Jimmy James

We're seeing the same down in Southside. It has to be something they're doing, though sadly that doesn't mean it's LTE deployment. 

It would be strongly in the interests of Sprint and any other carrier with iPhones to get this done in time for the iPhone 6. That upgrade cycle is going to reportedly be a gigantic one and will probably be an opportunity to snatch customers from one carrier to another. I'm actually pretty content with there being a deal -- my own personal decision about immediate upgrade versus waiting a couple months will have a lot to do with when they flip the switch on Sprint LTE in Danville. Now that I know it IS coming, the when is less important. 

Things have been weird in Danville the past few days. I think it is tower work, particularly since I just got the telltale network upgrade soon email today. Where is the site that used to show me the towers they have recently been touching? Did they turn it off? I am getting redirected I think. 

Oak Hill may or may not be a part of the Beckley rollout of 4G. I haven't been there in ages -- I don't often get north of Princeton. Even if it is, there's the little issue of turning 4G on for us Sprint users. That has to be coming soon. Perhaps July 1 will be the magic date as it would be the start of the next quarter for at least most businesses and therefore a convenient time for billing and such.

It seems to me that if literally 70% of their network will be LTE by year end, Charlottesville will be among what gets done as will Danville. It suggests to me that probably since Sprint is winding down their own LTE efforts, a lot of the people doing the work are probably getting passed to this project and the 70% represents the stuff where backhaul and other complications aren't going to be an issue. 

nTelos is probably going to drag their feet letting Sprint users on their LTE network. :-(

 

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I live in Danville. While it's populated, I would guess we're a 4Q2014 market for them at earliest. It stinks for those of you in launch markets, but I imagine you'll have access before I do. 

This is good enough news to keep me in the fold. Now I just need to make sure my next phone will actually work with the 4G LTE that I get here. 

The good news about telephones for anybody leaving is that Sprint model phones that can be used with FreedomPop's bring your own device feature. That should increase demand for phones useful for those functions. Then again, my old phone and my wife's will be going to our children for use as basically an iPod touch type device no matter if I'm staying or going. 

I can't blame you for leaving, but is Sprint really ignoring the market? It's not even an actual Sprint market. Sprint can't do anything about it, other than threaten to cut ties with nTelos and leave Sprint subscribers there with no network, or overbuild. Both of which would be even more disruptive than what is currently happening. 

Until I found this site, absolutely nothing Sprint ever said in any way disclosed to me the situation in this market. They certainly sold me services for years as though they they existed here. I'm hardly their only subscriber in the area.

I don't think overbuilding would be more disruptive. They have a 3G contract with nTelos. At least then there would be evidence of a light at the end of a tunnel. As it is, I have absolutely no idea if I re-up with Sprint what would conceivably be different at the end of 2 years. 

Just listened to the call. No comment on any negotiation with Sprint. No mention of CCA AT ALL. When asked about Sprint looking at sites for their own infrastructure in the market, nTelos indicated it was not happening.

This pretty much tears it. I'll be gone if there isn't light at the end of the tunnel by when I can get an iPhone 6. It is inexcusable the way Sprint ignores this market. AT&T switched on LTE here officially yesterday. 

I have big worries nTelos is a part of the CCA according to Sprint entirely due to the existing 3G agreement. 

I'm a little worried now that if this is what gives me LTE in this area, the phone I buy in September (iPhone 6) for Sprint won't even work on the proper band for it since apparently they won't be selling phones that work on the CCA band until January 2015. That would mean a wait until the iPhone 6S or in essence another year and a half.

http://www.techzone360.com/topics/techzone/articles/2014/03/27/374510-sprint-moves-take-4g-lte-national-via-cca.htm

What does this stuff about the CCA and NAA tell us about our prospects in this area? Is NTELOS a member of those organizations, or are they made up of even smaller carriers?

I am signed up to get notification of NTelos does anything in this area and probably have just good enough camera equipment and just good enough idea where the towers are to get photos. Hopefully somebody in an NTelos launch market like Beckley or Morgantown can get us what is needed,  though. I have a sinking feeling that Danville isn't even a priority to them -- they likely have more subscribers in the WV part of the territory.

I know my dad is going to absolutely flip when I think to talk to him about this. He splits time between Richmond and a non-launch WV market and has been very upset that LTE isn't on yet in so much of the area he travels in.

Though I'm not sure TMobile in my area actually has their own towers and spectrum, I wonder if the dickering to be done with NTelos is bogged down by Softbank's reputed lust for a TMobile merger. 

I want to say I appreciate this resource quite a bit. Before I stumbled on this site a couple weeks ago, I had no idea what was going on and was just getting more and more frustrated about the way things work with Sprint in this area. I also appreciate the candid advice. I will say my personal situation is that I'm out of contract on a SERO Premium account and intent on not upgrading devices until the iPhone 6 comes out. My current phone obviously doesn't even have LTE capability, so this is more frustration about what is to come. I will be sticking with Sprint and hoping that there is some resolution to the issue before I get the 6. If there isn't, my destination is probably AT&T with a 25% chance I'll just retain the 4S and hope before the 6s (or whatever is 2015) comes out that there is some resolution. 

I will say that Sprint certainly hasn't marketed itself as a provider for the whole continental US except for a state and a half in the middle of the east. I think the situation is a bit more pervasive than just poorly informed customer service. I'd note that if I go to the LTE page it doesn't tell me I have no shot of LTE any time soon. Instead it's vague platitudes and the same information anybody else gets who is waiting on Network Vision. If Sprint were acting reputably and were intent on allowing this hole in 4G coverage to exist, the appropriate thing to do would be to candidly break the news on that page when I enter my zip. If I go to Cox cable and try to sign up for services in a Comcast area, they don't hide the ball that I won't be getting Cox Cable. It should work the same here. 

Again, this is all to say this site is an excellent resource for the hard lessons and the truth.

If this is really so problematic, why weren't these things addressed when they promised LTE long ago? It shouldn't be a situation where we are getting surrounded by LTE and there is a giant WV and half of VA shaped hole in LTE coverage. It's a complete disgrace, and AT&T is looking better all the time.