halcyoncmdr

Looks good, but can you add a glossary of the acronyms? I'm not familiar with some of them.

Yeah that was an unfortunate casualty with my redesign, can't quite decide how I want to add them back in, The hover comments I used the first time didn't work with IE8 that I was updating it in, and the entire thing was glitching so bad I went with the simplest UI while keeping the info.

I'll figure out how to add some sort of glossary back in again that fits the design.

Ok, I updated the spreadsheet again today, and have dramatically adjusted it's layout with more information I found. Some of the formatting needs to be adjusted. I had to use IE8 to work on it, and Google Docs doesn't support it so I was fighting with the computer for an hour to make the adjustments I did manage to get done.

I'll go back through sometime at home and clean it up a bit, but all of the main information should be there now.

Even the devices (right now only the iPhone 5S and 5C) with CSIM support require the MEID to be in the system? I thought for CSIM all the information needed for it to authenticate on a CDMA network was stored on the card?

Yes, even they need to have the MEID active and correct to work properly. Just because the phone and UICC support CSIM, that doesn't necessarily mean that Sprint's network is setup to allow CSIM-only authentication.

I've seen some threads recently about the differences between SIM/UICCs and though posting a compatibility matrix would help people.

This is pretty straightforward. The matrix has every Sprint LTE device, and what UICC card is meant for that device. Mix and matching UICC card types probably will not work, but swapping around UICC cards for devices that use the same type of card should work properly.

Keep in mind, you cannot simply move your UICC card to another phone to use it. Sprint's device authentication system still requires the correct UICC and MEID to be on the account to authenticate properly and work.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yq3Qupa_dLlmNURbl2CBaAZjz0dntfZc12r57Y1FrwA/pubhtml

Last updated February 21st, 2014

Added LG G Flex.

I just updated the PRL spreadsheet from the official listing.

Release notes for xxx16/xxx98 series PRLs are...

 

The Roaming Light has been turned "ON" based on new contracts for Strategic Carriers in Alaska. Customers will continue to have access to the same services while roaming, including EVDO.

That's all it says officially.

The Galaxy Note II PRLs updated as well, seems like it's trying to follow the xxx16 naming structure now (2006 as they move to xxx16).

I'm also thinking of redoing the layout a bit with some new information as well to assist with understanding. Not sure when I'll get around to that, perhaps this week.

Isn't "One up" a better deal anyway? (Unless you want to keep one of the old plans)

It depends on the route you want to go. Upgrade Now still has a contract, and you pay the discounted price for the phone. One Up on the other hand has no contract extension, and you end up paying the full retail price for the device over the course of the 24 month installment billing agreement. It depends on what route you want to go really.

Also keep in mind, when entering into One Up, if you are still within 13-19 months since your last phone purchase, you are required to give up your current phone to Sprint, without compensation as part of the program. One up is not eligible <12 months, and 20+ months is standard upgrade eligibility. Upgrade Now on the other hand requires you to utilize Sprint's Buyback program (in essence also giving up your phone, but you get credit for it, One Up you do not get any credit if you are between 13-19 months).

One Up requires you to return your device in working (and near perfect) condition if you upgrade again before 24 months. If the device breaks, you are still responsible for making the remaining payments, regardless of how or why it is broken. With One Up you are essentially just leasing your device until it is fully paid for, it is still Sprint property until paid in full. If your device was replaced at all, it must have been with a certified replacement. Getting a phone from anywhere other than Asurion (TEP/ERP) or a Sprint store will likely not qualify as a certified replacement.

I think your thinking is too short sighted.  Sure all the LTE phones except for the iPhone 5S/5C are using the USIM system but switching to the CSIM system is very beneficial going forward.  Having the ability to swap LTE devices without having to contact Sprint would be very beneficial especially for those that have multiple LTE devices.  It cuts down on the unnecessary phone or instore contact support needed just to swap LTE devices.  Since Verizon already implements the CSIM authentication system, why not Sprint?  Also in 2014, all those Sprint customers who are due for an upgrade are going to ditch their embedded SIM LTE phones (HTC Evo 4G LTE, GS3, Note 2, LGOG, iPhone 5, etc) for new LTE phones so a lot of those USIM LTE phones will be coming off the market and it would be nice if they can be on the CSIM system.  Then in 2015 those Sprint customers who have the remaining USIM LTE phones (GS4, HTC One, Note 3, etc) can be on the CSIM system.

 

At some point Sprint needs to get the ball needs to get rolling so the iPhone 5S/5C being the pioneer is a great start but following LTE phones like the Note 3, G2, Nexus 5, HTC One Max, etc need to follow suit to ensure migration and transition are progressing.

