WiWavelength

Someone should be fired. AJ

Your comparison is off. iDEN to CDMA2000 to LTE is an apples to oranges to bananas situation. Because iDEN channels are only 25 kHz in bandwidth, channel usage can be coordinated between the two countries. CDMA2000 carriers are 1.25 MHz in bandwidth, and LTE carriers vary from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz in bandwidth. Those cannot be coordinated effectively between countries as long as one country is still running iDEN. Your assertion above is not constructive -- it just perpetuates tired old pre Network Vision stereotypes. S4GRU is not a Sprint complaint site. So, we ask that you refrain from making similar statements in the future. AJ

You seem like a good candidate for a tri band LTE mobile hotspot, since you can use it with any Wi-Fi capable handset or device that you please. Because your phone would be on Wi-Fi for its data connection, simultaneous voice and data would be possible. Plus, you are apparently in a market that is still early in its LTE deployment. The two tri band mobile hotspots released thus far have much stronger transmission and reception capabilities than most handsets do, making the hotspots more functional in still incomplete markets. AJ

Not quite. That stipulation applies only to the Upper 700 MHz C block licenses, and VZW is the sole license holder in the 50 states. AT&T in Lower 700 MHz spectrum is currently unencumbered by open access requirements. Otherwise, the band 12/17 kerfuffle probably never would have happened. AJ

I think it was Ron Artest. AJ

Fraydog traveled many months, miles, and golf holes to come back to us. It is like the plot of "The Incredible Journey." AJ

I am mainly giving you guys a hard time. But I am half joking, half serious. Like wireless airlinks, video game systems do tend to run in generations. In the modern video game era, NES and Sega Master System were the first gen. Much later, Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation were of the same gen. Likewise holds true for Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, and Microsoft Xbox. So, exclusion of Nintendo Wii U strikes me as odd. Maybe the generation lines have been blurred a bit now. However, Wii U clearly belongs more with consoles released in 2013 than those released in 2006. AJ

The advantage, as I have stated in The Forums, of holding the release until November is that then there will likely be bases for comparison from Samsung, HTC, and/or Apple. Release the G2 in September as the only Sprint tri band LTE handset, well, it may have no competition. Early adopters will go gangbusters, but they may be disappointed just a few weeks later if/when other OEMs follow suit with potentially better tri band handsets. AJ

So, does the Wii U not meet you *crack addict* gamers' definition of a "next gen console"? Or do I need to edit your poll? AJ

If the iPhone whatever -- which is what I am calling it until the official name or names are revealed -- is tri band LTE for Sprint, then it almost certainly will beat the G2 to market. We should know in the next two weeks. AJ

Yes, SVDO is never coming back, and SVLTE is likely going away, too. Sources have told us that the cost and difficulty of including separate radio paths for CDMA2000 and LTE in multi band LTE devices are the sticking points. While we question the veracity of some of that information, the prognostication of disappearing SVLTE does appear to be coming true. So, if you want simultaneous voice and data, you will still have a few options: You can be on Wi-Fi. You can stick with single band handsets that support SVLTE or even SVDO. You can use a third party VoIP application, such as GrooVe IP. You can wait for VoLTE enabled handsets. AJ

Our LG G2 FCC OET article is finally up on The Wall... http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-350-bande-à-part-lg-g2-is-the-first-announced-sprint-tri-band-lte-handset/ AJ

Just as I said, David is easily distracted from the important tasks. AJ

Yes and no. I agree with your sentiment. But if Sprint can save a few hundred million dollars for shareholders in the short term, then expect that. AJ

Crochet, croquet...touché. Well played, Nickel, well played. AJ

Crochet, no. Croquet, yes. Speaking of which, I have a mallet that I would like you to meet. AJ

Correlation does not necessarily equal causation. But look at what VZ and SBC were able to ram through 2000-2008. As a society, are we better off? AJ

There you go, folks. Largely the end of an era, Nokia appears to be exiting the handset business. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/microsoft-to-acquire-nokias-devices-services-business-license-nokias-patents-and-mapping-services-2013-09-02?reflink=MW_news_stmp AJ

As I said, that is what can happen to companies not regulatorily blessed with "Baby Bell" monopoly money, especially when an asleep at the wheel, pro big business Republican administration allows those babies to reconstitute themselves effectively into the "Ma Bell" that other regulators saw fit to shatter just 25 years prior. AJ

A good five years ago, Sprint did attempt to get advanced backhaul to all 4G sites -- through Clearwire. But it did not pan out. That happens to operators not regulatorily blessed with "Baby Bell" monopoly money. AJ

