ericdabbs

Tmobile plans to launch 4x2 MIMO antenna technology in hopes to boost LTE network performance at cell edges.  I believe they will be the first major wireless carrier to deploy 4x2 MIMO so it will be interesting to see how the LTE performance will behave in these markets.

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/report-t-mobile-use-4-2-mimo-boost-lte-network-performance/2013-06-05

In case you guys missed my other post in the PRL thread...the latest round of PRLs  56015, 25015, 51097(iphone5), etc...basically all 800SMR capable devices have new updates as of 6/5/2013. 

 

to make it easier let's just say what's not 800SMR scanned now:

 

Here are the only 4 800SMR SIDs that are NOT in the scans:

 

22429,Sprint Nextel,Boise ID; Brigham City UT; Jackson Hole WY; Salt Lake City UT; St. George UT

22433,Sprint Nextel,Pendleton OR; Sandpoint ID; Spokane WA

22449,Sprint Nextel,Charlotte Amalie VI; Ponce PR; San Juan PR

22450,Sprint Nextel,Charlotte WV; Lynchburg VA; Roanoke VA

 

I also just looked at the iPhone PRL (51097).  It is still designed the same way on 800SMR as previously.    Scan PCS first and don't scan for 800SMR unless PCS is gone.  If PCS is gone, scan and acquire 800SMR then scan for PCS all the time as PCS is higher priority.  Android based phones are scan for 800SMR first and use it unless it is not available

So are you saying that your PRL file contains all of the 4 SIDs that are missing in the latest 6/5/13 release of Sprint stock PRLs?  I assume your PRL file is more complete than the Sprint stock PRLs?

At least another 20Mhz in all markets? I think anything over 40Mhz(including G) is overkill in markets where Clearwire has 50-60Mhz of continuous spectrum. 1xAdvanced has the ability to be configured to provide 4x the capacity over the same area as current 1x,  I do not believe Sprint will need to add any more 1x carriers, especially with the 1x carrier on the 800Mhz. LTE will distribute the burden off the PCS spectrum onto the BRS and 800Mhz Spectrum. 10Mhz of SMR + 20Mhz of PCS + 40Mhz of BRS is a ton of capacity. Verizon is going to be stuck with 20Mhz of 700 and only another 20-40Mhz of AWS.  Tmobile does not currently have any options outside their AWS spectrum, if it were to get burdened. 

There is no evidence that the 1x Advanced carriers has been configured for 4x capacity at the NV tower side.  So even though at some point it can be configured for 4x capacity it will still be years from now before we see that happening.

Also the "4x capacity" is a culmination of the tower side and handset side 1x Advanced upgrades which so far only the smartphones beginning in 2012 contain the qualcomm chip that supports 1x Advanced.  There are still plenty of folks out there including myself that have yet to upgrade which are still on 1x CDMA 2000.  Sprint cannot afford to collapse all CDMA voice into a single CDMA carrier on 800 and 1900 just yet.  Also we have to keep in mind that multiple 3G EVDO carriers are eating up precious spectrum which cannot be taken down until LTE is well into completion.  I see Sprint only taking down all EVDO carriers only to free up spectrum when it plans to take down the entire 3G network all together 1x and EVDO which would signal VoLTE is prime time ready which will be many years from now.  We still have AT&T and Tmobile running 2G networks for gosh sakes.

The problem with Clearwire TD-LTE is that currently it is going to be deployed on a hotspot basis.  Clearwire still hasn't mentioned any plan of upgrading all 16,000+ sites to TD-LTE and also to major markets that were never deployed with Wimax.  We just don't know the full plan that Softbank/Sprint have for TD-LTE yet and I find it hard financially and feasibly to deploy TD-LTE nationwide.  Therefore I am not convinced and going to overestimate the impact of TD-LTE in terms of its offloading capacity in most areas I will be in. 

All I am saying is that if that if Sprint can get at least another 10-20 MHz of PCS spectrum they should.  There is nothing wrong with Tmobile focusing only on AWS spectrum.  The AWS spectrum band is growing rapidly with the AWS-3 (2155-2180 Mhz paired with 1755-1780 MHz) spectrum being auctioned sometime next year which is 50 MHz of fresh AWS spectrum. Tmobile and possibly Verizon are going to be the major players bidding on that spectrum.  Tmobile will be fine and they can always refarm their PCS spectrum into LTE.

Sprint was trying to wash their hands of Clearwire, Clearwire was trying to sell spectrum (and nobody was biting). If Sprint want to compete with the other two, they need scale. Otherwise, if they try to compete with T-Mobile, they will just kill each other. Sprint was talking to T-Mobile before the abortive AT&T attempt and they were talking to them before T-Mobile absorbed MetroPCS. You might not think that they should merge with them but Sprint is definitely interested.

I noticed your posts seem to double quote the person you are quoting.  What is up with that?

No, they won't. Ever. Never, ever, ever! Clearwire is Sprint's differentiator. No other carrier will have so much spectrum.

If Sprint goes for Tmobile, they'll just be similar in AWS holdings to Verizon; how will that deliver a knockout to the Duo?

 

Sprint already has enough mid-band spectrum. Go in the DL section and you'll see an excel that lists markets in which Sprint can already launch a second 5x5 PCS LTE right NOW.

Verizon got good mileage from 20MHz at 700MHz spacing so imagine how long Sprint can go with 20MHz at 1900MHz spacing.

Verizon won round one, the coverage battle, but capacity is round two.

