Jump to content

linhpham2

S4GRU Premier Sponsor
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    242

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by linhpham2

    Framily's Easy Pay vs 2yr subsidized pricing

    in General Topics

    Posted · Edited by linhpham2

    No offense, but why would anyone on a normal plan (I know better deal than Framily for most/many longtime customers) deal with the the expensive Easy Pay? Hit your 20 months maximum needed and upgrade to top of line phone for worst case (other than Note 3 which on Sprint is expensive but not top of the line not-Triband) $149 (S5 on release day) or wait 2 months and get it even cheaper?

    20 months is a long time to wait for a phone upgrade.

     

    Cost-wise, things sort of balances out. Nothing's perfect. You have to compromise and deal with trade-offs. With Easy Pay, you're factoring in the ETF into the monthly device payments. In return, there's no contract so you can leave Sprint at any time if you want. The only reason to stay with my Everything Data plan is that I do a lot of Slingbox video streaming and 1 Mbps isn't adequate.

     

    There's a better phone than the Note 3 - I'm looking into a Nexus 5 for OS upgrades direct from the source and a unlocked, multi-carrier compatible phone. That way you can buy a prepaid SIM card and use it test out the coverage and speeds of the other carriers or for when travelling.

    Is Sprint Throttling LTE?

    in Network, Network Vision/LTE Deployment

    Posted

    Images on webpages seemed slightly compressed. But otherwise OK. Has anyone run into video streaming throttling to under 1 Mbps? I know it's in the fine print on the newer plans. I'm still on an Everything Data 1500 with a relative because I do a lot of Slingbox HQ streaming (3-4 Mbps sometimes). Otherwise, I'd switch to a Framily plan and recruit other people.

    Whither AWS-3

    in General Topics

    Posted

    In related AWS news, AT&T is on a shopping spree: From Phonescoop: "

    AT&T Seeks to Buy More 700MHz and AWS Spectrum

    Yesterday, 2:27 PM   by Eric M. Zeman

    AT&T has filed preliminary paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission seeking to transfer spectrum licenses and other assets from several small companies to itself. The companies include NTCH with its affiliate WGH Communications and Milkyway Broadband (both 700MHz), and Paul Bunyon Rural Telephone Company (AWS). Specifically, NTCH/WGH would transfer to AT&T 12MHz of Lower 700MHz B Block spectrum in 18 counties in six Cellular Market Areas (CMAs) across parts of Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. Milkway would transfer to AT&T 12MHz of Lower 700MHz C Block spectrum in 71 counties in 15 CMAs across parts of Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Last, Paul Bunyon would transfer to AT&T 20MHz of AWS-1 A Block spectrum in nine counties in three CMAs in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota. AT&T said the spectrum transfers will allow it to increase the coverage and performance of its LTE 4G network. The FCC has accepted the initial applications."

    Is Sprint Throttling LTE?

    in Network, Network Vision/LTE Deployment

    Posted

    I have seen this compression on images for at least a year on Sprint, not always related to tower congestion, it just happens. Sometimes they reduce image file size by over 90% which makes images look awful, not just on the web browser, but in apps like Engadget, Reddit, BBC News, CNN news.

     

    If you don't like it, you can use a VPN on Sprint.

    Eh? How do you setup a VPN for cell phone?

    Is Sprint Throttling LTE?

    in Network, Network Vision/LTE Deployment

    Posted

    It sounds like it's true in your instance.  But it is not true network wide.  Only a handful of people have reported this, and it's been reported for a long time by only a handful of people.  Maybe Sprint is trying to get rid of you?   :P

     

    Robert

     I found this in another thread: http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1797-sprint-image-quality-reduction-on-web-pages/?p=38070

     

    "What specific types of optimization does Sprint employ?

    Optimization is deployed for RTSP and HTTP video traffic and all HTTP web traffic. 

     

    Web optimization uses three basic technologies:

    • Caching: Caches web pages to avoid delays associated with retrieval of the same internet content multiple times.
    • Text/Binary compression: Lossless compression of data and binary files using standard compression techniques supported by HTTP-compliant browsers.
    • Image Compression: JPEG and GIF compression designed to reduce the size of images while maintaining no user perceptible loss of quality."

    Is Sprint Throttling LTE?

    in Network, Network Vision/LTE Deployment

    Posted

    Only on non HTTPS websites, so apps/sites like Facebook aren't affected by this.

     

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

     

    Image quality is still reduced in at least one app: Huffington Post. Not sure about the others.

