S4GRU

I just uninstalled and reinstalled. No dice on my stock GN2. Robert

What do you do to determine that all the EVDO carriers in the sector you are in are full of users? Robert

The signal from 3G and LTE from the same exact site, will have similar signal strength, when measured in the same scale. However, 3G EVDO is more usable with a weak signal than LTE. LTE needs a robust signal to transfer data at the speeds it does. And this is true of all LTE carriers. If you just have barely a sufficient LTE signal with the device in your hand, putting it into your pocket is likely enough to push it out of range. I have the same issue with my Verizon LTE device when I am near the edge of LTE coverage. Also, do not assume that your 3G is coming from the same LTE site that you think is the nearest site to you. A site does not send out a signal in 360 degrees around it. It has two or three sectors pointed in different directions. You may actually be between two sectors from that site that is nearest to you, giving you a mediocre signal from it. However, another site that is farther may be pointed directly at you. And that may be where your 3G is coming from. There are lots of different dynamics involved. It's never as easy to figure out as it seems. Robert

Given how badly the Clearwire spectrum sharing worked out, I would not recommend to Sprint such a deal. Just based on that factor alone. But that's just one man's opinion. Robert

It's both. Both have been a problem for years. Inadequate T1 backhaul on legacy sites, and insufficient number of EVDO carriers to serve demand. Rarely does fixing one but not the other provide long term solutions to 3G performance at Sprint sites. Robert

Yes indeed. It's true. All Samsung markets are scheduled to be under way by Summer (June 21st). It's coming! Robert

Just bumping the thread to remind everyone that S4GRU will be down at some point this afternoon and there will be some disruptions when it comes back online. See the OP for details. Robert

In the beginning, only Samsung could run both CDMA and LTE on the same RRU. Now all three OEM's can do that. Robert

Ummm, the source is Sprint. We mark sites that Sprint has accepted complete from their Contractors. If you find a site that is live, but not on our maps, it is most likely in testing from the OEM. Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

Not really. If you focus all your deployment on just primary and secondary markets, you can have an impressive POP number. If you focus on rural and tertiary markets, you can have a poor POP number. It all depends on where you serve and the density. You can make POP's mean a whole bunch of different things. Also, I go places where there can be zero POP's, but I still need service there. Rural highways are great examples of places with little to no POPs. To build a nationwide network of rural highways would only gain you one million POP's. So a carrier with 225M POPs could have very isolated coverage, but the same carrier with 226M POPs could have a nationwide highway network. But to just look at the difference between the two POP amounts, it would appear they offer the same amount of coverage. And geographically, the 226M POP carrier has triple the physical coverage area. POPs just don't mean much. It's a bragging point, or something you file with the FCC. Would a company with the highest POPs in the country, but doesn't offer service where you go be of any value to you? Also, another problem with POPs is it counts where people live. I don't need just service at my house. I need service where I go. A metric that measures where people go would be much more useful. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

I don't know. It's not a metric I watch or care about. Sprint is building out and converting its entire network. I follow the progress of each individual site. I'm more interested in geographical coverage. Who cares how many theoretical people the network covers? I'm only interested in one POP...me. Where does it cover the places I go? POPs is a number for bureaucrats and investors. It's pretty meaningless, IMHO. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

I wouldn't read too much into the POPs covered. They were very early initial projections. Additionally, there will not be any areas with only LTE 800 but no LTE 1900 within existing Sprint coverage areas. However, there is a chance that in new coverage areas, ala Montana, it is possible they may deploy LTE 800 and CDMA 800 only. However, if you have a fully functioning Network Vision site, the cost to add just CDMA and LTE 1900 is pretty negligible. So I would add them too. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

I use NetMonitor. It's the fastest way to find out. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

I have not been following WCS on AT&T at all. I doubt that AT&T will add additional sites to try to get a cohesive WCS network. WCS will only likely be added to existing AT&T sites to add capacity, and there will likely be coverage gaps between sites. But that's OK for what they're using it for. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

That's correct. A low capacity site in Tucson could have as few as one RRU per sector. It will not receive a second RRU until either 800 is approved for use or they needed more than four LTE/CDMA carriers combined on the site. The AlcaLu 800 and 1900 RRU's both run CDMA and LTE together. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

The most minutes we have ever used in our 1500 minutes per month Sprint plan is 300 for four devices. 1500 is unlimited in our circumstance. And is for 95% of customers. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

Sake in Las Vegas? Maybe if Softbank holds their first Spank convention there. Then the sake will be flowing! Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

^This Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

Study Wilderness Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

Yes. I didn't realize this was the site we were talking about. I guess I feel a little more optimistic that it could be the very first LTE site in the market. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

Sites are starting to go live in Putnam County...my childhood home (at least my teenage years). A few around Palatka and one west of Interlachen, which probably reaches my parents house near Cowpen Lake. It may be a good time to go visit my parents. Too bad they'll be here in New Mexico visiting next weekend. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

I did not test it out on that trip. I was too busy playing with LTE. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

In my area, the only PCS roaming is Cricket and Commnet. I cannot ever handoff to Sprint or vice versa on these. If I start a conversation on any of these two, I will stay connected to that network, even if I drive into Sprint coverage. It's extremely problematic on Commnet, as they have poor coverage inside Sprint coverage areas. They tend to place sites outside of Verizon/Sprint coverage to sell roaming to them. So I will get dropped when the roaming signal finally runs out, and then I have to wait for my device to scan and connect to Sprint native or another roaming carrier to call back and continue. Also, in my area, we have old Alltel and Verizon roaming on 850 Cellular. These never hand off to anything. When making an outgoing call when roaming, I have to check which carrier I'm on first. Then I have to decide if that carrier has continuous coverage along my route, knowing it will not handoff to another roaming carrier or to Sprint. In many instances while roaming, I will cycle airplane mode to get a better carrier. Because Commnet is really bad for me as none of their sites overlap. So I cannot keep a phone call from one site to the next. I try to get Verizon as much as possible so I can keep the conversation as long as I need to. When I get an incoming call while roaming, there is nothing I can do. I just warn the caller that I may lose service and that I'll call them back. I pretty much know every roaming seam in all of Northern New Mexico. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

AT&T is being protective of its network for two reasons...cost and capacity. In some places AT&T doesn't have much room for capacity now. AT&T spectrum holdings are extremely varied from place to place. And WCS is not quite ready yet for additional capacity. AT&T probably also doesn't want to funnel MVNO profits into capex. They want to make as much money as possible. Their MVNO plan is probably only to sell any spare capacity on their network and not try to have to expand network capacity for MVNO's. Sprint and AT&T have two very divergent plans for MVNO's. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

I hit play on my tablet while drinking my morning coffee with my wife and Christina says, "Oh, thanks AJ! I put that out of my head years ago. It's out of the box my therapist put it into. You can't put it back in now!" I choked on my coffee laughing at the expressions on my wife's face. I never knew she had such strong feelings about Denver the Last Dinosaur. Although she did grow up in Denver. In her day she sold lemonade to her neighbors in her cul de sac, now the neighborhood kids are selling pot brownies. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD