ingenium

Yeah probably. I don't think T-Mobile has shut down WCDMA/HSPA anywhere yet. There are still a decent number of non-VoLTE capable devices on their network I assume, and I don't think they've announced any plans to shut it down yet. Since VoLTE can fall back to WCDMA, I'm guessing it'll be kept around for a while. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Yes...." sacrificing", meaning to give up spectrum to GSM from something else. They aren't taking away spectrum from anything (LTE, HSPA, WCDMA) for GSM. It costs them 0 in terms of spectrum usage/allocation. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

No I said they weren't sacrificing LTE spectrum for GSM. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I'm not sure what you're trying to say with that? They have GSM on 1900 and LTE on 1900. GSM runs in the internal LTE guard bands, flanking either side of the LTE carrier. LTE carriers are actually slightly smaller than 5x5, 10x10, etc, and have unused spectrum on either side for a variety of reasons. A GSM carrier is 0.2 MHz and can fit in here just fine. It doesn't use extra spectrum. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

In addition to Signal Check, try Cellmapper. It will try to calculate where a site is based on data points that it logs every second. Keep it running and walk around your neighborhood. Run it while you're out and about. Beware it will drain your battery because of the GPS (it also might stop logging if you don't exempt it from battery optimization). But it should give you an estimate. It does take a few days for your data to show up on the map, so be patient. That's the easiest option. Another option is to use Signal Detector. The apk is on a thread here somewhere. It's like Cellmapper in that it logs data points every second or so, but it outputs to a text file that you can open in Excel or import into Google Fusion Tables. The latter will let you map where you see each GCI and more or less manually calculate what Cellmapper does. That being said, sometimes you can use your knowledge of geography/the neighborhood and intuition to get a better estimate for where the site is than Cellmapper can. As others have said, the first 6 characters of the GCI (in hex) identify the site. The last 2 denote the sector+band/carrier combination. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Works on all bands. I did a technical write-up on what it is and how it differs from wifi calling and calling+ https://s4gru.com/entry/439-sprints-casting-call-of-voice-over-actors-an-in-depth-analysis-of-volte-calling-and-vowifi/ There's no reason to restrict it to a single band. It would actually make it more complicated. If it were only on a single band, then VoLTE devices would always have to be on that band to make/receive calls and texts, or they would just wouldn't go through. You can think of VoLTE sort of as like Sprint assigning the phone two IP addresses. One is for VoLTE and texts only, and the other is for everything else. There's more to it than that, but that's a quick tl;dr. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I'm pretty sure T-Mobile isn't sacrificing any spectrum for 2G. My understanding is that they run GSM in the internal LTE guard bands. So it's "free" from a spectrum perspective Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

What modems have them? Presumably there will be a way to enter the data from the QR code if you decode it. Not sure if it's just a number (like an ICCID), or if it's more like a cryptographic certificate (base64 encoded I assume). The issue with Sprint is that they register the IMEI too. That's why on the Pixel 3 there is a dedicated option for Sprint, then the QR code option for everyone else. My understanding is that the eSIM QR code is generated for the current eSIM ICCID (it can generate multiple ICCIDs to allow multiple eSIMs to be on the device). So the equivalent of swapping the SIM into an "unsupported" device isn't possible; the QR code is valid only for the device it was generated for. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

You can get a phone from FreedomPop. Their SIMs are AT&T, but if you buy the phone from them then it's Sprint. Check slickdeals for promos, they'll often have one for $35. Then drop to the free tier (and cancel auto top up), and you'll have a free Sprint line (albeit throttled to I believe 3 Mbps, and 200 MB/month). Perfect for logging and mapping. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

That's really weird. I haven't had any issues like that with the Sprint VMM app, other than it taking about 6+ hours to notify me of a voicemail. And when I mark them as read about half the time it won't clear the persistent notification and I have to force stop the app. Have you called Sprint about it? Now that they sell the Pixel you should be able to get support? Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Nope. It's really easy, especially if you don't already have the Pixel 3 on your line. You just go to Settings and search for Carriers (or go to Settings, Network & internet, Mobile network, Advanced, Carrier). Tap Add Carrier, and then select Sprint and login to your account. They'll text you a one time authentication code to login, so don't turn off your old phone first. And that's pretty much it. If the Pixel 3 is already on your line, you'll have to swap it off first to an unused phone. There's no way to switch directly from a physical SIM to an eSIM without having an intermediate device.

Yeah, I ended up figuring it out. I'm the one who showed lilotimz [emoji6] Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I doubt Sprint is getting rid of Calling+. They actually can't really without a software update on the phone unless they also shut off wifi calling. Calling+ is literally wifi calling over LTE. Almost certainly uses the same servers. VoLTE uses them too. It's all the same backend infrastructure. The only difference is VoLTE sets up a dedicated LTE session first to run the connection over. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Looks like congestion. I imagine that roaming is also a lower priority than T-Mobile users Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

My parents have the same issue. The MB used to stick to B25 and work fantastic. Then at some point they started really making it prefer B41, so it latches onto a -127 B41 signal and will not let go. It actually gets 0 throughput on it. I talked to the MB engineering team, and they said that while they can technically lock it to B25, that it won't persist past a reboot and they'd have to do it again. So they wouldn't even do it once. The only solution I've found is to factory reset, and basically put your body over the MB to attenuate the signal while it does the initial connection, so it can't even see B41. Once it's connected, you can move it to the correct position and it will stay on B25 for anywhere from a few days to several weeks, before the process needs to be repeated. For home internet via LTE, if you can get an AT&T signal and are open to buying some equipment (modem, possibly a router, and antennas), there is a solution that works and might be faster. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

It will happen eventually, but probably not for at least a few more years. They'll keep 1x800 around for CDMA voice, and they have put a single 1x1900 carrier in the LTE internal guard band plus some overlap (Airave 3s, at least in some markets, have been doing this since launch). It's unclear if this was intentional, and if so, under what conditions it works. The real holdup is if/when they want to drop EVDO. In some markets, they've shut down the 2nd EVDO carrier to enable 4x4 on B25, so there are many areas that only have a single EVDO carrier now. I suspect they won't shut it down completely though until LTE coverage is solid, since too many devices now drop to CDMA in dead zones and then take forever (30+ min) to switch back to LTE. Data would then be unusable without EVDO, and most people wouldn't know to airplane toggle to get LTE back. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

My guess is free (or a credit for) roaming for a certain period of time. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

That's the one where it connects to an open network and uses the Google VPN? That stopped working months ago for me on the Pixel 3 XL Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I just successfully switched my Pixel 3 XL to use the eSIM on Sprint. Works out of the box now. Since I already had this phone on the line, I had to swap to another phone and then swap back with the eSIM. Everything works. Super convenient. No more having to order the correct SIM from Sprint, and I can now swap between Sprint and another carrier easily (traveling internationally, or even using another domestic carrier). Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Yes, in my limited testing they only covered about a block. Probably similar coverage to a magic box if it was outdoors. The ones I found were all in a residential neighborhood. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

So I figured out there is a way to check if a phone is using Calling+ or VoLTE without root. If engineering (not SCP) reports the PLMN as 310120, then it is not VoLTE. VoLTE only runs on 312530. That being said, a phone can be on 312530 but not use VoLTE (Pixel 2 for example). So being on 312530 is not sufficient to say that it is using VoLTE, but being on 310120 IS sufficient to rule out VoLTE being used. As for the "flag" Sprint uses to enable/disable it on supported devices, I suspect that they use the TAC. I think there is a hardcoded whitelist of TACs where it will be enabled. So they can change the TACs for a market to "enable" it, but by default it's "disabled". If this is the case, then Magic Box TACs are simply not whitelisted yet, even though it works fine on them. I've verified that VoLTE works on a Magic Box with at least the 440a firmware, and possibly earlier versions as well. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Mike can only really report the value that the OS returns. The modem uses it to calculate when to send data, so that the eNB will receive it at the right/assigned time. The timing advance is basically an estimate of how much of a delay there will be from when it's transmitted until it's received. Or at least that's my understanding. From the time delay, if you multiply it by the speed of light (in air), you get an approximate distance. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Hmm. Try plugging the phone in and see if it still does it. It is possible that Q actually breaks this for background apps. P broke wifi scanning. It can scan for 3 or 5 seconds, then returns the same data for 30 or 60 seconds, then scans for 3 or 5, and repeat. It breaks all the wifi analysis apps that you use to figure out the optional channel, etc. Ironically, it also breaks the wifi rtt feature that Google touted in P. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Have you tried exempting SCP from battery optimization? Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Intel probably told them they were exiting the market, and Apple quickly settled the lawsuit with Qualcomm since they didn't have an alternative anymore. Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk