S4GRU

Looking at the current temp outside my office window...77 degrees. Los Alamos is a wonderful place in the summer. Robert

It's not a special agreement. It is in the Sprint/Clearwire LTE agreement. It is referenced in one of my docs. I can quote it when I get back from vacation, but I am not going to release the document. I am guessing that Sprint pays 100% of the costs when they request and have Clearwire deploy TD-LTE 2600 on Sprint Network Vision sites outside a Clearwire coverage area. Clearwire is focusing its LTE deployment in its markets first. However, Sprint can request Clearwire add additional TD-LTE coverage anywhere it needs. Since Clearwire is going to make money on LTE based on usage, they will want to be wherever their wholesale customers (like Sprint) need them to be. Anywhere they are adding capacity for Sprint is instant revenue for them, because Sprint is only asking for coverage where they need to offload real traffic. TD-LTE on EBS/BRS will be better than WiMax was. WiMax drops off at a much lower signal strength. TD-LTE is useful for almost -15dBm higher. This provides more coverage areas for Clearwire LTE than WiMax. Additionally, TD-LTE is being deployed in 20MHz TDD carriers, over 10MHz WiMax carriers. This means, even with a very low signal, you will still likely get 10-20Mbps speeds. So, not only will the coverage area be greater from LTE 2600 over WiMax 2600, but low signals will be more useable. On top of all that, the LTE 2600 carrier doesn't need to 100% cover the entire LTE 1900 cell. If you broadcast LTE 2600 and LTE 1900 from the same site, the LTE 1900 signal will cover approximately double the area of the LTE 2600 signal. So, if the one LTE 1900 carrier is filling up and a LTE 2600 carrier is added, you could reduce the burden on the LTE 1900 carrier by 50% immediately. There are far more details to consider, but this is a basic explanation. There isn't a need for most sites to need LTE 2600 capacity over an entire LTE 1900 cell. It just needs to be able to take enough burden off it to keep it within acceptable performance tolerances. Verizon is going to be doing the same exact thing with their LTE AWS coverage. They aren't going to do a wall to wall LTE AWS overlay over their entire network. They are going to identify LTE 700 cells that are nearing capacity and they will add a LTE AWS carrier. It will only cover 50% of the LTE 700 cell, but that's OK. It doesn't need to cover all of it. The existing cell doesn't need to drop to 0% capacity. A 50% capacity cell is a happy cell. In the worst case scenario, Sprint (or Verizon) may have to add another macrocell or microcell in that outer 50% of from the over capacity site to add more capacity. It happens all the time. Populations shift, demand grows in certain areas. There will be network management involved forever. But the hotspot solution is a great idea and will work well. It just needs to be managed well. But what network doesn't? Robert

I have never had an issue before. But most of the time I'm in a marked government car. So I guess that gives me an advantage! Robert

I've pretty much concluded that with the EVO LTE you almost have to cycle through CDMA only mode and back to CDMA/LTE mode in order to get an LTE signal. You can also go and set your device to LTE only going into the Data menu, ##DATA# in your dialer. But LTE only mode will turn off 1x and prevent you from getting texts and phone calls. But you could do it temporarily to determine that there is actually LTE signals and that your phone is not defective. Robert

Final Countdown! Showing my 80's heritage here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyggY_R3jU8

In looking at the wonderful analysis at batonrougebroadband.info, I see 800 1x Support now in PRL 25005 for both Chicago and DFW now. It makes me wonder if we will start seeing some 800 sites start popping up in the NV Sites Complete thread soon. Robert

physical exam

DetroitFlyer, We are not a Sprint propaganda machine. There are dozens of places for people who want to complain about the Sprint network to go. Even community.sprint.com. We are not a complaint board. We have a core mission and posting guidelines. Our members do not want to sift through rants. And they aren't going to have to, because we will enforce our rules. Whether you think Sprint is dishonest, lies or WiMax sucks is not relevant to our conversations. Negative comments are allowed if they are constructive, have a point, relative to the conversation and don't go into a rant. I understand that some people will want to be more negative than our tolerances. They will need to go somewhere else. We aren't begging anyone to stay. If you don't like our community, you are welcome to go. If we do not enforce these rules, then the people who really add value to S4GRU and create our content and the people we get information from will leave. And all we will be left with are the complainers and S4GRU will wither and die. It is our core members that make S4GRU, not the people looking for a sounding board to complain. Robert

