Deval

The idea behind small cells is to have fewer user on each cell. This is part of the reason they are so good at increasing capacity.

 

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Eh, not so much.

The Nokia Mini-Macros they are using in NYC for example have the same capacity as macro cells.

This is exactly what I meant by sprint always being behind. It was taken as complaining. This is a prime example, Tmo has changed out (based on the article) the hardware or whatever was needed to do 4x4. Sprint has announced 3xca in one or 2 cities. How the hell does Tmo and vzw get all this work done on towers while sprint can't seem to get past permits?? It just seems like sprint has all these issues while everyone is building out. We know they cut back spending... How will you keep up if you can't keep the build outs going??? Is this some sneaky stuff by masa to try and merge?? Is this him tired of putting money in and trying to sell??

It certainly doesn't seem like the masa/Marcelo team that said in 2 years sprint would have the best network..

The question is how many of their 40,000 sites actually have the 4x4 hardware installed?

Or is this just a press release knowing full well that 90% of the base has no way of verifying.

If I'm not mistaken, a GMO site has updated base stations and the RRU mounted next to the base station, rather than up near the antenna panel. If so, as long as the panel has 2T2R ports for 1.9, and the proper card is in the BTS, it should support 10x10 LTE.

I've stated in a few of my posts here that I really can't say the numbers, but its more than 1% mentioned a while back. There are more devices being released with these audio capabilities though, so as I've said its a growing market, though certainly not on the level of importance to people such as camera, basing from what I've read online. Sadly, some people online have made comments about how display doesn't matter, and not in a sense of for them, but in general. Display quality is very important, and even I'd say is more important than audio, despite audio being more important to me than camera is. Again though, these differ by the user in what they want, though I'd still say audio is a growing importance to people from what I see posted/discussed online.

 

For instance, I remember back when I had a discussion with people here on S4GRU about 4k displays, many saying it doesn't matter to them, some saying its a waste for a smartphone, and a few who at least agreed its important for VR. I read similar sentiments on other sites to those here regarding VR, yet as VR has become more important, there are a growing number of people accepting 4k and wanting it for their smartphone, likely due to the growing market of VR headsets that work with smartphones.

 

I'd argue though that while 4k is important to a degree, if its going to be in smartphones, it needs to have a battery good enough to handle it. My opinion is at least 5000mah for it. 

My last word on this and I'll be done with it.

Samsung Galaxy line and Apple's iPhone line represent nearly 90% of all smart phone purchases within the last 3 years, yet none of them support HiFi audio. That immediately removes any demand percentage from the conversation. Offering niche options on devices is an excellent way to differentiate yourself from the pack, but ask HTC or LG and they will tell you that it does not translate to sales. 

And, for those 1% customers who purchase said 1% of the marketshare phones, the $20 buy-up exists to satisfy their needs.

mic-drop

Back on track.

I've been asking around and even some of my existing family members on Sprint are looking at the new Freedom plans as viable options. A few of them are on older plans which have device access charges, so these actually make some sense for them.

The hotspot is particularly attractive for them because they have kids with iPads.

People do care about audio. There are two very large audio enthusiast forums online with thousands of members very passionate about audio, particularly HiFi audio through headphones :

 

http://www.head-fi.org/

http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php

 

Basically what I'm saying is people who do want HiFi audio, which I'll agree isn't the majority, but they are growing. This combined with there being more advanced audio HiFi-capable smartphones will want enough speed to stream HiFi audio to these smartphones.

 

Regarding the LG V20, I'm not sure if it will or won't be available for Sprint, only saying if it is, then people will want streaming speeds capable for HiFi using Sprint, at least those customers interested in it. Again, may not be a whole lot now, but eventually quite possibly.

On average there are at least 20-30 mid-tier to high-tier phones out on the market today, how many support HiFi audio? Out of those, how many are actually purchased by those thousands of members.

If I were to sample that forum for what devices they own, what percentage would actually own a HiFi phone? I'd wager very low.

And for those folks, the $80 Unlimited Freedom Premium works perfect.

