halcyoncmdr

If that's the case, then you must not be doing a good job of explaining the fee and Network Vision to customers. There are always going to be the odd ones out that won't be happy, and I would be disgruntled with the current network. However, I can say that 99% of the customers I talk to and thoroughly explain Network Vision to, are much happier knowing it is acknowledged and being worked on. Explaining that Sprint isn't just duct taping the old network back together and instead if replacing it entirely makes a HUGE difference with satisfaction. Even if the time frame isn't ideal (potentially still a year out), the customer is always happier knowing what's going on, even if it isn't what they want. And as we all know the majority of those issues are network related. The others usually are the device itself. Out of those with the device being the cause, 90% of the phones I've seen at my store are affected by the AN_AAA authentication failure issue that CANNOT be repaired and requires the phone to be replaced, per Apple. There are always the odd phones out that the cause isn't as apparent, but I can confidently say that 95% of the phones we have come in with data issues are either network, or the AN_AAA issue, and thus we can get it fixed or the customer educated properly. With Network Vision beginning in my City now (discovered tickets opened for NV work as I was searching for a customer's issue today) it's just going to be that much easier to show it's on its way here.

Part of it may be that the old equipment isn't setup to accept a different type of backhaul, or the amount of time to get enough T1's installed to get the data speeds high enough would either match with NV or exceed NV's time line. If there's anything I can tell you working in telecom, it's that EVERYTHING takes 10x as long as it really needs to because of the BS in the industry. Permits from local government, community backlash (then complaints about reception), cashflow to get it done (not an issue with NV, but in other regards usually), and of course competition in the area being one of the few wirelines capable of providing adequate backhaul. There are a lot of areas where Verizon and AT&T are the local telcos that have the fiber available that Sprint needs for the enhancements. They obviously want it to take as long as possible to be installed within the contract terms..

I can confirm Tucson build out is currently underway. PH63XC500 PH04XC218 PH63XC526 PH54XC614

That shows nothing for Nextel 800mhz spectrum in Pima County (Tucson, AZ). Why would that be? It lists the 1900mhz spectrum and Clearwire's spectrum just fine.

Bluetooth does operate on the 2.4GHz frequency. It also usually uses the same antenna in the device. My semi-educated guess would be that the fact the same antenna is used is causing this issue. It may be an inherent design fault of the antenna/chip used in the device. I haven't noticed a different in WiFi throughput on my GS3, and I have my Pebble constantly paired through BT 24/7. I also have a 802.11n router, but it only operates at 2.4GHz.

Because of the whole "end user might brick their phone" issue. Then they bring it into the store to get it fixed, angry that they messed it up in the first place and expecting Sprint to fix it... for free... without insurance. I see it at least every other day.

True. As a retail tech however, I can't recommend that route... :-P

It's possible it could be a software corruption, something a hard rest may not fix bit a software reflash would. The triage system in the service sites die not yet have the software loaded top reflash to devices. I do not know if Samsung KIES would work to reflash the software.

There was a ticket opened up overnight on the 20th for every tower homed to the Phoenix 2 Switch. It is dropping calls at a high rate. Every tower in the Tucson/Yuma, Phoenix, and at least part of San Diego markets are affected. So pretty much half of the Mexican border area is affected. I have no idea what caused it, the ticket didn't say. ETR last I saw was some time on the 27th. Keep in mind, this is only that one ticket, I don't keep track of every ticket made on a daily basis around here, I only remember the big ones.

It's possible there is a provisioning issue, or your account network-side isn't setup properly. I'm not at work, so I can't check if there is/was an issue today. Do you have any other phones on the account? Are they working properly? Have you tried calling into Care to see if there are any outages or anything wrong with your account? Are you sure you paid your bill, or maybe you are over your spending limit? I think you'd be surprised how often this is the culprit. Even with customers that have always paid it on time in the past. We all forget things occasionally.

Nope. Never mind. Haha

Might have been my store.

So... had a coworker show me a pic he took of the tower on Wilmot/Speedway today. Cherry Picker truck there with two tech up working on the top of the tower. New panels were being added. Not 100% sure they were Sprint since there were other panels on the same tower, but the base cabinets had Sprint on them for that tower, and the panels look fairly similar to other NV equipment I've seen here. I don't have the picture (it was grainy, taken with an Optimus G through the side mirror of his car as he passed it, that camera is AMAZING!!!!!), but I'm gonna try and go by and get a good photo here soon.

I think you guys would be amazed the number of weird issues a software reflash will correct. It's why techs usually want to do that before replacing a phone. Weird issues no one has ever seen often go away into thin air.

It's not that it exposes anything dangerous, just that Apple I think didn't want the exact means more publicly available. There are still many API calls that are undocumented. Apple is secretive about everything. Yeah the iPhone is not fun to take apart. I think Apple is starting to see a ton of fixable phones be exchanged instead though because stores can't open them up. I can't even imagine the number of phones exchanged for a button not working that could be fixed if a store could open it up. Repairing a device costs a lot less than refurbishing one.

