halcyoncmdr

LTE 800 deployment is starting now that iDEN is shutdown. I've seen 3 month windows on some towers for LTE 800... Weirdly enough, I've seen some towers have a 3 month window for CDMA 800 and LTE 800, but a 6 month window for CDMA 1900 and LTE 1900. THAT is something I can't understand.

This is technically possible but not recommended. Any rep you talk to on the phone that RECOMMENDS this avenue either truly knows what they are doing and can set it up right (very,very few reps can actually do this properly since it is not a supported account configuration), or they are an idiot. Multiple minute pooling plans can cause A LOT of billing issues, especially if they use the same pooling code (i.e. same exact plan). Different plan pooling codes don't usually have that issue because it's a different coding structure to determine minute use and allotment, but it is still not recommended due to possible billing issues related to how the system operates.

Remember that 3G NV does not require the enhanced backhaul to be installed, to be considered "3G Complete". That is a requirement for 4G LTE to be completed.

700 are moving, split 500/200 into different segments, can't remember which side gets which though. It is an adjustment to the existing Network Advantage Agreement between Sprint/Ericsson due to changes in network infrastructure and planning that have come with Network Vision. Ericsson managed just about everything, including planning on a bunch of stuff in the old agreement, Sprint wants to move a significant portion of that planning and development back in-house instead.

Last I checked, about half the towers in Yuma were upgraded, or at least started.

Sprint is changing their terms and conditions to be more ambiguous purely because they don't know exactly what the network load will be post-NV/Clearwire. The wording about throttling streaming bandwidth is all about network management. Streaming video eats up bandwidth and is one of the largest data hogs imaginable. A file download or regular browsing may require a large amount of data, but it will be a burst for a short period. Streaming is a prolonged use of valuable bandwidth. That may then cause other users on the tower/sector to have slower speeds and a worse experience. Therefore it is throttled to maintain quality for other customers on the tower, you aren't the only customer and Sprint is looking for everyone, not just you, they pay the same amount you do, or perhaps more or even less. You are using something that is not very mobile-network optimized and thus it will have a lower priority and be subject to network optimization where regular browsing and use will not be. It makes perfect sense to me from a network-management perspective. The United States simply doesn't have the infrastructure, on any network, to handle even 500 customers all streaming Netflix simultaneously at max speed on a tower. It's pretty safe to assume that if there is enough bandwidth on your tower to handle a full speed stream, it will be allowed. But your stream will be given less priority if something else comes along like a bunch of people browsing the web, their use will be much more randomly spaced and bursting, so the network will adjust to manage traffic to provide a consistent service level to everyone.

Many people seem to forget the engineering screens aren't meant for the public. They're meant to serve a simple purpose and do that exceptionally well. Very little development time is put into these screens as they only require info requests to code and are only intended to be used by a few people. Heck, up until the Galaxy S III, one of Samsung's "apps" was called "Let's try, panning!" in the application list, that was obviously not entirely intentional for public view, but a low priority to change from development to deployment. Later software updates changed the name to more adequately reflect a public release. The fact these testing apps are installed on the officially released firmware images is likely just because there isn't a justification for the "time" it would take to recompile/repackage it after removing them from the ROM image. That little bit of time adds up when you multiply it by every release candidate image x phone model x carrier configuration x etc. Also don't forget, these engineering screens are likely the same across multiple device types, software versions, and possibly even carriers and thus are not updated often on the user-end because they are low priority, it either works or it doesn't. If it doesn't work, but also is not needed, then it will stay broken until needed.

Homemade fried chicken can't be beat. Here in Tucson, Lucky Wishbone is pretty damned good though. Steak Fingers and garlic bread too... mmm. I think that's what I'll have for lunch today. haha

The Sprint name has become mud to many average consumers. Either people don't know much about Sprint, faintly remembering the trench coat commercials, or they avoid Sprint because of all of the negatives they've heard or experienced in the past several years. If the Sprint brand stays, there will NEED to be a massive marketing blitz to attempt to change that perception. The network needs to be DONE when this starts. The last thing you want is a major marketing blitz starting a months before NV is completed and those that come to try the new network end up happening to use the legacy equipment still just by chance.

Possibly yes, it may be a single tower, a cluster of towers, random towers around town, or all of them. There isn't a way to say for certain, we have no way of knowing exactly what is happening.

Much of the increase in we will see in the short-term is going to be cost savings from running really only one network now. with iDEN gone, the only double network overlays are the WiMax protection sites, which are being taken care of already by Clearwire. Sprint has essentially removed the dead weight 2G iDEN technology, and halved network maintenance costs, leases, and backhaul payout.

The internal DATA/Engineering/etc. screens are not meant to be accessed by the average person, they are not checked for consistency, accuracy, or even standardized across all device models. They are meant to give the information to the tech that needs it and nothing more. I don't know of a single device that doesn't say LTE: Disabled personally. Yet LTE does work because that setting doesn't actually do anything.

Or a tower is actually down.. On Friday there were 10 network tickets open for Tucson metro. 5 were for impending Network Vision upgrades, 5 were actual tower issues unrelated to NV.

My Market isn't. :-(

I removed some columns that were present in the original file as they were not particularly relevant. Every device is listed in Sprint's systems with each frequency it supports, and is classified by the combination of frequencies it can simultaneously transmit/receive on. This is why svLTE is listed separately from the LTE ones in the list. I'm assuming the GS2 happens to meet the exact same qualifications as the IL-LTE devices in regards to frequency support (WiMax does not rely on PRLs to function I think, could be wrong on that though). This is only a slightly-educated guess however. I do not have a GS2 handy to check against since they are going End Of Life. The description category is only to get a general category they fall in, it is not a comprehensive listing of every different supported configuration.

