JeffDTD

For comparison sake, was the GS3 or GN2 optimized for the PCS G Block LTE?

Robert,

Thank you for a wonderful breath of honesty.

You are right, the "me" "I want it know" generation expects everything yesterday. We also have to endure the growing inability of the average American to accurately read and properly comprehend written word. So many examples of this when you read "comment" areas below articles and find users asking questions that are clearly answered in the body of an article. Your editorial will grab and hold the attention of new users because its blatant and aggressive. Meanwhile, they have no patience to read the forums or search for market related articles.

I also am a little baffled by the users who say "Sprint PROMISED me Wimax" or "Sprint PROMISED me LTE". Individually speaking, I bought two wimax phones in the past and no one, at any point, every "promised" me wimax... not online, not in store, not on the phone. They were indeed ambiguous about where it would go next and I have heard many users who claim that Sprint employees told them "We'll have it soon there!"... but "officially"... Sprint built wimax in all markets they announced. For individuals who groom themselves as "tech savvy" customers , its horribly naive to ask minimum wage paid store workers or front line reps "when are we going to get 4G? when? when?". If Sprint hasn't officially announced deployment in your market, then you should assume the worst. That's where this forums comes in. Sprint has been very vague on the "individual when" for markets and the insatiable irritability of all these "tech savvy customers" is reason #1.

Personally, I'm afraid the only way for Sprint to avoid these lashings would be to delay going live until 75% or more are done in a metro area. In the meantime, users need to focus on their 3G speeds. If you do not receive the advertised 3G speeds and it hampers your use of the service (let usage instead of speed tests determine your opinion) then let executive services know and push them until you're allowed to leave ETF free. There are plenty of users out there who have had the ETF waived.

It seems like Apple believes it invented the majority of the features on the modern smartphone... I want to be able to click something in a text message... Apple patented the idea before it was integrated... so they should be paid every time a device is made that can click something in a text? Or are they even willing to take money in exchange for use of the patent? I understand some of their patent arguments, but many of the claims of infringement were virtually worthless when they filed the patent... I see the posts on engadget every few weeks about them patenting absent of ability. My favorite recollection is the "self cleaning touch screen".... They filed that and will now, under the current environment, want to sack anyone in the world who is able to accomplish it. It won't matter if they use a method different than apple describes, they'll still want to argue it. Apple is arguably stifling innovation by filing patents like this. Who is driving software innovation on smartphones right now? Not Apple.

Sometimes when I lay around the house and dream up crazy technology I hope to have in the future, I think about drawing pictures and filing patents on each and every idea.

Regardless of the usability of LTE, i'd much rather listen to people complain about a delayed launch than complain about devices not working right. The whining across the blogs will be deafening if more than a few users experience software issues in the beginning.

The GS3 that Samsung has readied for initial release is GSM/HSPA+. While Samsung confirmed there will be an LTE version, its not what has been slated to go on sale first.

Samsung has not promised an LTE version for June and it would be naive to expect Sprint's version to arrive in June , considering its specs will be customized to Sprint's airwaves.

Does anyone have any regional carriers in mind who they think could be a "match made in heaven" for Sprint to work with?

USCellular, Cspire, Leap, and Metro come to mind for me... but... Leap and Metro are cash strapped like Sprint, Cspire owns a blanket of 700mhz coverage in all the areas it wishes to service , and USC seems to be wedged pretty far up Verizon's arse when when it comes to roaming... They're all ideal roamers for Sprint's native network, but I have no idea if any of them would want to build and sell LTE with Sprint's spectrum anywhere ?

Maybe Sprint thinks it can offer the native nextel (no CDMA) towers up to some of the Regional carriers and offer to let them take the tower over with Sprint's spectrum and its own operations?

Just remember.... at least theoretically... In the areas that the regionals would use Sprint's 5X5 PCS G Block Spectrum to build coverage, although Sprint would probably recognize it as native coverage, Sprint would not proactively sell coverage in those areas... The capacity limitations would be more accurately measured by looking at the Regional carrier's customer load and adding the 'occasional' Sprint roamer. Should be plenty considering the size of the majority of the regionals.

Also, in the markets where Sprint and the ideal Regional partner compete and both sell service, the regional should theoretically own enough spectrum and resources to deploy its own LTE so that in areas with a high concentration of both the regional customers as well as sprint's own native customers, both aren't squatting on the same 5X5 configuration.

The other variable is that the regional carrier's own customers venture outside its home footprint from time to time.. and would be Sprint roamers. While this could only worsen the load in places like Disney World, Manhattan, etc, most of the regionals are fairly strict on their customers when they roam... they will reprimand them if the roaming is repeatedly excessive, sometimes even capping or shutting them off after a certain point. Its statistically variable... but not nearly as threatening as what they've been doing to their capacity by selling unlimited 3G to Boost and Virgin customers.

Can you tell or show us the markets where they split bandwidth with SouthernLinc?

my thoughts too... .theres a legally more intelligent way to enter those alliances..... back in the day, i think sprint entered them with the mindset that there would never be national , far reaching networks that were 'solely owned" by one company, since the networks of the time were cobblings of many different networks. While Sprint didn't give everyone native roaming back then, renewing an agreement with an angry affiliate, when the only thing that you have figure out is voice usage, was certainly a lot easier than trying to figure out a data agreement.. Data costs them the most and is the biggest threat to any network's future, hence, Pioneer's departure.

So anyway, new relationships with affiliates should never transfer spectrum, as was stated. Follow Verizon's example, and you're fine. Think: How many areas of rurual america is sprint going to have 800mhz spectrum in , once nextel is gone, that they won't have the towers or the money to expand service? Thats prime real estate and would surely be ripe for a few tiny rural carriers to use.

This we know... We didn't get "native" 3G (were natively roaming on Alltel before) until 2009!! Long as they keep the 3G enabled when we roam, I'm good

Separate, I've long wondered why Sprint doesn't seek out more rural affiliates in markets that they hold considerable spectrum but choose not to deploy based on subscriber potential.... for the number of customers they have here, it could be cheaper or less troublesome just to let someone else have us , use the spectrum, and beef up what the rest of the markets see as "native" coverage.

Robert,

Thanks for all your work! Hahah... so you realize every time you make an announcement, questions are going to pour in about other markets ?

For me, I have zero expectation of seeing NV until 2013/2014, but it will be cool to hear about what users in all the big markets experience, once they start calling markets "launched". The news from other users alone is enough to keep me patiently waiting , long as its good!