RAvirani

Clearwire is a reasonably good analog.  But the word "region" should be replaced with "license."  Clearwire BRS is licensed on a BTA basis.  For license protection, it deployed at least 1-2 sites per BTA.

 

Sprint PCS G block is licensed on a BEA basis -- the same as the Nextel SMR spectrum it replaces as compensation in rebanding.  BEA based licenses are geographically larger than BTA based licenses.  So, Sprint likely will need to roll out greater than 1-2 sites per BEA.  However, 2-5 sites in each BEA titular city, plus maybe 1-2 sites in a secondary city would cover the "substantial service" requirement, no questions asked.

 

Do not get your hopes up, guys.  I do not anticipate a massive Sprint buildout in the rural West.  Montana could be a different story, since Sprint has acquired some significant assets from now defunct Chinook Wireless.  Otherwise, look for a few sites in larger cities, such as Rapid City and Casper, as well as at popular tourist locations, such as Yellowstone.

 

Unlike the popular groundswell for T-Mobile, people in underserved markets are not chomping at the bit, "I wanna get me some Sprint."  T-Mobile is taking a footprint expansion gamble that it hopes will pay off.  It may not.  The newly constructed T-Mobile coverage may be okay, but it will not be solid -- you can count on that.  You do not build a mature wireless network in a year.  So, many of those rural dwellers tempted by T-Mobile marketing may not stick around very long, leaving their no contract plans and returning to the Twin Bells.  Sprint cannot afford that same gamble right now.

 

AJ

I don't see why even tmo would expand to a state like Montana - 6 ppl/mi2 is nothing - even if they captured a good half of the market...

So sprint could put up like 2 sites and say it's substantial service. I don't think that would fly with the FCC there has to be a specific number to go by.

 

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

Apparently not. I know the MTA licenses have specific requirement based on spectrum depth (10mhz, 15mhz: 25% pops; 30mhz: 33% pops I think) but apparently these requirements are literally "substantial service". I don't know how they could have been more generic lol.

"Substantial service" by next summer, 2016.

 

AJ

What exactly are the PCS G block's build out requirements? What percentage of the population by when?

Do You want to cause massive interference because that's how you cause massive interference.

Sent from my Nexus 5

How would this cause interference?

Look at the plmnid. 310-410 is Att.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

Whoops I misread that I thought it said 310-470.

I wonder what kind of errors sprint will see by using 310120, I wonder if they use GCI's on the back end to identify towers and if they will start to send some of that data out to New Jersey to the wrong site. Hopefully they have static IP or use the site name to identify what site gets what data sent to it.

 

On a side note I ran through nTelos yesterday I did not connect to lte. But I had my phone set to "lte only" and I saw something strange south of Morgantown WV I saw a 10 by the BW. So maybe 10x10 in Morgantown when lte comes on for sprint users.  

That's bang in the middle of the PCS D block and B block...which exact spectrum holdings did nTelos have?

The only really distinguishing feature I can really see is the what appears to be a microwave antenna of some kind that the Samsung equipment seems to lack. The antennas themselves look to be roughly the same size. I see a lot of these when I'm in Sprint's WiMAX footprint in Cleveland, OH.

While I'm thinking about it, is there a glossary of terms and acronyms somewhere on S4GRU? It took me about a month to figure out that a "RRU" was a remote radio head, and I still have no idea what a GMO is.

Yea I have seen those microwave antenna thingys on huwei equipment too...does anyone have any idea what those actually are?

Yes, but TDD works differently than FDD. The problem that users on Sprint have with 20 MHz B41, which is TDD, the theoretical max upload speeds are lower than that of a 10 MHz B17 carrier. Which means that when at cell edge, say -125 dBm like you used in your example, the 10 MHz FDD carrier will have a higher upload speed than the 20 MHz TDD carrier, which means the FDD carrier can communicate to the tower better than the TDD carrier can.

 

You could use the argument that one is 700 MHz vs 2.5/2.6 GHz so one propagates much better than the other, but when you're talking in terms of when either signal is -125 dBm, IIRC, they are at an equally terrible signal strength, so both perform the same (if they were both using the same LTE technology).

 

-Anthony

What time ratio does sprint use for TD-LTE?

Or the fact that AT&T uses 10 MHz wide carriers rather than 5 Mhz wide carriers.

 

-Anthony

AT&T doesn't use CDMA for voice.  Sprint Triband LTE devices uses Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB) to fallback on CDMA.  If you don't have a working data connection (download and upload) on weak LTE signal... your SOL on an incoming voice call.  B41 with RSRP of -125 which I have experienced myself issues with incoming calls because of a weak LTE signal that needs to be able to communicate back to the network.

