Extended network usage question

[signalchaser]

I signed up for Sprint's unlimited kickstart plan and noticed there is a lot of "extended network" coverage near me. Today was the first chance I had to test it when I left native coverage. It switches to US Cellular but all I got was the R indicator on my phone. Same indicator when it switches to Verizon. I have my settings as Automatic for network instead of Home only. I also have data roaming turned off. Basically my question is, how can I know when I am on extended network instead of roaming? Most of the coverage west of me shows extended network with very little roaming areas. I don't want to get charged for roaming on accident. 

[red_dog007]

You won't be charged roaming while in the USA. Period. End of story.  

Turn on data and enjoy.  Talk and enjoy.  Text and enjoy. 

VZW/ATT data will be slow/unusabled and you only have a 100MB bucket.  After this bucket is used you are cut off.  Everyone else data experience should be usable and treated as if native.

[Tengen31]

I signed up for Sprint's unlimited kickstart plan and noticed there is a lot of "extended network" coverage near me. Today was the first chance I had to test it when I left native coverage. It switches to US Cellular but all I got was the R indicator on my phone. Same indicator when it switches to Verizon. I have my settings as Automatic for network instead of Home only. I also have data roaming turned off. Basically my question is, how can I know when I am on extended network instead of roaming? Most of the coverage west of me shows extended network with very little roaming areas. I don't want to get charged for roaming on accident. 

You won't be charged roaming while in the USA. Period. End of story.  
Turn on data and enjoy.  Talk and enjoy.  Text and enjoy. 
VZW/ATT data will be slow/unusabled and you only have a 100MB bucket.  After this bucket is used you are cut off.  Everyone else data experience should be usable and treated as if native.

USCC should count as same coverage as being on Sprint, the R is for roaming into 1X not LTE.

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[Cardsfan96]

Is network usage on U.S. Cellular restricted at all? I never can connect to their LTE anymore and 3g is hardly usable until after 10pm.

[though]

10 minutes ago, Cardsfan96 said:

Is network usage on U.S. Cellular restricted at all? I never can connect to their LTE anymore and 3g is hardly usable until after 10pm.

I think it is, possibly per market or per tower. Not exactly sure. It generally works pretty well.

[Cardsfan96]

2 minutes ago, though said:

I think it is, possibly per market or per tower. Not exactly sure. It generally works pretty well.

It has been horrible for me the past few months. Pretty much useless data wise.

[Dkoellerwx]

On 7/26/2019 at 5:14 PM, Cardsfan96 said:

Is network usage on U.S. Cellular restricted at all? I never can connect to their LTE anymore and 3g is hardly usable until after 10pm.

I've never run into restrictions. T-Mobile should be bumped above USCC if available, and there are definitely no restrictions when I've been roaming on T-Mobile. Full speed every time I checked. 

[Cardsfan96]

3 hours ago, Dkoellerwx said:

I've never run into restrictions. T-Mobile should be bumped above USCC if available, and there are definitely no restrictions when I've been roaming on T-Mobile. Full speed every time I checked. 

Roaming on U.S. Cellular in the area I’m in seems very restricted. I can only get 3g even right below the tower I use to connect to LTE all the time. It’s also seems the 3g is either throttled or is very congested. The 3g never works during the day but will get somewhat usable after 10pm. People I know who have U.S. Cellular have been in the same place and have full LTE with good speeds while I’m stuck on unusable 3g. I use to get T-Mobile LTE roaming until they quit allowing band 71. My data roaming experience went from an A to a D in a matter of a few months. It’s basically just calls and text.

[Dkoellerwx]

2 hours ago, Cardsfan96 said:

Roaming on U.S. Cellular in the area I’m in seems very restricted. I can only get 3g even right below the tower I use to connect to LTE all the time. It’s also seems the 3g is either throttled or is very congested. The 3g never works during the day but will get somewhat usable after 10pm. People I know who have U.S. Cellular have been in the same place and have full LTE with good speeds while I’m stuck on unusable 3g. I use to get T-Mobile LTE roaming until they quit allowing band 71. My data roaming experience went from an A to a D in a matter of a few months. It’s basically just calls and text.

You could try going through support, especially on Twitter to see if anyone can tell you what is going on. However roaming issues have historically been very difficult to get diagnosed and then addressed. 

[Cardsfan96]

9 minutes ago, Dkoellerwx said:

You could try going through support, especially on Twitter to see if anyone can tell you what is going on. However roaming issues have historically been very difficult to get diagnosed and then addressed. 

I did message them through Twitter a while back about it and they just told me the usual like trying to update profile and prl then after I told them I did that many times already they said well roaming coverage and quality is out of our control and basically said there was nothing they could do. I know it’s not just me. Many people that have sprint have been there also and can only connect to U.S. Cellulars 3g now and it’s unusable for them also. T-Mobile  LTE works to a certain point but not at our weekend place now that I can’t access band 71 anymore. I know I’m just rambling but it’s frustrating because I know how good it can be and I spend a good amount of time there with basically unusable data.

