WiWavelength

Sgt., for a relatively recent parallel (that admittedly may or may not apply until we get the final world on the S4 MSM8960), VZW's HTC Rezound uses the S3 MSM8660 for its CPU + modem chipset and the MDM9600 for its second modem. In the case of the Rezound, the MDM9600 handles LTE duties, since the MSM8660 lacks LTE capability. If Sprint's HTC Jet requires a second modem, however, the roles could be reversed, with the MSM8960 taking the LTE lead. AJ

Sgt., unless circumstances have changed with the release of the Qualcomm S4 SoCs, SVLTE and SV-DO always require two radio pathways, hence dual modems. If the MSM8960 can actually support SVLTE and SV-DO without a second modem, then that will be a very nice development toward greater simplicity and lower power consumption. AJ

And if I am being too coy, feel free to call me out it. Otherwise, if you are enjoying the game, we will let it play on... AJ

Yes, muffinman. I will stand to be corrected, but I know of no LTE handset, not AT&T nor otherwise, that is capable of LTE simultaneous voice/data (outside of VoLTE handsets, of course). That said, AT&T LTE handsets are still capable of simultaneous voice/data. It is a bit of a paradox, and I made this same distinction above, but no one seems to have seized on it yet. So, I am still waiting for an explanation... AJ

Motorola seems to utilize Qualcomm chipsets for CDMA1X/EV-DO and its own Wrigley chipset for LTE, while Samsung has recently eschewed Qualcomm for VIA Technologies and/or Samsung's own CMC chipsets. Take this with a grain of salt, as it is largely anecdote, but many think that Samsung is going cheap, that the chipsets are junk compared to the brand name Qualcomm and/or Motorola chipsets. AJ

No, this has no real connection to VoLTE, other than that VoLTE does allow for simultaneous voice/data, though not through MIMO. MIMO is just a way of increasing throughput, a special type of spatial reuse, and simultaneous VoLTE/data does not require MIMO nor separate antennas. In LTE, everything is packetized, and the packets get sorted out via addressing and potentially QoS. As for a GSM ecosystem version of SVLTE using two separate modems (a la CDMA1X SVLTE), it might be possible. But I am not certain that there is a GSM ecosystem set standard for dual modems, nor do I know of any such devices. Also, keep in mind that several VZW handsets now support SV-DO, but the iPhone 4S is not one of them. And the mystery lingers... AJ

Yes, the SID list that you linked was news, not because I had never seen it before, but because that was so long ago (>5 years) that I had completely forgotten about it. There just has been little call for the SID list, as we have not had the geeky excitement of important new SIDs for a major US carrier in a long time. So, I greatly appreciate you returning the list to my attention, and watch for your name up in lights sometime in the next few days. AJ

lynyrd, no such standardization seems to exist. Even in FCC filings, you will find, for example, "5x5," "5+5," and "5/5." To remain clear and consistent, I always try (outside of Twitter) to utilize this format: "5 MHz x 5 MHz." By referencing the MHz unit of measurement twice, my format avoids the 5x5=25?, 5+5=10?, or 5/5=1? arithmetic misinterpretations. Also, for reference, FDD spectrum pairings are typically "up x down," not the other way around, as the uplink spectrum is almost always lower in frequency than the downlink spectrum. The notable exception to this in US mobile spectrum is VZW's Upper 700 MHz C block 22 MHz license, which is "down x up." LightSquared, too, is/was going to utilize a "down x up" configuration in its L band ATC 1600 MHz spectrum. AJ

Well, I will continue to tease this a bit. AT&T LTE handsets, as with all AT&T 3G/4G handsets, do support simultaneous voice/data. But, as stated previously, I do not know of any GSM ecosystem LTE devices that support the equivalent of SVLTE. Do you note the subtle distinction? Again, discuss, and I will return to clarify and/or string this along a bit more. AJ

autoprime, Nextel iDEN does not use SIDs, as iDEN is more closely aligned with the GSM ecosystem, which relies on MCCs, MNCs, and LACs. But it appears that Nextel was assigned SIDs for its PCS "G" block licenses years ago, maybe even prior to the merger. And you just uncovered a treasure trove. Congratulations, great find! You are going to get name credit in the next update to this article. AJ

Guys, I will let you in on a dirty little secret from the GSM/W-CDMA side of things. As far as I know, no GSM/W-CDMA/LTE device supports the equivalent of SVLTE. Now, let that sink in. Discuss among yourselves, and I will be back later to follow up with some important ramifications. AJ

