 MHz will shine for quite some time which is as expected with sub 1ghz frequencies where the aim is coverage and not capacity. This will bode well for Tmobiles rural aspirations where they don't have to care about spacing for PCS / AWS. 

 

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[laqn1283]

I guesss Verizon and att think the same about the 600mhz as sprint. Verizon did not spend a penny even though per customer, they have the least amount of spectrum. This alone vindicates sprint's decision to stay out of the auction. 5g coming and all the technologies coming out out to make higher frequencies more efficient, it does look like there is better way to invest in the network than spending billions on spectrum that you cannot use for another 4 years. In addition, son really believes in one web concept of delivering LTE to rural areas. We won't know if this is true for another 2 years. But if it is, then all that cash spending on low spectrum will be useless.

[belusnecropolis]

Mr Tim nailed it. It will be great in rural areas for years to come. I imagine the idea is to clear 5/10 FDD over the next year or two in the areas of expansion, like many smart folks here have said. Maybe in a year or so a 4x2 solution will be baseline for band 9000 here with some split sector and QAM wizardry. That will help keep data hungry rural users subsequently covered and able to stay connected. An example would be rural band 2/12 deployments aggregated to give a nice boost, granted rangetry and fadeonomics are forgiving, like user:IamMrFamous07 suggested. That is upwards of 50MHz of LTE in areas that have maybe 20 now; subject to their quick and needed refarming schedule.
 

Contributing to the longevity of this band is still penetration aspects, a couple other big companies like death star and comcast showed up, the holding company Dish bought some as well.

Glass Half full aspect; Also the possibility that a little further down the road into 2020/21 as a new waveform is beginning growth, this spectrum is fully cleared with incumbents repacked* The full 31 MHz would give you quite a capacity boost and would be affordable for suburban Five Gee build outs. Expect penetration aspect marketing in urban environments that could be leased or used to platform smart city applications, reliable connected cars, transit and public safety. Easily aggregated with LAA deployments possibly. I wouldn't even chip porcelain with bricks if they find a way to use a bit of white space in there.

Maybe it will be the 'anchor' LTE network needed for the next airlink to operate with, as has been described in early descriptions of Five Gee core and radio control signals?

This all depends on the current mobile environment where Dish just bought more for their 70MHz/pop 1Bsq/ft warehouse. Comcast is entering, and every one has a price if you read the news. So a buildout could halt if negotiations are entered. Like everyone else I hope it keeps up competitive pressures into the future most of all. 

[BlueAngel]

I am almost to the point of being over it, I am at home now couldn't even use my phone for music on the drive home as LTE just went offline. Still offline, 3G is unusable, had to listen to FM. *shivers* This has been happening a lot lately, unacceptable.

[JonnygATL]

I am almost to the point of being over it, I am at home now couldn't even use my phone for music on the drive home as LTE just went offline. Still offline, 3G is unusable, had to listen to FM. *shivers* This has been happening a lot lately, unacceptable.

Every carrier has their shitty areas. If I lived in an area where Sprint were shitty, I simply wouldn't have them. Lucky for me, Sprint is fantastic here in Atlanta. So why don't you just switch to a carrier that performs well in your area? Only seems logical.

[RedSpark]

In high density high capacity deployments. 600 MHz is just another 5/10/15/20 MHz FDD layer.

It is not too significant in the grand scheme of things and sprint has a good case with their 2.5 spectrum in major markets.

In suburban and rural land the greenfield 600 MHz will shine for quite some time which is as expected with sub 1ghz frequencies where the aim is coverage and not capacity. This will bode well for Tmobiles rural aspirations where they don't have to care about spacing for PCS / AWS.

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So it seems to come down to whether Sprint is right about doing a densified deployment of 2.5 GHz with CA and HPUE, combined with LTE over satellite for rural areas using Gilat (http://www.gilat.com/Gilat’s-Satellite-based-Cellular-Backhaul-Solution-Selected-by-Sprint-to-Extend-LTE-Services-to-Metro-Edge-and-Rural-Areas-in-the-US) or whether T-Mobile is right about 600 MHz being the future... because by spending nearly $8 Billion on this spectrum, I don't think they're buying anything else anytime soon.

[ericdabbs]

I don't know....60Mhz of B41 3XCA+2xCA UL running HPUE/4x4MIMO/256QAM just seems way simpler and more robust..

 

Throw in 2XCA B25 and B26, not even accounting for Massive MIMO.

 

Sprint just needs to execute, which they are, just not fast enough for some folks.

 

I don't think Sprint is executing fast enough for some most folks.  There would be more patience if this was 2015 but its been the same type of deal for 2 years now.  Getting the small cell deployment off the ground is key and 3xCA.  I know that small cell deployment is underway but its just a very very small footprint right now and Sprint really needs to ramp up small cell deployment in 2017.

 

To note, T mobile seemed to be the only notable carrier that got the spectrum. This might make it hard for them to procure phones with that boutique band. Especially since it's not going to be a band used worldwide.

