WiWavelength

Yes. That is PRL dictated, as roaming is at lower priority. Unless at the highest priority already, the PRL always leads search for a higher priority. AJ

And, as much as some will say that is subterfuge, it is smart on Sprint's part. With the roaming indicator still triggered, most users will not realize that their roaming is pseudo native, hence will not go hog wild on "unlimited" data. AJ

Thanks for supporting my point. AJ

Let us not compare any iPhone to the 2015 Moto X or 2015 Nexus 5. That is a mountain to a molehill situation. I doubt that too many new or existing Sprint subs are going to have trouble activating an iPhone. The iPhone is a big deal -- staff and stores almost certainly are trained and stocked accordingly. As much as we wireless network enthusiasts want to make the 2015 Moto X and 2015 Nexus 5 out to be similarly big deals, they are not. Not even close. They will do minimal volume and mostly fly under the radar. With the 2015 Moto X, we know that Sprint was prepared well in advance in the internal Playbook. But I am not going to fault Sprint for not ensuring that all sales and call center reps are properly informed about a niche handset. They have bigger fish to fry. A week ago, I think I was the first at S4GRU to receive my newly delivered 2015 Moto X. That putting me truly on the cutting edge. I went to a store and showed the handset to a Sprint sales rep. I thought that he would appreciate seeing it in the flesh for the first time. He acted like it was cool, but I do not think that he knew what it was. And I cannot really blame him. He is not going to make any money off of the 2015 Moto X -- because Sprint is not going to sell it, only activate it. And, agreed, BYOD is getting bigger every year. Sprint will have to adapt its practices, but that does not mean right now. As for the "Blue/Red/Magenta store" activation option, the grass may look greener on the other side -- but that is often just spray paint or astroturf. Ask Robert how life is/was on AT&T with an unsupported BYOD handset? AJ

Of course. C Spire, Nex-Tech Wireless, United Wireless, Pioneer Cellular, and PTCI. No surprises there. AJ

By the way, everyone, the kitted SIM option that has only now been added as promised to Moto Maker is a perfect example of why you do not have to be an early adopter, maybe even should not be an early adopter. If you insist upon being a pioneer, expect problems, and if you complain, those complaints come across as tone deaf. AJ

Bumper, shmumper. My handsets live in a nudist colony. Au natural. AJ

In Moto Maker, the $5 SIM is the last option in the build process at the bottom of the page. As reported a few weeks ago, the kitted SIM was supposed to be an option all along, but I do not think that it was added until recently. When I tried Moto Maker on release day, I certainly do not recall seeing the SIM option. AJ

I am not answering that question. Your S4GRU avatar looks like Agent Smith. AJ

How do you guys "Like" my posts so quickly? I hit "Post," and by the time it uploads, I often have at least one "Like." Am I unknowingly living in a pod in The Matrix? AJ

Big Red? You mean Andy Reid? Over 30 Mbps? I doubt that he has ever moved that fast in his life -- unless the buffet had chicken wings. AJ

digiblur is not a Magentan, but he is with their mob, posting potshots in a FierceWireless comments section somewhere. AJ

Antoine Dodson uses MetroPCS. Either that, or he ain't got no phone. AJ

Only two non contiguous 10 MHz (5 MHz FDD) blocks would be limited to six CDMA2000 carriers. A 20 MHz (10 MHz FDD) contiguous block can support up to seven CDMA2000 carriers -- because of the need for fewer guard bands. AJ

No, not even close. If a Lenovo handset were to be compatible with and whitelisted on Sprint, we would have detailed it here months ago. AJ

