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jpkjeff

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Everything posted by jpkjeff

  1. As of January 1st, I am eligible (finally) for my upgrade. I have read and researched exhaustively, and still am on the fence about which device to buy. I have had Samsung Android phones as my last two phones (the Moment, and then the Epic 4G Wimax, otherwise known as the Galaxy S1 on other carriers). On the plus side, I do love many aspects of Android, including the customization options and I've played with Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean phones and the improvements over Gingerbread (which my current phone will obviously be stuck with until hell freezes over) are impressive. Yet I've also played with the iPhone 4S quite a lot (my best friend has had one for some time now) and I love that it doesn't freeze up, hesitate, or have any error messages...and it feels good in the hand, hardware wise), and have owned an iPad for nearly 2 years...so I do like the idea of adding a device to the same ecosystem. Has anyone else upgraded to either of these devices recently, and if so, what are your impressions?
  2. So far, I haven't seen any improvements in 3G services in the OKC metro, save one or two sites and I think those were band-aid improvements to backhaul. But I'm hopeful that we'll see some improvements now that 2013 is almost upon us. My upgrade eligibility is January 1st so I can't wait to have a new LTE capable device (I still have a Wimax phone now, which is great only when I'm near one of the 3 OKC protection sites).
  3. Oh, and I meant to also add a big thank you for this post-even though I'm not in Chicago it is updates like these that keep me (and I suspect many others) coming back-where else will you get information like this on the behind the scenes goings on at Sprint regarding their network? Keep up the good work!
  4. Since this is a hand off issue, would users who are stationary (i.e. at their home or workplace) be as impacted in the Chicagoland area? I only ask because I seldom make/take calls while in the car (unless someone else is driving) so I was just curious if stationary users would experience these issues as frequently as users moving from point A to point B. One thing I've always championed about Sprint is that I NEVER get dropped calls - even now, when data speeds are often abysmal, I still get excellent voice service.
  5. Interesting review and comments. CNET had a review for this same phone they published last week but I felt they were unfairly harsh on it (they lambasted Sprint for releasing a phone that still ran Gingerbread and naturally complained about no 4G LTE access yet-about what you'd expect). Their reviewer was also unduly harsh (I felt) on the build/thickness of the phone, but for an entry level LTE device it sounds perfectly acceptable to me. I noticed a site not too far from me had had workers at it and last Friday ran some speed tests, and got consistent 1.0-1.4Mbps download speeds. I'm sure it's another bandaid fix but it will sure be wonderful when those speeds are NORMAL for 3G downloads-if I had that all the time I could wait awhile for 4G LTE, for sure.
  6. Great article. Calls over Wifi are indeed something that carriers should look into. I recently purchased a used iPad 1 and use an app that allows me to make calls over Wifi for free (you have to watch ads to "earn" minutes, or you can buy them). It works great and is crystal clear: most people can't tell any difference, although I seldom use it since I have to hook up a separate headset unless I want to make calls via speakerphone. But with MVNO's like Republic Wireless using mostly Wifi for their business model, I do think we'll see more of this in the future.
  7. Very glad to hear this! I check the site daily for updates and am thrilled to finally see some news for OKC/Oklahoma. I have noticed what looked like contractors working on two Sprint cell sites near me in OKC; I'll try to get some pictures in the next few days and post them (assuming they have actually started any work). Data speeds are once again crashing here in OKC, so this can't happen fast enough!
  8. As far as the reasoning behind markets, I know from working there it was in some cases due to how they originally set things up when Sprint initially launched cell phone service back in the 90s: some markets were (and still are) affiliates, and some were not. That was a question we always asked as employees and that's what we were told, although it still didn't really explain the reasoning. Probably things started out that way and they just stuck with it ever since, I'm guessing. Looks like OKC/Oklahoma still has one shot at being announced tomorrow, but I won't hold my breath! Maybe they'll throw some more band aids at us as whatever good the last round of band aid fixes did is already largely gone.
  9. jpkjeff

    Tower locations

    I know you've probably already posted about this, but how do I become a sponsor?
  10. Still keeping my fingers crossed that OKC/Oklahoma is one of the remaining markets to be announced!
  11. And look at what AT&T has to say about that today (as usual, failing to place the blame where it belongs-on AT&T): (This is from AT&T's public policy blog section of their website, where they comment on issues that impact the industry): http://attpublicpolicy.com/wireless/att-statement-on-t-mobile-closing-seven-call-centers/
  12. Clearwire says that usage on their network increased 705% year over year in 2011! (Via Fiercewireless): http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/clearwire-usage-our-network-increased-705-year-over-year/2012-03-22
  13. Interesting piece from Light Reading on how Apple might handle LTE Voice: http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=218995&f_src=lrmobiledailynewsletter
  14. I did notice there were some vans parked over by "my" tower earlier today...I'm going to be out and about later and since the tower is located where I can easily stop and get out, I'll try and take a picture and/or talk to the people there to see if they can tell me what they are doing. I'm sure it's not Network Vision, but maybe another bandaid fix as our speeds have (once again) been really tanking in this part of the city during the past 2-3 weeks.
  15. I used to work in that very department when I worked at Sprint.
  16. Great post! It's topics and posts like these that keep me coming back, as they have really taught me a ton of stuff about not just Sprint, but the mobile phone industry in general and how things work.
  17. jpkjeff

