WiWavelength

Here is another interesting tidbit... I have loaded Sascha's article twice today. Both times, I initially saw the number at 10 comments posted. Then, as the page fully loaded, the number of comments dropped to 0-1. Is that a bug or comment moderation? Comment moderation is recommended -- see the FierceWireless train wreck. But the only comment available now is from Brett Schulte, who is something of a known troll. AJ

Good. We would expect a Seattle person to be living on the east side of Puget Sound. If not, you would be on the Olympic Peninsula, and all bets are off for Sprint coverage -- or any wireless coverage, for that matter. AJ

You should use Periscope -- and live upload stream over LTE -- just to show us stodgy old guys the undeniable importance of uplink data speeds. AJ

Ryan, I am well aware of the T-Mobile narratives in those cities -- especially Cincinnati. I was one of the first, maybe the first to report on T-Mobile's limited spectrum path to LTE in Cincinnati, and that goes back several years now. But Sascha Segan, by most appearances, goes above and beyond objective reporting on T-Mobile. More like prioritized reporting on T-Mobile. Positive reporting on T-Mobile. Would Sprint ever get the same treatment for any market? And Sascha will be waiting with another prioritized, positive article. AJ

Yes, Robert tried. But it was too late. In self preservation, the thread already took action... AJ

But, but, but live experiential streaming is here. Periscope uploads are the future! Yeah, well, Millenials, you can stick that Periscope up your ass and call it a preventive colonoscopy. AJ

I will take the free $20 Best Buy card. But, to be honest, it was not a simple, few click process. First, my two primary credit cards are not issued by participating banks -- one national bank, one regional bank. I had to use my third credit card, which I rarely use. It is the only one of the three currently eligible. Then, I was instructed to call that bank to verify the digital wallet connection. That took about 15 minutes on the phone. On the plus side, the verification immediately was confirmed -- both over the phone and via the Android Pay app. Now, I have to find a participating merchant, make a purchase of some sort, and pay off the trivial balance on the credit card I rarely use. In the end, my time may be worth more than that $20. AJ

More Sascha Segan bromance with T-Mobile... http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2496645,00.asp AJ

Notice the H shaped figure at the end of each bar graph. That pertains to the standard deviation or margin of error. Basically, the longer the H shaped figure, the greater the variation within the result. And that is a reason why two results that are very close in numbers may still lead to different rankings. AJ

Only one criterion matters -- that it is the next iPhone. I kid, I kid... AJ

Very good, indeed. The Wichita Lineman is doing a great job for Sprint. AJ

Robert will announce the winner in a live chat session in The Lounge. He also will post the winner in this thread. AJ

Not a squatter, a straggler. There is a significant difference. AJ

Little known fact, the Shannon baseband was named after Shannon Doherty. Or maybe it was Shannon Tweed. Shannon Sharpe? AJ

I will join that bet for VZW and Sprint, not for AT&T and T-Mobile. AJ

I am mobile, so I may expound at greater length later. But my concise point is that not all variants of the same handset share the same tested RF performance. Some better, some worse. Thus, RootMetrics may have legit reasons for using different handsets across the four operators AJ

Does Sprint have plans for uplink 2x CA. I am not aware of any. Transmitting two uplinks would decrease battery life. AJ

Yep, I still respect RootMetrics as the best objective testing among what we have available, but this is becoming a chink in the armor. For example, T-Mobile is winning Network Speed and Data awards while its downlink speeds are sinking like a stone, only getting propped up by its uplink speeds holding steady. That is not a strong network -- it is headed down a bad path. AJ

There is no "need" to use low band as the PCC and mid/high band as the SCC. CA is standardized in both directions, probably for flexibility and load balancing. But low band PCC + mid/high band SCC is ideal -- the converse of mid/high band PCC + low band SCC is not. If the mid/high band PCC drops, then reacquisition of LTE or fallback to "3G" will be required. That could interrupt constant data streams, such as VoLTE, though VoLTE intentionally may eschew CA. However, if the network is dense enough that the mid/high band PCC is strong throughout the intended coverage area, then that concern may be minimal. And in the case of T-Mobile, its network is optimized for mid band; moreover, it ostensibly prefers the band 4 PCC for its 20 MHz FDD uplink. As for Sprint, band 25 PCC or band 26 PCC, both would have the same 5 MHz FDD uplink. So, that would not be an issue -- except, of course, where/when band 25 has a 10 MHz FDD carrier. The real issue, thus, is standardization. And to my knowledge, band 25 + band 26 CA or vice versa has not yet been 3GPP codified. That is set for a future release. If still accurate, then that is the primary reason why CA is limited to intra band 41. AJ

Band 12. Band 1 is IMT 1900+2100 MHz used internationally. AJ

Look before you leap... http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/6767-google-announces-project-fi-partners-with-sprint-and-t-mobile-for-network-access-previous-title-google-to-start-its-own-wireless-service-using-t-mobilesprint-for-its-network-footprint/ AJ

That depends upon device hardware and lab testing. But per FCC filings, most support variable PCC + SCC pairings. So, you will see 5 MHz FDD + 10 MHz FDD, 10 MHz FDD + 5 MHz FDD, etc. AJ

To be clear, I do not think that I or anyone has disagreed with that premise. The problem is travismheim did not make that premise apparent from the outset. Too often, users seem to want Sprint plans with conservative prices but with liberal roaming agreements and liberal roaming allotments. Robert, as you well know and have spoken about from your industry, that is not possible. Pick one or two -- but not all. Personally, I want liberal roaming agreements. Anywhere in the US that has CDMA2000 coverage, I want it in the Sprint PRL. If I find myself there with nothing more than CDMA1X, that is better than nothing at all -- as often can be found on T-Mobile, sometimes on AT&T. As Tim notes, that makes roaming costs highly variable. It may not allow for simple roaming data allotments a la carte. I would like to buy roaming data as needed -- it makes sense. However, that may not be feasible. Sprint is becoming great on network, but if users need a lot of roaming off the Sprint network, they may be better suited to VZW, AT&T, or even T-Mobile. It pains me to say it, yet I see no future for all four national networks. Something has got to give. It could contract down to three, maybe two infrastructure networks. If so, Sprint will be an/the odd man out. AJ

International is a separate situation. Sprint does not compete against Vodafone, Telefonica, etc. See the difference? AJ

Domestic data roaming is expensive. Sprint competes against VZW, USCC, etc. They do not have economic initiative to help each other at reduced roaming rates. That is not likely to change. And even if the FCC were to take action, roaming rates still would not be cheap. AJ