TO ALL DETRACTERS: My editorial is not directed at the average Sprint customer. It is directed at S4GRU members and readers. You people do know what is going on. We have told you over and over and over again. My issue is with S4GRU members who knew there was going to be a limited deployment. And most of them even knew where the active sites are located. I agree that Sprint is often poor at communicating information, but S4GRU is not. My issues were mostly related to our members who should know better and the trolls who showed up and tried to take over our board the past 5 days. This is why I used the term hypocrites. I am speaking from first hand experience. I am speaking directly to the S4GRU hypocrites. The tipping point for me was a few very specific members who were constantly asking for Sprint to open up the LTE network early, were now all of a sudden whining about coverage. This was probably the tipping point for me. One of the key points I am trying to make with this editorial is, regardless of what Sprint maybe should have done, we only have two options before us now. The first is to allow markets to come live early with spotty coverage, or wait until the market is complete 6-10 months down the road (depending on the market). I want people to realize is that if Sprint only hears people complaining about launch coverage, then they are more likely to hold future markets. At the end of my editorial, I am asking our readers to go and help set the record straight. Sprint is failing to do this. People need to have the background info that S4GRU provides. We have allowed and will continue allow people to post in our forums information about what they are encountering, even if negative. But negative comments need to be on topic and relevant and not attacks or rants. We are not Sprint's complaint board. We are not an arm of their customer service outreach. Constant griping and rants make it difficult for people to read and get useful content from our site. Even people with thoughtful negative comments get drowned out by the ranters. We are a different forum than any other one out there. Our core members want the flavor of our community to stay the same, even with the growth. S4GRU is a site for wireless enthusiasts. We are the geek squad. However, we have also become the last bastion for Sprint fans as well. We will not allow our site to degrade and be like all the other sites out there full of Anti-Sprint Trolls. Some of you may not like S4GRU and the way we moderate our forums. That is fine. We cannot please everyone. And we will not even try. But we will continue to moderate our boards around our core mission statement, "To provide a forum for discussion and education about wireless spectrum, networks, and Sprint Network Vision, in particular, in an online community that is mature, intelligent, and free from uncritical negativity." Robert

Kidney Pie Robert via Samsung Galaxy S-III 32GB using Forum Runner

Cool Runnings Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

over board Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

I must be too old to understand what you are talking about. Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

Its unusual for upload to be over capacity. In most cases where both upload and download are low, it is often a backhaul overload. And the opposite is most often true, if just the download is low, it is often over capacity. However, neither of these situations are absolute. Sometimes it can be the opposite. Sometimes it can be both. Also, most often in places of over capacity situations, all the other adjacent sites should be pretty poor too. Because when a site gets over capacity, the Ec/Io ratio will get really poor and users will get shunted to adjacent sites bringing them down. If the poor site seems quite isolated, then that would help identify a backhaul issue. Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

On the GS3, I had to turn off SCO. I have a bug that if I am connected to WiFi and go out of range connected, my device will not transition to mobile data. It still thinks I am connected to WiFi, even if I am a mile away. Nothing will restore mobile data, either when it happens. I can cycle mobile data, cycle airplane mode, it doesn't matter. Because the device thinks it is on WiFi still, even though the icon is not showing in the status bar. If I turn off WiFi myself before going out of range, I have no problems. The only work around I have found is turning on the WiFi again and then turning it back off manually. If you are in WiFi signal range, it always works. If you are not, sometimes it does, sometimes it does not. Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

who's there? Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

The only issue for China Mobile is Clearwire plans to only offer hot spot LTE (well, at least in the beginning). That will not be a very good roaming ecosystem for China Mobile customers inn the U.S. Unless China Mobile also adds LTE 1900 for their devices to supplement Clearwire roaming in the U.S. Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

I don't have a problem with the posts above. Explain to us what is going on in your area. We want to know. Its related to the Sprint network. You have demonstrated with these posts that you can explain what is going on and what you have experienced, without using hyperbole and going into a rant. This is what we are looking for. I don't want to play master sensor. And we haven't had to do this. However, the board exploded this weekend. Our members don't want to sift through rants reading our boards. They have made it clear that the majority would rather have strict moderating than to have the negative Sprint posts that most other forums have devolved to. Most S4GRU members are refugees from other boards. I thank you for helping us to keep our community on target. Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

We are serious. Rant posts will not be tolerated and will be removed. We are not Sprint. We are not their personal complaint hosting service. S4GRU is an informational board for wireless enthusiasts and a place for information about Network Vision. Our members don't want to have to sift through a bunch of negative rants. Repeat offenders will be banned. You will need to go somewhere else to complain. Robert via Samsung Galaxy S-III 32GB using Forum Runner

A coverage expansion will not likely occur until 2015. The next few years is going to be more about conversion than expansion. That being said, Network Vision sites do extend the signal slightly farther than legacy sites do. So if the coverage gaps on I-65 are small, then they may improve. Also, Sprint is adding 800MHz voice and LTE coverage, which will also extend service farther from existing towers. However, it will only extend coverage by two miles or so. If the gaps are greater than 4 miles now between existing sites, then you will likely not be getting any relief from Sprint any time soon. Doesn't Sprint offer you roaming coverage in those gaps, though? Robert

Richard...as usual, we disagree on some points. (I had to re-read your comments, they didn't absorb tonight) Robert