iansltx

Meh. The phones are WiMAX-based, so between that and 3G the VoIP probably won't well off of WiFi. Not worth the cost IMO.

AT&T has a sizable LTE network at this point. Not quite as available as VZW's, but the gap between the two has been shrinking over the past year or so. Of course, that's primarily because VZW has nearly run out of places that they don't have LTE and do have service, but the point remains

Nexus S 4G was Samsung though. So that doesn't mean anything. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the first device that supports an agreement (as yet unreached) between Sprint, USCC and C-Spire to allow LTE roaming between each other's networks. Probably a tablet, but bonus points if it's a hotspot.

Unless NetZero has something serious up its sleeve, I'd expect two different hotspots, running on two different networks, with no overlap. Think Tracfone...pick your network and stay there.

AT&T and Verizon, in 10x10 markets, can reach into 70/25 Mbps, though those speeds are VERY rare these days. However 45-55 Mbps down and 10-20 Mbps up can still happen in the field. T-Mobile seems to be a bit better; I've seen 50/25 Mbps, though that was only once. So AT&T, VZW and T-Mobile can all beat the speeds that Robert is pulling down over TD-LTE currently with their 10x10 networks. But all three (particularly AT&T and VZW) are covering much more territory per cell vs. Sprint TD, so even with one 20MHz TD carrier Sprint's speeds are going to stay higher for longer as people load the network down. Of course, VZW can overlay 10x10 or even 20x20 in FD AWS practically wherever it wants to deal with these capacity issues. And AT&T may be able to patch together PCS and AWS LTE to do about the same thing while they wait for their 10x10 (it's only 10x10 right?) of WCS to become usable. And T-Mobile, which already has a relatively dense network and few subscribers, can go to 20x20 FD in some areas as well...and add more spatial streams for tablets, aircards and hotspots. But my guess is that Sprint will have multiple TD carriers per site sooner rather than later where they're needed, probably before VZW gets its AWS overlay going at full tilt. And I wouldn't be surprised if next year's Zing supports 20+20 TD, with a better CPU and 802.11ac, to pump out more bandwidth than 20x20 FD can provide (at least on the downstream side).

Judging by how expensive M2M WiMAX modules probably are, and how little of a push Clear has put into Clear Professional, I wouldn't be surprised if they only have a few thousand customers on the entire platform. Better to phase 'em out now than let things drag on.

Hmm...VoiceStream? Nope, too much data. Towerstream? Nope, already taken. CellularOne? Nope, TMo owns like two cellular licenses. PowerTel? Maybe...sounds too much like Nextel though. metroPCS? Well...they do have the rights to the name, and everyone knows that their subscriber proportion drops like a rock outside urban areas...

DAL - inconsistent is the word. I'm almost under the shadow of a couple LTE sites here (gate 9 on the plane) and can't get decent service. No signal, not overloaded. TMo has low signal in the terminal, but is better a little outside. VZW drops to 3G in the terminal, but has (overcrowded, 4/4M) LTE outside. Everyone needs DASes here... WiFi is 3M in each direction, low-latency and free for the first 30 minutes. Use it if you can. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Yep. And now it's Windstream HQ. sent via my SIII on Tapatalk 4 beta

Getting back on-topic, I'm sitting in... LIT (Little Rock, AR) - 3G is almost unusable at security (sub 200/100) but improves to 1000/400 at the end of the concourse. No LTE...the nearest 4G site is too far away. Better to use the free WiFi, which was hitting 3M down, 4M up when I tested it. As opposed to about that much on VZW LTE (everyone seems to use Verizon here), By way of comparison, TMo has weak LTE (2-4M down, 5M up inside the airport. H+ is significantly stronger: 10M down, 3M up was the fastest test I saw. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Getting back on-topic... Freeing up 25+ MHz (or maybe even 25x25?) of AWS spectrum gives Sprint a decent reason to get into the AWS game (like they would've if SpectrumCo didn't end up siding with VZW). At the risk, of course, of either creating a standardized LTE band across all four carriers (God forbid, right?)...or ending up with a Band 12/17 debacle where Sprint buys all of the newly minted corp-licensed AWS and everyone else just keeps turning out older-AWS-band LTE phones. Then again, the second scenario would mean that Sprint would get a nice chunk of spectrum in the PCS-ish range to slap LTE onto, and maybe some roaming partners who used the same spectrum.

