Trip

That was fast. - Trip

There are plenty of places where Verizon could really use additional macro sites--especially if they're needing increased density for n77 to run properly. This feels like the Sprint small cell strategy all over again. In this area, I'm not sure I've ever seen a T-Mobile small cell. Verizon small cells are relatively common, particularly on the roofs of gas stations and shopping centers. AT&T has plans to put in a boat load on utility poles. Sprint, of course, has strand mount pretty much anywhere that coverage for 2.5 GHz was poor along larger roads, but mixed in with a few small cells on utility poles. - Trip

https://www.fiercewireless.com/operators/verizon-s-ronan-dunne-says-carrier-may-densify-network-for-c-band Article about Verizon. Depressing to read: - Trip

I meant to tell you that I noticed this over the weekend and find it IMMENSELY useful. Thank you so much! - Trip

Haha, no worries. It's not one I'm itching to have! I'll be making a long round-trip today, so we'll see how it does! - Trip

I prefer separate options, but you know me--I love options. - Trip

I haven't seen any permits yet around here, and I've been checking several non-collocated sites around me in Alexandria and Fairfax County. And, of course, the Shentel sale hasn't closed, so nothing's happening there yet. I'm waiting to see 312250 show up there. - Trip

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the second rack from the top is Shentel. The normal looking panel is the Network Vision panel (800+PCS) while the gray rectangular one is some type of high-capacity 2.5 GHz panel that I've seen them use in very congested areas. It doesn't follow the standard GCI pattern. I'm having a hard time deciding which rack is T-Mobile, which is unusual for a site that is, in fact, upgraded to include 600 MHz. The panel that looks most like a 600/700 panel is the biggest panel on the bottom rack (left side of each face) with the right panel looking like it could be an AWS/PCS panel, so I'm going to say that's my educated guess. The other three racks with panels are Verizon (700/850/AWS/PCS), AT&T (700/750/AWS/PCS/2300), and US Cellular (700/850), but I can't tell you which is which. As far as the permit goes, I can't link to it as the site doesn't work in a way that allows obvious external links. But the permit site is here: http://countyviewweb.albemarle.org/Web_view_building_Web_view_building_BuildingApplicationSummary.aspx Paste B202001495ATWR into the search field and you should be able to figure out how to open the information on that permit, however incomplete the public-facing side is. - Trip

If that's the tower I think it is, I looked up the permit and while I think it's B202001495ATWR, the permitting site isn't descriptive enough to be able to tell you anything specific about it. I will say that every other carrier is already on that tower (minus Dish, who wouldn't be building yet) and I'm not sure why T-Mobile would want to move down the tower from the spot Shentel is in now (it's the second rack from the top if I'm not mistaken, the one with the wide gray rectangular antenna). - Trip

I picked one of the db files with both messages, and will PM you the link. - Trip

I figured out the unsupported carriers bit. Now and then my phones will see PLMNs that aren't supported, like 313100 for FirstNet. I doubt those need to be included, and there are sometimes garbage PLMNs that sneak in as well. The band versus carrier thing though, it seems like it's dropping more than an individual row; it said "Cluster #2" for example, which seems to be 512 rows. Is that expected behavior? - Trip

Tried to do the upload from my oldest phone, a G3 with a T-Mobile SIM, which I believe still uses modem commands to get the EARFCN, and got this. https://imgur.com/a/vuP7CHQ This is actually the last thing I'm doing with that phone before permanently retiring it as the screen appears to be failing. I got my mom's old phone from her over the weekend as we upgraded her at Christmas. Her old E4 Plus has now been rooted and will replace my G3 going forward. I used the upload function on my Verizon E5 Play, AT&T E5 Play, and my main Sprint G8X without issue. I need to upgrade and upload with the others, and will do so probably later today or tomorrow. I'll let you know if I encounter any other problems. EDIT: Here are two of my E5 Plays for T-Mobile giving messages: https://imgur.com/a/0AiAMMv I'm saving copies of the database files that give messages if you want to review them. - Trip

Looks like rebanding is finally finished. https://ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/103032263115410/800 MHz Monthly Report March 2021.pdf - Trip

Wi-Fi calling drops more often than VoLTE does, and I've yet to see it successfully hand off to the cell network. Actually, I suspect that's part of the problem; I have Wi-Fi calling disabled on my phone, yet I seem to get a notification that Wi-Fi calling can't connect on a semi-regular basis, as if it's enabled. I suspect T-Mobile has my phone set to ignore my preference and use Wi-Fi calling anyway. I've taken to turning off Wi-Fi on my phone as well to get around that particular issue when I know I'm leaving the house. I'd love to block it at the router if I could figure out how. - Trip

Beats me. I honestly don't remember how well it worked before the buy-out, as I didn't make a lot of long calls on my cell phone before COVID-19. But it definitely irks me now. One would think that T-Mobile would have this sorted out by now. I'll drop a call and when I call back it'll be on CDMA. Or I've taken to just turning off VoLTE entirely before making calls that I know, in advance, will be lengthy. Doesn't help when someone calls me. Beyond the lack of service in the Shentel region, lack of ability to turn off VoLTE was one of the reasons I had myself removed from ROAMAHOME. - Trip

Until VoLTE stops dropping calls without the "end of call" tone while my phone sits unmoving on my desk, I certainly still need CDMA. - Trip

If it was solely about where I lived, it wouldn't matter. I have Verizon FIOS at home, so wireless service is irrelevant to me. What matters is where I go. In those places, Sprint beats the stuffing out of T-Mobile all day long. I have mapped towers (over 16,400 now) for a number of areas, not just places I go regularly, where Sprint has no service, but T-Mobile has sparse service. By contrast, there are places where Sprint built out a real network, but T-Mobile also built out a sparse network. Evidence suggests to me that T-Mobile builds in less populated areas to fill out the map. Sprint built to provide real service. It means there are areas where Sprint has no service, but in those places, they would let you roam pretty freely so at least you had service. While in other places, Sprint had a real network, but T-Mobile was just trying to keep people from roaming and make the map look good. To the extent that they're not letting customers roam onto the Sprint network, which they own and thus costs literally nothing to roam on, that seems like serious malpractice. I would have thought that with two years to plan the merger, they would have figured out that the spin about Sprint's network being bad everywhere wasn't true. If they still believe that nearly a year after the merger, what does that say about the future of T-Mobile for Sprint customers? In any event, I was commenting more on the fact there are at least three different methods of moving people from Sprint to T-Mobile, all of which are different and inconsistent with no clear information on what benefits or detriments each one confers. It feels unnecessarily complicated and likely to cause frustration. I don't see why it's not set up so as to be as smooth and streamlined an experience as possible. - Trip

All I can think while reading all of this is how very user-hostile it all is. They had two years to plan for the integration and this trainwreck is the result? - Trip

To me, ads don't matter. Service does. - Trip

We'll find out. Given the prevalence of 312250 in my area, I have to imagine T-Mobile will ultimately keep most Shentel tower sites, except ones that are co-located or perhaps on immediately adjacent towers. - Trip

Yes, that's my experience as well, and comports with what I was told by someone in the know when I asked if there was a "keep" list. Given they had two years to plan, I'm not sure why they didn't work this out then, but... - Trip

Here's the (very short) SEC filing: https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1283699/000119312521025274/d262639d8k.htm I do find the math to be interesting. The entire Sprint network with its ~41 million non-wholesale customers went for $26 billion, while Shentel was valued at $2.1 billion with just 1.1 million customers (not sure if wholesale customers are included or not, assuming not as I assume Shentel can't do wholesaling). Had Shentel been valued as low as Sprint, the purchase price would have been under $1 billion. Speaks to the quality of the Shentel part of the network. - Trip

And here's the sale announcement: https://investor.shentel.com/news-releases/news-release-details/shenandoah-telecommunications-company-announces-195-billion - Trip

And here's the Shentel announcement: https://investor.shentel.com/news-releases/news-release-details/shenandoah-telecommunications-company-announces-195-billion - Trip

I have a pay-as-you-go prepaid SIM, which requires $10/month to activate. I throw $11 on it during a month when I want to use it for logging. - Trip