WiWavelength

Some members are questioning it because they apparently do not have the patience or foresight to wait for full market LTE deployment. Incomplete deployment will inevitably have coverage issues -- in building or even outside -- in many locations. AJ

I think that settles it. At the S4GRU sponsors' retreat next spring in Aspen, Robert has to perform Karaoke to this... AJ

No, not necessarily strange. Europe and Asia have (or will have) some band 7 LTE, which is LTE FDD 2500-2570 MHz x 2620-2690 MHz. But are you sure that the new Nokia Lumia devices support only FDD profile, not TDD? Europe also has (or, again, will have) band 38 TD-LTE, which is a subset of our band 41 TD-LTE. AJ

A few comments... WiMAX is TDD, while LTE (in our current configuration) is FDD. TDD airlinks will always be distance limited because of the inability to transmit and receive simultaneously and the time required to switch between transmission and reception modes. For example, Clearwire's WiMAX configuration is distance limited to 8.35 km (5.19 mi). Hence, LTE FDD can have an advantage over WiMAX in that regard. Also, WiMAX uses OFDMA for both uplink and downlink, while LTE uses SC-FDMA for uplink, OFDMA for downlink. OFDMA allows for MIMO, which WiMAX can employ even on the uplink for multiplied data rates. But OFDMA has higher peak to average power requirements. That is a taller order for power limited mobiles and may limit their uplink range. So, again, LTE may have that advantage, albeit at the cost of less efficient uplink data throughput. AJ

Your RSRP (signal strength) is not "very weak." That is just a moderate signal. You have at least a 10 dB margin before reselection to eHRPD. However, your RSRQ (signal quality) is not great. That RSRP is exceedingly strong; you are almost certainly within a stone's throw of the site. AJ

Sing along, everybody... AJ

Overcast means complete cloud cover. Are your cell site antennas mounted so high that they are in or above the clouds? AJ

My hardware version is -√2π. Is that bad? AJ

To clarify, I did not direct my post at the "average customer." If you are here at S4GRU, then you have access to information well above and beyond that of Joe Schmo. So, I would expect our members to take advantage. AJ

I will get right to the point. You are an S4GRU Sponsor. Have you read anything that we written about the flaws in the current Sprint LTE coverage maps or viewed any of the alternative methodology coverage maps that we have created??? Simply put, you do not call anyone. You wait. The coverage problem will solve itself as Sprint completes Network Vision deployment in your market. Trust us. We know what we are talking about. Sprint call center reps do not. AJ

Folks, I ask this a lot: why would you waste your time by calling Sprint about issues like these? That is akin to calling the doctor's office and expecting the receptionist to diagnose or know anything about your illness. Those who answer the phones are entry level workers; they are generally not highly educated nor highly trained, and, most importantly, not highly paid. That is just not feasible for a company with 50 million subscribers unless we are willing to pay a great deal more for our wireless service. AJ

Nope. But I do like to make light of the trivial content and juvenile presentation that so many people think is important communication these days. AJ

My question is: how are those MCC-MNC records? Those are SIDs, which are an IS-41 (AMPS, TDMA, CDMA) construct. MCC-MNC should be 310-120 (310 for the US, 120 for Sprint). AJ

GoWireless, this is not an FCC issue. The FCC creates different spectrum band plans with different purposes, rules, etc., but the FCC does not create different bands/band classes. Engineering bodies (e.g. 3GPP and 3GPP2) are responsible for those distinctions. And 3GPP is working to consolidate some LTE bands into superset bands. For example, when Sprint deploys LTE 800, it will be band 26, which is a roll up of bands 5, 6, 18, and 19. AJ

No, do not get the EVO LTE. Or if you have it, get rid of it. I hate being part of the crowd; I want to be the only person who has one. AJ

I thought that you were getting money together to buy more Sprint shares from Big Slim's Sports Book and Stocks. AJ

Oh noes! If you didn't get that iMessage from your BFF right away about "Apple pwned, SMH, LOL," that would be just terrible. AJ

In Waco, red or green would get you ketchup or pickles. AJ

...and all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average. AJ

I am eerily good at intuitively figuring out acronyms, but for the longest time I thought that "SMH" might stand for "so much hate," especially as people younger than me these days seem to think that "haters" and "hatin'" are standards of the lexicon. AJ

??? AJ

Nope. I would much rather it be the reverse. If Sprint's LTE overlay really were as uneven as the EVO LTE makes it out to be, then Sprint would be in big trouble, would not likely survive the Network Vision roll out. Those coverage problems could not be fixed, not unless Sprint were to deploy thousands of new sites nationwide to multiply its site density. So, no, I would rather the problem be with the handset, as it can be easily replaced. Like it or not, the EVO LTE gives Sprint LTE a bad name. And, bear in mind, I am an EVO LTE owner. But I tend to be pretty even keeled about these sorts of things. If a truly effective firmware update comes, great. If not, no big deal. I have confidence because I am smarter than my smartphone; I know how and where to cycle airplane mode to engender LTE connectivity. Plus, LTE is more like a perk, while EV-DO is just fine for nearly all uses. And if all else fails, I will simply pay full price for another LTE handset, just as I am likely to do anyway next spring/summer when the subsequent round of LTE flagship devices are released. AJ

Every so often when I just glance at this thread title, it appears to say "Sprint early upgrade porno," which might not be entirely inaccurate, considering how much members of this site lust over new handsets. AJ

Good idea. I have now patented "SMH" -- both the phrase and the actual gesture. If you use "SMH" while discussing smartphones or even shake your head at your smartphone, well, you are using a "stolen product," and I will sue your ass. AJ

The use of "smh" needs to be stopped; it has no place in intelligent discourse. AJ