red_dog007

DSL does not need to suck. I live about 2,000 feet from a CenturyLink DSLAM. I am getting 25 Meg down with VDSL. I can get more speed if I want to pay for it. (probably about 60 meg) The providers just need to get Fiber in a neighborhood and hang a DSLAM or two or three around the community. My VDSL works GREAT. 25 meg is more than enough for any household unless something unreasonable is going on.

Yeah, the area is VDSL2 now and the offerings are still that way.

FTTN with copper to the home. DSL does suck. You are only 1/3 a mile from the box, thus you can say GREAT. You get 1, 2 , 3 miles from that box, speed sucks, no TV service. Think about it, that isn't a long distance at all. Put yourself 2 to 3 miles from that box and see if you'll say "GREAT" again.

I'd love to be on the network side of USCC right now to see the spike in traffic usage.  See the usage of 3G on these towers increase.  I bet some USCC customers are going to have worse experience in some places.  Might be a good thing that still limited to just 300MB.  Softbank should just pony up the cash and give an offere USCC can't refuse!!! 

yeah, I have been using Hangouts a lot for calls.  I mostly place calls over Hangouts.  Even on 3G it works great.  I haven't tried 1x data, but maybe I will when I get home.  Receiving calls is largely over 1x. I really only prefer Hangouts because it is a one stop shop.  As far as audio quality, I don't notice and really dont' care.  I can hear fine.  What bothers on calls in phones that don't screen out background noise, which makes it hard to hear the caller.

Also just returned from my trip to Kentucky. 3G roaming was slow but usable- i hit my 300MB limit after only 2 days of being in the area. I didn't know the 300MB limit was a hard cap, I would've been much more conservative in my usage had I known that. Talk and text still worked afterwards so it wasn't a big deal.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus

Which carrier?!

This article doesn't make any sense because regional and other national brands can come in and take the market share.  

I could understand expansion into new markets with wireless.  It would be a great way to offer internet quickly and cheaply.  This article is also assuming that the rates would stay constant from Cellular to WISP.  Look at Sprint + Clearwire.  Clearwire offered home internet cheaply, while Sprint did not. 

Also, it is sorta possible.  There are a lot of WISPs throughout the nation.  They offer a wide range of speeds, unlimited data.  They just are managed differently.  They tend to not oversell capacity really bad.  They tend to limit the number of customers if needed.  My dad uses a WISP and pays for 2Mbps.  That right there automatically throttles your streaming video.  Netflix defaults to 480p. 

All the carriers have huge spectrum reserves in rural markets that are heavily under utilized.  I am honestly surprised that one one has gotten into this business, and it seems like after Clear is gone, Sprint doesn't care to continue.  

Also, not like Fiber is needed. For VZW DOCSIS 3.0 is plenty fast, and DOCSIS3.1 is even faster.  Makes upgrading to fiber right now kind of a waste.  Then ATT is upgrading UVerse everywhere but still copper.  I don't really see why just because a line is copper that they are going to stop providing service to that line when there is still money to be made.  Really only ATT needs to upgrade their copper lines because DSL just sucks.  They need to get away from that technology.  

For roaming on Cricket, I don't see why Sprint 3G map doesn't show Crickets coverage.  Would make their 3G map look even better.

When is AT&T supposed to shut down Crickets CDMA network?  That will be a major PRL update we all know is coming. :-P

Sensorly if having some server issues. Servers are now catching up and said they should be done catching by end of the week.

Users are reporting their mapping is starting to show up, so seems like so far none of that data is lost. It hasn't been reported either that data was lost.

I doubt unlimited will go away anytime soon on TMo, but just like Sprint has stated, the future of unlimited is currently unknown.

The $100 unlimited plan was a promotion.  Promotions ends.  Can't really argue the plan going away when from day one we know that it was limited.  You can still get unlimited for $80/mo through TMo or $60/mo through Metro.  

This might just end up having more users flock to Sprint who want unlimited, which will potentially hurt Sprint's network even more in the short term with the $100 pricing, $60 pricing and as low as $45 on a Framily. 

As a replacement plan at $100, I think this is a pretty solid offering, and one that is more tempting than the 4 for $100 for those who would like a little bit of data.  Plus it is a plan that directly goes up against VZW new plan of $80 for 10GB shared.  Four lines on VZW is $140 with 10GB shared, while TMo is $140 with 10GB EACH.  TMo is directly responding to VZW data plan here.

Poo.  It is just annoying right now I guess.  Maybe once more sites get it, it won't be as much an issue.  Higher chance of getting put on B41.

It is just annoying cause I can roll up on a tower (on the same sector) and won't connect to B41 until I am 50yrds away.  But then sometimes on that same tower, and sector, I can hook onto B41 1.5miles out.  This applies just not for this one tower example, but for every now that has B41 on it, the same rubbish happens on every single one of them. There are some towers that I may or may not connect to B41 even.  Sometimes it just passes right on up.

As far as network load, B41 is a clear freeway, so that should be given priority right there.  Then connection wise, I'd rather take a -115dBm B41 signal that pulls down 20Mbps then the -95dBm B25 signal that pulls in 1Mbps.  You'd think Sprint would be shoving B41 capable devices onto B41 as much as possible to lighten the load on 25/26.  

I have a Nexus 5 from the Google Play store. 

In band Priority settings, B25/26/41 are set to 1.  0 is also an option.  If i want to ride B41, is this the most that I can do?  And I assume 1 has more priority over 0, so set B25/26 to 0 and leave B41 on 1?

I find 41 to be annoying when it isn't a blanket here yet.  My phone will take a -90dBm or higher connection on B25/26 over B41.  Then it will drop B41 like a hot potato at -115dBm no matter what even though that is still an ok connection and the data link is much better than the other bands.  Sometimes it will connect to B41 really late, or drop B41 really early.  I can roll up onto a tower with B41 and it won't connect until I am right up on it, or I pass into another sector off that tower.

I wish I could just disable B25/26 and see what happens.  But all I can do is disable 26/41 that I am aware of. 

I was down there over the 4th and roamed on Alltel 1x. No EvDo.

Yeah, I know VZW bought a huge chunk of Alltel, but it is still labeled as Alltel gear.

It is no different then say ATT and Cricket. I have roamed on Cricket, it is still Cricket, but it is owned by ATT.

Alltel yeah, but not their assets. In Flordia I roamed on VZW but mostly Alltel as reported by Signal Checker Pro.

Looking at the new 3G map on Sprint, it looks like it will also give 3G on Appalachian Wireless.  I was in their market a few months ago and all I got was 1x.

It also looks like 3G roaming coverage in GA and SC disappeared. Maybe even some in Florida but I am not sure.  Might be Alltel markets where EVDO was shut down.

As far as Alltel, is not all Alltel going to be 3G?  I ran into Alltel in Floridia last week in Tampa and Northwest of Orlando but it was 1x only.

I hope that USCC will do LTE roaming. 

I also think that Sprint needs to merge this data with their LTE coverage maps.  Give some strength to their Spark map. 

Looks like Appalachian Wireless was added. I went through there three months ago and it was all 1x.

Some looks like it has been removed as well. There uses to be a lot in southern Gerogia and all of West South Carolina was covered with 3g as well that is now missing.

I wonder when the LTE is going to go live!

But if you go to uscc.com, it takes you to US Cellular. I think its their preferred abbreviation.

 

- Trip

USC domain is used already. That doesn't really count. Then www.uscellularcorporation.com doesn't go anywhere and can actually be purchased right now by anyone. Then www.uscellular.com works and that gets abbreviated to USC. They do business as USCellular which gets abbreviated to USC.

So I fail to see why USC =! US Cellular. USC = USCC just as much as US Cellular = US Cellular Corporation.

If they want to go as USCC then they should at least own the domain to their actual corporate name, lol.

I am pretty sure that no one in Tennessee is allowed to say USC or Lane Kiffin or USC or Steve Spurrier.

 

And it is USCC, by the way.

 

AJ

They do business as U.S. Cellular so USC should be just as accurate.

