WiWavelength

I told you, the Gadget Wood is rarely wrong. You may be surprised but as for me and my wood...we know...

Is this "gadget wood" like a technology divining rod?

AJ

Brian Klug from AnandTech is in London for the Samsung launch event. He always runs extensive benchmarks:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5810/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-performance-preview

AJ

My parents have Cox.

AJ

My parents have Cox.

Oh, the juvenile jokes that I could make about this...

AJ

All this cable talk reminds me that cable companies went through the same evolution. They wanted to offer speeds so they started aggregating (bonding) channels. Kind of funny when you think about it.

 

Downstream Bonding Channel Value

Channel ID 235 233 234 236

Frequency 703750000 Hz 691750000 Hz 697750000 Hz 709750000 Hz

Signal to Noise Ratio 38 dB 37 dB 38 dB 38 dB

Downstream Modulation QAM256 QAM256 QAM256 QAM256

Power Level 2 dBmV 2 dBmV 3 dBmV 2 dBmV

A DOCSIS 3.0 downlink (4 bonded channels; 256-QAM) (i.e. as in irev's details above) requires 24 MHz of bandwidth and can deliver 152 Mbps.

An LTE FDD 10 MHz downlink (4x4 MIMO, 64-QAM) requires 10 MHz of bandwidth and can deliver 147 Mbps.

What implications does that hold? Discuss among yourselves.

AJ

I'm curious how they have figured out how to make handoff seamless with TD vs. FD LTE.

My take: Clearwire TDD to Sprint FDD handoffs will not be seamless and will not need to be seamless. In the beginning, both will carry just data, which does not require a consistent, isochronous connection. Even with the eventual adoption of VoLTE, only Sprint LTE will carry voice; I expect Clearwire TD-LTE to remain data only.

AJ

Edit: I believe I remember 2Ringsbr saying that they primarily use 850mhz for EVDO and only use 1900mhz in markets where they lack 850 spectrum. Of course, I can't find the post.

You not only misspelled 4ringsnbr's screen name but also shortchanged his number by half. But that is okay, as 4rings deserves only half credit for that answer about VZW Cellular 850 MHz primacy. It is a generalization that does not really hold true across multiple markets.

4rings lives in a market where VZW originally was PCS 1900 MHz only, then acquired a Cellular 850 MHz license through the Alltel buyout. So, that, in and of itself, is a bit wonky.

My market, Kansas City, is a more typical VZW market. VZW originally was Cellular 850 MHz only but acquired a PCS 1900 MHz license about a decade ago. When VZW initially deployed EV-DO, it was EV-DO 1900 only. In most VZW markets like KC, that was the standard -- CDMA1X 850 + EV-DO 1900. In fact, many markets where VZW held no PCS 1900 MHz spectrum, such as Wichita, were late to EV-DO deployment, as VZW rarely deployed EV-DO 850.

In more recent years, however, the AMPS sunset and the deployment of additional carriers has enabled VZW to add some EV-DO 850. In KC, for example, EV-DO is now a mix of EV-DO 1900 and EV-DO 850.

AJ

According to Samsung, it is "fortified glass"...

...not to be confused with that fine, upstanding beverage, fortified wine.

AJ

i thought that sprint was just going to take all of the sites from nextel, convert them to NV, and then have a strong competitive network...

No, Network Vision has nothing to do with conversion of iDEN only sites, though Sprint has already converted numerous "synergy" sites over the past six years. Most of the remaining iDEN only sites are redundant and will be decommissioned. Sprint does not require them to have a "strong, competitive network."

AJ

The wife walked by when I was reading that post and acted like she was jealous that I was talking to some girl on the forums here.

Just tell the wife, "Don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day."

AJ

Off on a tangent...

I saw Sim-X's small avatar and thought that we might actually have a woman who had joined us in the forums. But then I saw the larger version and realized, "Oh, it's just Megan Fox."

That piqued my interest. So, I followed up with a bit of research into our Member List. Out of nearly 1000 members, we have only 32 declared female members. They account for a whopping 41 posts in the forums, and none of them are S4GRU sponsors.

Guys, sorry to say it, but the stats do not lie -- the ladies just do not like us.

AJ

And, Sprint can emergency add additional 5x5 and 3x3 carriers if growth does exceed their very liberal projections.

Robert, have you seen any internal data on 3 MHz x 3 MHz LTE 1900 carriers? I do not think that will be a viable solution, as I do not recall FCC approval for other than 5 MHz x 5 MHz or 10 MHz x 10 MHz operation. But I would have to go back and check the FCC OET certifications for the Viper, Galaxy Nexus, and EVO 4G LTE to be certain.

AJ

Regardless of the possibility of a Sprint LTE iPhone or the condition of the EV-DO network, Sprint will greatly surpass VZW in LTE penetration rate. In general, Sprint subs seem more likely to embrace early adoption, while VZW subs seem more conservative, even downright stodgy. That said, I am still frankly astonished that VZW's LTE uptake is/was only five percent.

Now, I do not have any stats to back this up -- it is just my perception. So, take with a grain of salt.

AJ

Here in New Mexico, we have a lot of adobe homes. Adobe homes are RF absorbing clay brick that's covered in "chicken wire" under a stucco base coat and finish coat. If the clay and Portland cement weren't enough, then the Faraday cages created by the lath wire does it in. I have been in adobes 500' from a tower and get no signal indoors.

The in car coverage in New Mexico is just as bad.

AJ

I will say though I thought it was a little odd that I saw a line int he build.prop posted on the previous page here that have "HSPDA..." in it...

I would suppose that much of the file is a carryover from the One X.

AJ

1. Prior to the upgrades Sprint is using T1/bundled T1. T1 can transmit 1.5Mb/s, so how many T1 lines does a typical tower have? If a tower has 10 T1's, that's about 15Mb/s. It doesn't take that many EVDO users to use up that capacity since EVDO rev A can transmit 3.1Mb/s.

EV-DO Rev A downlink has throughput up to 3.1 Mbps per carrier per sector -- not per user. So, it would not matter how many EV-DO users are connected, their aggregate downlink data transfer could not exceed 3.1 Mbps per carrier per sector.

AJ

The only thing though that gives me some pause, isn't this the same website that said the EVO 4G LTE does TD-LTE 2600 and LTE 800? It was the only site that I read that gave those additional specs.

 

http://www.goodandev...168ea1a8f9d970c

Good and EVO not only falsely attributes LTE 800 and TD-LTE 2600 capability but also cribs our first to press article on the FCC OET application. Note the text about band classes in the Good and EVO piece that is lifted directly from my bullet points.

http://s4gru.com/ind...fcc-oet-filing/

Color me unimpressed by Good and EVO.

AJ

I use to live in a complex that was dead center of an "excellent" sprint signal area and less than a mile from a tower .... outside it was in the -80's, inside it was only usable next to the windows. I never could explain it, considering restaurants and buildings all around me got a signal fine while indoors.

A building of sufficient metallic construction can function much like a Faraday cage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

AJ

Hopefully these markets near the Canadian border can launch at least a 3 MHz x 3 MHz LTE 800 carrier just like those on the Mexican border.

Doubtful. Along the Canadian border, Sprint has to coordinate SMR 800 MHz channel usage with not only Canadian public safety but also Telus Mike iDEN. And Sprint indicates that its available LTE bandwidth in those Canadian border zones will be less than 3 MHz x 3 MHz.

AJ

Is that also a consideration for any markets near the Mexican border?

Yes, the restrictions are not quite the same, but markets near the Mexican border -- San Diego, Tucson, El Paso -- will likely be limited to no greater than 3 MHz x 3 MHz LTE 800.

AJ

Solid thinking.

 

Chicago and San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose are Sprint's two largest 20 MHz PCS A-F block markets. (Chicago has always been a PCS D block 10 MHz + PCS E block 10 MHz market. In the Bay Area, Sprint holds the PCS A block 30 MHz license but partitioned and disaggregated 10 MHz to the original AT&TWS a decade ago.) As you say, Robert, the 20 MHz PCS A-F block markets likely lack the option to deploy additional LTE 1900 carriers anytime soon. Thus, that both Chicago and the Bay Area are on Clearwire's TD-LTE launch list should come as no surprise.

I might also add that Seattle, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo are major markets that may be off the table for LTE 800 deployment (or limited to 1.4 MHz x 1.4 MHz LTE) because of their proximity to Canada and SMR 800 MHz cross border channel coordination requirements. So, those markets, too, may be prime candidates for the capacity offloading provided by TD-LTE 2600 "hot zones."

AJ

Interference does not cause a decrease in RF signal strength. If a device measures just the intended signal, then interference causes no change in signal strength. On the other hand, if a device measures all of the RF in the particular channel, then interference causes an increase in field strength.

So, you seem to be experiencing severe RF fading, not interference.

AJ

Stupid Wirefly won't ship the phone to me in California unless I put the shipping address on my credit file, so it's a no go thanks to the ********. And I can't afford the $150 price tag that Sprint wants for it. Oh well.

Josh, that is possibly fate intervening on your behalf. If you owe a balance on your account and cannot afford to pay the $150 carrier subsidized price for a new device, then you are probably already stretched beyond your financial means, and opening a new line of service to get the new device is a bad idea.

AJ

If Sprint were to make any acquisitions in the future, I would rather see them buy out Clearwire as well as attempt to buy out MetroPCS or Cricket.

I disagree with respect to MetroPCS and/or Cricket (Leap) for at least two reasons:

• MetroPCS and Cricket hold much AWS 2100+1900 MHz spectrum. Sprint does not need the complication of integrating yet another band class nor migrating yet another subscriber base.
  
• MetroPCS' and Cricket's subs are frequently the dregs of the wireless consumer base. Sprint does not need more low ARPU, low commitment subs and certainly should not pay billions to acquire them. If Sprint wants to make a run at those largely low value subs, Sprint can do it through effective recruitment -- plan offerings and marketing -- not through acquisition.
  

AJ

Chicago is forecasted to be one of the first markets maxing out its new 5x5 LTE 1900 carriers. And it doesnt have much for options for additional LTE carriers in 1900. Sprint is counting on Clearwire in Chicago for the long term.

Solid thinking.

Chicago and San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose are Sprint's two largest 20 MHz PCS A-F block markets. (Chicago has always been a PCS D block 10 MHz + PCS E block 10 MHz market. In the Bay Area, Sprint holds the PCS A block 30 MHz license but partitioned and disaggregated 10 MHz to the original AT&TWS a decade ago.) As you say, Robert, the 20 MHz PCS A-F block markets likely lack the option to deploy additional LTE 1900 carriers anytime soon. Thus, that both Chicago and the Bay Area are on Clearwire's TD-LTE launch list should come as no surprise.

Some of the other <30 MHz PCS A-F block major markets are as follows:

Houston

Miami

Baltimore

Minneapolis

Cleveland

Atlanta

Denver

Milwaukee

Tampa (25 MHz)

Cincinnati

Indianapolis

AJ