 

Besides Sprint has already committed the resources to already implement a CSIM authentication system for the iPhone 5S/5C so your plea against this is already OBE.  Now that the CSIM system has been established, why wouldn't they try to migrate all LTE phones going forward to use the new CSIM card system?  It just seems like such a no brainer to do this to keep all CDMA and LTE information on a removable SIM card and be more efficient.

That still assumes that's the way it will end up. Sprint could just as easily require the MEID be correct on the account for the phone to authenticate properly. At this point we don't know. Sprint may not have even decided yet.

Xbox One for me, for a few reasons...

1. I LOVED the Family Share plan they were working on.

The backlash from "hardcore" gamers about being unable to resell their used games easily for pennies on the dollar actually royally pisses me off. I don't sell my games. Why? Because no matter where you sell them, you get so little back in exchange that it isn't worth it. Gamestop makes their entire business off of selling you a $60 game, then buying it back from you for $10, and reselling it for $50 again.

The "used" physical game market is going away whether people like it or not, much as it has been doing for years on the PC. As high-speed broadband becomes ever more present, physical disc gaming will be going away quickly. The ability for publishers to put downloadable games on the market at a price point, and then adjusting as time goes on with a Game On Demand system works. It has worked for Xbox 360, PS3, and Steam for years. Physical discs are good for those without adequate internet connections, but that is now a small minority of customers in developed first world countries.

2. The ability for it to be the center of my home entertainment experience.

The simple fact that I can say "Xbox On" and it will automatically turn on my TV/surround sound/cable box/etc. and then through my voice I can just tell it what I want to do. I have a Logitech Harmony remote, I don't have to deal with multiple remotes or missing features, but the simple fact that the remote is not even necessary anymore sold me. Snapping TV/Internet/Game/Skype on the screen means I can multitask without having to have multiple devices. And if I do want multiple devices? There is Xbox Smartglass to fill that void.

Even better, other people in the house do still get confused by the Harmony remote, when they do something wrong and the remote thinks things are setup and on differently than they are, they can't seem to follow the help prompts very well... the fact that everything would go through the Xbox simply requiring you to tell it what you want... easy.

3. Launch lineup

The launch titles available for me look better for the ONE rather than the PS4. This is entirely subjective I realize, but for me, it is more enticing.

4. Controller

I love the Xbox 360 controller. It has had nearly universal acclaim as being the best controller to date. After playing with a ONE controller though, there is no comparison. The ONE controller is the new king. The PS4 is better, but it still has the legacy PlayStation feel, which honestly now, is a detriment in my opinion. The positioning of the ONE controls are simply superior to any controller I have ever used.

5. Exclusives

I have had a PlayStation (PSX), Playstation 2 (fat), a PS3 (fat 3rd gen, YLOD), and 4 Xbox 360s (only 1 RROD, the rest were traded or sold for varying reasons). I know exclusives on both console systems and I enjoy them on both. That being said, I enjoy the Xbox exclusives more overall. This may change this next generation with fewer exclusives due to how similar the systems really are, it may not, we'll have to see.

At this point, the USIM/CSIM debate is pretty pointless. To an end user there is no difference. Both systems still require the correct MEID and UICC ID to be active on the account for the device to function properly. In the future it may make a difference, but at this point I'd assume the only reason that CSIMs are even being used is because of a limitation in the new iPhones not supporting old USIMs properly on the network (wouldn't be the first time Apple decided to singlehandedly change something).

The iPhone 5s/5c are the only devices Sprint has currently using CSIMs. No other phone being released seems to use a CSIM. There is very little (if any) advantage at the moment for a CSIM-only approach to network authentication with the way the Sprint network authentication is done. If there is no advantage, why spend the money to implement it, especially in the middle of a complete physical network replacement?

All of this is rumor and speculation at this point. Internal Debug screens with disabled options mean very little in the real world. It is well known that production devices always have these debug apps installed, and many times they are incomplete, filled with out-of-date references, and otherwise not meant for the average user. Many times the options that are included in these screens also have no effect. In some cases, regardless of the option you choose, the network will override anything you select in that screen as well.

IF tri-band is disabled out of the box, there must be a technical reason for it. Sprint has never disabled a feature of a device out of the box if there isn't a technical reason (unlike other carriers that love to do this). Sprint has launched devices with capabilities the network has not had in the past (still are), this is no different.

Disclaimer... I do not have any inside knowledge beyond this thread about the LG G2 (yet)...

Perhaps there is an issue with tri-band handoffs like the Note II has with 800SMR voice... or something along those lines. It may not adversely affect every customer, but the only way to ensure the best network experience for those that are affected is to disable it until a resolution is found. That may mean reducing capability temporarily in the meantime for everyone else. They can't support multiple software versions and capabilities in the wild at the same time depending on where people live, it isn't feasible. The only officially supported software is the newest release. Having separate software for the device at the same time complicates triage and technical support immensely. Unless both the user and technician are extremely knowledgeable about it, it will be impossible to work out smoothly (this NEVER happens in the real world, anyone that has ever worked tech support will attest to this).

Work being done at the site between the El Con Mall and Reid Park in Tucson. Orange barricades, and several trucks. Large wire bundles and trenches dug out from the site. Interestingly, all of the equipment on the ground is out in the open, no fence or wall around the site, never has had any protection like that there.

Does anyone know if this is a temporary thing or permanent?

Temporary. That being said, with the government shutdown now... who knows if it will affect the licensing process or when it will be dealt with.

I thought the LG G2 had stereo speakers since I saw two speaker grills on the international model but in reality, the LG G2 only has 1 speaker which is on the right speaker grill so it is not stereo.   The left speaker grill just has a microphone.  Kinda weird and deceiving how LG did this and made a speaker grill just for the microphone.  So when Verizon just replaced the left speaker grill with a microphone, they didn't "lose" anything.

The iPhones also only have one speaker on the bottom, the second grille is for the microphone. We have at least 5 people come in to our store each week saying one of their speakers isn't working.

Last time I was in my local Sprint corporate store, they didn't have LTE and the WiFi supplied by Sprint was so bad that they were walking outside to activate phones on the free wifi from Starbucks down the block.

Sprint's in store WiFi isn't meant to be high-speed access. It is limited to 500kb usually, and it is meant to be like that. There are three separate WiFi access points in the store. Two are cradlepoint hotspots running off aircards meant to be used to activate iPhones. For some reason WiFi activation through the aircard is faster than 3G activation regularly (tested by me, and it is true, 2-3x faster actually even though it's the same connection really). The third is a WiFi access point mounted in the ceiling that shares it's connection with the store's backhaul connection, many stores are still running off a T1 line and have not been upgraded to broadband, hence the slow speeds.

In addition, all of these are limited to between 5 and 10 concurrent users. So if a rep forgets to have a device "forget" the WiFi network, it can artificially clog the WiFi preventing it from being used properly by everyone else, thus necessitating a requirement for a different WiFi point. Also the cradlepoint routers were to be setup by the store itself, not a separate team sent out like the SSWIFI, as such who knows if the employee that set it up followed the instructions properly, or whether the employees there are using it properly. I say this from experience working in commission-based retail sales for 7 years, if it doesn't directly make them money, sales reps usually don't pay much attention.

None of these WiFi access points are meant to be public WiFi. They each have a specific purpose for the reps to utilize them for. It is against Sprint policy to provide the WiFi access information as they are only to be used for their intended purpose.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but could I take a CSIM out of a 5S and pop it into my iPhone 5 and have the phone authenticate on the network?

I can't say for certain, but I would imagine no simply because they are different technologies. Much like iDEN and GSM SIMs not being interchangeable despite being nearly identical.

Off topic: love the name.

 

Back on topic: Sprint does like to confuse us and their employees.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

Actually the entire point of only having a single type of plan at any given time is to prevent that.

Confusion about plans was what caused the massive billing issues in Sprint's past (Fair & Flexible, Free & Clear and Power Pack days). There were simply so many different kinds of plans and different options for each type that it was impossible to keep straight. That is why the Everything plans were created. The My Way plans now bring Sprint's plans in line with competitors because many customers were unable to adequately compare the different plan structures side-by-side with other carriers. We're not talking about the type of people that actively seek out information on the industry and visit websites like S4GRU, we're talking about the average Joe...

The simple fact is that it is inevitable that the Everything plans will no away, it has happened in the past with every other plan option on every carrier in the world. New plans are released, old ones go away. Usually it is a pretty swift change though, one day and it's done. The fact the Everything plans have stuck around since the My Way plans were introduced is weird, for just about every carrier.

I would also expect unlimited data to go away on older plans shortly after the Everything plans are discontinued. Why else would they be advertising the unlimited for life guarantee so heavily? Makes it real easy to get customers to move to the new consistent plan structure across the majority of customers. Fewer plans in the wild, fewer billing headaches and training cost for customer care reps (already a high-turnover field).

Sorry. I don't see any situation where these plans help out. At least Sprint's offers a discount on the plan. Frankly it's less bad than the others. US mobile consumers should be pushing carriers to provide better off-contract plans. If I could get a cheaper non-contract shared plan, that would be more attractive to me. Look at what 3 UK does for their plans. I wish Sprint would look at that model.

One Up is off-contract... depending on how you view off-contract.

You have to agree to make the installment payments, but there is no contract with an early termination fee. You simply pay the remainder of the installments and final bill if you cancel before your installment agreement is up.

The simple fact is that US consumers don't like paying for a phone up front. 90% of the market goes for the cheapest option they have. There is a reason people buy 8GB and 16GB iPhones instead of the 32GB and 64GB models, it's not because they wouldn't use the space in most cases. The "free" phone idea has ingrained into people's minds that phones are cheap and easily replaceable, that is exactly what these programs work from. You essentially lease your device from your carrier, and are responsible for all maintenance and care of that device until it is fully paid for.

Buying a phone at retail and then having no contract in the long run is cheaper, but it does not work with the mindset of the average US consumer (especially not with this terrible economy we've created for ourselves in the last 50 years by letting corporations do what they want with very little regulation).

On the bright side, at least Sprint has pretty consistently been one of the most pro-consumer carriers in the country. They are still a for-profit business and will make decisions based on that, but they definitely don't overtly try to rape every customer while telling them it's all good (Verizon, AT&T).

But do you know if the iPhone 5C and 5S is using the new CSIM authentication system?

Yes, the 5S and 5C are the first Sprint LTE devices to use a C-SIM instead of a UICC. Out store received shipment of spare C-SIM cards yesterday for support.

Anyone know anything about PRL 20989 -- it's what I currently have on my iPhone 5s.  I did a few searches here and on XDA and didn't turn up anything.

I haven't had a chance to go through the PRL list since the 5S launch. I know the 5S and 5C use different C-SIM cards instead of the standard UICC cards every other LTE device uses (albeit each slightly different for mini/nano size and whether they allow GSM or not).

Makes sense that something different might be required for the PRLs as well, Apple loves to make things more complicated.

My phone's current PRL is 21097.  SprintZone on my Epic 4G Touch says a PRL update is available to go to 21090.

 

What's the difference between these PRLs?

 

When the PRL version number goes down, is the update a new PRL or moving back to an old PRL?

From my experience, Sprint Zone almost always says there is a PRL update, even if there isn't. Incidentally, I've also seen some internal documentation that's been stuck at xxx90 series PRLs for a while, I wonder if the info SZ views pulls from those sources.

Its exactly like a car lease. They are double dipping. $12 times 12 is 144 dollars vs the 199 dollars you would usually pay. The difference is they get the device back with no compensation and then they sell it off again as either a refurb, a boost/virgin phone or some other MVNO.

Aha, but I don't see where it specifies that hey are taking your old phone back, without compensation. The Upgrade Now program required you giving your phone back to Sprint, but it also used the Buyback program to pay you for that device. Now, no one will argue that the buyback amount obviously wasn't a competitive amount, and you could likely get more elsewhere, but it was there. I haven't seen anything saying the One Up program does not utilize the Buyback program as the Upgrade Now program did, unless I've totally missed it.

"10/11/13: Expiring Everything Data/Messaging Rate Card"  

 

"Expired" has previously meant once its gone, its gone.  Hmm.  Baiting us off the Everything Data plans. 

"Expiring" refers to the plan codes becoming sales-expired. They can't be added anymore. It does not remove them from the billing system, and it does not force customers with those plans onto other options. If you already have an old Everything plan, it will stay. After they expire, they will not be available again, for any reason, period.

Now whether the old plans will allow for upgrades in the future, that's a different story.

They been saying that for the past 4 months. I think that's just something they have to say to shut people up

 

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Or don't be a pessimist. Glance does show estimated upgrade times in 3 month intervals. That's about all the information a CSR would have access to when it comes to sites that aren't upgraded yet.

3G accepted but no 4G could mean that there is no upgraded backhaul available at that site yet. They could still be using legacy hardware, but likely not. It likely is on new hardware with legacy backhaul attached. The upgraded backhaul is just a simple little box on the ground near the cabinets, nothing spectacular to look at really, so people don't really look for it, and it's usually hard to find because of that as well. 

As for why only one panel is on the tower, there are a number of possibilities. A couple just off the top of my head... Nearby sites may plan to have the panel alignment adjusted to compensate, and thus provide overall better performance or reduce interference with each other. They may not be done yet (unlikely if it is an accepted site, but not impossible).

Legacy panel removal is not a priority at the moment. Unless there are some weird clauses in the leasing agreements about dormant hardware I suppose.

A single NV panel has multiple antennae inside and is all that is needed. The legacy panels were usually single antenna and thus needed multiple physical panels for the same number of carriers, etc. New technology is more efficient and compact. It is weird that there is literally just one NV panel for that whole site though. We'd need to know more about surrounding sites really to get a good idea why it may be that way.

so, happy Labor day btw, obviously hooray that Phoenix has LTE popping up does anyone know if any Tucson towers are LTE ready? I know we have no LTE so far as per the Sensorly map... just curious, hopefully we are not that far behind them...

Just about every 3g accepted NV site is "LTE-ready". Usually all of the hardware is installed when a site is upgraded at all. Until the backhaul is upgraded though, no LTE love. Everything is usually there, just can't be used yet.