Rasta Cheesehead

More pics on the article . Video was short

http://tech-snobs.com/#!/entry/exclusive-sprint-4g-lte-baltimore-launch-updated,3666

Some video of this event

i think this article is fantastic from a brand stand point for Sprint. This type of press helps with that and its good to see something positive in Sprint's favor. Service in Milwaukee is very solid, Sprint I think shares the title with US Cellular, since the article said it only tested 4 major carriers, this would be accurate for the area. Hope we see more and more good press like this as network vision starts to sweep the country.

As has been said before in the forums, if the next iPhone supports CDMA on 800mhz, it will be because they (apple) chose to add it. Not because Sprint played hardball at the bargaining table and not because Sprint told apple that they needed to add it because all 2012 phones need to support 800mhz CDMA. Sprint gave the farm to apple to get the "privilege" to sell the iPhone.

 

Sent with AOSP JB Toro on Forum Runner

Sprint and Apple are partners, the next iphone will support 1X 800. Apple chooses support for devices for carriers they have agreements with not cause its what the want to do. make no sense to support and test for frequencies( TMO) that you do not support or have agreements in place to support. Apple does not make money selling unlocked devices, the bulk almost all of their sales are subsidized(carrier) phones.

Sprint gave a presentation at a conference in Colorado this week. Seems like not too much news except for the the following:

 

 

 

http://www.fiercebro...-FierceWireless

 

I don't know that 10 new markets by the end of the year is "accelerating" LTE deployment. Sounds like it might be on pace or a tad slow. They already said 5 more markets around labor day no? That means just 5 more the rest of the year?

 

Also interesting to hear the comments about backhaul. Really makes it clear that wireless companies are using data as profit centers. Their delivery costs go down but they charge the end user the same or more to use it.

 

Edit: Just realized thread title might be misleading Trying to say Sprint will have total of 25 LTE markets by year-end.

I think a lot of people are confusing cities with markets. Sprint has 99 total markets, to have started 25 markets with LTE that is a forth of all markets. i would not see that as slow

Maybe Ericsson will get in on this soon

This quote is very important in that it showed that IDEN thinning was not just about the money and verified it was for the Spectrum

Christopher French

Well, yes, actually we – they have already harvested one carrier of 800 that they have given us that we are putting in as we are upgrading, but that one carrier is being used for voice at 800 and when they turn off the iDEN network then they will harvest the remainder of the 800 and the remainder of the 800 is planned to be used for LTE.

You guys may be getting more/better coverage with your LTE and network vision updates

http://www.ydr.com/ci_21209017/new-cell-tower-possible-felton?IADID=Search-www.ydr.com-www.ydr.com

 

 

Where is this post that you are referring to? San Jose should not have started yet.

Here

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1178-report-your-lte-connection-here-updated-6152012/page__st__220

When will it come to northern California? Seems that the silicon valley would be up and running sooner not later.

Have tried to get 4G, seen a few post of people in South Bay get some LTE?

 

 

I don't think this was about spectrum, just about coverage. You figure they could control some things remotely on what channels can be used, etc.

It sa about Spectrum also. Sprint said it needed a 2.67 MHZ slice of that iden 800 spectrum to deploy its one 1x advanced carrier in those markets.. thinning did not occur in all iden markets. Just the under utilized ones and the spectrum constrains ones

Thanks for the info guys, I thought we needed additional thing for 800mhz nationwide cdma

 

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That is some what true. Sprint said it will only deploy 800 cdma in approximately 80 percent of the top 100 markets at first for network vision.. I think it needs iden completely shut down for nation wide and still may not have enough 800 for all Sprint locales to receive .800.. I think border locations near Mexico

So when is the next round of iDen thinning scheduled for? Will Sprint/Nextel try to select a market and convert the customers (or let them leave), then shutdown iDen in that area or just slowly nationwide reduce coverage until its all turned off?

No more thinning, its gonna be shut down by June of 2013. The thinning was to reduce capacity and cost on a network that was built to handle 20 million pople, but only had 4 million

I've received a PM from an Apple employee who said they have DAS in the buildings and rooftop panels for the grounds and parking for all the supported carriers.

 

Robert

I remember Sprint saying the were gonna go with pico and femtos instead of DAS for LTE.

http://www.rcrwirele...-for-picocells/

In a blow to the growing distributed antenna system market, Tarazi also said that Sprint Nextel would be moving away from current DAS deployments in favor of femtocell and picocell solutions for its LTE network. Tarazi explained that the carrier was looking at a fourth quarter launch for a new femtocell product focused on public buildings, with a late 2013 plan to roll out an outdoor picocell solution that would help facilitate offloading of data traffic from its macro network.

 

 

Were you near an Apple building? Apple has Sprint LTE DAS in most of their buildings.

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

 

 

Interesting, I didn't think about a DAS. I guess it was about a mile from their campus. Would a DAS travel that far? I know it isn't an accurate measurement but I had three or four bars the entire time on both 3/4G

 

Thanks!

I doubt he was a DAS

I was shocked to find a live LTE connection in the South Bay Market this evening (Cupertino, CA) since the first sites aren't expected until November.

 

It was very sporadic and seemed to constantly flip between 3G & 4G. Most of my speed tests started on 4G, then finished on 3G though I did manage to get one start to finish on LTE. 3G speeds were also MUCH faster (normally 300-500kbps up/down, was getting around 1.6Mbps down/600kbps up.)

 

Hopefully this is a sign that the South Bay market will be completed sooner than expected

 

 

looks like network vision is picking up steam

Topics merged: they were two birds of a feather.

 

AJ

Topics merged: kill two birds with one thread.

 

AJ

a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush

 

 

I thought the ac units where the real power suckers?

 

Not that hard to do the math. 3000 does sound Like a lot.

 

I'll look up some more info and see if I can get a better number

I think thats low, Sprint hopes to save almost a billion by shutting these sites down early.

I am looking at the updated map of Sprint coverage.

 

I also look at my parent place in Manvel, Tx and I cant even Sprint signal and have to be on roaming and my 3D phone drain in 2 hours.

 

Now, it changed from Roaming to LTE coverage. Can this be true?

 

That tells me LTE signal (orange color) can go very far then 4G WiMax?

 

Or perhaps its too early to tell.

Yes, WiMAX was on 2500 and LTE is 1900 that's a big difference in signal and how far it can travel and penetrate buildings, combine that with the new NV towers that give out more power and better signal than old ones and you might get coverage there now. When 800 comes that is when you will notice a huge difference in coverage .

They are live on sprint.com/coverage

Oh yes WiMAX is now a yellow that is dark for inside and light yellow for outside level covearage .. Lte does not have this break down cause where u get 3G there is gonna be LTE so no need to break down inside and outside like WiMAX .

Just checked Sprint's coverage map viewer and you can now see both LTE and WiMAX networks on their (tiny) map viewer. LTE coverage areas aren't shown in any sort of modified coloration based on signal strength, but the orange blobs are a bit more detailed than the coverage shapes I've seen from, say, Verizon. which is nice.

 

The coverage maps also show just how comprehensive Sprint's LTE market launches are. We aren't talking about downtown-only here...for example, some areas in San Antonio are still WiMAX-only, but in the majority of situations LTE coverage already completely eclipses what WiMAX could do (as it should). The contrast in Houston is even more stark; places like Magnolia and Cleveland (TX) show up as covered by the brand-new LTE network but not WiMAX.

 

I don't feel like doing the analysis quite yet, but Sprint may actually have more LTE than Verizon in some cases, if not now then maybe a few weeks from now as more sites come online. That's saying something, but it happens when you upgrade (eventually) 100% of your cell sites in an area to 4G, using the term "area" broadly rather than narrowly.

Pick and Lte phone and it will show only LTE coverage , the 4G maps are based on what device you choose. Picking no device just shows all/ generic 4g not specific

 

A smart decision. They also will be transitioning voice to VoLTE which brings them closer than ever to being standardized with the rest of the industry.

 

I do wish Sprint had done what they're doing with nv now back with rev b and wimax in 2008 and deployed their BRS spectrum on their own so more people could have enjoyed the higher speeds but eh, I'll probably be quite satisfied with nv in a year or so.

 

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2

Network vision did not exist back in 2008. The multi-mode base stations , radios and chipset were only dreams back then with very few work prototypes , less more than multiple vendors that can make and supply the equipment. sprint is one of the first with this technology, so they are basically the beta testers if you will for this type of network in commercial and real world application. Also Rev.B is like 3g+ tech like Hspa+ , WiMAX just like the LTE Verizon deployed was pre 4G tech. There isn't much difference between WiMAX and lte technology both are ofdm techs, this is why clear can easily go from WiMAX to lte without much change to there towers.

I think that the main motivators for pushing out the 800 radios is to reduce roaming costs associated with fringe users and may be a reason Sprint "future proofed" most of their latest phones with 800 CDMA. There is a large financial incentive for it.

 

The greatest benefit I could see for 800 LTE is a change in reputation of the carrier from having a network with weak spotty coverage to one with strong and widespread coverage.

 

From a business perspective the second doesn't help them as much with the bottom line as their reputation for supporting unlimited data outweighs their bad reputation for their network.

 

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2

Reduced roaming, better in building coverage and better coverage are the number 1 benefits for 800 1x advanced and Network Vision oh and this little thing called LTE, for the company reduced cost all around, which adds to the bottom line.