Not at all implying Sprint is being shady. It does clearly say about the limits on their site, etc.My mention was if salespeople don't let customers know about it, then it can be a problem. Furthermore, the 50% discount was a mess for many customers who've complained about it online getting different quotes and such, which makes the plan seem complicated. People generally don't like complications, and things like speed limits on various uses (unlike a clear, flat speed cap on everything), adds complication to customers having to go over every form of use of theirs and make sure their experience level is met by the speed limit given.

 

It is easier to say "will show up to 480p" for video, than "up to 500kbps" audio streaming", as many customers may not know what that means. You're right when you say many won't care, but then there are those who will and still may not know what this limit means, until they try listening to HiFi audio. Granted, at this moment, there are a majority of people stuck on low bitrate Spotify and happy with it. However, time will likely change things with people going the HiFi route.

How do you know what reps tell customers? 5 complainers does not mean all reps are not sharing all the pertinent information because 10 customers did get it.

Also, the fact that people DO NOT like complications is the reason why these Unlimited Freedom plans were created.

Also, and again, you can simply choose to pay $20 more and get all the streaming you want.

I can't say much to that, Deval, because these HiFi streaming services are so few and aren't sold by the carriers directly, at least as of yet. I think as higher quality audio becomes more mainstreamed, it will become important to more people. I remember when audio quality wasn't really that big of a deal for me, then I heard music on the LG V10 and was instantly sold on better quality audio just through the 320kbps audio file at the time. With more smartphones having advanced dac/amp systems in place with people discovering that,, they will want better capability from their carrier.

 

I'd also argue with Sprint just having this limit alone. I can understand the video limit, as video streaming can take a big toll on networks, However, pushing a limit on audio doesn't make much sense, and as I've mentioned, I think Sprint will change this eventually, especially if they carry the LG V20. 

Compression quality will help with that in the future, and I truly believe that you are probably the only person on this site, probably anyone anywhere, who actually cares about that.

What you're conveniently forgetting is that there is an option to buy-up if necessary if the 1%'ers want that option.

If I'm buying a car and want a sunroof and heated seats, I would have to buy-up to a higher trim model. Otherwise I can enjoy driving a car with 4 wheels, since both trim models have 4 wheels.

If people do look at the website and see that, then it is a bit of their own fault, for sure. Just addressing the other issue Deval mentioned, which if people aren't told about it, then that could be an issue.

People can be told, and they can read the giant signs all over the Sprint stores.

any one know if  GMO sites able to do 10x10 or even a 2nd carrier or does it all depend on the equipment?

10x10 or 2nd carrier is dependent on local spectrum holdings, hardware should be fine.

It's honestly amazing how fast Sprint has been with upgrades. Small cells left & right, I was even told that in 60 days GMO LTE should go live. What a time to have unlimited data.

Thankfully in our market we do not have that many GMO sites, Jersey has though.

I would hope not, especially since they have the option of upgrading the plan or going to a different carrier.

 

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How many active users do you really think are on it? That use Sprint daily and listen to HiFi streaming while on the go? 

I think that's the true bench mark.

 

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Excellent, PCS B block, 5mhz carrier to help with capacity constraints on G block.

I don't believe that is in effect yet. Not until the end of October.

 

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I can't imagine anyone actually complaining about it after October.

Have the dozens of people that are on Tidal High Fidelity subscription while using the Sprint network made complaints yet regarding the 500Kbps throttled music speeds?

 

On another note it looks like a new Sprint macrotower is being worked on/added that covers my house.  Currently I'm in between 2 towers that are both over 2 miles away and speeds have slowed down over the last year (area has grown with new businesses and apartments) so a new tower less than half a mile away is a welcome addition.

Thank you.

That's awesome, so it's a brand new tower build?

I agree its cutting the margins thin with the discounting for the first line with the device consideration. Eventually, the price will need to be increased for sure. My idea however I feel is a good start simply to bring in customers and reduce churn while Sprint builds up on the network.

