S4GRU

Completion is referred to conversion of legacy sites to Network Vision. This includes LTE hardware. However, LTE coming online at a site is dependent on the new high speed backhaul arriving and being punched down and toned out. That date is highly variable at each site depending on the backhaul vendor and how far along with their fiber upgrades and connections in the area of that site. Could be days after NV conversion, weeks, months. And in a few cases, it's been years. But that's extreme. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Yes it can. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Yes indeed. That's what they want, is for everyone with a differing opinion just to throw their hands in the air and just give up. Giving them the only voice at the bully pulpit. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

As long as they don't drop prices below the profit floor, then competition is a good thing. I agree with that. Good for TV's and good for wireless. But TV production is unique in the fact there are many ways to explore lowering production prices among Chinese and SE Asian vendors and manufacturers. If you guarantee enough units, you can drive these costs down to absurd levels. This is not a luxury that American wireless companies have. Their biggest costs are labor, and that is not really something they can lower. Also, a TV manufacturer can take very low profit on their introductory lines, or even a loss, because they can spread that around all their lines, including upscale lines. A wireless provider doesn't have that luxury. If it drops prices below the profit floor for long, then providers either cut their expenses drastically (think capex in wireless) or go out of business. Tmo and Sprint cannot cut capex where they are at now. They are in a Catch 22. And VZW and AT&T can sustain price cuts until the day Tmo and Sprint go out of business. Tmo and Sprint need to offer better value than VZW and ATT. Not try to compete all the way down on price to the point it hurts them in the long run. And Tmo is most vulnerable, because it doesn't currently have the backing of deep pockets. I don't know where the line is that is too low. But it feels like it must be soon. Sprint and Tmo just barely were profitable before the last round of price cuts. Sprint only squeaked out a small profit from unsustainable tablet sales, and Tmo only had a profit because of a VZW spectrum purchase. Both Sprint and Tmo will have to make major cuts in order try to be profitable on reducing margins. Whereas ATT and VZW margins are so fat, they can ride it out as Sprint and Tmo annihilate each other at the bottom. Those who hold out hope that Tmo's subscriber numbers are growing need to remember these customers are coming to cheap plans that are just getting cheaper and cheaper. Bringing in less and less money per customer, while, capex demands are still high (700MHz, VoLTE, and widening to 15/20MHz channels, rural backhaul and buildout). And Tmo spends so much money per new customer to attract them, that it takes a year just to payoff the amount to get them. And then consider how many new Tmo customers are prepaid. They even brag about it. If people really want strong competition to the duopoly, then we should be wanting Sprint and Tmo not to engage in a price war that will damage them both. We should want to pay the lowest price that keeps them financially healthy enough to compete. And I think that we are there, or maybe slightly beyond it. McAdam and Stephenson were afraid of a Sprint/Tmo merger. They must be very pleased at what they are seeing now. They just got to find the best position to wait out the clock. The Feds created the position, allowing the Duopoly to amass too much weight. Never once caring about competition until AT&T tried to purchase Tmo. Now, the Feds just keep talking about competition, but all their efforts really just stymie the little guys from taking it to the Duopoly. The only way one of the small guys can make a dent in the big ones is if they have a wealthy backer who will just sit back and pay for the red ink to build a network that can fully compete and then fund operations for 8-10 years as they offer prices at a loss to slowly pick away at the Duopoly subscriber base. And then that wealthy backer needs to steadily pour more and more money (at a loss) into his network to make sure it can handle all the new subscribers steadily coming from the Duopoly quarter after quarter. This is a tall order for any company to achieve, even with small profits. Impossible while losing money. I don't even think Masa is prepared to carry Sprint for that long of time funding capex and operations for an unprofitable company with no guarantee of success and a Federal regulatory environment that feels like it has some folks working against him. The best outcome for the American consumer in the long run is to allow Tmo and Sprint to charge prices that provide reasonable profits and returns. It will allow them to make debt payments, borrow more as needed, properly fund capex and possibly start to make in roads with the Duopoly over time. Ridiculously cheap prices in the next few months will likely help the consumer in the short term, but will be very harmful to them a few years down the road as the minor two become less and less able to compete as they head down the road for bankruptcy. And both Sprint and Tmo will be waiting for the other to raise prices knowing that customers will jump ship to the other immediately. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Yeah, at that point, his comments aren't so much to the trolls, but so people who come along afterward and read the comments have an opportunity to hear reason and truth. Good job, Bryce! Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Backhaul? Not likely. Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

