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linhpham2

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Everything posted by linhpham2

  1. And general account needs, warranty and repair and just checking out new phones. A lot of the affiliate stores only have dummy phones/display models.
  2. I just renewed my contract in march, so I'm not going anywhere until 2015 (I'm on a family plan, so my share is only $45/month - otherwise I'd leave) I only use about 3-5 GB/month, so overages wouldn't be too bad. Besides data usage and speeds, AT&T and Verizon has more coverage, fewer dropped calls (and higher call quality) and text messages, better located stores (vs most Sprint stores are in strip malls and out-of-way locations for me), better handset selection, and entire plan discounts, (not just data re: new Sprint plans), higher customer service ratings according to JD Power. There's also a social stigma around here if you're on Sprint. Otherwise, it's not too bad for a cheap, low-rent carrier.
  3. Someone else who's considering switching to Sprint is getting speeds comparable to my home internet on AT&T: http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/4408-questions-about-returning-to-sprint/
  4. On my phone, Advanced Signal Strength shows the LTE RSSI and %'s based on ranges defined by 3GPP (not calibrated by Sprint)
  5. More info from Fiercewireless: http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/dishs-ergen-singles-out-t-mobile-potential-wireless-ma-partner/2013-08-07 "Interestingly, Ergen said that bidding in an auction for the 1900 MHz PCS H Block "is not particularly attractive as things stand today." He said that auction would provide more uplink spectrum for Dish but that Dish needs more downlink spectrum, and that the technical rules the FCC made for the auction were designed to favor Sprint. "I mean, if you look at it from a big picture perspective, the way H Block is configured today and based on the rules, Sprint pretty much got the rules that they wanted for H Block," he said. "So I think it's very, very interesting to Sprint. And they're probably the one that's most likely to prevail there."
  6. Sprint says they'll be done with NV by mid-2014. But realistically, it's closer to end of 2014 for everything - 800, 1900, 2.5 and small cells - or even first half of 2015. As for speeds, they'll increase somewhat with the new equipment but should level off. My pings times are fairly high (50-150ms) for LTE vs home internet of 15ms. 1900 still has poor coverage, and I can't upgrade until 2015.
  7. Most of the upgrades and construction won't be done until the end of 2014. I can't upgrade my phone until 2015 - so no 800 or 2.5 for me (unless I smash my phone). Still, 10+ mbps is still a bit laggy for everyday use.
  8. Sprint is only using a 5x5 mhz carrier for 800 lte (much smaller than their competitors). The coverage for 1900 and 2.5 isn't as good as sub 1 ghz. The speeds you're seeing is only the initial phase. It falls off fairly quickly after a few months.
  9. The apps Real Signal and Advanced Signal Status might be more helpful than signalcheck pro
  10. Non-oem battery makers sell batteries that come with a charger. But the charging speed is a max 800 mah. Samsung sells a spare battery + charger for the Note 2. Its like $30.
  11. Commentary from Ergen from the WSJ: http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/08/06/charlie-ergens-dish-has-long-list-of-potential-ma-moves/ "Ergen’s personal entity SP Special Opportunities LLC has been buying up debt of the bankrupt wireless telecom company and made a bid to buy it out of bankruptcy. That pits himself in a battle with Phil Falcone of Harbinger Capital Partners, which has poured millions into LightSquared. Harbinger on Tuesday sued Ergen over the move. Ergen said Tuesday the spectrum LightSquared has is drawing his interest and also touting Dish’s ability to manage spectrum that is based on satellites. “Because we have our history as a satellite company, we understand that part of it a little bit better and we think that fits together pretty well with what we’re doing,” Ergen said, adding. “It’s obviously a long-term play. It’s obviously something [that] has a lot of hoops to jump through in terms of a regulatory point of view and in terms of a technical point of view on the spectrum.” As for Falcone’s claims that by buying debt via a personal entity Ergen was skirting the rules, Ergen said he would defend his actions and Dish’s. “All I can tell you is I’ve personally followed all the rules. I think Dish has followed all the rules,” he said."
