RedSpark

That’s certainly peculiar given that. Perhaps they’re limiting the costs associated with the 5G deployment, such as limiting backhaul costs, until the merger goes either way? I’d love to see a backhaul deal with RCN in the DC/MD/VA Market area: https://www.rcn.com/hub/about-rcn/where-we-service/dc-metro-service-areas/

Did Sprint actually add any backhaul for these Massive MIMO sites for 5G or was it merely an equipment swap? What would Sprint have to do to provision additional backhaul to these 5G sites? Would it have to run/light up additional fiber or is it a matter of just paying more money on the existing lines for additional backhaul capacity? How much backhaul is Sprint actually running and how much does it cost? How much more would it cost to bring Sprint’s backhaul up to competitive parity with the backhaul of the other carriers? It seems to me based on what you’re saying that Millimeter Wave as used/deployed by the other carriers is not only faster because of its inherent spectrum properties, but also because there’s more backhaul capacity running to those sites than Sprint utilizes.

Would the speeds increase if additional backhaul was deployed to these 5G sites, or is this the real-world threshold of Sprint’s 2.5 Spectrum?

Very nice!

I really enjoy using Rootmetrics on iOS.

USA Mobile Network Experience Report (July 2019) https://www.opensignal.com/reports/2019/07/usa/mobile-network-experience Here’s where Sprint stands. Lots of work to do... although Sprint was only .1 behind AT&T in 4G availability percentage.

We’ll see how this marketing approach works out for Sprint. So far so good it seems!

Sprint to test aerial HAPSmobile system for LTE connectivity FCC Docs: Pretty cool!

I ran multiple Rootmetrics App speed tests along the route. I utilized different servers and ran the tests multiple times. At certain locations while on the tracks, I was able to pull 100 Mbps down. At other locations it dropped out completely for a couple minutes, dropped to 1x or it was barely hanging on to 1 bar of LTE as we went along. It did this repeatedly. I ran speedtests when it did that and I reported the issue in the My Sprint App. Given that I received a mix of good and essentially “zero” speeds in locations, I’m not sure that signal degradation was the issue. I believe it’s more due to poor tower spacing and congestion. Based on my experience yesterday, Sprint’s service along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor needs some major improvement, because honestly I was left holding a brick at times. Emails wouldn’t load. Links wouldn’t load. You can’t market a service like this.

I prefer to lurk on Twitter to be honest.

The tweet states that 285 macro sites have been upgraded and that 41 small cell sites have been brought on air. That figure doesn’t seem to correlate with the number/color of dots on the map image.

As first spotted by @nexgencpu. Curious what the difference is between the red and blue dots.

Very nice. What’s the difference between the red and blue dots?

I agree with you to a point. 5G does serve a purpose, and if it helps address a saturated LTE network, then that’s great. However, my experience yesterday is a glaring example of how Sprint is not accomplishing the basics. Millions of customers ride the Northeast Corridor every year. That’s millions of prospective and current Sprint customers. A network not working when you need it to is the quickest way to lose a customer (or not gain one), and if you tell a friend/colleague who’s on another carrier that your device doesn’t have coverage to do something (and they do), why would they ever switch?

All this news about 5G is great, but I was on Amtrak yesterday for a day trip between Washington DC (Union Station) and Iselin, NJ (Metropark Station), and Sprint’s coverage while on the trip was atrocious. It repeatedly dropped to no 1x, 1x, 1 bar of LTE, or unusable LTE with more than one bar. (I have a fully updated iPhone XS and I reported the network issues where/when I could.) It makes me wonder if any of Sprint’s Network Team has tested/ridden the Amtrak Northeast Corridor and tried using their device(s). How can they expect anyone to get work done (or other personal usage) while on the trip with this level of network performance? Hopefully Sprint addresses this, because 5G only goes so far in acquiring new and keeping customers. Sprint needs to address these fundamentals.

Now available nationwide.

Glad to see this!

Sprint Closes Asset Sale, Inches Closer to T-Mobile Merger Inching along...

Here’s Sprint’s Unlimited Plan Pricing/Features: https://www.sprint.com/en/shop/plans/unlimited-cell-phone-plan.html The plans are differentiated by SD/HD/Full HD streaming, Hotspot Allotment, International Roaming Allotment and bundled services. It’s all on the page. Four lines on: Unlimited Basic: $140/Month Unlimited Plus: $180/Month Unlimited Premium: $220/Month Vs Framily: https://newsroom.sprint.com/sprint-redefines-the-wireless-family-with-the-new-sprint-framily-plan.htm 4 lines on Framily with the Unlimited Data add-on for each line is $60/Month per line, for a total of $240/Month. You should consider switching plans.

What happens after July 29th? Is it over at that point? Does Sprint get the breakup fee? Here’s info on that: As noted by Axios, Sprint and T-Mobile won’t have to pay a breakup fee if regulators from the FCC or Department of Justice manage to kill the proposed merger. However, according to documents the companies filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, T-Mobile would owe Sprint $600 million if the company decides to walk away from the transaction, among other circumstances.

Haha! Google is the king of abandonware.

I don't believe Sprint/SoftBank will die. SoftBank has simply never given Sprint the capital it needed to compete. Masa put Marcelo in there to slim the company down and prepare it for a merger. At the same time, Marcelo fed the market stories like this: https://www.cnet.com/news/sprint-ceo-give-us-two-years-and-our-network-will-blow-past-rivals/ (May 27, 2015) It's unfortunate that in the dogged pursuit of a merger that Masa passed on the 600 MHz spectrum to pursue a monopole deployment strategy, which everyone in traditional tower telecom (given their own inherent self-interest of course) said wouldn't work... and it didn't (costing $180 Million in the process).... and now Sprint is in the position of having to deploy 5G on a nationwide scale, without the economic benefits associated with having lowband spectrum to do it. Furthermore, Sprint's lack of lowband spectrum is one of Sprint's primary justifications for the merger with T-Mobile. The DOJ and the market at large shouldn't grant SoftBank a merger under these circumstances. Real competition is keeping 4 carriers on the market. Reducing the market to 3 competitors is a net negative overall in my opinion.

They bought Sprint with the intention of merging with T-Mobile, but as the majority owner in such a transaction. That’s not what’s happening now.... and SoftBank shouldn’t be bailed out on its inability/unwillingness to invest in Sprint by the DOJ or by the market.

Has SoftBank’s inability or unwillingness to invest in Sprint been put forth as a justification for the merger?