People often mischaracterize why higher frequencies have more capacity. They don't have any more or less capacity per single megahertz. The reason why people say that higher frequencies have more capacity, because it takes more sites to cover an area. More sites equals more capapcity. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Ping is highly variable on all providers. It depends on the air link saturation, backhaul type, backhaul burden, LTE data core burden and LTE data core connection to the internet. As well as changes in dynamic routing. In some places and in some scenarios, Sprint will be highest and Sprint will be lowest. No one can say Sprint has the worst ping of all providers, but you may be able to say in your observances that Sprint has the highest pings that you've seen. If Sprint is the worst now, that can easily change. Because Sprint uses dynaming routing and dynamic LTE core load balancing. Your sites may be connecting to a more distant LTE core for a time, because the default core for your sites may be undergoing work. We see this all the time. And it will continue until NV upgrades at switches and cores are complete. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Yes. You got it. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Not many. I've never seen a list broken out that way. But it's only in thew few markets where the EBS license holder signed over ALL its spectrum to Clearwire (and now Sprint) and Sprint also owns all the licenses in the BRS band. EBS licenses are really a bear to track. BRS is much easier: http://specmap.sequence-omega.net Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

That's why it's probably slow. Too many other people in your sector also don't have a home internet connection. Reporting 3G issues is a waste of time in most instances. They really don't want to add T1 lines and more EVDO carriers at this stage in the game. Until LTE is live at your site and upgraded backhaul, there probably just won't be much Sprint will be willing to do at your site. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

I don't think I'm supposed to be allowed to data roam. But on my bill it didn't charge the data roaming I did differently. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Utilities will install the cheapest way allowed. Fiber is rarely an exception. The reason why utilities started going underground to begin with is because zoning, local ordinances and later even states started requiring it. So practically all utility services, including fiber, are now below grade on new construction (except still in truly rural areas). Underground utilities have been the norm since the 70's in most parts of the country. However, there are still millions of places in this country with utility infrastructure above ground in neighborhoods pre-1980's. All the easements are in place for these pole strung electricity, cable TV, telephone and now even fiber. It is way too much trouble to try to go through older neighborhoods and establish new easements across 100's or 1000's of properties to dig a new spur fiber line. And then the cost would be sky high too. However, if you go along the existing utility pole easements and stay in the air, you can feed these existing neighborhoods fiber quickly and with a manageable cap ex spend. Otherwise, these older neighborhoods would likely never see fiber. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

That prediction article was a lot of fun to write. Maybe I'll do that again for 2015. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

The purpose of this list is to track the CDMA sites your device connects to when on LTE, so your device knows to scan more frequently for LTE in those areas knowing it's likely to find LTE. When connected to CDMA sites that have not seen LTE before, it scans less frequently for LTE to save battery life. At least, that's the theory anyway. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

That tracks which CDMA site you are connected to while being connected to LTE. So, at some point you were connected to Bluegrass Cellular CDMA while being connected to LTE. While you could have been connected to Bluegrass LTE at the time, it is more likely you were connected to Sprint LTE at the time. It is definitely possible for your phone to be roaming on 1x but on Sprint native LTE. We see it all the time. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

There is a lot of above ground fiber, stretching pole to pole like Cable TV and power. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

I was able to roam on Ting 1x on VZW here in South Dakota and use data. However, it would not work for me in Philly/South Jersey. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

anticipation building Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

The proof is in the pudding. At least that's what my Mom always told me. Which is actually a pretty stupid expression. "Mom!!!!" Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

We allow topics on other providers. They are closely monitored and have to follow the posting guidelines explicitly. They cannot be anti-Sprint, or overly promotional or virtual advertisements for other providers. They need to be more technical in nature and expand the intellectual discussion of networks and enhance understanding. Members can add other provider topics in the General Topics forum. If a thread requires constant moderating and takes too much time to keep it on course because of consistent problems or trolling, then we will shut it down. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Futurestock. One of the best Futurama episodes of all time. "They're afraid of our raw power!" Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Sprint had COW's for Lollapalooza. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Pizza Ranch Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

No. There's a few issues. #1...I think the Sprint SIM unlock only works International, not Domestic. #2...The Zing does not support any Verizon LTE bands #3...Verizon LTE SIM card will not work in that device for Verizon CDMA. I have tried to do this on my unlocked Zing. Will not authenticate. #4...Verizon does not allow non Verizon devices on their network. Similar to the way Sprint does, except devices that support their 700MHz LTE band. Because the FCC says they have to allow those. But the Zing does not include that band. Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro