JosefTor

I seem to be in the minority if you go by reddit comments, etc but I really like the look of this phone.

I find it ok. I prefer the rubberized feel and look of the nexus 5 original. Also, the camera module looks funky like it is a growth coming out of the phone.

I was in LA last week and I was actually getting annoyed with the lack of B41. I was stuck in traffic just about every morning and most times I was stuck on B25 which was very overloaded with everyone stuck in traffic trying to use their phones. So enjoy that band 41!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus

They messed up band priorities about 2 months ago. Why would sprint force you on 3g, no signal, or B25 vice how they used to keep you in B41? I've been asked by sprint care to send them details but what more details then all towers in the LA and OC area shunt you off B41 (when you rarely get it) to no signal or 3g when we used to surf constantly in B41? Service has never been worse.

 

 

I've also had lots and lots of trouble at stores. 1+ hour transactions are everyday occurrences. The computers are consistently "down", they are routinely "calling things in". Advertised plans and prices routinely become slightly higher once in-store (occasionally even when the stores own signage suggests otherwise).

 

It's a huge pain. Since January or so, I also exclusively call in. Telephone support isn't good in any way, but it's worlds better than the stores.

 

 

 

If it were just that, I'd agree with you. But this isn't just some guys statement. It's large scale reputable data.

 

If RootMetrics says "we've collected thousands of metrics on the network in this market and Sprint's network, on average, sucks" -- then Sprint's network sucks, even if a few spots get good service.

 

Similarly, when JD Power says "we've collected thousands of surveys in stores all across America, and Sprint's in-store experience, on average, sucks" -- then Sprint's stores suck. Even if there are a few stores that are still good.

 

The metric isn't broken. Sprint has won the top JD Power experience spot before (multiple times). They certainly could win it again.

Never been in and out of a sprint store in less than an hour. Always waited for more than a half hour before being acknowledged and never had then actually activate my phone as they never know how so I just leave the store and finish myself.

 

At the Tmobile store near my house, I've never not been acknowledged and helped within 10 seconds as they have so many staff. They usually give me their personal phone to play with so I don't have to deal with the demo models. I sound like I'm trashing sprint but this is reality for the 5 times I've visited these stores in the past year.

It's a render reportedly built from factory specs, but I like it:

 

http://www.androidcentral.com/lg-nexus-5-2015-re-created-using-factory-schematics-rear-fingerprint-scanner-shown

 

Some may complain that it's plain looking (again, its a render, materials could be who knows), but if the build quality is legit, this will be a great phone.

Can't wait! Still on my Nexus 5 original and looking for an upgrade. I'm excited to try the dual speaker set up and a good camera on a phone. The fingerprint sensor will also help me deal with a very over protective IT department as they disabled all the Google smart unlocks.

T-Mobile has been outspending AT&T, Verizon and Sprint on TV ads.

 

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/t-mobile-outspent-att-verizon-and-sprint-tv-ads-july/2015-08-12

Kind of unfortunate. If you want to be the best, you have to not perform and act like a last place carrier. TV ads and ads at airports and billboards are very important and is not money down the drain. I've only seen like one sprint ad over the past few months on TV.

10 GB is way too much for a company that can't offer reciprocal 3G Roaming to the companies it has reached deals with.

 

The only real problem with these plans is the complexity. They need to consolidate both plans and just offer 1 Roaming option to counter T-Mobile. One of these plans has to go.

Sounds like David Beckham should revisit sprint. Just kidding, I do like what Sprint is doing here a lot but just wish it was a little simpler and automatic vice a plan add on for free.

Just noticed that Verizon has 1900 MHz spectrum. Is it possible that Sprint sits out of the 600 auction and buys the 1900 spectrum from Verizon? That might be a better way to swing this play. If there is 800 MHz out there to buy, that would be even better.

Has anyone else noticed poor performance starting around this weekend? My phone started hanging on to B26 all the time, and it's completely saturated and unusable, even at 11pm tonight. I can sometimes get it to hand up but it'll drop back to B26 almost immediately (with a signal of -80 dBm) or go to 3G (which is equally unusable). This is in areas with a strong B25 and B41 signal. Last night at 1am I was right next to a site with B41 but it wouldn't connect to anything except B26, and nothing would load.

 

I'm wondering if Sprint tweaked the load balancing settings, or if it's just a localized problem in the East Bay?

 

The reason I think it may be a load balancing issue is that if I start something bandwidth intensive (such as a speed test), I can force it to hand up to B25 or B41 halfway through before it drops back to B26. So the network seems to be trying to idle me on B26. However, for things that aren't bandwidth intensive and are more latency sensitive (casual browsing, playing a realtime multiplayer game, loading email, basically anything that isn't a large download or video streaming), it doesn't trigger the handup and things are slow or even start timing out.

Same problem we've been having in Orange County except we don't have B26 so we'll drop to 3g or no signal. To me it seemed either like a load balancing change or a software compatibility / provisioning issue.

I am stuck on 3G or 1X often in areas where I know there is LTE ever since the iphone carrier version updated to 20.1. The change was pretty obvious as soon as the update occurred.

A problem like this is occurring in OC as well for the past month or two. I don't think it is related to the iPhone update

I have to agree with you. I just moved into my new house in Thornton, CO. Sprint states I should have B41 at my place. I can barely get B26 and more often then not I drop to 3G with a weak signal. Best I can tell is the tower is far from optimaized out here as I am certainly not in the boondocks by any stretch. Sprint needs to get off their rears and get their towers optimized. They have made some great changes up to now, but the work is far from over.

My biggest fear with the inaccurate maps is that Sprint actually thinks I'm receiving what their maps are saying. I hope their network team uses a different set of maps than the maps the marketing team uses.

 

Different topic, one month in and there is still some bug in OC (could be elsewhere). Going from a strong LTE signal and kicking me off to 3g after the phone shows no signal... Something is weird here. Signalcheck will show LTE but no band and show a phone icon at the top of the screen and then I'll lose all signal before hoping on 3g. Weird. All this while parked at a traffic light. I hope they fix because I want Sprint to kick TMO and Verizon's face in.

Shentel doing well: http://seekingalpha.com/article/3382935-shenandoah-telecommunications-shen-ceo-chris-french-on-q2-2015-results-earnings-call-transcript

 

The transcription is a little rough in spots, but you should be able to get the gist.

I wish Sprint would be this transparent. Plus, I hate the strategy when sprint says B41 and carrier aggregation is the answer. The answer is a multi-pronged approach.

Maybe they are talking about Sprint in this US Cellular LTE roaming deal: http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/us-cellular-keeps-postpaid-subscriber-growth-chugging-along-q2/2015-07-31?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_campaign=rss

I wonder how much data traffic runs on 4g for sprint?

I hope sprint isn't so secretive this quarter. I want to know about their network plans and plan for capital. We should have permits already around the US for all the small cells and not just talk.

Thanks for the response. I haven't tried the app, just getting the regular "please bare with us" runaround from Sprint forums and phone support.

 

I'm near Orangewood and the 57. I'm actually moving to Huntington Beach in a month, but it looks like that area is struggling as well. I actually went into roaming (near Bolsa Chica and Warner).

This is one of the areas I've been complaining about recently. This is a county wide problem though. Service has been deteriorating the past month or two and is getting worse. Very unreliable and it drops to no service or 3g.

The tower near the Mobil station on Aliso Creek Rd and Aliso Viejo Parkway just got B41 turned on. The antennas were installed for almost a year.

 

Glad to see some progress in the town.

Yes.

I'm writing sprint support but where I used to have LTE my whole trip, now I drop on 7 places! At times my signal will actually go away. The other times I just stay on 3g. I really hope they aren't deactivating clear towers.

Go ahead. I shorted the stock. Ready to make another go of it!

Watch out for short squeezes.

Hi guys. Like other post says, with only 6% of market share, a huge spending in network don't make sense. Is better for them to make investment on the places they need to retain customers. Puerto Rico is not a key market for them. And it's bad because T-Mobile, Claro and AT&T never leave Puerto Rico to the last.

 

With the T-Mobile plan 2 x 50 totally unlimited there is no need for Sprint anymore. Unlimited everything, including tethering (7gb of LTE tethering and them reduce to 128kb but still unlimited) HD voice, VoLTE in Puerto Rico, better international roaming services, better phone updates etc. Internet Speeds are higher too (but Sprint have less latency and their ping to connect to the Internet is almost always slow and retrieve data soon than Tmobile. I don't know the exact term for that, sorry Robert haha)

 

I test both and to be honest Sprint has better signal quality for voice and texts, but its slower in data and the value of their offerings is slower too.