My quilting circle resents that multi threaded remark. AJ

by Andrew J. Shepherd Sprint 4G Rollout Updates Tuesday, September 3, 2013 - 11:35 AM MDT Welcome back from summer vacation. The S4GRU writing staff, too, has returned and is ready to catch up on some of the developments from over the last two or three months. In late July, Sprint released two tri band LTE mobile hotspots and one tri band LTE USB dongle. Meanwhile, Clearwire had lit up band 41 TD-LTE 2600 on numerous sites in several markets around the country. Around the same time, the LG G2 became the first Sprint tri band LTE handset to pass through FCC OET (Office of Engineering and Technology) authorization. As is our tradition by now, we add to S4GRU's stalwart series of articles on the FCC OET authorizations for the HTC EVO 4G LTE, Samsung Galaxy S3, Motorola Photon Q 4G, LG Optimus G, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, HTC One, and Samsung Galaxy S4 our look at the RF faculties of the LG G2: CDMA1X + EV-DO band classes 0, 1, 10 (i.e. CDMA1X + EV-DO 850/1900/800) LTE bands 25, 26, 41 (i.e. LTE 1900/800, TD-LTE 2600) band 25 LTE 3/5/10 MHz FDD carrier bandwidth band 26 LTE 1.4/3/5/10 MHz FDD carrier bandwidth band 41 TD-LTE 10/15/20 MHz TDD carrier bandwidth LTE UE category 4 W-CDMA bands 2, 5 (i.e. W-CDMA 1900/850) GSM 850/1900 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi 802.11n MCS index 7 (single spatial stream, 40 MHz carrier bandwidth, 400 ns guard interval) 802.11ac MCS index 9 (single spatial stream, 80 MHz carrier bandwidth, 400 ns guard interval) SVDO and SVLTE support absent RF ERP/EIRP maximum: 19.80 dBm (CDMA1X/EV-DO 850), 21.64 dBm (CDMA1X/EV-DO 1900), 23.09-27.08 dBm (LTE 1900), 17.77-21.29 dBm (TD-LTE 2600) CDMA1X/EV-DO Rx antenna diversity NFC antenna integrated into battery cover Antenna locations: (see FCC OET diagram below) Simultaneous transmission paths: (see FCC OET diagram below) The LG G2 is not only the first revealed Sprint tri band LTE handset but also the first Sprint category 4 UE of any kind because it is utilizing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974). The MSM8974 is a 28 nm process SoC that contains processor, cellular baseband, and WLAN/GNSS baseband all on one chipset -- à la the MSM8960 that dominated the first half of last year. The difference, of course, is that the MSM8974 has a quad core processor and a UE category 4 cellular baseband. The latter supports up to 150 Mbps on the downlink, 50 Mbps on the uplink -- though those speeds will not likely be seen on Sprint during the lifespan of this handset due to spectrum bandwidth constraints. Also, we cannot confirm at this point that the G2 is actually using the internal WLAN/GNSS baseband capabilities of the MSM8974 and not a separate chipset solution from Broadcom, as has been the trend with the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4. But having at least both processor and cellular baseband on the same chipset should be a step in the right direction. Regarding maximum ERP/EIRP, we are slightly modifying the way that we report those figures. Even within a given frequency band, max ERP/EIRP can vary according to frequency and modulation. So, if the FCC OET docs show greater than 1 dB of variance in a certain band and airlink, we now report that range instead of a single max figure. As we have stated in the past, FCC OET testing includes only transmitters, not receivers. Thus, we have to extrapolate overall RF prowess based on mobile uplink transmission capabilities, and that is an inexact science. In a nutshell, though, the CDMA2000 band class 0 and 1 power outputs appear to be a bit on the weak side, while the band 25 LTE power output looks good. The band 41 TD-LTE EIRP is lower than we would like to see -- especially considering BRS/EBS 2600 MHz propagation characteristics -- but TD-LTE 2600 will be used largely as an offload band for handsets, probably less so for hotspots. What is missing are band class 10 CDMA2000 and band 26 LTE ERP figures. The original FCC OET filing in late July included only conducted power figures for that band class and band. Conducted power is what is delivered to the antenna, not what is actually radiated from the antenna. And even though the G2 at the end of August has already had one Class II Permissive Change filing, we expect at least one more Class II filing with additional ERP figures before this Sprint variant hits the streets. Last year, the LG Optimus G had its initial, incomplete FCC OET filing in the summer, followed by a Class II change in the fall and a release in November. In our Optimus G article last summer, we wrote not to expect the street date right away, and we will offer the same caveat here. The rumored November release for the Sprint variant G2 should probably be the expectation. Source: FCC

And, actually, I misremembered one of my facts. AirTouch was originally the spun off mobile arm of PacBell. It then later merged with the spun off mobile division of US West. AJ

Yes, Bell Atlantic was Biggie Smalls, and Vodafone was Tupac. No, it was not quite an East Coast vs West Coast thing. Close but not quite. Vodafone merged with AirTouch, which was the spun off mobile arm of "Baby Bell" US West. So, Vodafone AirTouch Cellular 850 MHz core holdings were concentrated west of the Mississippi, but it did have some major markets (e.g. Atlanta, Cleveland, et al.) on the eastern side of the country. By the way, the VZW genes have not always been golden. I have heard AirTouch referred to as "AirDouche." So, Alltel ordered off of the kids' menu? AJ

If the coverage map is true, I will give VZW credit. It has improved eastern Colorado LTE 750 footprint greatly over the summer. A few weeks to a few months ago, the LTE 750 site "islands" were all too apparent -- even along the heavily traveled I-70 corridor. Now, those "islands" have been bridged. That said, I am placing my bets on repeaters. They do not require backhaul, just power, maybe even solar power. They reduce capacity and increase latency. I could be dead wrong, but I hope to be vindicated. AJ