GoWireless

Some clarifications for this thread...

This is not a "law", but rather a voluntary commitment by most members of the CTIA (the wireless carriers' trade group) to allow for device unlocking under certain conditions. That said, the CTIA came up with this policy pretty much only after it became evident that if the carriers won't do anything with respect to phone unlocking, congress was going to force them to.

The way I understand it, Sprint's implementation of this policy applies to phones released after Feb 10 (i.e., not necessarily "manufactured" after that date). In other words, an iPhone 6 manufactured after Feb 10 for example would not fall under this policy since the model was released before that date (though Sprint may decide to go ahead to allow for unlocking it anyway, but strictly speaking it is not covered under the official policy).

Because of Sprint's (relatively recent) commitment to support its rural carriers roaming alliance (many of which operate on bands different than Sprint's), I expect most of Sprint's devices that will be covered under the new policy to be usable under most other US carriers' LTE networks (except perhaps Verizon's due to their unique 700MHz band) once unlocked. Because Sprint's phones also need to be able to roam in the Americas, GSM and UMTS should be unlocked too for domestic use as my understanding is that Sprint will discontinue crippling those phones' ability to use those same frequencies and technologies in the United States as they are able to be used in other countries in the Americas (again, once the phone has been unlocked that is).

One thing that is not clear to me yet is what will be Sprint's unlocking policy towards devices purchased at full retail cost (i.e., unsubsidized) while the subscriber has not yet completed their service agreement. The CTIA's rules are not clear about that.

Got my iPad Air 2's last night.... WOW! What a worthless Telesales experience. Since this was a brand new line, didn't have phone number for it yet and I didn't want to go on single Tablet plans (only thing available by activating through the iPad), I needed to be transferred to Telesales first (Sprint please American-ize Telesales again) to assign a Phone number UGH!

 

All was going fine until the rep kept asking for a CCID number, kept telling her It's not here in the "About" Screen after 20 mins of going through every serial number on the About screen she gets assistance on the line and she states the CCID is the "SIM" and I would have to remove the SIM from each iPad and read the number. Since these are Apple SIM and not Sprint SIM the confusion goes from bad to worse. I read her both SIM numbers and she puts me on hold for 20mins and comes back saying she needs the SIM numbers again after I placed them back in their respective iPads. Another 20mins goes by, then she comes back and tells me to go to the store. Which, after all that, I was thinking would be best. After giving up for the night I decided to try to activate through the iPad themselves and then call and switch the plan with Regular CS. BINGO, Very Easily done. Wish I would've known that ahead of time to save myself a 90 min Worthless Telesales Call.

 

So Here's A Tip.... Activate the SIM/Line on the iPad, choose any plan to get the thing activated. Once you have "Sprint" up in the Corner, call Reg CS to change the plan..... CS can't do anything until the iPad has a Phone number assigned.  

I wanted to mention that one benefit of the activate-from-the-tablet-plans is that I believe on those Sprint doesn't tack on all of their insane fees. The price you see is the price you get.

Gotcha - I thought I heard about some new daily or weekly rate plans from Sprint that would become available with this tablet as well. Is this true?

 

I haven't heard of that personally. Here's a suggestion though... If you want an inexpensive and flexible tablet plan you might want to take a look at Red Pocket. They sell a 30 day/1Gig of LTE data for $10 on T-Mobile (up until recently their data plans with T-Mobile were HSPA+ only but now it looks like they've added access to the LTE network as well). They also allow tethering with their plans. All ipad Airs and mini 2+3 originally sold in the US regardless of carrier are compatible (since all carriers in the US use the same iPad variant beginning with the Air and mini 2).

Held an Air 2 last night at Best Buy. They weren't on display yet, but the super-knowledgeable tech lead (seriously) got one out for me and let me play around with it. Wish I could have bought one from him but they haven't received any information on when they're getting the LTE models in yet. Hopefully a few days, or at least while their iPad 2 $200 trade-in program is going on.

 

This thing finally feels like a solid "slate," unlike the Air 1 which had the annoying air gap between the screen and LCD. Very very nice to hold.

I bought my Sprint Air last year on launch day at the Apple Store. That's the only place that carried them at the time. It took the local Sprint stores a couple weeks before they had them in stock.

The thinness of the Air 2 is magical - very nice to hold indeed.

The other improvement above the original cellular Air is band 41 support. The lack of band 12 support though is a bit disappointing.