 

I will return to Sprint if they add VoLTE and tethering.

 

And also Marcelo says that unlimited will not last forever. That means that in a near future say good bye to unlimited data plans.

 

But I'm still reading, and searching for Sprint in Puerto Rico and as soon I see more value in their offerings I will return.

 

But I'm here, because Robert is my favorite writer haha and I enjoy Sprint news, I love the yellow color and the Sprint brand if definitely my favorite haha. I hate magenta, but today they offer better value and that's is unbeatable and unquestionable.

I agree with your post but.... Why the need for VoLTE? Isn't HD Voice at least as reliable and sounds great too? Btw, I recently heard that best buy has the same 2 people unlimited for $100 which matches Tmobile.

I agree. I immediately thought the same when I looked at the envelope. If a sports team is tied for #1 in a poll, people still say, "We're #1!" They do not say, "We're #1 -- in a tie." The same holds true for two Olympic gold medalists who tie. Each rightly can present himself as "Olympic gold medalist" or "Olympic champion" -- no "in a tie" disclaimer necessary.

 

But there is more to this Sprint story. I listen to a lot of AM talk radio, which is known for running numerous promo spots per hour. Shortly after the RootMetrics Kansas City testing was released a few weeks ago, the Sprint promo spots started. The voiceover made no mention of "in a tie." However, that was changed. It does now, as does the marketing collateral that I received from Marcelo in the mail.

 

My guess is that VZW's legal team threw a hissyfit. Or VZW pouted and leaned on RootMetrics to force Sprint to clarify its claim. Any way you cut it -- even if the directive came independently from RootMetrics -- it is silly.

 

VZW, though, has not taken well to Sprint reassuming the top spot -- in a tie -- in KC. VZW put together some sort of press kit, trumpeting its LTE coverage across the state of Kansas, and leaked it to a KC Star business writer, Mark Davis, whom Robert and I have personally assisted in prior stories that he has written. Mark is not that well versed in wireless, so he bought the VZW spin hook, line, and sinker.

 

The sad part is that VZW has relatively low market share in KC, so that inflates its data speeds. And VZW has extensive coverage around KC only because it bought out what Alltel and predecessors actually built. Without those factors, VZW could not compete with Sprint in KC.

 

AJ

I hope the marketing works and I'm glad sprint is doing it. My real estate agent in Kansas City was in mid to upper management in Sprint (quit or pushed out a few years ago) . I asked him who he uses and he said Verizon because Sprint sucks. I'm hoping their image will turn around.

Well, well, look what arrived in the mail...

 

 

 

AJ

Excellent marketing! If I was them, I'd have some small text that says something like.... "Only for cheaper"

Has there been any network issues as of late? Noticing a bit slower network even in LTE. Just for example...IG...snapchat not uploading as normally would...

If your market is anything like the California market now, Sprint appears to have adjusted the load balancing between bands to make the phones not jump to B41 as often. I rarely jump to B41 now where I used to jump at every moment my smartphone got. Have you noticed this on your phone?

Chunkyrice broke this news in the LA Metro thread:

 

Looks like San Bernardino Rebanding is delayed slightly.

 

https://www.fcc.gov/document/county-san-bernardino-california-and-nextel-communications-inc

I still don't know if the delay is simply to have an executed cost agreement or if this is also the day that rebanding will be completed.

I'm happy you guys won, but I still see issues here, mainly that Sprint still has overages and shared bucket plans with overages. Maybe a plan with shared data but a 512 Kbps throttle? Something not as arbitrarily bad as what T-Mobile does. I'd also stick a fork in the contracted plans.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I love this idea but since Sprint uses it to diss Tmobile, I don't see this change of heart. If I went to Tmobile I would not choose unlimited since I don't have to fear overages in the off chance I go over my allotment. On Sprint, I would never consider anything but unlimited because I hate overages. If Sprint fixes overages, people would naturally move off unlimited. That is a strategy that both sprint and the consumer can rally behind.

Isn't the video streaming allotment too small? Will the majority of streaming apps even work at those speeds?

 

Also, the Tmobile "unlimited" plans that throttle down are ingenious and one that will make me leave sprint once their "version" unlimited goes away. I hate overages. It brings me back to my $500 cell phone bill for going over my voice plan on Sprint.

It is not really all that "big" though.

I guess I don't get it. Isn't this a step in the wrong direction in both price and consumer choice?