VZW LTE handsets are able to support SVLTE (and some SV-DO, too) because they utilize two separate modems: one for CDMA1X/EV-DO and one for LTE. The two modems are required for simultaneous connectivity (e.g. CDMA1X + LTE or CDMA1X + EV-DO). Upcoming Sprint LTE handsets will almost certainly do likewise. For example, consider the HTC Jet. We know that it utilizes the Qualcomm MSM8960 CPU + modem chipset. That is the modem that will likely be used for LTE, but the Jet will also have to incorporate a second modem for CDMA1X/EV-DO connectivity. Apple may not be willing to incorporate that redundancy because of iPhone size and power consumption concerns. AJ

autoprime, both CDMA1X and EV-DO are 3G. CDMA1X carries voice and SMS, while EV-DO carries data (though CDMA1X can also carry data if EV-DO is not available). At this time, Sprint has no plans to deploy EV-DO in SMR 800 MHz. So, in essence, data will remain on PCS 1900 MHz. AJ

Jeff, SouthernLINC coverage is hyperlinked in the article (about halfway down). AJ

by Andrew J. Shepherd Sprint 4G Rollout Updates Thursday, March 22, 2012 - 10:50 AM MDT Update 2: See below for potentially all SMR 800 MHz SIDs. Two weeks ago, S4GRU reported that the FCC had just issued a proposed rulemaking that would officially allow Sprint to launch non iDEN, wideband operations (CDMA1X and/or LTE) in its rebanded SMR 800 MHz spectrum. In that article, we referenced Sprint Network Vision internal documents that S4GRU used to determine where in the SMR 800 MHz band Sprint planned to deploy CDMA1X 800 carrier channel(s): Today, in an S4GRU exclusive, we bring you an intriguing follow up to that article. S4GRU has acquired internal Sprint Network Vision 3G plans for additional markets and confirmed that Sprint will necessarily deploy CDMA1X 800 on a higher carrier channel in those markets in which it shares the ESMR portion of the SMR 800 MHz band with SouthernLINC. Furthermore, Sprint will not reuse its existing PCS 1900 MHz network SIDs but instead will utilize a unique set of new SIDs for its SMR 800 MHz overlay. Both of these developments have important ramifications for band class 10 Sprint network acquisition and custom PRL editing. In most markets across the country, Sprint is not encumbered by any other ESMR licensees. In those markets, Sprint will deploy a CDMA1X Advanced carrier centered at channel 476. See the band plan graphic (modified for Sprint ESMR single licensee markets): However, in several markets in the Southeast, Sprint splits ESMR bandwidth with SouthernLINC. In those markets, SouthernLINC's spectrum holdings extend as high as 818 MHz x 863 MHz. As a result, Sprint has shifted its CDMA1X 800 carrier up 50 channels to be centered at channel 526 in order to stay out of the SouthernLINC allotment and provide adequate guard bands. See the band plan graphic (modified for Sprint/SouthernLINC ESMR dual licensee markets): For CDMA1X 800 network acquisition, therefore, Sprint band class 10 capable PRLs will have to include ACQ indices containing at least channels 476 and 526. Moreover, as S4GRU has unearthed, band class 10 PRLs will also have to include separate SID entries for SMR 800 MHz. For example, in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, Sprint has long used SID 04120, but CDMA1X 800 will fall under new SID 22407. In the Atlanta market, Sprint operates under SID 04274, while CDMA1X 800 will take on SID 22437. NIDs, though, appear to be consistent between PCS 1900 MHz and SMR 800 MHz. Expect Sprint to establish a second SID for each one of its markets, hence just under 50 new SMR 800 MHz SIDs in total. We surmise that Sprint will use the distinct new SIDs to control access and network loading on the lone CDMA1X 800 carrier channel in each market. By Sprint placing SMR 800 MHz SIDs at lower priority in PRLs, the vast majority of Sprint devices will remain on CDMA1X 1900 in almost all native coverage settings. Devices will seek out CDMA1X 800 only when CDMA1X 1900 is unusable or unavailable. Savvy PRL builders, however, could certainly take advantage of this situation by editing PRLs to invert priority and favor CDMA1X 800 instead, thereby directing devices to remain on SMR 800 MHz wherever possible. S4GRU will continue to dig up CDMA1X 800 SIDs for additional markets. As we do, we will post updates. So, stay tuned. Update: We have learned new SMR 800 MHz SIDs for several West Coast markets: San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Portland, and potentially Seattle or Spokane, too. In the Bay Area, Sprint's CDMA1X 1900 network uses SID 04183, while the upcoming CDMA1X 800 overlay will use SID 22431. Similarly, in Portland, Sprint will continue to utilize SID 04174 for PCS 1900 MHz and will add SID 22428 for SMR 800 MHz. Sprint in Seattle and Spokane uses SID 04186 and SID 04188, respectively. S4GRU has discovered SMR 800 MHz SID 22408 linked to rural parts of the Seattle and Spokane MTAs, but we are currently uncertain if this SID will apply to one or both actual metro areas. Update 2: Special thanks go to S4GRU reader and sponsor autoprime for reminding us of the IFAST national SID list web page, which just so happens to contain all of the SMR 800 MHz SIDs that we have announced, as well as ostensibly all of the other SMR 800 MHz SIDs for Sprint's remaining MTA based markets. The 224xx series SIDs were actually assigned to Sprint for its PCS G block nationwide collection of licenses, spectrum that was assigned to Nextel as compensation for SMR 800 MHz bandwidth it lost during the 800 MHz public safety rebanding effort. Sprint originally intended to deploy band class 14 CDMA1X/EV-DO in that PCS G block 10 MHz spectrum but now will use it exclusively for band class 25 LTE (5 MHz x 5 MHz), the initial LTE carrier that Sprint will launch in its Network Vision initiative. Since band class 14 CDMA1X/EV-DO is now off the table, Sprint appears to have carried over the 224xx series SIDs to its SMR 800 MHz band class 10 CDMA1X deployment. Keep in mind, however, that these remaining SIDs have yet to be verified, so there may be some differences between the list and actual use. S4GRU will endeavor to confirm additional SIDs as we analyze further information from our internal Sprint sources. In the meantime, we have condensed all assigned 224xx SIDs to this Google Docs spreadsheet. Sources: Sprint, SouthernLINC, FCC, 3GPP, author's graphics, autoprime, IFAST