Looks like the cellular models will start getting into user's hands today or tomorrow. Really curious what the data plans are going to be for this device.

 

I'd preorder one, but I might be going to Delaware soon and the whole no-tax thing is somewhat appealing. :-)

The cost of tablet plans are usually the same regardless of the tablet. Sometimes Sprint will run a "special" for all tablets. Last year around this time they had a very good deal going: 2GB for $15/month+tax. If you got in on it when it was running you were in luck. I think for that amount of data it's the cheapest price point I've seen for standalone no-contract tablet plans before or since.

I know this is a dumb question, but how can you tell?

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

With an app. I am using SignalCheck Pro.

I have a ipad mini with sprint and it's not too bad.

 

I really like how fast it picks up LTE. But i'll probably be getting a hotspot and get a better tablet. With the hotspot I'll have more options.

The one huge benefit of the Sprint iPad Air and Mini Retina cellular versions is that they're unlocked and work on all carriers. True, there's no Spark but they do have LTE800 plus the LTE bands of the other major North American providers. I wish Samsung will someday go the same route as Apple and start making single-SKU devices like this. Their tablets are getting better with every generation.

Just an update... It looks like 800 1x started showing up across Hampton Roads in the past month or so. In some places there is significant improvement in voice coverage as a result. According to Sprint, 800Mhz LTE is also coming in the next few months.

...

My question then is why does Model A1533 even exist then if A1453 supports everything it does, plus more? There must be some other difference that's not shown in there, otherwise there's no reason for it to exist at all as it just costs Apple more to produce multiple different models.

I've wondered the same thing ever since the 5S came out. In fact for the iPad Air and Mini Retina cellular models they essentially used the "Sprint variant" for all 4 carriers (with band support identical to the iPhone 5S for Sprint).

Yeah.. with the CSIM swapping and MEID locking and the MEID having to be in inventory... if you get past that, it looks like the Sprint model has all the bands Verizon does plus, the Sprint one has bands 18 (is this one even used in the US?) and 26 (SMR).  

... 

Band 18 is a subset of band 26, meaning once you support band 26 you also get band 18 "for free".

I suspect that in the next iteration of the iPhone, all 4 major carriers will use one SKU. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon already share the same 5S variant.

How about cdma1x 800 in Hampton Roads? Anyone happen to notice any of it anywhere? I still haven't run into any yet (even in places where it could really help).

It is possible that Protection Sites might get upgraded to Band 41. Most Protection Sites used gear by Huawei. Sprint agreed to remove all Clearwire Huawei gear as a condition of sale. So it is plausible when Sprint replaces the Huawei gear, that they use Band 41 LTE equipment.

 

However, if they don't upgrade the backhaul too at those WiMax Protection Sites, it won't matter much. It won't run faster than existing Sprint sites in the area. It may even run slower. Most protection sites use AAV backhaul available at the site. Typically good for 10-50Mbps, split between three sectors. There are some that were even connected to T1 lines and run at really slow speeds.

 

Robert via Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I don't know if they were "protection sites" or a the beginning of a bona fide effort by Clear to build a network in the region. As I mentioned before, Hampton Roads is the largest metro area on the Eastern seaboard in which Clearwire did not launch service. It could be that they meant to but then ran out of money.

remember that Sprint did built a tiny WiMax network in the Hampton Roads area. Maybe they are upgrading those few towers over to Spark sooner rather than later.

Some brilliant Sprint reps at a corporate store (who insisted sims were only for international use not LTE) refused to activate my iPad air they said no sim was necessary only a valid MEID (which apparently my (originally) Verizon iPad Air does not have). Something really should be done about these reps. They should be required to read the FAQ on this site. The whole experience soured my interest in the plan and I reverted back to free T-Mo data.

That sucks, dude!

Because of crap like this is basically why I went ahead and got the tablet from Sprint (more specifically, a Sprint one from the Apple store; the Sprint stores didn't have them in stock around launch time). That said, when I did go to activate it over the phone, the MEID was indeed the only number CS asked for (though of course, despite what the idiots in the Sprint store told lynyrd65, you still had to have a SIM card - which I did since it was a Sprint tagged tablet). No problem whatsoever activating the same tablet on T-Mobile though (and with the free 200mb).

As for the charge for SIMs... I distinctly remember reading folks being charged $50 for a lost SIM card (on xda I think it was). I am glad to hear that this is not the official policy on these things. Just another example of the inconsistency in customer service, like with the poster who wasn't able to activate his tablet.