    Tower locations

    Awesome as I am in the OKC metro area also! Since I used to work at Sprint I do know where many of the towers are in central/NW OKC (for example, the tower I pull from at home is located near I-44 & Western Avenue, and at my previous job the tower was near I-44 & NW 36th St). There are some online websites that show where ALL cell (and other types of towers) are located, but they are confusing since the "owner" of the tower is not a familiar name in many cases. So this information will definitely be helpful!
  18. If I had access to 4G at home I would definitely have far more monthly usage than I do now. Currently, I am still averaging about 1.0-1.3GB per month on 3G, and about 175-300MB on 4G, simply because I had access to Wimax at my previous job. Now that I don't my 4G usage will likely drop dramatically, although I just started watching Netflix while doing laundry at the laundromat (for maybe 45 minutes to an hour) once I found out Wimax coverage worked there, and that alone uses about 100MB an hour. I just hope OKC doesn't have to wait until mid to late 2013 to see Network Vision, as our 3G speeds are once again tanking badly.
  19. I think the main reason all these analysts and pundits are convinced that Sprint is going to do away with unlimited data is simply due to the fact every other major carrier has done so, and therefore Sprint must follow.Yet I've read many articles that have said with smart network management policies in place, and keeping up with network upgrades, it IS possible to offer an unlimited data plan to customers (with reasonable exceptions...for example, if someone was regularly burning through 50+GB a month or more, they might be subject to sanctions like throttling and/or warning notices). Most analysts NOT in the pocket of the wireless industry have all agreed that the #1 reason mobile phone companies are doing this is the money: revenues from voice and the SMS cash cow are shrinking, so naturally they have turned to data and started to cap and charge overages for that service, just as they have in the past for SMS and voice overages. By forcing everyone to a tiered plan, they can rake in more money to offset the loss of revenue from people using far less SMS and voice than they used to. I really think Sprint will hang on to unlimited data for as long as they can, as it is a great way to set themselves apart. I do think they may add some caveats (like saying "excessive" use of a certain amount may trigger some kind of action) but with smart network management I can see them continuing this for a good long time.
  20. An article I recently read about new LTE iPad users stated that they had burned through their 2GB data allowance (on Verizon) in something like 2 or 3 hours while watching streaming HD video on Netflix or similar services.That is the reason why so few iPads are sold with cellular radios in them because most people know that data plans are costly and have very low caps, especially for the newest model with its Retina display. The other issues is how data plans are sold: users must purchase separate data plans for their smartphones, tablets, and laptops each of which have their own monthly charge. Mobile phone companies are going to have to seriously rethink their data marketing strategies or they will continue to see very low penetration rates for other connected devices like tablets.
  21. My biggest worry about Sprint is keeping existing customers happy that they already have. Let me give you an example: One of the biggest complaints we hear (on this website and on practically every other Sprint website out there, including their own site) is slow data speeds. While Sprint has done many "band aid" fixes across the US in cities/towns these fixes have only provided temporary relief (in most cases) and as a result, customers in these areas must now wait for Network Vision to see true 3G data speed improvements. Many friends in Oklahoma City on Sprint have been complaining about how terrible the data speeds have become during the past 6 months: while there were some minor improvements thanks to the aforementioned band aid fixes, overall things have once more degraded in many areas to the point that data is almost not usable at all now (with data speeds often barely reaching dial up levels). And we all know from posts here and elsewhere this is something going on in many areas of the USWhile Network Vision is being rolled out and on schedule across the US, many markets (including Oklahoma City) will likely not see Network Vision until sometime in 2013-over a year away at this point. I really have to wonder how many people will drop the service and go with a competitor simply because they really cannot use their phones. 12-16 months is an awfully long time to ask someone to wait who is paying a large sum of money each month to their provider, when there are so many competitors out there which offer faster data speeds. I'm playing devil's advocate here, since I personally do not plan on leaving Sprint (thanks to my Advantage Club plan pricing I pay) but I have to say if I were paying the regular retail price for service, I really would seriously consider jumping ship-I simply could not justify paying $70+ per line per month for data services that seldom reach higher than 200kbp/s (and that's in the middle of the night) and no 4G to fall back I'm just afraid Sprint will lose a ton of customers over the course of the next 12-18 months that don't want to wait around for the promised upgrades.
  22. From DSL Reports and Endgadget...apparently Sprint WILL carry the new iPad but likely not until summer or even fall 2012 (probably not until at least some LTE cities are online)... http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Sprint-iPad-on-the-Way-118799
  23. CNET linked to the story also, and one of their writers added some commentary: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57396590-94/sprints-dan-hesse-just-got-a-warning-notice-from-his-board/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
  24. Both AT&T and Sprint have also hinted in the past that they will eventually offer such plans (with "buckets of bytes") but the question for many I'm sure is when... (via www.dslreports.com)
  25. I haven't run a 3G speed at rush hour in awhile, so just did (at 5:30pm) and got 292/309 kbp/s and 362/363 kbp/s (that's download/upload speeds). Pretty typical of what I see during rush/peak hour times, although I haven't seen the abysmally low speeds of November/early December that others are still experiencing come back, and I am still getting 750 kbp/s or better during offpeak times (often over 1.1Mbps). Like everyone, still waiting patiently for NV in OKC!
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