It's nothing special really. Apple doesn't like to share anything they use. They are extremely secretive. GSX allows a ton of diagnostic info, remotely. GSX operates using an Apple ID configured for it normally. None excerpt Apple have access for that reason. To allow Sprint employees access while still keeping track of which users were doing what was a big hurdle, both for Sprint and Apple. The trial occurred in October and then disappeared. And portions of the GSX instructions at first told techs to open the phone to diagnose issues more effectively, something Sprint couldn't do. I think Apple is starting to realize that Apple stores can't be the only authorized locations to open iPhones, they simply don't have enough locations and Geniuses. I would put money on Sprint tech's being able to open iPhones in the next few months because of it.

Sprint corporate stores got GSX access yesterday. Authorized repair stores are delayed. I'm surprised Apple did it at all knowing the history behind the GSX trial program my store was a part of and Apple's tendencies.

Actually there was a carrier update that fixed some data connectivity issues as well. The iPhone has sort of plagued Sprint in regards to weird issues not found on other devices. Combine that with the initial rollout of LTE and an entirely different account authentication system and I'm sure the iPhone 5 has a ton of weird little bugs unique to itself that other devices and operating systems don't have. People seem to assume that because it's an iPhone that it is perfect 100% of the time. More often than not, the iPhones are the ones we see most often in S&R because the users don't understand they have to do at least a little maintenance like turning it off/on once in a while. Try explaining to someone that the issue they've been getting progressively more annoyed at for 3 months would have been fixed if they power cycled their phone. More often than not they don't take kindly to that even though it's a simple fact.

There actually is a known issue Apple and Sprint have verified about with some iPhone 5's losing data connectivity to the network. It is hardware, it is a small number of devices. Although with the number of iPhones sold, that number could be quite high while still being a small percentage. It is a hardware issue and cannot be repaired in the field, the phone has to go back to Apple. There is a specific set of steps for a tech to go through to identify the issue and it takes at least a half hour (it involves waiting for the device to de-authenticate with the network entirely via timeout (so it has to be off for 30 minutes at least). IF hte phone is affected, it is exchanged free of charge because it can't be repaired. That also being said, the iPhone historically has performed the worst on Sprint's network of most of our devices from my experience. Even devices that aren't affected by this defect have weird habits staying connected and the retail stores, thanks to Apple's draconian ways, have virtually no way to work on or diagnose issues with iDevices. Androdi on the other hand, we have quite a few options officially, and the entire Play Store for other unofficial solutions. I'm sure there's a joke about Antennagate in here somewhere.

Having access to the internal outage board, an outage on the legacy network is actually pretty likely. Especially in Network Vision markets. The fact the rep even gave a date suggests it is an outage, not NV-related. All NV-related towers have outage notifications listed stating they are being upgraded to Network Vision and that any ETR listed is unreliable, not to give any ETR for the tower because of that as it could potentially be more than a month away if issues arise. Granted, there NV-related notices are probably put up for the towers a week or so in advance, and left until the tower is accepted by Sprint, which as we know can take a while if things aren't exactly perfect and to Sprint's liking. Since he got a real ETR, it's likely a standard outage on that tower. That being said, without more info to go on like a zipcode or cross streets to narrow it down, I can't look it up personally.

Yes, charging when it's not plugged in is about 90% chance there is corrosion of some kind in the port, causing it to short the pins and think it is charging. Sometimes, cleaning it with denatured alcohol can remedy the situation if it's just some kind of debris causing it, corrosion on the other hand is hit or miss. On the plus side, if it is liquid damaged and you get a REALLY nice tech, they may replace the charging port for you. The Galaxy Nexus is one of the few devices I believe that have a replaceable charging port (not at work, don't quote me). This would be against policy however, DO NOT EXPECT OR DEMAND IT. That will just make them want to help you out less and probably just send you along to Asurion for a replacement through TEP (if you have it).

No, it would be faster. The main reason it takes so long is that everything is being replaced the first time around. It's not just an upgrade to start, it's a complete replacement.

It could have been caused by an issue with the new equipment, so they turned the old stuff back on in the meantime. This is one of the reasons they are leaving the old 3G equipment on the towers wherever possible. If something happens that requires an extended downtime on the new stuff, they can turn the old stuff back on temporarily to fill in the gap.

I'm not sure if the panels being used in PR are any different, but the panels I've seen all support 800/1900 1xRTT Voice/3G EvDO/4G LTE. That being said, I know each NV vendor is using different panels, but I am uder the assumption the requirements by Sprint are the same for each panel, they just don't have to come from the same vendor. For example, Samsung is using Samsung equipment, Alcatel-Lucent as well, etc. As it would require to get 800MHz working on a panel that support it is hooking up a new RRU to the panel and card in the cabinet to control it. Things like downtilt probably would already be figured out beforehand, and from what I remember reading, at least some of the panels being used actually support controlling downtilt remotely.

Ah yes, I forgot about that part.