IT'S THE WiMAX COUNTDOWN!!!

[Steve Dean]

On another topic, I wonder if sprint should try and keep these customers & give them branded devices and use it as a marketing tool. They might even be able to write it off as some type of charitable donation, who knows...

Why should Sprint do this? The 90 day injunction that MB/MC received is costing Sprint hundreds of millions of dollars that could be used towards making Sprint better. If these two groups had switched like other groups did many months ago, it would have only cost Sprint a few million.

 

After February 2016, if they are still whining that they have not had enough to time, force them to use their profits to keep WiMAX up and running. They will switch quickly.

[Jones]

Why should Sprint do this? The 90 day injunction that MB/MC received is costing Sprint hundreds of millions of dollars that could be used towards making Sprint better. If these two groups had switched like other groups did many months ago, it would have only cost Sprint a few million.

 

After February 2016, if they are still whining that they have not had enough to time, force them to use their profits to keep WiMAX up and running. They will switch quickly.

That wont happen though as the judge has already set precedent to help out "the little guys". Sprint will end up having to cave in and give them what they want, but there will probably be hard caps in place.

[Steve Dean]

That wont happen though as the judge has already set precedent to help out "the little guys". Sprint will end up having to cave in and give them what they want, but there will probably be hard caps in place.

 

I truly hope that Sprint does not cave in.  They need to draw the line and turn it off in February.  Other groups that participated with WiMax moved to the new technology so it is not that difficult. MB/MC needs to stop dragging their feet.  The rest of the Sprint population that pays for their service suffers for less than 1% of the population that is not even paying for it.

 

I am sorry if this is a soapbox moment but you cannot continue to patch something that is a dinosaur.  Dinosaurs are extinct, just as WiMax should be.

[clbowens]

I truly hope that Sprint does not cave in.  They need to draw the line and turn it off in February.  Other groups that participated with WiMax moved to the new technology so it is not that difficult. MB/MC needs to stop dragging their feet.  The rest of the Sprint population that pays for their service suffers for less than 1% of the population that is not even paying for it.

 

I am sorry if this is a soapbox moment but you cannot continue to patch something that is a dinosaur.  Dinosaurs are extinct, just as WiMax should be.

They might not have a choice, like for this current extension.

[markjcc]

I truly hope that Sprint does not cave in.  They need to draw the line and turn it off in February.  Other groups that participated with WiMax moved to the new technology so it is not that difficult. MB/MC needs to stop dragging their feet.  The rest of the Sprint population that pays for their service suffers for less than 1% of the population that is not even paying for it.

 

I am sorry if this is a soapbox moment but you cannot continue to patch something that is a dinosaur.  Dinosaurs are extinct, just as WiMax should be.

MC and MB are parasites, They should know the parasites should keep the host alive or the parasites will also die

[Steve Dean]

They might not have a choice, like for this current extension.

 

If this situation comes again in February, there are several arguments that can be made from the Sprint point of view:

 

Would a judge rule that Apple has to continue to support the first iPhone? No, it is old technology and it is not economically feasible to continue to support.

 

Would a judge rule that Microsoft has to continue support of Windows 95?  No, there is better Operating Systems that will make the process much easier (at times it is frustrating though).

 

Would a judge rule that Ford needs regress the safety standards of new vehicles to the standards of vehicles built in the 1970's?  No, Safety standards in 2015 are leaps and bounds ahead of 40 years ago.

 

The same common sense thought process needs to apply to WiMax.  Are there people still using it? (as in all the examples listed above and WiMax).  Yes.  Has the improvement in technology with LTE made or making a better experience for all with Sprint?  Yes.  Should Sprint be forced to continue to support something that is old technology, I still have to say no.  You need to keep up with the times.

[clbowens]

If this situation comes again in February, there are several arguments that can be made from the Sprint point of view:

 

Would a judge rule that Apple has to continue to support the first iPhone? No, it is old technology and it is not economically feasible to continue to support.

 

Would a judge rule that Microsoft has to continue support of Windows 95?  No, there is better Operating Systems that will make the process much easier (at times it is frustrating though).

