solara

Sorry, but what does it mean when a city has been launched for 3G? Better speeds for the 3G spectrum, better voice coverage with 1x or ...? We've been using the Airave at home so we're basically using our own internet to make calls, etc. so I can't tell any difference at home. I'll have to turn off the Airave and see if we can even get a signal from that one single tower in Manteca.

And Modesto, according to a Sprint rep on their facebook page, won't go live for another 3 months!

Yeah their 3G here sucks big time. I sure hope the upgrade increases range also. I read on the Sprint Facebook page where someone asked about Modesto, and the Sprint representative responded that Modesto should be up in 'a few months'. This posting was back in May.

Nice post I found stating 3 to 6 dB gain going from EVDO to LTE: http://community.sprint.com/baw/community/buzzaboutwireless/network-and-coverage/blog/2012/01/25/why-is-lte-faster-than-evdo-or-wimax

Even though the Voice coverage bar indicates 1-3 bars usually, voice reception seems fine. Too early to tell if we'll be missing calls, text messages, or will get a lot of dropped calls, but so far voice seems fine, so I don't think we'll need the Airwave. It's the 3G coverage that is almost non-existent, and of course the speed is pathetically slow. I'd read a study where they compared the different 3G, 4G speeds (WiMax for Sprint at that time), and Sprint's 3G was averaging 0.5 megabits/sec downloads, and that's roughly what we're getting when we can get a signal. Of course their LTE should be much faster than that, but I'm not too confident that the coverage will really increase since it's the same spectrum they're using, just a different standard. I don't know enough about LTE versus EVDO to know how much better coverage LTE will truly get.

Ok so we got our S4s - nice phone but Sprint 3G is almost nonexistent in our house. Assuming no new towers are built in Manteca, when Sprint rolls out LTE in this area will that same tower using the same 1900 spectrum have any increased coverage or will coverage be the same only with increased speeds? And assume we wont be upgrading to a triband phone anytime soon. I know we can use WiFi (using it now) but it seems pointless to pay for unlimited data and not get any at all.

As long as voice coverage improves for my home using the current Galaxy S4 when 800 CDMA rolls out, and LTE speeds are at least 3-4 MB/s download, I'll be happy. We're not too demanding ha.

The only reason we jumped on the S4 now is because of the great deals they currently have - I guess they may be trying to move stock to make room for the Tri-Band S4, who knows. Basically with discounts, and some corporate credit for switching lines, the S4 would be free. I've been trying to google and find out info, but you probably know this. LTE 800 vs. 1800 - the 800 should penetrate buildings better and have larger coverage right? So Sprint would probably have to build less towers to cover the same area that 1800 currently covers right? What are the advantages of 1800 over 800 band then? Higher data speed within the covered area? So the LTE 800 roll-out also includes CDMA 800 roll-out it seems - so voice should improve once that's rolled-out right? What spectrum is Sprint using now for their voice?

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, I've read about the 800 MHz (the deployment will be for voice or data or both?) - but that will help with voice as well? Even if the phone itself uses only 1900 MHZ for data (Galaxy S4)? I'm not too knowledgeable with the frequencies and how they are used for voice and data, etc.

We haven't received our phones yet and haven't activated. But I just found out that our address, via the Sprint mapping, only gets 'Fair' coverage for voice. The single tower in Manteca seems more situated up in the northern part of town. So we may have to cancel the switch over. My question is, does anyone else live in an area that has 'Fair' voice coverage according to Sprint's website (http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp?) and do not have any problems at all with their voice? Rather disappointing to see that southern Manteca has such horrible voice coverage, yet neighboring Lathrop and the cities towards Modesto are fine.

What's the typical radius of coverage for their towers?

Hi, First time poster here. We're looking to switch over to Sprint with their Galaxy S4. Living in Manteca, and work in Modesto, and travel to San Jose/Bay area regularly. Rumors are Modesto should be rolling out LTE within the next couple months? Anyone have any ideas on roll-out for Manteca? I assume the antennas for Modesto are too far to serve Manteca?