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As far as a launch goes, that's probably pretty accurate. Likely the very first LTE signals will go live sometime in May or June. But it will take at least 6 months of deployment for a market launch. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

With Alcatel Lucent, it's kind of a mystery. What we do know is that at A/L full build sites, they install all the new hardware all at once, CDMA 1900/800 and LTE 1900. And there have been recent unverified reports that they have started installing LTE 800 equipment too. And the first 3-6 months they work on full build sites in a market, they install all the equipment, but only get the 3G side inspected and accepted. Then, after a certain point, they start going back to the sites accepted and start bringing up the LTE side. Why do they do it this way? I'm not certain. But I guess that it's to keep their LTE techs consistently busy in a market. Let your crews do the physical work and get far ahead, let the Sprint backhaul vendors get those sites hooked up and ready and then bring in a crew who can then just bounce around tower after tower unabated, now that a few dozen are complete and ready to go. But honestly, the exact details of what A/L does is a mystery. We know much more about what Samsung and Ericsson do. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

That's great that full build site activity is now under way in your area. If A/L does Delaware like most of their other markets, it will take a few months of full build activity until LTE starts going live on the completed full build sites. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

The new sites near Harlingen were posted to the NV Sites Complete map last night. LTE work is progressing in the RGV. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

GMO sites largely finished up in the Vegas market back in Mid February. Only like 2 left. All the work done since then has been full build site conversions. Work has been steady, with approximately a dozen sites per week. But this is an AL market. So it will be 3G only for a few more months before LTE starts going live on the completed towers. Maybe a soon as next month, but could be as late as July. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

When I see this picture, I see God parting the clouds to check out if upgrades have been completed. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

All the sites converted to date in the Delaware market have been GMO sites. Full build site work is just now getting under way. So it will still be awhile until LTE starts going live. If I were to guess, I'd say this summer. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

I was on vacation. I'm back now. One of our writers runs the calculations and numbers and provides them for me a couple of days after I post the weekly updates. I posted that last night, so he will likely have the numbers in the next few days. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

The North Wisconsin market includes Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, etc. Western Wisconsin is in the Minnesota market. Southern Wisconsin is in the Milwaukee market. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

King Ranch Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

There will be a lot more later this week. Just only had 11 posted when I drew the line today for the status. Robert via Samsung Note II via Tapatalk

Your donation was rejected, because it showed up as a renewal. We do not accept $1 donation for renewals. However, I have discovered the error and fixed it. You have been upgraded to the Sponsor level. You should be good to go. Robert

Welcome to S4GRU! Hope to see you around. Robert

Welcome to S4GRU! Robert

losing proposition Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

I did a takeoff about 2 years ago, and Sprint would only have to keep approximately 1,000 iDEN sites that provide no CDMA coverage or insufficient coverage (think Baton Rouge) to equal the two network combined coverage. Even though 1000 sites doesn't sound like a lot of money, the average NV site conversion costs $100k. And an iDEN site probably costs a little more to convert. So just the upgrade costs on these sites alone is $100 Million. Then there are long term operational costs too. Personally, I'd do it if I was in charge. It's far less than the $200k to put back service there at each site if needed in the future after your leases lapse and you don't get the synergies and cost savings of doing it in NV. Also, you could probably pare down that number to about 500 sites and get rid of the half which are low capacity sites and roaming would be cheaper. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

They must be confused with the Sprint spectrum purchase from USCC. Sprint has purchased some spectrum from USCC in Chicago, St. Louis, Champaign/Urbana and Northern Indiana. They did not purchase USCC outright. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

Take that! Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

1. No, not initially. Only very busy/popular airports, shopping malls and sporting arena, and convention centers DAS systems will be upgraded to LTE. 2. Most DAS systems are actually owned and installed by the property owner, and not Sprint. These are not required to be upgraded at all, and will only be upgraded when the Owner chooses. In the cases where Sprint owns the DAS system, they will likely eventually be upgraded. But not in the initial Network Vision upgrade. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

condemned prisoner Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

Unlimited is the least of my concerns. All my concerns about DISH takeover begin and end with Charlie Ergen. He is a ruthless, tyrannical megalomaniac. And furthermore, he will not keep any of his promises, so I wouldn't bother reading any of them. Sprint will be completely dismantled and a new Charlie Ergen wireless shrine will be erected in his place. There will be no assemblance of a wireless carrier when he's done. You will have a company set up like DISH where he is revered as God. It will be a TV satellite company that also happens to have wireless service...for now. It's the worst scenario, because it will lose subscribers to AT&T and Verizon making them even more powerful. And then Charlie sits on a gold mine of wireless spectrum that his customers will continue to waste. Too much spectrum in too few hands. Charlie won't care if Sprint makes money or how many customers it has or loses. He wants the spectrum/ready to go network for his video service plans. To do a Mobile on Demand Hopper service, he needs tons and tons of spectrum. And he is going to take it from legitimate wireless customers at Sprint and feed it to his DISH customers for video service. You can just sit back and watch the Sprint voice/data network deteriorate over time. DISH is the worst thing for Sprint's future and the future competition of American wireless. Going it alone would even be better than this. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

fireside chat Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

To clarify, the zero downtilt on new LTE sites is a theory based on the automated downtilt RFS boxes and observations from myself and others where at many sites LTE has seen to reach farther than EVDO from the same site. Especially in Ericsson markets where the EVDO stays on legacy for awhile in many instances. But it always has just been a theory. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

I go on vacation, and this is the first thing I read when I get back. Oh, my God, no. This is conceivably the worst thing for Sprint. It would be better to go it alone than to be owned by Charlie. Charlie will destroy anything and everything at Sprint, both good and bad. And the debt burden would be very unwieldy. Making it difficult to spend the capex in the future necessary to stay competitive in the future. Ergen can't handle dynamic competition. He's used to a duopoly. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

I wish I could apply a witty retort, but what you say is true to life. Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD