Tengen31

Yeah really annoying. I don't know why the don't enable it. The S8 has had it for about 8 months now. Also b25+26 should have been a thing a while ago. There is really no good excuse for this but that's Sprint for you. They did say they will be the first network with a full volte virtual core though.

I can talk and surf on my current LG G7 now. 

It says this in the FAQ’s:

How do I turn on VoLTE?

VoLTE is a simple toggle switch and will be set to “ON” as the default setting for 5G capable devices that become available. But in case it’s turned off, you can easily switch it back on by following the steps below.
Android Phones: Go to Settings > Connections or Network & internet > Voice Networks.  Set the VoLTE toggle to On.
iOS Phones:  Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Enable LTE > Select Voice and Data

What is VoLTE?

VoLTE (Voice over LTE) is the next generation of voice service for your phone. VoLTE will direct your voice calls over Sprint’s advanced LTE network instead of the our traditional wireless voice network. VoLTE will provide superior voice quality and allow you to browse the Internet and use data-driven apps while on a call. VoLTE must be enabled on your device to experience our 5G network where available.

Looks like AT&T and Verizon share the DAS here based on what I see. I can't tell if CA is active or not since Samsung locks out those screens.

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I hope you’re right.

It currently says here that the Unlimited Premium Plan is required for 5G. Of course, that could be changed going forward, but Sprint put it in writing.

Another requirement for 5G per the FAQs is that you have VoLTE enabled on your 5G-capable device.

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I should note that there is very good band 25 available and I'm in Grand Forks which has service. I can see three Sprint towers from my apartment. For some reason my phone jumps on band 26 even when there is strong band 25 available.

Churchill Downs iDas. I must be the only one on this sector.

 

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Anyone know if Vegas has 15x15 B25? Someone claims they saw it there 

VoLTE just popped up in a number of areas of the Carolinas according to the posts here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Sprint/comments/boxkzp/volte_is_here/ (and my own experience in Hickory, NC).
SC: Columbia, SC, Charleston, SC.  NC: Asheville, NC Raleigh, NC, Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC.  It is likely live in other areas too.

Noticed I had the option to turn on VoLTE on my Pixel 3XL today while I was at work in Providence, turned it on (and Wifi off), but could not surf the web at the same time.  Waited til I got home to Franklin, MA tried again and was able to make calls with wifi off and VoLTE enabled and surf the web...  Looks like it is going live in the Boston/Providence market...
Geoff

I think it's been reported that Sprint has more than that now, but yes, you often will make up for it with small cells.  Many of T-Mobile's cites are rooftop urban sites for density...that's all addressed by small cells.
Take Los Angeles...Sprint does not need more macros.  They can use small cells to make up for all of their remaining deficiencies...hek, it's rare to get a macro above 45ft in height these days anyway.  Instead, small cells are suitable to covering the canyons (more so than macros) and are better at spot coverage/capacity in certain neighborhoods (based on zoning issues).
4 million people live in Los Angeles City limits.  There's no reason Sprint cannot provide the best network for every single one of those people.  That's where Sprint has the true potential.

I believe I was North of the site. I did not get any signal until I got into the north side of town. I just was surprised to see B26 where no Sprint activity has been mentioned at all. I'm not sure whether to treat it as a native signal yet. I'll see if I can find B25 as well.

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The GCI matches Sprint for that area.  -99 RSRP on B26 could be many miles away.  Your almost in Montana, but it's market GCI is 094.  US 2 is the major east-west highway in those parts.  See any others?  The Cellular One Montana site did not go that far east.  You were likely north of the site.  3x3 B26 can still be respectable speed wise, Max 21.4 Mbps.

Am I seeing this right? Sprint is broadcasting a 3x3 B26 here in Williston, ND? To note, the 1x is what Verizon broadcasts as out here.

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That's not a solution. In this industry, you can't just spend one year and hope that's good enough for the next few years. That's not how this works. Doing what you're suggesting is the exact reason why Sprint is in the hole they are in to begin with. After NV 1.0, they left a lot of sites untouched in major urban areas and congestion crept up to them. B41 is great, but due to its coverage limitations Sprint needed to densify it's network. 

They didn't. And it bit them in the butt. You need consistent CAPEX in order to compete and gain customers (and keept those customers).

 

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Yeah, a Spectrum or Comcast merger would be ideal in my eyes. Deep pockets with generally good wireline networks. Perfect for backhaul to small cells.


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Yeah probably. I don't think T-Mobile has shut down WCDMA/HSPA anywhere yet. There are still a decent number of non-VoLTE capable devices on their network I assume, and I don't think they've announced any plans to shut it down yet.

Since VoLTE can fall back to WCDMA, I'm guessing it'll be kept around for a while.

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Yes...." sacrificing", meaning to give up spectrum to GSM from something else. They aren't taking away spectrum from anything (LTE, HSPA, WCDMA) for GSM. It costs them 0 in terms of spectrum usage/allocation.

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I'm pretty sure T-Mobile isn't sacrificing any spectrum for 2G. My understanding is that they run GSM in the internal LTE guard bands. So it's "free" from a spectrum perspective  Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

 

 

No I said they weren't sacrificing LTE spectrum for GSM.

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I'm not sure what you're trying to say with that? They have GSM on 1900 and LTE on 1900. GSM runs in the internal LTE guard bands, flanking either side of the LTE carrier. LTE carriers are actually slightly smaller than 5x5, 10x10, etc, and have unused spectrum on either side for a variety of reasons. A GSM carrier is 0.2 MHz and can fit in here just fine. It doesn't use extra spectrum.

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I'm pretty sure T-Mobile isn't sacrificing any spectrum for 2G. My understanding is that they run GSM in the internal LTE guard bands. So it's "free" from a spectrum perspective

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It's 20x20 to my understanding. 

T-Mobile is hot garbage here. That T-Mobile Congestion[emoji769] is very prominent. 

North Dakota.

Yeah their 25x25 is very tiny. It's only four areas. The majority is 20x20, then 15x15 and a couple of patches of 10x10.

I see a thread on Reddit claiming that Sprint operates VoLTE calls on Band 41.
Can anyone confirm?
Or does VoLTE already natively work on any Sprint band? I was under the impression that VoLTE was reserved for Band 26 ... looking for information, I guess.