 

Would a judge rule that Ford needs regress the safety standards of new vehicles to the standards of vehicles built in the 1970's?  No, Safety standards in 2015 are leaps and bounds ahead of 40 years ago.

 

The same common sense thought process needs to apply to WiMax.  Are there people still using it? (as in all the examples listed above and WiMax).  Yes.  Has the improvement in technology with LTE made or making a better experience for all with Sprint?  Yes.  Should Sprint be forced to continue to support something that is old technology, I still have to say no.  You need to keep up with the times.

 

Oh, I ABSOLUTELY agree with you.  I think they should have been allowed to shut it down already, given how long of a notice they gave everybody. 

 

But they were stopped once, it can happen again.

[orangeblue]

If this situation comes again in February, there are several arguments that can be made from the Sprint point of view:

 

Would a judge rule that Apple has to continue to support the first iPhone? No, it is old technology and it is not economically feasible to continue to support.

 

Would a judge rule that Microsoft has to continue support of Windows 95?  No, there is better Operating Systems that will make the process much easier (at times it is frustrating though).

 

Would a judge rule that Ford needs regress the safety standards of new vehicles to the standards of vehicles built in the 1970's?  No, Safety standards in 2015 are leaps and bounds ahead of 40 years ago.

 

The same common sense thought process needs to apply to WiMax.  Are there people still using it? (as in all the examples listed above and WiMax).  Yes.  Has the improvement in technology with LTE made or making a better experience for all with Sprint?  Yes.  Should Sprint be forced to continue to support something that is old technology, I still have to say no.  You need to keep up with the times.

 

Technology is not the problem its usage. WiMax offered unlimited & unthrottled service for MC/MB customers and they like to keep it because they claim that their agreement allows them the best service available for their customers.

[Arysyn]

It is bad enough that these corrupt organizations were able to convince a judge to force a huge corporation which has planned on shutting down their old network technology for a few years now, and has given several months of advance notice about this to all of their customers, yet these two close-knit organizations were able to go to a judge asking for more time, and got exactly what they wanted, despite it having a very negative effect on Sprint and all of its other customers.

 

MB/MC ought to be sued by Sprint for whatever damages they've cost to Sprint, and possibly Sprint ought to sue the government for allowing this.

[dedub]

If this situation comes again in February, there are several arguments that can be made from the Sprint point of view:

 

Would a judge rule that Apple has to continue to support the first iPhone? No, it is old technology and it is not economically feasible to continue to support.

 

Would a judge rule that Microsoft has to continue support of Windows 95?  No, there is better Operating Systems that will make the process much easier (at times it is frustrating though).

 

Would a judge rule that Ford needs regress the safety standards of new vehicles to the standards of vehicles built in the 1970's?  No, Safety standards in 2015 are leaps and bounds ahead of 40 years ago.

 

The same common sense thought process needs to apply to WiMax.  Are there people still using it? (as in all the examples listed above and WiMax).  Yes.  Has the improvement in technology with LTE made or making a better experience for all with Sprint?  Yes.  Should Sprint be forced to continue to support something that is old technology, I still have to say no.  You need to keep up with the times.

 

 

Your analogy is wrong.

 

None of those quoted things rely on continuous support from their original manufacturer for the end user to use them.

 

You can, and some people still are, using windows 95, the first iphone, and their 1970 fords.

 

However, you can't simply keep using your wimax service, when your service provider pulls the plug.

 

The same thing happens to your online game, when the game company shuts down their authentication and/or play servers.

 

I've already made my views 'clear' previously, so I won't re-hash them here.

 

There are going to be many of these issues pop up in the future, with OS's, phones, and even cars (which are already starting to connect over mobile back to the manufacturer for various services).

 

What happens when your car won't start because the remote connection fails, either due to the connection service, or because the manufacturer shut down your car's authentication server?

 

The courts will eventually decide this for us, but sooner or later it will become one of the greater issues of our time.

[markjcc]

Any news on the injunction?