Im itching for USC.  Im on the other side here in the East, and roam on USC a bit.  Not even 3G! 

I also wonder if it has to do with the fact that the phone is designed to operate on SO many different bands. It would be hard to optimize it for every single band. 

Android phones too are designed to operate on many different bands.  Problem with iPhone's is they have a rep for not having the best radio/antenna.  Just like with Android, some phones are better than others.

The major point should have been when T-Mobile emphasized WiFi Calling. 21 GB is a very liberal limit and people are only getting deprioritized on congested towers. That said, T-Mobile and Sprint are willing to GIVE AWAY top of the line WiFi routers to offload traffic. That should be a pretty powerful hint. Is it really that expensive to get a cost effective DSL connection? I don't know about a lot of the country but I know that here in the Midwest AT&T and Frontier offer cost effective DSL options for $14.95 a month. These idiots can't pay another $15 a month? I am aware that there are rural places where someone might need an LTE option like T-Mobile or Sprint but these places aren't likely to experience much if any congestion or prioritization.

 

FFS. /endrant

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do you know how fast that speed is? ATT here for $15/mo is only 768Kbps. Why on earth get that when you can get 10, 25, 45Mbps on your phone?

I hate Tmo-News, but do open it up every so often.

 

http://www.tmonews.com/2015/06/21gb-soft-cap-quietly-added-to-t-mobiles-unlimited-4g-lte-simple-choice-plans/

 

21GB "soft cap" put on unlimied plans. Kind of interesting...I think T-Mobile is realizing their network is suffering from speed tests and unlimited data.

 

Edit:

 

This is a comment on TmoNews

 

That is just mind blowing. This is why they can't offer truly unlimited data, because of idiots like this.

What do you mean? Sprint has unlimited with "heavy" users too. Sprints deployed spectrum is more in line with TMo, in some markets, behind in others.

I used 20GB last month and it doesn't take much to get there. It really doesn't.

It amazes me that ~10 years later, people still complain about this.

 

It was a rate increase.  The $10 fee is incorporated in the new rate plans.  Don't want to pay the $10 fee? Switch plans... you'll pay more but you won't have a $10 fee to complain about.

Wasnt/isnt that similar to what Verizon did when things were still all unlimited, but it was a $30 fee for Smartphones (required) and a $15 fee for feature phones (not required).  When they took away unlimited data, it went to tiered plans, and now the things like EDGE and family packs it is built into the price, now you are just paying a "fee" to add your phone to the plan instead of adding data to the plan.

I think that billing for cellular can always be much better, but if you actually understand your bill.... And then compare it to what your bill would be like now...  Either you save money or don't. If you don't be happy, if you do, switch plans.

I found a new TMo tower location here in my area.  Used to be only Sprint.  Added some coverage, but not much.  The tower location is actually quiet horrible, I am surprised that TMo even put on it and not a different tower.  There is some organic new coverage off of it, but it is very minimal. 

Kinda surprised at TMo configuration.  Still 4 antenna per sector (no 700A).  TMo rep told me it was HSPA AWS, PCS EDGE, PCS HSPA, LTE AWS.  12 antennas per tower.  Unlike the other TMo towers in my area where each antenna is different from the other on each sector, this tower the two outer were the tall fat white antennas and the two inner are short skinny grey antenna.  Hopefully they add a few more towers because I where I live it is a deadzone that is surrounded by TMo coverage. 

Wow, an IX!  What does one specifically look for if they wanted to work at one?  IX job postings?  

Whenever an ISP gets their backbone, do they connect at an IX, or do they "splice" into a cable that passes somewhere nearby?  My ISP (EPB, I am sure you have heard of them), uses Level 3, Century-tel and Sprint for their backbone.  How does EPB connect intothose backbones?

Any good sources on starting a WISP? Hardware, software, spectrum, licenses, who to talk too, etc.  What is the minimal capital one should plan on having to get started? There are a lot in my area that have zero landline option (800 residential households), and I have been thinking it might be cool to start a WISP in my local area.  Plus neighboring counties still have a few thousand here and there not served by landline.

Care to go into some details on your WISP? I'm sure you have a website?