  12. Found an in-depth interview with Ergen and his options from the Denver Biz Journal: http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/boosters_bits/2013/08/dishs-thwarted-sprint-bid-made-money.html?page=all "But forging partnerships with wireless companies is another a way for Dish to build the mobile network it wants. On that front, the SoftBank-controlled Sprint appeals to Dish for its network — largely due to the Clearwire frequencies it owns — and because of SoftBank’s “tremendous expertise and creativity. They seem very innovative and very creative, and they seems they’re more aggressive than others in the wireless industry,” Ergen said, adding SoftBank seems like a kindred spirit to Dish in how it does business. If anything, the tussle with SoftBank for control of Sprint left Ergen and Dish more convinced Sprint would be a good fit as a wireless partner. “We actually probably understand Sprint and Clearwire better than we understand any of the other operators,” Ergen said. Ergen admitted to being a little jealous of SoftBank and impressed by it, and he suggested that makes Sprint all the more attractive as a potential partner. “I like people who are better than us,” he said. “I want to hire people who are better than us, and I want to work with people who are better than us." Saying nice things about SoftBank may not smooth over all the ill will Dish Network created trying to break apart SoftBank and Sprint’s merger. Dish Network’s counterbid cost SoftBank and Sprint billions in added costs and delayed infrastructure investment. Dish also made what Sprint considered xenphobic arguments against the SoftBank deal in filings to the FCC and in letters to members of Congress. Dish suggested SoftBank’s business interests in China, and a subsidiary’s past involvement in a U.S. bribery investigation, made SoftBank and its chairman, Masayoshi Son, potential risks to U.S. national security if they controlled Sprint. Dish was the all-American alternative, it argued. So what merger options remain for Dish in the wireless industry? "That’s really probably only T-Mobile at this time.” Ergen said." More on T-mobile combo at the WSJ: http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2013/08/06/charlie-ergens-dish-has-long-list-of-potential-ma-moves/ "Ergen acknowledged that if he can’t get a partnership with Sprint, the only possible acquisition after all the consolidation in the industry would be T-Mobile. He said the “network upgrade” for T-Mobile would be “much simpler” than what needs to be done at Sprint and that T-Mobile has a “lot of momentum” amid all the industry turbulence. “I think there’s still a lot of opportunity for us,” he said. “And I think that opportunity – certainly, T-Mobile, you could put that together with Dish in a number of ways, including acquisition and merger, and that’s probably not possible with the other wireless providers.”
  13. The more curious tidbit is: "Chaplain noted that the estimated new 12,000 to 17,000 Sprint macro sites will replace around 16,000 Clearwire sites that will be decommissioned." I guess that most of the Clearwire sites couldn't be upgraded to full NV sites or are poorly located to be much use.
  14. I've never heard of "nurture" being used in business relationships. I expect Softbank to be very demanding. Softbank only owns 80% - so maybe not to the point of a master-slave relationship though.
  15. IIRC, Sprint's debt rating is higher than Softbank's. So, Sprint should get better terms if it sells its debt directly (rather than thru Softbank) on the japanese market.
  16. 5000 mah is about right for a phone with an 1080p HD screen and LTE. 3100 mah is barely tolerable now.
  17. I know Gary Forsee, the ex-CEO, is gone. Not sure about the others.
  18. IIRC, Softbank isn't planning on giving Sprint any more money beyond the $5 billion specified in the buyout agreement.
  19. Logically, Sprint should ignore Ergen and Dish. But given Sprint's management's decision history (e.g., Nextel), I wouldn't put it past them to make a deal with Dish. Beggars can't be choosers, unfortunately...
  20. Nothing. But they aren't mutually exclusive. I'm just saying that Dish might have some use for some of Sprint's spectrum.
  21. Excess spectrum = Sprint has almost 2x spectrum compared to Verizon and AT&T, separately. And half as many customers. What other uses will Sprint use the spectrum for? Softbank and Sprint's debt are, IIRC, almost junk-rated. Sprint needs revenue to pay off its debt, network upgrades, etc. And Sprint's overall subscriber count is still dropping... Dish has spectrum with buildout requirements, there's not many options for who it can partner with.
  22. Instead of cash, I'd rather Dish stays out of the PCS H auction and gives Sprint some other nearby spectrum as compensation. Sprint is desperate for revenue. If it can't get new subscribers to replace those fleeing, then why not host Dish spectrum? What else are they going to do with all that excess 2.5 spectrum?
  23. We haven't seen the last of Ergen: http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=OBR&date=20130806&id=16778075 "Dish Network Corp Chairman Charlie Ergen kept investors guessing about his next strategic move on Tuesday by keeping the door open to everything from a possible partnership with Sprint Corp to tie-ups with either T-Mobile US or DirecTV. I think in an ironic sort of way Sprint becomes an interesting potential partner for us," Ergen said, as he heaped praise on the company and its majority owner SoftBank and noted that he had found out a lot about Sprint when he took a look at its books as part of his efforts to buy the company." Sprint has so much extra spectrum in a lot of markets, it might be worthwhile to see what Ergen has planned
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