 

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AT&T also bought 600 MHz albeit not a lot but it will have to support B71 in their phones.  Not to mention that Dish, Comcast, US Cellular and C-spire bought 600 MHz and will need chip support for those phones.  I don't see it as an issue for Qualcomm as long as companies are paying for that LTE band support.  

 

The 700 MHz in the US was a huge clusterf@#@ with the lower and higher 700 blocks and yet Qualcomm had no issue providing LTE support for it.

[Jones]

$8 billion to buy the spectrum...how much to deploy it? Likely another $8 billion (permitting, buying antennae, upgrading cabinets, installing on the towers) for nationwide coverage. So buying and procuring 600 MHz alone is half of Sprint's current debt load.

[Terrell352]

Last we heard from Günther 3 months ago (https://www.reddit.com/r/Sprint/comments/5ipysj/2nd_ama_here_we_come/dba5dup/):

 

"70% of our LTE sites have 2.5GHz. We are doing both. A lot of parallel work going on here as you can see..."

 

Maybe we'll hear an update on this during the Earnings Call.

I still don't believe that 70% story at all. If 70% of all Sprint sites had b41 equipment then most markets would be 80% covered and thats not the case at all. You look at that coverage map and tell me if you see 70% LTE Plus. I know I don't see it. Sprint is 60% done with macro sites at best. Thousands of sites still running 3-4 years old and still running the same 20mhz b25,b26.

 

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[BlueAngel]

Every carrier has their shitty areas. If I lived in an area where Sprint were shitty, I simply wouldn't have them. Lucky for me, Sprint is fantastic here in Atlanta. So why don't you just switch to a carrier that performs well in your area? Only seems logical.

It's pretty great here in Philly too but randomly it will just shit the bed, I understand it happens to every carrier. I overreacted I had some whiskey last night wasn't a good day for me I was let go from my job lol, I apologize too all. [emoji29]

 

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[Hmight]

Still waiting for the OTA My Sprint update on my S7.

same here.

[Hmight]

It's pretty great here in Philly too but randomly it will just shit the bed, I understand it happens to every carrier. I overreacted I had some whiskey last night wasn't a good day for me I was let go from my job lol, I apologize too all. [emoji29]

 

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Sorry to hear! The economy is still good even with Trump, but WWIII will be here sooner rather than later haha. I'm sure you will land on your feet again. 

[avb]

Does T-Mobile have plans for small cells?

 

Ultimately when it comes to capacity it seems like adding small cells is the way to go and that's what Verizon is doing. 3x20 B41 sounds nice and all, but in high density areas where even more capacity is needed small cells will be used. Sprint's small cells are capable of 2x20 B41, which isn't a huge advantage over a 20X20 layer over B4 (what is it, like 168Mb max download vs 150Mb max download?)

 

It doesn't seem like having 120mhz of B41 available in a single market is that much of an advantage versus if Sprint only had 2x20 or 3x20 B41 CA.

[Paynefanbro]

Does T-Mobile have plans for small cells?

 

Ultimately when it comes to capacity it seems like adding small cells is the way to go and that's what Verizon is doing. 3x20 B41 sounds nice and all, but in high density areas where even more capacity is needed small cells will be used. Sprint's small cells are capable of 2x20 B41, which isn't a huge advantage over a 20X20 layer over B4 (what is it, like 168Mb max download vs 150Mb max download?)

 

It doesn't seem like having 120mhz of B41 available in a single market is that much of an advantage versus if Sprint only had 2x20 or 3x20 B41 CA.

The advantage comes in capacity as opposed to raw speed. You can put more carriers on air even if you aren't aggregating them. You can also adjust the download to upload ratio to favor downloads more heavily which Sprint is already in the process of doing. That'll push the max download speed on 2 carriers beyond 168Mbps.

 

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[ericdabbs]

Does T-Mobile have plans for small cells?

 

Ultimately when it comes to capacity it seems like adding small cells is the way to go and that's what Verizon is doing. 3x20 B41 sounds nice and all, but in high density areas where even more capacity is needed small cells will be used. Sprint's small cells are capable of 2x20 B41, which isn't a huge advantage over a 20X20 layer over B4 (what is it, like 168Mb max download vs 150Mb max download?)

 

It doesn't seem like having 120mhz of B41 available in a single market is that much of an advantage versus if Sprint only had 2x20 or 3x20 B41 CA.

 

Yes Tmobile does have plans for small cell deployment.  Tmobile is working on a variety of things in 2017 including the deployment of LTE-U, small cells, and working with OEMs on 600 MHz field testing for equipment and procurement.

[JustinRP37]

This 600 MHz will definitely help T-Mobile match the footprint of Verizon and AT&T. It will take time but there are benefits for T-Mobile. They want to expand their native footprint. Sprint also has a plan and it seems to be to deliver high speeds in more urban areas. This is not a bad strategy either. In rural areas you have far less customers than you can get in urban areas. If Sprint becomes powerful in key areas of the country, that can be enough. It is highly unlikely under the current plans that Sprint will ever match the network size of Verizon and AT&T, and that is okay if they can win at being the best in urban areas. The debt has to be paid down and they have to start turning a profit. Customers have to choose what is best for them, brand loyalty rarely works out in the customers favor. If you travel to rural areas frequently, then you are most likely going to have to be with V or T if you want data.