Ah, I see today we are playing revisionist historian again. A few thoughts... Sprint's SpectrumCo joint venture with the cable companies produced AWS-1 auction winnings of at least 20 MHz (10 MHz FDD) contiguous across nearly all Sprint major markets -- notable exceptions included St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Buffalo. You can see the spectrum mapping that I did nine years ago following FCC Auction 66: That is not adequate spectrum to run band 4 LTE at 20 MHz FDD, only 10 MHz FDD. Houston could do 15 MHz FDD. But from 2006, that would have been way off in the future anyway. And while your argument adds in AWS-1 spectrum from Cricket and/or MetroPCS in some markets, that spectrum not necessarily would have been contiguous with SpectrumCo's primarily AWS-1 B block license holdings. Had the SpectrumCo joint venture survived, because LTE commercial availability was still years off, Sprint might have used the spectrum to start a switch over to 3GPP -- like Bell and Telus in Canada -- with a band 4 W-CDMA overlay. In a comment board peanut gallery somewhere, Fabian Cortez is creaming his shorts at that thought. One problem with that, however, is Cox was partitioned spectrum in its own cable markets, then attempted a triple play offering by deploying a band class 15 CDMA2000 network in several of those markets. Cox's second entry into wireless was short lived, unsuccessful rather quickly. So, maybe that spectrum could have been rolled back into SpectrumCo, but that would not have occurred until 2011-2012 -- by which point Network Vision was already underway. The only real possibility would have been if Sprint, SpectrumCo, and Cox all would have agreed earlier to a 3GPP transition for Sprint and band 4 W-CDMA rollout for all. In the end, with the perspective of time, the dissolution of the SpectrumCo joint venture may seem like a mistake. However, Sprint had too many irons in the fire as it were -- running CDMA2000, iDEN, and WiMAX networks across PCS 1900 MHz, SMR 800 MHz, and BRS/EBS 2600 MHz spectrum bands -- with Public Safety 800 MHz rebanding and PCS G block boutique replacement spectrum adding to the complexity. Imagine if Sprint also had been tasked with a band 4 W-CDMA overlay or a band class 15 CDMA2000 deployment. That would have been the fuster to end all clucks. AJ

We want more low band spectrum. Give us some of that low band spectrum! AJ

The Twin Bells and any erosion (or not) of their profits are irrelevant. They are too big to fail -- they will be survivors. But if the Legere regime keeps giving away the farm, forcing Sprint to respond, something eventually has to give. T-Mobile and Sprint will be driven into each other's arms. AT&T will succeed in a second crack at T-Mobile. An outsider will acquire T-Mobile. T-Mobile will continue its rise into a more competitive third position. Sprint will go bankrupt. If the current climate persists, all of those are definite possibilities... AJ

And possibly switch to a non gradated coverage map tool? You know, like certain other wireless operators who will not be named. That is the risk. No thanks. Beware what you wish for... The current Sprint coverage map tool is by no means perfect. But it presents signal gradated maps, which easily can be saved as GIFs. And there is a workaround for the small map window. Good enough. AJ

Not a snowball's chance. Project Fi requires a customized Android OS and/or Android app. iOS need not apply. AJ

Did I ever publicly post my 2014-2015 Motorola flagship handset RF testing figures spreadsheet? It may already be in this thread, but I cannot recall. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EVoM9I5cC0kFucQZ_H2YF22EBZX4fzQOmLm50QokRg8/edit?usp=sharing AJ

Yep, Qualcomm has revamped its baseband modem page, adding the Snapdragon X12 LTE and reversing the order from right to left. https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/4g-lte-connectivity/comparison Now, before everyone gets giddy about the Snapdragon 820 with 3x CA, the Snapdragon 808 and Snapdragon 810 already support 3x CA. But they require multiple RF transceivers to implement anything beyond 2x CA. That is why basically all of the current handsets utilizing those chipsets are 2x CA. Unless Qualcomm also has unveiled a next generation RF transceiver or the Snapdragon 820 incorporates it, the situation will not change. Most/all handsets will stick to 2x CA. And uplink CA is a real question mark, since that will suck additional handset battery power. AJ

We are miles ahead of you. Many of us have long since known of the "blob" in South Dakota -- it is James Valley Telecom. Old news. That is why we have to amuse ourselves in other ways. AJ

And therein lies the rub. Legere is the Pied Piper leading a march to the bottom. If this handing out of candy keeps up, profit margins will become so slim that CAPEX will have to suffer, leading to industry consolidation down to three or even two national operators. Legere is gambling on T-Mobile gaining enough groundswell to be one of the survivors or a merger target. AJ

South Dakota is easy to sum up. Mount Rushmore. Black Hills. Native Americans. Badlands. Credit cards. Wall Drug. Call centers. Credit cards. Swiftel. Corn Palace. That is everything. AJ