     

    I tried resetting my phone and uninstalling some unused apps to see if that helped any. Nope. I visited a different Sprint corporate store across town. I tied 4 different phones -- still getting blurry pics when I visit websites like CNN. For comparison, I went to 2 different AT&T and 2 different T-Mobile stores (as well as a Verizon store) in the mall. The website pictures on the phones in those stores were all crystal clear compared to the phones in the Sprint store.

     

    My only guess is that the reduced image quality is due to Sprint compressing the images and/or the limited 5x5 bandwidth that Sprint is using for LTE 1900.

    Is Sprint Throttling LTE?

    in Network, Network Vision/LTE Deployment

    Posted

    I have never experienced this on any network except AT&T. I have seen a couple people post this anomaly before, but most people say they haven't had this problem.

     

    Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

    I use about 6 GB of data/month so I thought Sprint might be throttling me. But I went to Sprint Corporate store and kept seeing blurry and fuzzy images (not the text on the websites) on a Galaxy Mega, Note 3 and a G Flex when I tried using the phones' web browser to visit various websites.

    Softbank - New Sprint - Discussion

    in General Topics

    Posted

    Correct me if I'm wrong, Please, but that can take a long time.  It may be quicker and easier to just buy T-Mo when you got Son money.

    Just the initial merger/buyout price of T-Mobile is going to cost tens of billions of dollars. Judging from the Nextel fiasco, it's going to costs tens of billions of dollars more to integrate the two companies networks and and corporate cultures.

     

    If either Sprint or T-Mobile collapses into bankruptcy, the rest of the industry can buy the company's assets on the cheap at the firesale.

    • Like 1

    Softbank - New Sprint - Discussion

    in General Topics

    Posted

    Just found this interview with Walt Mossberg at re/code today: http://recode.net/2014/03/12/sprint-chief-says-u-s-internet-speeds-are-awful-even-sprints-but-he-can-fix-that/

     

    Quick reason why Son wants T-Mobile: He wants combine Sprint with T-Mobile macro site towers' to provide better 2.5 Ghz coverage for mobile and fixed wireless broadband.

     

    If Son want better 2.5 Ghz coverage, can't Sprint just lease new sites from the Tower owners?

    Framily's Easy Pay vs 2yr subsidized pricing

    in General Topics

    Posted

    I understand that Easy Pay is a financing plan for buying or upgrading a new phone. I'm not interested in financing.

     

    I found some more details from Sprint: "

    • If you are a customer in Sprint's Easy PaySM or One UpSM programs, you are required to sign a month to month Service Agreement, but the customer will not be subject to a plan term commitment or ETF. Note: Easy PaySM and One UpSM customers who cancel service prior to the completion of the installment agreement will be required to pay the remaining balance on the applicable device."

     

    http://support.sprint.com/support/article/Learn_about_early_termination_fee/case-sp061027-20110823-171256/?ECID=vanity:etf

     

    Aside from Easy Pay, aren't you required to sign a contract for voice and data service in order to use your phone? And thus the contract term and ETF issues. Can you do a Framily plan month-to-month?

    Framily's Easy Pay vs 2yr subsidized pricing

    in General Topics

    Posted

    I was at a Sprint Corporate store and a rep told me that with Easy Pay Sprint is going to be getting rid of contracts and ETF's (like T-Mobile). Also, they said that I could upgrade my phone every 12 months as long as I traded in my old phone. All I had to do was pay full retail for the phone or choose a financing plan.

     

    Sprint getting rid of contracts and ETFs is news to me.

     

    From the FAQ's: "Does Sprint Easy PaySM require an Installment Agreement?

    ... Additionally, the customer is subject to the terms of the selected service and is required to sign a month to month Service Agreement, but the customer will not be subject to a term commitment."

     

    http://support.sprint.com/support/article/Learn_more_about_Sprint_Easy_Pay/487c6885-c186-4f0d-b325-65b602af1de0?INTNAV=SU:AL:MVT

     

    Can anyone clarify the Easy Pay details for me? 

    Is Sprint Throttling LTE?

    in Network, Network Vision/LTE Deployment

    Posted

    On a related note: is Sprint compressing their web page traffic? I'm in Beaverton, Or with a LTE signal of -109dbm RSRP and RSRQ of -9db. Lately, I've been noticing over the past week that a lot of the images on web pages like radaronline.com, huffingtonpost (even the mobile site) are low resolution and blurry. I tried changing web browsers (the samsung browser, dolphin and chrome) to see if that helped. Same blurry pics

     

    I compared the same web sites on a T-Mobile phone (note 3), and images are very clear and high-resolution.

     

    Has Sprint been compressing web traffic for a while now or only recently?

×
×
  • Create New...