[avb]

The advantage comes in capacity as opposed to raw speed. You can put more carriers on air even if you aren't aggregating them. You can also adjust the download to upload ratio to favor downloads more heavily which Sprint is already in the process of doing. That'll push the max download speed on 2 carriers beyond 168Mbps.

 

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Right, but in those capacity strained areas you'll more than likely have small cells, which at the moment are 2X20 B41 which isn't a huge advantage for areas where Verizon or T-Mobile has 20mhz of B4 for small cells. 120mhz of B41 isn't necessary unless Sprint decides to waste a ton of specturm like they did with Wimax.

[Steve Dean]

To me, all the bantering about 600MHz, Sprint's participation, T-M market dominance with it, etc... is becoming out of hand.  Let us break down some facts:

 

1. Sprint is focusing on what they have now.  If they were to use their current capital/capex and apply it towards 600MHz spectrum purchase and take away from building out their current holdings, they get nowhere with customer experience and expectations.  We would still have subscribers saying the service is poor.  So, pick your poison...  If Sprint's investment in HPUE does what Gunther, Saw and others say it will, some (not all) of the challenges they face will be eliminated.

 

2. If what I have read in some of the replies this morning are true about other users of the 600MHz spectrum having to leave the space before it can be used, this sounds like 800MHz issues that Sprint went through and still are in some areas.  Why in the hell would Sprint want to go through having the spectrum and not be able to use it?  There will be issues with "squatters" not leaving regardless of the number of mandates from the FCC to leave.  We all here have seen it happen.  I would say it is a lesson learned for Sprint rather than saying they ignored the auction.

 

3. There are no chipsets to handle the spectrum currently.  The build out of antennas will take three to five years.  The cost to build?  Eight billion dollars was one number I read.  I would say it would be even higher and by a substantial margin.  Even then, will TM be able to say they cover everyone?  I would lean towards no. 

 

Have a great pink bunny weekend.

[JustinRP37]

 

2. If what I have read in some of the replies this morning are true about other users of the 600MHz spectrum having to leave the space before it can be used, this sounds like 800MHz issues that Sprint went through and still are in some areas.  Why in the hell would Sprint want to go through having the spectrum and not be able to use it?  There will be issues with "squatters" not leaving regardless of the number of mandates from the FCC to leave.  We all here have seen it happen.  I would say it is a lesson learned for Sprint rather than saying they ignored the auction.

 

 

 

I read that they will have 5x5 to 10x10 to use starting this year nationwide. I'd have to go find the article though. It is the remainder that will take 2 years to totally vacate. Your point about no equipment supporting it is totally valid, which is why I laid out why both Sprint's strategy and T-Mobile's strategy are vastly different with different goals. Both can be good approaches. It is not one or the other. Even if Sprint's strategy is superior, they do have a mountain to climb to become profitable and able to continue forward. That is why I think it is right for them to attack the urban areas first (more potential customers). 

[Terrell352]

The advantage comes in capacity as opposed to raw speed. You can put more carriers on air even if you aren't aggregating them. You can also adjust the download to upload ratio to favor downloads more heavily which Sprint is already in the process of doing. That'll push the max download speed on 2 carriers beyond 168Mbps.

 

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I think what most people want to see is Sprint leaving the competition in the dust. We want to see 120-150mhz of b41 capacity actually in use before the competition catches them and makes Sprint's spectrum advantage mute. Everyday the other 3 get closer and closer to making that a reality. Sprint has already lost their unlimited advantage, coverage advantage, deployed spectrum per tower advantage and is basically really close to losing their price advantage. If they lose there spectrum holdings advantage it is game over. Prices are so competitive and coverage of the other three on a nationwide scale is better. I don't see a reason to switch to Sprint anymore other than Sprint's future plans which means nothing without amazing execution at a breakneck pace. Plans are great and all but talk is cheap. I planned on making 250,000 a year by the time I was 28 but lack of execution has me at 28% of that. Sprint has the same problem that is just now starting to be addressed and still remains to be seen if Sprint will keep up the pace or not.

 

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[RedSpark]

I still don't believe that 70% story at all. If 70% of all Sprint sites had b41 equipment then most markets would be 80% covered and thats not the case at all. You look at that coverage map and tell me if you see 70% LTE Plus. I know I don't see it. Sprint is 60% done with macro sites at best. Thousands of sites still running 3-4 years old and still running the same 20mhz b25,b26.

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What was the basis for Günther's statement then? The "70%" number had to be based on something from Sprint's internal reports.

 

What's the truth here, if we can discuss it in this general open thread? I understand if we can't of course b/c of site rules.