 

Here is an article on CSFB which Sprint is dependent on for voice functionality:  http://s4gru.com/index.php?%2Fblog%2F1%2Fentry-357-nexus-5-and-lg-g2-experience-temporary-sprint-lte-connectivity-issues-due-to-circuit-switched-fallback-technology%2F

Also, AT&T falls back to HSPA+ to take calls and since I see DBMs like -125 on AT&T LTE a lot and calls go through just fine, their phones must be able talk to the network just fine.  Maybe it's that lower frequencies like B17 (700mhz) work better at those DBMs?

The problem is you need a functional upload connection on LTE.  If it ain't functional you won't be able to receive any calls on a tri-band device.

That's Iowa for you- widespread (but slow) 3G EV-DO that penetrates everywhere, and spotty but fast LTE B25/26 (When you can catch it). I wish we could keep the signal for longer, but the towers need lots of tuning and good 'ol Apple loves our batteries too much to let us use a weak LTE signal *Sigh* .

I have AT&T iPhones and I see them holding LTE as far as -125 on B17, functioning fine...

Has anyone seen any B41 CA in the pudget sound area yet because Seattle was supposed to be one of the CA markets

CCA us a network members hub that streamlines and centralizes roaming rights negotiations between carriers to a single place so that it's easier and cheaper to strike roaming agreements with each other.

 

Members can negotiate whatever ether want through the hub.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

Ok that makes sense. So which members does sprint have agreements with right now?

Yep. If they so choose.

 

Using Tapatalk on Nexus 6

Wait they aren't required to allow roaming with Sprint? I thought all CCA member were required to allow roaming on their network from all of the other members...

5s doesn't support b41 anyway, so unless they convert the clear tower to full b25/b26/b41 build, he is going to be SOL regardless.

I will be getting a 6S when it releases on sep. 18 or whenever so I will be able to access B41.

Well, I stand by my assessment.  I highly doubt that Sprint will seek to standardize just a band 25 uplink + band 41 downlink.  That would not really even be true CA -- it would be like an entirely new 3GPP band with the uplink and downlink separated by 700 MHz, somewhat akin to AWS-1/3 with its 400 MHz duplex offset.

 

No, if Sprint goes down this path, I fully expect it will go with a PCC band 25 uplink/downlink + SCC band 41 downlink CA strategy.  Both PCC band 26 uplink/downlink + SCC band 41 CA and PCC band 26 uplink/downlink + SCC band 25 downlink CA should be standardized at that time, too.  The question in my mind, though, is whether Sprint will pursue the unconventional FDD + TDD CA -- or just use available BRS/EBS spectrum for 20 MHz supplemental downlink CA, no TDD in that combo.

 

AJ

I honestly think that sprint will end up aggregating 20mhz TDD-LTE bands in 2600 and stay away from FDD-TDD aggregation. I can see them doing stuff with 800 and 1900 aggregation though...

The fact that we are even able to discuss band 25 becoming under utilized due to the prevalence of a higher capacity band shows just how far Sprint has really come.

Remember the dark ages before lte XD

8T8R? Anyway, that's impressive considering that -120 cuts off LTE for a lot of devices.

I mean I've seen devices hold on as low as -140 LTE but the programming doesn't let them normally. I really wish the phone programming had it holding on until ~130 or so because LTE on B41 is still very usable at that signal. From my experience, 1900 is good until about -120 too.

It's more that there are still a lot of drops to 3G, especially here in eastern Iowa in areas that B26 should be able to cover. I really hate not being able to hold onto a -112 B25 signal and dropping to 3G, it happens a lot here in cedar rapids.

Yea if only our phones held on to weak LTE like -112...

Your profile indicates sponsor level status now, so you can check out the Clearwire maps. Any WiMax to B41 conversions have been completed. Now we are waiting on Clear to Sprint conversions to ramp up. If you look at the NV sites completed - changes list, you can see there have been several Clear to Sprint conversions over the last few weeks.

Ok. Now that I am a sponsor I will check out the maps and see. Thanks!

There is some WiMax thinning going on. It's possible your site could be converted before Nov. 6, but either way you are likely going to be without good service for a while. Is Clear your home ISP?

 

Sent from my LG G4

Clear isn't my main home ISP but during the winter, I use the hotspot A LOT because the power and Internet go out often.

Does your clear site broadcast B41? Do you not get any Sprint service at all otherwise?

 

Sent from my LG G4

The clear site does not broadcast B41 and the service is like -100+ eHRPD/1x or Verizon roaming at my house.

I agree the iPhone 5s dosnt support WiMax only 3g/4g LTE. Are you using WiMax for your home internet service?

I should probably update my profile because I have a clear hotspot too.

Where do you go in the Sprint Zone app to turn this on?

Yea...is this even an option on iPhone considering Apple doesn't allow access to most of the libraries I would imagine are necessary to have a feature like that?