BTW, on my Air, the MEID can be found near the bottom of the General->About screen under Settings.

The $15 plan is without contract. However, it doesn't seem like they let you activate it using a "pass". That means that after all the BS fees they tack on when they put your info in their regular billing system it's more like $20.

Do you happen to know what Sprint charges for a SIM card nowadays? If you lose your SIM they charge you some ungodly amount, like $50 or something I believe (and for something that costs them maybe 20 cents!). Does that same ridiculous price apply to SIMs for establishing tablet service also?

Pretty sure you don't need to buy an iPad from Sprint in order to use it on their network. The plans are all activated through the devices - at least that's how my Verizon iPad 2 was. 

 

If you get a Sprint SIM, it should work. All of the new iPads are unlocked.

 

Like I said, I am not sure about Sprint's policy when it comes to tablets. The two CDMA carriers tend to be real PITA when it comes to activating devices in general.

BTW, I was not able to activate the $15/month "special" plan through the device when I got it about six weeks ago. I had to call Sprint to have them activate it over the phone (which added about $4 in taxes and fees per month to the cost of the plan).

Hey everyone,

I just got a new iPad mini with Retina display (WiFi + Cellular variant). I went a head and got the T-Mobile version so I could get the free monthly data, plus I was enticed by international roaming being included in their packages. I know the iPad is not a locked device, and in the case of the latest iPad models (Air and Mini) there is only one model for all carriers, previously there was a different model for the CDMA carriers.

I've picked up an AT&T SIM card to use when needed, but I was curious if anyone knew where I could get a Sprint SIM? Are they carried by corporate stores? I know the activation process will be a bit different since this happens over CDMA but first things first I need a SIM.

Thanks,

Charlie

A couple things...

I am not sure Sprint would activate a device that wasn't purchased from them. That's why I got my iPad from them.

You don't need to buy the iPad from t-mobile in order to get the free 200mb. I got the SIM straight from T-Mobile (back when they had them for 99 cents a few weeks ago) then activated on my Sprint iPad and am getting the 200 free mb.

BTW, Sprint has a pretty good deal on tablet plans right now - 2gb for $15/mo. with no contract (though with fees it comes out to almost $20 a month, still decent tho).

I vote for the LG G Pad. I think Best Buy are the only ones carrying it now though. Was going to get it myself but then the iPad Air came out...

Dial *3001#12345#* and then Call.This takes you into Field TestTap Serving Cell Info and look at the Frequency Band Indicator.

OK, thanks.

I guess on an iPad (not jailbroken) I am SOL since there is no dial pad, right?

you can use the Engineering screen.

I thought it'd be assumed from the thread title but I probably should have clarified... How can I tell this in iOS (not jailbroken)?

Is there an app out there which can tell me to which band I am connected to?

Nevermind... according to this: https://discussions.apple.com/message/23518192 it is not locked.

In the past iPads were not GSM locked to any particular device or to a particular region. I just wanted to make sure that this still holds true on the Sprint iPad Air variant. I want to make sure that in case Sprint doesn't work out I can take the iPad to AT&T or T-Mobile.

I have been somewhat disappointed with Sprint's recent NV activity in Hampton Roads. Initially they made great strides in adding LTE coverage but from my personal experience, they seem to have slowed down considerably from the initial push and there are still too many gaps in 4G coverage, at least too many given they've been at it for almost a year around here. What particularly annoys me are areas with full strength 3G - meaning an unconverted tower nearby (rather than lack of 4G due to being in a fringe reception area).

I consider myself pretty lucky from the perspective that at work I get great LTE coverage but it's a game of chance... if I happened to be working in the other side of the building I work in I would be SOL. The 4G signal doesn't make it over there. At home I get pretty good LTE coverage too but I have wi-fi there anyway. However, if I drive half a mile away then no 4G again.

I have been impressed with T-Mobile's deployment of LTE as of late... while they started their LTE deployment after NV started, they seemed to have picked up speed recently with their deployment. Soon Sprint will be playing catch-up .

Does anyone know if Sprint will sell this device unlocked? If so, and assuming the price will be the same regardless of channel then one's best bet would be to buy it from Sprint (rather than any other carrier). That way the phone could be activated on either Sprint, AT&T or T-Mobile.

I hope they are wrong but those @evleaks guys are pretty reliable.

Doesn't make any sense because of where the camera hole is situated. Plus, there is already an approval for a CDMA model that S4GRU covered on the front page that appears to be the "real" CDMA G2.