To be honest, I believe the corporate culture likes the site's existence. It provides a non-partisan view of the raw analytics regarding Network Vision and the future or Sprint. It is not corporate-endorsed, so it is not subject to operating within Sprint's Social Media guidelines for employees. While much of the information is obtained via leaked means, it is primarily information that users could discover on their own in the wild, and a lot of the information now that it is ramping up is coming from the users themselves more so than the information S4GRU receives from the inside. They can't publicly endorse the site, but they can say that most of the information obtained by S4GRU realistically could be obtained publicly anyway so it's not worth shutting it down. Besides, the site's primary purpose is education, something Network Vision hasn't done well with customers at all.

We're not talking about people that truly know what they're talking about. We're talking about investors. They care about statistics, if it has numbers and they're larger, it's better. If they aren't larger, we'll manipulate the numbers until they look better anyway, then after we make a profit sell it and let the boat possibly sink.

Current customers are not effected. This is only for determining new Airave devices being sent out. Much of my home market is within the IBEZ as well, but some sites here (that I thought would be unable to get 800, are slated for it. Just tell then the phone will get better signal, and will work in places the cheaper phones won't. Then notate it on the account so if they call in and complain a few months down the line, another rep can tell them the same thing. :-P I don't understand how the average person can't seem to grasp that a more expensive phone possibly can give better service and have fewer issues. There's a reason that phone is free with contract... it's not because the company wants to be nice. It's because it's inferior.

So, the majority of the US, thanks to oligopolies in much of the country? Or outright monopolies approved by local governments years and years ago? I think this sums it up perfectly really:

So as we all know Sprint offers the Airave devices to help in-home coverage issues. It requires a high-speed Internet connection and creates a miniature cell site inside your home (femtocell). Sprint has offered these for free or deeply discounted for quite a while to customers with little to no coverage in their home. The requirements for determining eligibility have changed according to what I've heard. There hasn't been an official communication to retail employees as we don't deal with Airaves directly, so do take it with a grain of salt, and remember it can change again at any time. This information comes from a conversation with a member on the Airave team that determines customer eligibility to assist our store in providing accurate information to our customers that we refer to their team for coverage issues. To be eligible for a FREE Airave, the account must have 4+ active lines. Otherwise, the account is eligible for purchasing the Airave at full retail price ($280), or with a 2-year contract commitment for a discounted price ($130). My assumption is that since Network Vision is ramping up to full speed and should be completed within the next year or so, the increase in coverage availability from the 800MHz deployment and enhanced capability of the new equipment in general is anticipated to remove the need for Airave devices for most customers.

It's actually ~52 miles. The limit is 100km from the border. That being said, I've seen some scheduled Network Vision enhancements for 800MHz here on the southern edges of Tucson... that's within the IBEZ. I wouldn't give up all hope if you're within that boundary zone.

I don't see any proof that it is a hardware issue though. Just an assumption. Unless you have access to some secret information somewhere I haven't seen. It could just as easily be a radio issue that can be fixed via a software update from Samsung. We simply don't know at this point as Sprint and Samsung are still investigating. Samsung alone will determine whether the device has a recall (unlikely given their history, has there ever been a recall in the wireless industry?). Sprint just works as a middle-man for warranty claims to make it easier on the customer. Sprint is not likely to spend millions of dollars replacing otherwise perfectly working devices that did not have 800MHz support at market introduction, they will leave that to Samsung to determine. Sprint is not liable for warranties since they do not build the devices, and Sprint does not claim to support manufacturer warranties directly. It is no different than if you purchased your device at Best Buy and had an issue. Best Buy won't just honor the manufacturer warranty, you have to have their protection plan. Sprint's TEP offers a supplement to the manufacturer's warranty, and will offer warranty service in store instead of having to send your device off to the manufacturer and wait however long it takes to repair or replace it. You can debate the differing ways of honoring warranties, and whether it is better for a carrier to cover warranty in store as policy or not, but that doesn't change the fact it is not covered by Sprint now. I was referring to it being a specific issue possibly with the way the PRLs are formatted and there being a way to reformat them specifically for the Note II as the iPhone 4S. Currently the special temporary PRL just removed 800 support entirely, perhaps it doesn't need to be removed but just formatted differently for it to operate correctly (unlikely, but we can hope it's that simple).

This is true of corporate stores as well. If you aren't purchasing anything, the sales rep you are talking to more than likely wants nothing to do with you. There are always exceptions, but in a commissioned sales job with high quotas, you are going to attract the less savory types more often than not. Or at least those less savory types will be the ones that stick around because they can game the system enough, whereas the rest get runover by the train as it goes on. Even the techs are being pushed into sales now as well (with very little incentive honestly), it's the nature of a retail hierarchy that largely views techs as expendable and a drain (despite monthly TEP costs covering ALL retail repair overhead and still bringing a profit).

Exchanging a phone incurs ~$300 in costs to Sprint for refurbishment of that exchanged device, shipping, etc. Obviously different models have different overall costs, but the Note II is definitely one of the most expensive ones. Until they have a root cause, it is easier and more efficient to remove the 800SMR support through the PRLs, and then once they have a root cause, to determine the correct course of action moving forward. It may not be an issue with the physical phone, you are assuming it is. How do you determine what phones to replace when only some have the issue, an issue that can't be duplicated over the phone with Care, or in a retail S&R store? You can't base millions of dollars in potential warranty claims on what a few customers claim after reading anonymous posts on the Internet. Once they know what's causing it they will determine how to correct the issue, it may require a physical phone replacement of some devices, it may just need a software Maintenance Release to correct a baseband/firmware/etc. bug that is causing it. It may just need a specially formatted PRL like the iPhone 4S At this point, they are all unsubstantiated guesses with no basis in fact..