[Joski1624]

I've had mixed feelings about WiMAX going away. Even with the shoestring budget that the network was built on, it worked reasonably well and was much faster than 3G. However, I think it's seen its time and is proving more of a hinderence with the advancement of LTE services.

 

I've discovered that the WiMAX network here in Cleveland is a tremendous spectrum hog (at least 80MHz). Three separate carrier frequencies are used for each sector per tower versus one for LTE. And the same LTE carrier can be used for all adjacent sites where WiMAX cannot. Since most subscribers have triband devices now, the local clear sites are not up to the task, often yielding slower speeds than B25 here (sometimes rivaling 3G speeds). The equipment needs replaced with much higher capacity 8T8R and backhaul (extensively microwave) probably needs an overhaul too.

[signalchaser]

I tried to use Wimax in Merrimack NH with a ringplus phone. It connects to Wimax but I can't browse at all. Haven't tried freedompop yet. Tower is still live though.

[markjcc]

I tried to use Wimax in Merrimack NH with a ringplus phone. It connects to Wimax but I can't browse at all. Haven't tried freedompop yet. Tower is still live though.

Post-paid Sprint still works, All MVNO's should be blocked Except MC/MB

[orangeblue]

My FreedomPOP Evo4G refuses to work with WiMax now. It registers but there is no more data allowed to flow.

[EvanA]

My dad is still getting working WiMax on his EVO 4G in St. Louis. There is a tower right next to the building he works in.

[RSC405]

As of this morning my Samsung epic can still connect to WiMAX here in Alamogordo NM.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[orangeblue]

Is there a time table set for the current Clearwire LTE sites to be taken down and replaced by Sprint build sites?

[Tengen31]

Is there a time table set for the current Clearwire LTE sites to be taken down and replaced by Sprint build sites?

Sometime in 2016 I think. A small amount have already been. I live in Minnesota and, The Mall Of America used to be Clearwire and, couple of months ago they were Sprint.

[acadiel]

As of this morning my Samsung epic can still connect to WiMAX here in Alamogordo NM.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My Freedompop WiMAX unit is still working in Atlanta. No usage is being charged on the portal as well. Strange.

 

 

[orangeblue]

I'm back in the Bay Area and all my Evo4G's are working just fine and it seems as there is no data use on my FP account. Not sure why but this is very nice. 12MB down on WiMax, much better as b25 LTE

[markjcc]

34 Days till supposedly the injunction is to end

[RedSpark]

34 Days till supposedly the injunction is to end

 

I just hope Sprint was able to redirect resources/teams to move other initiatives along during this waiting period...

 

Who knows... we may not have to wait the full 34 days if they can work something out.

 

If it was I: I'd just send them all Karma Hotspots with the Unlimited Plan and be done with it already.

[tekjunkie]

Can sprint not rebrand the spectrum of WiMAX for LTE while leaving it somewhat live. Or just leave it live in the areas where these few companies need it? What about just giving them LTE devices?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RedSpark]

Can sprint not rebrand the spectrum of WiMAX for LTE while leaving it somewhat live. Or just leave it live in the areas where these few companies need it? What about just giving them LTE devices?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Here's the Court Order (PDF).

 

So as I understand it, Sprint has to maintain WiMAX at the same service level for the duration of the injunction. It had to cease shutting down additional areas.

 

WiMAX runs on Single Mode Legacy Gear (which it has to keep in place to keep WiMAX on. This gear has to be swapped out to upgrade to LTE.) WiMAX also runs on newer dual-mode Clear Gear, which can be switched over to LTE and not require an immediate swap-out.

 

The Karma Hotspot is an LTE device.

 

The issue was the non-profits were receiving Unlimited Data for their hotspots over WiMAX and wanted that level of service to continue over LTE after the switchover. Apparently, Sprint wasn't offering the same deal. So, I'm saying, just send them Karma LTE hotspots which have an Unlimited Data Plan and use Sprint's LTE network. Of course, they're capped at 5Mbps...

 

It's also worth noting:

 

The state court also rejected a motion from Sprint looking to require a $65 million bond from Mobile Citizen and Mobile Beacon to cover the costs of running the WiMAX network over a 90-day period.