Robert, I heard that Laurie Partridge can pick up LTE on her braces. AJ

Just whip out your trusty RF spectrum analyzer, and set the range to 1990-1995 MHz. You do have an RF spectrum analyzer, right? AJ

The Nvidia Tegra 3 quad core chip is just a CPU, not a modem. And, for some reason, it is not currently compatible with LTE. So, only the non LTE international version and possibly a non LTE domestic T-Mobile version of the HTC One X utilize the Tegra 3 quad core. The LTE variants coming to AT&T and Sprint use the Qualcomm MSM8960 dual core because it is a CPU + modem that internally supports LTE. And, no, it is not a "spec drop." Please read all comments following the article, as we addressed the quad core vs dual core argument already. AJ

3GPP band class 26 will take care of that. Band class 26 is a superset of band class 5 (Cellular 850 MHz) and band class 18 (SMR 800 MHz). Since both Cellular and SMR are adjacent and use the same 45 MHz FDD offset, it makes perfect sense to consolidate them into one band class. AJ

All AT&T LTE devices do support AWS. But there is no verification thus far that AT&T has deployed any LTE in AWS. And now it may never happen. The post merger break up transfer of AWS to T-Mobile has so diminished AT&T's AWS holdings that AT&T may not be able to justify the separate planning and expense to deploy AWS in just a few markets. I rounded up the data and produced a graph last week. AT&T now holds scant AWS but ample PCS across the top 100 markets. One thought is that AT&T may drop AWS and go PCS for its second LTE band class. Regardless, AWS looks like an uncertain or at least highly limited prospect for AT&T. https://twitter.com/...4613376/photo/1 AJ

I cannot speak for others, but my reaction to Moffet's comments has little to do with the positive/negative tenor of his assessment (though I do agree with others that Moffet needs to bone up on Sprint spectrum analysis before he spouts off). More generally, I just think that human, psychological elements (e.g. woefully imperfect information) render the stock market an irreparably flawed system. AJ

Just to be clear, my post was not meant to call you out, Duffman. Rather, I intended it more as a PSA for all members to know the quoting guidelines and to help each other keep a mindful eye on posts that might unintentionally deviate from those guidelines. AJ

The problem is that the stock analysts can grow so influential that their prophecies become self fulfilling. To illustrate, I'm Mr. Big Time Stock Analyst. I say that company X's stock price is going to fall. People hear that, get worried, and sell their shares in company X. Hence, company X's stock price does fall. Psychological manipulation of markets. What is worse is that I could have a short position in company X's stock, hence stand to gain from a drop in its stock price. And that is one reason why I hold the stock market in very low regard. It has become arguably the biggest sham in an already highly imperfect capitalist system. AJ

Guys... Duffman's top post in this thread quotes the full text of an article from behind the WSJ paywall. That is a big no no and could get Robert hit with a copyright violation lawsuit, which would likely mean the end of S4GRU. Robert cannot realistically follow every single thread, but we certainly do not want to get him in hot water, nor lose our favorite online hangout. So, please know the posting guidelines (linked below) and help remind each other to follow the guidelines. http://s4gru.com/ind...de-websites-r26 AJ

S4GRU has made the front pages this morning of both CNET and Engadget: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57399848-94/htc-one-x-could-be-sprints-first-lte-smartphone/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/19/htc-one-x-could-be-coming-to-sprint-on-june-10th/ AJ