[Dkoellerwx]

8 minutes ago, Cardsfan96 said:

I did message them through Twitter a while back about it and they just told me the usual like trying to update profile and prl then after I told them I did that many times already they said well roaming coverage and quality is out of our control and basically said there was nothing they could do. I know it’s not just me. Many people that have sprint have been there also and can only connect to U.S. Cellulars 3g now and it’s unusable for them also. T-Mobile  LTE works to a certain point but not at our weekend place now that I can’t access band 71 anymore. I know I’m just rambling but it’s frustrating because I know how good it can be and I spend a good amount of time there with basically unusable data.

I imagine T-Mobile access will come back relatively soon, so hopefully you can hold out. 

[Tengen31]

I imagine T-Mobile access will come back relatively soon, so hopefully you can hold out. 

In my area TMO roaming was only doing B66 and 2 this should open up 12/71

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[Cardsfan96]

11 hours ago, Tengen31 said:

In my area TMO roaming was only doing B66 and 2 this should open up 12/71

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I’ve only been seeing band 66 and 2 also.

[belusnecropolis]

Everytime I put a Sprint sim into my router it roams on all available T-Mobile bands. If we still need confirmation of band 71 roaming I can try tonight but I might need to move my antenna. I have seen 2/66/5 no problem on a Sprint x.ispn sim in native coverage areas.

[Tengen31]

Everytime I put a Sprint sim into my router it roams on all available T-Mobile bands. If we still need confirmation of band 71 roaming I can try tonight but I might need to move my antenna. I have seen 2/66/5 no problem on a Sprint x.ispn sim in native coverage areas.

You have seen B5?

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[belusnecropolis]

Horry CO, SC has L850 and GSM. T-Mobile's only Cellular band license.

11 minutes ago, Tengen31 said:

You have seen B5?

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[Tengen31]

Horry CO, SC has L850 and GSM. T-Mobile's only Cellular band license.
 

Yeah makes since then [emoji16].

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[Tengen31]

Horry CO, SC has L850 and GSM. T-Mobile's only Cellular band license.
 

What phone are you using?

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[belusnecropolis]

7 minutes ago, Tengen31 said:

What phone are you using?

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Telit LM960/H721 dual SIM router for this experiment specifically.

I rolled my own phone to save cost, it does not have band 71 yet. Those radios are pricey so I put the one we have in our internet box.

[ingenium]

Everytime I put a Sprint sim into my router it roams on all available T-Mobile bands. If we still need confirmation of band 71 roaming I can try tonight but I might need to move my antenna. I have seen 2/66/5 no problem on a Sprint x.ispn sim in native coverage areas.

Yeah this makes sense. I believe that band access is on a per site basis. So for example, on sites that are very congested on band 12, T-Mobile may not broadcast the Clear PLMN. But on a nearby site with light B12 usage, they do. There are some sites that allow Sprint roaming on all bands, and others that only allow maybe band 2 and/or 4/66. It varies.

The one thing Sprint roaming does not allow for at the moment is carrier aggregation. You will always be on just a single carrier while roaming (domestic and international).

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[belusnecropolis]

10 minutes ago, ingenium said:

Yeah this makes sense. I believe that band access is on a per site basis. So for example, on sites that are very congested on band 12, T-Mobile may not broadcast the Clear PLMN. But on a nearby site with light B12 usage, they do. There are some sites that allow Sprint roaming on all bands, and others that only allow maybe band 2 and/or 4/66. It varies.

The one thing Sprint roaming does not allow for at the moment is carrier aggregation. You will always be on just a single carrier while roaming (domestic and international).

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No. I roam on all bands on every site here. Also, here is 3x aggregation roaming with a Sprint sim in my LM960 from April 18. I also have a Potato X2 that aggregates roaming, same sim card.

[RAvirani]

24 minutes ago, ingenium said:

The one thing Sprint roaming does not allow for at the moment is carrier aggregation. You will always be on just a single carrier while roaming (domestic and international).

Carrier aggregation is live when T-Mobile roaming on certain sites. I'm not sure about international roaming...

[belusnecropolis]

The one place I don't experience carrier aggregation is the Sprint network.

[RAvirani]

5 minutes ago, belusnecropolis said:

The one place I don't experience carrier aggregation is the Sprint network.

There's plenty of CA where I'm at. L2500+L2500+L2500 as well as L1900+L2500+L2500. No 1900 intraband CA because we have a single 15x15 carrier, but I'm definitely not complaining about that. 

[belusnecropolis]

Pretty low density here, one channel in band 25, and two in 2500 when you get close.

2 minutes ago, RAvirani said:

There's plenty of CA where I'm at. L2500+L2500+L2500 as well as L1900+L2500+L2500. No 1900 intraband CA because we have a single 15x15 carrier, but I'm definitely not complaining about that.