 

One thing I've noticed here on S4GRU is the discrepancies between markets where some people can feel confident in defending Sprint due to seeing so much progress, where others are becoming skeptical for what they see as a lack in progress in areas that really ought to be developed. I read reports of Sprints financial issues, which if that is causing the holdup, certainly if Sprint could raise prices while holding onto customers, that would be great for some extra cash needed for those areas. However, if Sprint could gain more customers in by selling for a bit less, and I can't be positive of all the number factors here since I don't work for Sprint, but keeping a reasonable value with enough money actually being made while attracting the customers with that value, ought to work.

 

These multi-line plans are designed to keep people around, but if they are in some way dissatisfied with the service, whether the speed limits, the network holes, etc., they aren't necessarily locked in when the competition offers such great switching deals. Sure, its added time and work many people don't want to deal with, but financially its not really a problem if the customers are willing to deal with the inconvenience based on their displeasure. Again, the key is to keep people with Sprint in a good way, which low rates do, even for individual lines. Besides, while prepaid plans are in some ways better for individual lines than postpaid, there are network limitations that don't work well for many people, such as roaming.

 

Anyways, there are different solutions and ways to look for it. I'm just hoping there is a bit more fairness to these Unlimited data plans, similar to how AT&T and Verizon's data plans are, but at a better cost.

Verizon has no unlimited data plan, so that's out of the equation.

AT&T only gives unlimited if you sign up for their TV services, which is an unnecessary asterisk that 50% of the population may not be able to participate in.

The truth is that you are complaining about Sprint's offer as being shady and non-transparent, comparing it unfairly to prepaid offerings, and then coming up with pie in the sky offerings without any industry backing or experience or insider knowledge. 

Unlimited Freedom is the best offering that I've seen out of Sprint in a very long time, and one that is the most transparent. It's not going anywhere.

Sales are up, churn is down, and gone are the complex plan days. 

Trip,

 

Deval at one point mentioned about salespeople not mentioning speed limits to customers in store, which could essentially be the same for online/phone ordering I assume. Based on that, if people sign up not knowing about these limits, and they have difficulty streaming HiFi audio that works over 1mbps, or they are gamers noticing the speed limits, they very likely will complain about it, as they likely aren't use to that wherever carrier they came from.

 

It is very important customers are told upfront about these limits in all forms of shopping. If they choose a plan knowingly, then they have the option to switch or leave. Yet, it likely will first result in them being unhappy and complaining about it in some way, especially if they didn't know about this.

I will argue that 100% of the customers that walk into Sprint stores today have no care about HiFi audio, and would be perfectly happy with anything above 128kbps.

True. This is a reason why these limits are a bad idea for Sprint to implement. There already is enough complaints online against Sprint over the 50% discount mess, with people complaining they were quoted differently than they were billed, etc. When people start noticing their Tidal HiFi usage isn't right over Sprint's Unlimited Freedom plan limitation to 500kbps, they will complain about how they weren't told of the limit an how they wouldn't have switched to Sprint otherwise knowing they'd have to pay more for service that worked with that properly. Same could be said among gamers not told of the limitation.

 

This just makes things confusing to consumers whenever it is they find out about it and then have to calculate their usage. The whole point of Unlimited Data is to remove those complications based on the term "Unlimited", typically meaning "No limits". I'm only supportive of such stipulations where there is a flat across the board policy among all uses, such as Cricket saying "LTE maxed out at 8mbps", since all forms of usage is throttled to that maximum speed. I can understand having different speed tiers too, so long as it covers all forms of usage. 

 

There certainly are people like that and they probably won't notice any difference with the speed limitations. However, there are those that will, and a great many of them will complain about it and leave Sprint. Currently, Sprint needs new customers and they need to keep them. Building a great network will certainly help with that, but first Sprint has to offer great rates that people both understand and know that they will have a level of service that works for all of their usage. Sprint could do this easily by removing the speed limitations. The Unlimited Freedom plan without them is a great deal, no doubt. As the example I used here the other day, Sprint is offering through their Employee Referring Customers plan two lines for $90 monthly, This is the exact great rate I had on T-Mobile. This could be like SERO part two, if Sprint removed the speed limits and advertised this quietly through the internet.

 

When I was on HowardForums back in mid2000s when SERO came around, I had a friend who worked at Sprint who gave me their employee number and gave me permission to give it out for people to join. I got dozens of requests per day back then from people on HF. Those are customers Sprint could gain, even with a reasonable across the board speed cap in place, if indeed it does help the network somehow. Otherwise, drop the speed cap and watch the customers rush to sign up.

Seriously man? You're still harping on the fact that the plans are confused. How are they? No one will leave Sprint over something like that, and that's a fact.

Except many towers okay let's not say many.

 

Some towers don't have LTE yet is my point.

 

 

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I think every carrier has some towers without LTE. What it comes down to is those who do have it will have an amazing experience, and the rest will be built out as time goes on.

Yeah I pretty positive that normal folk (that excludes most people reading this) just want to have FB posts occur quickly - send photos or videos to friends - and stream pandora. If it works they are happy.

 

Maybe I'm wrong.

 

 

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You're not wrong buddy, trust me.

That is a good point. I've been confused by the issue, actually. There are people on two sides of the speed cap idea I hear from online. Those that say it does help with that, and those who say it doesn't. I'm thinking of this mostly has a competitive purpose to Cricket's offering, which in my opinion other than AT&T's Unlimited Data Plan for television subscribers, Cricket has the best deal overall, if people are okay with the 8mbps speed cap. Really though, 8mbps is plenty fast, and at $65 monthly on autopay, is a really great deal.

Sprint isn't competing with Cricket, Boost Mobile is. Why not do an apples to apples comparison? By your standards, my Scion isn't as good as a Lexus, but they aren't even in the same class.

Well, we'll see how well this new plan works out for Sprint. I know for me it is the first time I've ever been really disappointed in their rate planning, as they've always been the most fair, straightforward in their pricing plans, despite Framily. I think Sprint will likely modify these areas anyways, as they did when they had the speed limit on the All-In plan, which other than the speed limit, it was a pretty neat plan to include device payments. Time will tell with this. 

I know for a fact that this plan is working out.

As I responded to Johnner1999, it isn't the pricing, but the setup that I believe is complicated, in having all the different speed limitations for this and that. Having one flat speed cap is fine, but it gets confusing when customers have to look at their different needs and see if this speed cap for this, and this speed cap for that, is fine for what they want. Plus, not everyone is a gamer and doesn't need the extra speed for that, but may need more than 500mbps speed for music, which if they upgrade, they essentially are paying more than what they need for one thing, versus the other. Having a flat speed cap that meets all needs is preferable, hence my idea to make it similar to Cricket, by having unlimited at 9mbps, a slight bit faster than Cricket for competitions sake.

 

I don't understand how having a flat speed cap and a flat fee is complicated. $45 monthly at 9mbps for all lines is complicated?

It takes away the discounting calculations needed for additional lines by pricing the first line less, but charging more for each additional line at a flat fee. That is as simple as it could get, other than of course my additional idea of having a truly totally unlimited $75 monthly per line, which is the rate Sprint was charging before they replaced it with Unlimited Freedom, with the exception of the discounted additional lines.

You're holding onto those caps without any point of reference and experience with them. 99% of customers will not see or experience the difference in streaming audio quality, or gaming.

There are 2 plans, that's all. One serves 90% of users, and one premium which serves the remaining 10%. 

Yeah I know its not a tower issue but i feel like with all the new types of cells sites and proper real estate things like this can be fixed. I could only image how bad it was before sprint had 1x800. People probably didn't even have 1RTT signal inside. 

Unfortunately it's tough, but perhaps we'll see a small cell pop up along 1st which may improve the coverage there.

I don't think that many people care about the music streaming limits or game limits otherwise you would see an uproar and backlash.  I've only seen one person bring those 2 points up across the websites I visit.  The music streaming limits are fine for high quality streaming from everyone but Tidal's high fidelity service (which is pricier at $19.95/month).  Tidal's paying user base is much smaller than Spotify, Apple Music, or Google Play Music, and the people paying for high fidelity even smaller.

Exactly.

90% of users will take their $60 plan and enjoy their savings, and life will go on.