WiWavelength

Will someone please transcribe the family plan table and other trial plan descriptions from the CNET article? That info should be directly posted in this thread. Thanks from the staff... AJ

Magenta is the wireless brand for girls. So, yeah, definitely sit next to them. AJ

For the network experience that you seem to want, that would be "cheaping out." Or going with a "cheap" transition handset -- as you suggested you should have done in hindsight -- would have compromised your network experience for a year or two while you waited for a multi band handset. Either way, you basically have to spend money or accept less. AJ

So, accept the reality of the situation. If you are going to be "cheap," then you are going to have a less than optimal experience on any major network or operator these days. You can never get ahead of the curve for very long. Just keeping up with the curve requires spending money frequently on new handsets -- something that you do not seem willing to do. AJ

Leaky coax is not cost prohibitive. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_feeder But that is not what Transit Wireless is using. Too bad. Chicago's "L" uses leaky coax, I believe, as there is service in the tunnels between stations. AJ

No, let us be careful. We do not want to perpetuate that mathematical myth. In signal strength, higher is better, as in -80 > -100. AJ

You have a time machine just like the rest of us, right? AJ

I still doubt that. If Sprint-T-Mobile happens, the T-Mobile side would not get CDMA2000 compatible devices. That would be one knock against it. And the Sprint side would likely be weaned off CDMA2000 devices. That would be the death blow right there. Even if the CDMA1X 800 infrastructure remained in operation, only those with antique devices would be able to use it. Then, Sprint-T-Mobile users would be left with VoLTE 700/800 and eSRVCC or eCSFB to W-CDMA 1900/2100+1700. Yeah, that would stink like hot shit. Low band LTE is not incredibly robust, and mid/high band W-CDMA is not any better. Handoff or fallback would be just from one weak signal to another. One possible solution -- not that I would favor it -- would be to scrap Sprint's LTE 800 for W-CDMA 800 that all Sprint-T-Mobile subs could eventually use. In that case, VoLTE 700 and eSRVCC or eCSFB to W-CDMA 800 would not stink so much. AJ

Meh, 3GPP is not that much better. The easy, inexpensive licensing option was through IEEE with WiMAX. Just like Wi-Fi, it would have been included in nearly all devices at no "cellular tax." But we know what happened with WiMAX. And Sprint gets no credit from the peanut gallery for even trying to be a "maverick" -- unlike that operator with the girly color. AJ

Nope. If Son can ram through a Sprint-T-Mobile merger, then he might do just that -- scrap CDMA2000, including all of the progress that has been made this past year with CDMA1X 800. I will use a personal anecdote. I took a holiday drive yesterday evening along some heavily wooded bluffs above the Kansas River. I have driven this river road before, but it had been several years and handsets ago. Still, the Sprint coverage was about what I expected. It fell from LTE 1900 to LTE 800 to CDMA1X 800. But I never lost Sprint signal. In years past, my handset would have been doing a dance between unusable Sprint signal and marginal VZW signal. Now, had I taken my T-Mobile SIM with me, I would have experienced a whole lot of "No Service" -- because T-Mobile has no low band spectrum deployment. And even when it does roll out the Lower 700 MHz A block in some parts of the country, that will be LTE, which we know is considerably more fragile than is CDMA2000. AJ

I doubt that. Swiftel is still operating in its original 10 MHz (5 MHz FDD) PCS A block disaggregation from Sprint. That is the only apparent CMRS spectrum it holds. If Sprint were to sever the affiliate agreement, Swiftel would be dead in the water -- it would have no path forward. So, Swiftel will work to accommodate Sprint, or the Brookings Municipal Utility will decide it time to give up on its wireless venture. AJ

Viagra. AJ

Let S4GRU take over network management. There is the simple fix. AJ

Better a white Ford Taurus than a white Ford Bronco. If the LTE does not fit, then you must acquit. AJ

Uh, no. That "dawg" is nothing but low culture. AJ

And you can practically rest assured that it is a NIMBY problem. For aesthetic, property value, and "health" reasons, people in Malibu do not want actual cell towers. So, they get utility pole mounted microcells -- that cannot be Network Vision upgraded. In some areas, such as Topanga Canyon, those microcells are a necessity, just not in Malibu proper along the PCH. Boo hoo. The Malibu residents cannot have their cake and eat it, too. AJ

Are the test drive iPhones new or used? AJ

You have a restroom, not a bathroom, in your house? Do you have two restrooms? One labeled "Men," the other labeled "Women"? AJ

These guys, Downes among them, are inveterate free marketeers. They want little government regulation and a level playing field for all entrants. They think that unfettered competition will cause the best to rise to the top, the weak to fall by the wayside, and that is natural economic efficiency. Of course, they conveniently disregard that the domestic wireless industry has never been a level playing field. The Twin Bells have always possessed inherent advantages. Through government intervention, they were given a huge leg up on Cellular 850 MHz spectrum and buildout over 20 years ago. But to these think tankers, the Twin Bells are on top simply because they are the best. In short, Downes likely would want all spectrum counted equally. No high/low weighting scheme. That so called level playing field would help maintain the inherent advantages that the Twin Bells have inherited or acquired over the past several decades. AJ

Carnies? AJ

Writer Peter Rysavy and commenter Larry Downes work for think tanks that support and are supported by the duopoly. Their positions have been well documented. Take anything they write with a grain of salt. AJ

Hush! Do not say that. The naysayers know that band 41 cannot penetrate a paper bag. AJ

We need to run some data on NIDs versus TACs. But my supposition is that someone located on a NID boundary -- there are relatively few in metro areas any longer, thankfully -- would be wise to upgrade to a tri band e/CSFB handset. Since the CDMA1X paging channel gets tunneled through LTE, the TAC supersedes that of the NID. AJ

Pass. Actually, believe it or not, I know what you reference. Could it be…education? Or lockbox? Strategery. AJ

But, but, but, blame your butt. Why are you sitting on your phone? And how does that accidentally dial 911? Consider yourself lucky. You could have been legally charged with reckless use of 911. Instead, you were financially charged about $20 for your inattention. That seems like a reasonable bargain. AJ