WiWavelength

I would hope that VZ would not give $100 million to Vodaphone because that sounds like an e-mail phishing scam. On the other hand, buying out its partner Vodafone could be a good move for VZ. AJ

As I understand it, PCS W-CDMA will be deployed on most/all sites in T-Mobile's current, typically urban 3G footprint, but the Network Modernization effort will take a couple of years to complete. It is similar to Network Vision in that PCS W-CDMA and AWS LTE are being deployed at the same time. While T-Mobile may not require new backhaul, it does require new panels -- typically, two new panels (one PCS, one AWS?) plus one legacy panel. And erecting those panels is still a major effort. AJ

On the HTC One, the default vocoder for both native and roaming service is EVRC. I do not have my MSL yet, though, to look at the other vocoders supported. AJ

Is the second one a photo of a black cat inside a coal mine? AJ

Ahem, Chimayo red chile. AJ

KFC? In the fried chicken world, that is akin to giving a bum some spare change. Plus, everyone knows that Original Recipe is the way to go -- 11 herbs and spices. AJ

The transcript is likely wrong. The acronym is eCSFB, which refers to enhanced Circuit Switched Fallback. AJ

Each of the Clydesdales gets two handsets, a tablet, a hotspot, and an aircard. It is in their contracts. They are data using stallions. AJ

Thanks for the removable SIM heads up. Galaxy S4 article on The Wall has been updated... http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-343-updated-a-short-time-from-now-in-a-galaxy-not-far-away/ AJ

No "sheesh" or apology necessary. Just know that the intent of S4GRU is to help each other learn about Sprint, Network Vision, and general wireless topics. But S4GRU is not here to help find the latest ETF loophole, tethering workaround, etc. There are plenty of other sites for that kind of unsavory activity. AJ

For some insight into donations and S4GRU non profit finances, see this recent thread: http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/3603-a-message-from-robert-a-thank-you-and-a-request-for-help/ AJ

Agreed on the latter count. Discussion of trying to defraud Sprint is verboten. AJ

At 2600 MHz, it would no longer be a toaster oven; it would be a microwave. AJ

Yep, just the "bare minimum." iPCS flair density was decidedly lacking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5YClmS3umk AJ

Read more: Sprint adds 1.5M iPhones in Q1, still loses subs as Nextel shutdown looms - FierceWireless http://www.fiercewir...4#ixzz2ROcgY1pbSubscribe at FierceWireless Yes, see, "devices." At this point, for all we know, the first device could be a TD-LTE toaster oven. AJ

Was the mention of TD-LTE 2600 in the conference call? I do not see it in any of the documents here. And was the reference actually to "phones" or just "devices"? I am of the belief that we will probably see at least one TD-LTE 2600 capable hotspot or tablet before we do any handsets. AJ

Ah, you missed the prime opportunity to say "mo and mo will go live every week." AJ

I guess I was not clear enough. Somebody is trying to put me out of a job that is unpaid and actually costs me a lot of time and money. Put me out of a job -- please! AJ

Somebody is trying to put me out of a job... AJ

by Andrew J. Shepherd Sprint 4G Rollout Updates Friday, April 26, 2013 - 6:29 AM MDT A significant piece of S4GRU's educational mission is helping our readers understand what goes on behind the scenes and underneath the hood in the operation of a wireless network. This often requires getting readers to access internal engineering (or debug) screens on their handsets to view numbers and metrics, such as PN offset, Ec/Io, cell identity, etc., as we track the progress of Sprint's Network Vision deployment around the country. So, S4GRU staff thought it long overdue to publish a tutorial on what all of those engineering screen numbers and metrics actually mean. And in this first part of what will hopefully be a long running series, we will examine frequencies, namely center frequencies. First, let us kick things off with CDMA2000 (e.g. CDMA1X/EV-DO). CDMA2000 is divided into band classes. Those band classes basically represent spectrum bands of operation. Some common CDMA2000 band classes familiar to Sprint users include: band class 0 (Cellular 850 MHz), band class 1 (PCS 1900 MHz), band class 10 (SMR 800 MHz), and band class 15 (AWS 2100+1700 MHz). Then, each band class is further divided into carrier channels. These carrier channel numbers represent the actual RF locations -- center frequencies -- of the carrier channels that we use for voice and data services. To illustrate, see the EV-DO engineering screenshot below, specifically the "Channel Number" and "Band Class" fields: Taking into account the band class and carrier channel number, we can use the following formulas to calculate both uplink and downlink center frequencies: uplink center frequency (MHz) = 1850 + (0.05 × carrier channel) downlink center frequency (MHz) = 1930 + (0.05 × carrier channel) In other words, the spacing in between potential carrier channel assignments in band class 1 is 0.05 MHz (or 50 kHz). And the band class 1 range of carrier channel numbers extends from 0-1199. So, using our formulas, the band class 1 carrier channel 100 in the included screenshot has an uplink center frequency of 1855 MHz, a downlink center frequency of 1935 MHz. This FDD paired set of center frequencies falls toward the lower end of the PCS A block 30 MHz license, which is 1850-1865 MHz x 1930-1945 MHz. Next, we can shift over to the 3GPP (e.g. LTE) side, which does things a bit differently. 3GPP sets forth bands, instead of band classes, but otherwise, the functions of bands and band classes are the same. In the US, common 3GPP bands for LTE include: band 4 (AWS 2100+1700 MHz), band 13 (Upper 700 MHz), and band 17 (Lower 700 MHz). But we are most interested in band 25 (PCS 1900 MHz + G block), the band in which Sprint is initially deploying LTE. As with carrier channel numbers in CDMA2000 band classes, 3GPP bands are subdivided into Evolved Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Numbers (EARFCNs). And like carrier channel numbers, EARFCNs indicate center frequencies. However, EARFCNs do so separately for uplink and downlink, as LTE allows for different pairings of uplink and downlink via carrier aggregation. Now, see the LTE engineering screenshot below for its "Band," "UL channel," and "DL channel" fields: Per band 25, we can enter the "UL/DL channels" (i.e. EARFCNs) into the following formulas to determine again both uplink and downlink center frequencies: uplink center frequency (MHz) = 1850 + [0.1 × (uplink EARFCN - 26040)] downlink center frequency (MHz) = 1930 + [0.1 × (downlink EARFCN - 8040)] In this case, spacing between EARFCNs is 0.1 MHz (or 100 kHz). Additionally, the uplink EARFCN range is 26040-26689, the downlink EARFCN range 8040-8689, both for band 25. And in the end, EARFCN 26665 in the included screenshot has an uplink center frequency of 1912.5 MHz, while EARFCN 8665 has a downlink center frequency of 1992.5 MHz. This is an FDD paired set of center frequencies, not a carrier aggregated set, and it resides exactly in the middle of the PCS G block 10 MHz license, which is 1910-1915 MHz x 1990-1995 MHz. In part two, we will take a similar look at center frequencies in the PCS 1900 MHz band's lower frequency cousins, SMR 800 MHz and Cellular 850 MHz. So, stay tuned. Sources: 3GPP, 3GPP2

And the dual SIM configuration confirms that SouthernLINC will be using T-Mobile for high speed data even within the Southern Company's native footprint in the Southeast. AJ

When is it again that our boat leaves for Guyana? AJ

The problem will arise when my Nexus 7 freaks out at the double tap. It will know then that I have been seeing a younger, more slender model. AJ

Oh, so you were the one who left behind all those empty bottles. You know, we have a glass recycling bin right next to the vending machine in The Lounge. AJ

On T-Mobile, I would not use any device that lacks AWS. One, "modernized" PCS W-CDMA is not a complete overlay and likely will not be for a few years. Even then, loads will even out as time goes by -- I would love to know what kind of hashing scheme or load balancing algorithm T-Mobile is using for AWS and PCS W-CDMA. And, two, no AWS means no LTE. AJ