Probably not. Because prices would be lower.

Looks like VZW will get customization on the X as well. Sad to see that this phone isn't much better than an S III spec-wise...but is priced $100 higher. "Made in the US" is definitely worth something, but considering its status as a single-band phone, and lack of customization, this is a pretty raw deal for Sprint users. For VZW and AT&T folks, however, this phone will include the bands both providers have/will be rolling out in the next year or two. And you get free customization. I'm just curious as to how much the Google Play model will cost, and if it will be customizable. If Google decides to sell it for $400, it's a reasonable successor to the Nexus 4, and I may pick one up. But my bet is that it'll be closer to $500...

Sounds about right. Went through Conway today and saw a little LTE.

Correction: "pretty much 100%" according to the transcript. I expect some rural sites to be left out. Or maybe just non-LTE NV sites. Not sure yet. But huge news nonetheless. Particularly with the Galaxy S4/Mini dual mode announcement. sent via my SIII on Tapatalk 4 beta

Specifically, where did anyone say that Sprint is hitting every site with TD? sent via my SIII on Tapatalk 4 beta

I'll start. I'll be in LIT, DAL and AUS the day after tomorrow, but for now... AUS (as of early July) - LTE available in some areas, but spotty service overall, dropping to roaming on VZW in many areas. At bag claim you're lucky to get service at all.

Side note: T-Mobile has HSPA+ here in harrison, AR. Backhauled by a single T1. Speeds are better on Sprint's skeleton (license protection?) EvDO network here. And for some reason I'm being routed through NYC, rather than the more sensible Dallas. Or KC. Service drops to EDGE pretty quickly once outside town, and to GPRS in some areas. Point of reference: both AT&T and VZW have LTE here. Don't have a device to test AT&T LTE, but VZW LTE is pretty solid. Using it to make this post.

Wait, what?

Leaving out DSL for a moment, U-Verse as it's deployed is a crappy solution to the bandwidth problem. Says the person who's within a half-mile of the nearest U-Verse "lawn fridge" and can't get more than 6M down from AT&T. They're probably running the lines all wrong, but regardless, those speeds are absolutely pathetic for an area that's dense enough that WiMAX on a mobile device actually works, and cable DOCSIS 3 delivers 50 Mbps. Sure, VDSL2 (including bonded options) delivers nice speeds to some areas. A friend of mine may go with CenturyLink because they offer $35 (intro price) 40/20 'net at his new apartment. But places where that kind of speed is realized are quite rare, leaving everyone else in a state of weeping and gnashing of teeth. All of that said, if you're outside the range of cable, line-bonded ADSL2+ (Annex A or Annex M) on a FastPath profile is reasonably speedy and very reliable if done right. And yes, if you're in an area that isn't served by a small telephone company or co-op, DSL is all you're gonna get for wireline access if cable won't go there. But if you build your DSL network too sparsely, LTE becomes the better option. Or an unlicensed-spectrum wireless ISP. All that said, Sprint's exit from the wireline business was probably for the best. They can go hard on LTE fixed-line replacement services, and choose the right backhaul provider for the job rather than just picking their own internal one.

More likely: 1x800 isn't turned on in your area yet. It's relatively rare, still.

Fiber-fed sites will be fine. Sprint may need to up their bandwidth transport commits but that's about it. Wireless backhauled sites on the first or second hop away from fiber-fed sites will be fine. They've got a few hundred Mbps of throughput. Wireless fed sites several links down the chain probably won't see TD-LTE, unless they can get fiber pulled closer to them (less towers sharing a single wireless backhaul). That's my best guess anyway. #1 is pretty much a certainty.

They're okay but not great. Unless you're in an area where they offer rebranded Clearwire "fixed" service (the desktop modem). In which case they're okay...$7/GB...but not in line with what you should pay for fixed broadband.

Sounds like the MiFi doesn't have the "ping penalty" that Netgear Zing users are seeing. Wonder how the two devices compare when it comes to pulling down a signal.