 

Sprint needs a little more 600MHz (about 10MHz) to augment its motley SMR and Clearwire.

I disagree that Sprint has enough mid band spectrum at 1900 MHz.  There are still plenty of markets that have < 20 MHz of PCS spectrum (not counting G block) that can use more capacity relief. Since the PCS band is Sprint's main band for voice and data, Sprint should still strive to get at least another 20 MHz of PCS in all markets. Bidding aggressively for nationwide PCS H block spectrum licenses will be a good start.  I am not going to bank on 600 MHz spectrum as the savior since we don't know how willing the TV broadcasters are going to give up their spectrum.  It can be a small band which wont' do too much for capacity relief.

Hopefully HTC will not be scared to do a split screen considering all the lawsuits back in 2012. They can use the same stylus and revampted software similar to the HTC Flyer/Evo View. Would be pretty cool though.

I don't think HTC will be as scared to do a split screen functionality now considering that Samsung has made the bold move to lead the way.  Even LG has a slight variation of a split screen.  The reason Google made a big deal about multiwindow functionality on Android was that they were afraid that not all apps were able to support it and might screw up the user experience.  Thus far Samsung's implementation has not ruin user experience.

Are the rumors that the HTC "T6" phablet will come out in Sept/Oct around the same time as the Note 3?  I'll be curious if this T6 phablet will have the same aluminum body as the HTC One and whether it will carry a stylus with HTC's own software.  I would really like to see HTC come out with a multiwindow function like Samsung. I think its great what Samsung has done with the multiwindow functionality.

LG makes an ok attempt with Qslide for multiwindow functionality but its applications are still very limited to LG's select few.  If LG can allow devs to develop for LG's Qslide it would help a lot.

I still cannot support the Tmobile/Sprint merger, I would hate to see another nationwide network being torn down. I kinda wish Sprint was forced to sell the lease rights to the towers, so we could possibly seen some new competition. I do believe their is enough spectrum between all the carriers to have 5 national competitors. Also once a network does down, it will never come back and the cost for new towers seems to great for new entries into the wireless game. I guess I am really just afraid of us turning into Canada South.

Having 3 major carriers in the US would suck after seeing how much Canadian cell phone service cost.  I mean as much as I like Sprint, I like to have choice in case Sprint does not work for me.

I know Tmobile can be a viable competitor if only it had some low band spectrum which the 600 MHz would help with that to help with coverage.  Maybe Leap, US Cellular and Dish can team up to be competitor in case a Sprint and Tmobile merger were to occur.

Either way the first thing I want Sprint to deal with is the Clearwire situation.  Get that out of the way with Clearwire under their belt and begin integrating 2.5 GHz TD-LTE into the Sprint network ASAP.

After a few years down the road when Sprint and Tmobile are almost complete with their Network Vision projects and Tmobile has finished integrating MetroPCS into their network, Sprint and Tmobile can begin talking about any possible merger if there is mutual interest.  The key is both Sprint and Tmobile need to have sufficient LTE networks up and running that covers their 3G footprint and that will certainly take another 2-3 years.

If Sprint does have a specialty group now within the company to begin thinking of how to integrate Sprint and Tmobile from a technical and business standpoint then kudos to them to think ahead.  Planning is very important and the last thing any of us want is another Sprint/Nextel type of merger.

So, over all I think it is in Sprint's best interest for Dish to have Clearwire minus the BRS spectrum. That way Sprint can say there is a viable 4th network if they decide to go after T-Mobile.

If Dish were to acquire Clearwire completely, why would Sprint still have the right to keep all of the BRS spectrum?  Charlie is not dumb and knows that BRS spectrum is more valuable and doesn't have to deal with spectrum leases like in EBS.  Charlie wouldn't let Hesse have that since Charlie believes in a zero sum game. 

Sprint needs Clearwire and if it means they have to wait for the end of November clock to do so they will to modify the rules.  Son wants all that 2.5 GHz spectrum to help build a strong Sprint network to compete on LTE just like in Japan.  I don't see Softbank/Sprint give up that easily on Clearwire.

Anyone have a graphic of the Canadian IBEZ boundary?

Wow that Mexican IBEZ boundary is so large.  It practically almost covers Los Angeles. Hopefully Sprint and the Mexican government can work something out so that Tucson and San Diego can get 800 MHz support at some point.

Also does anyone know how long ago did Alcatel Lucent switched over from the older RRU setups to the newer RRU setups?  

someone said that sprint is going to have the 800mgz lte in every market on june 30 i think that is not possible

 

That is just crazy talk. June 30th is the first day that sprint can start shutting down nextel sites. Probably wont see first 800 mhz LTE sites accepted until august.

Sent from my Motorola Photon 4G using Tapatalk 2

Any word on Clearwire postponing their shareholder vote?

Clearwire postponed the shareholder vote because of the latest Dish counterbid offer.  No date has been set for the reschedule of the shareholder vote.

My only concern is that I'm fearful that if we go down to three providers in the US, that we become Canada South. There's also a good chance Son could kiss CDMA2000 goodbye as the primary voice transmission if SoftBank also aquires T-Mobile and rolls it into Sprint. Son wants his device ecosystem and T-Mobile would move SoftBank closer to that.

A Sprint/Tmobile tie up wont' happen for a few years anyways...don't worry.  Sprint is not going to engage in back to back mega mergers and will focus on Network Vision 2.0.  Besides you want Sprint and Tmobile to be remain separate as they both accumulate additional spectrum (PCS, AWS and 600 MHz) and each company needs to focus on their own "Network Vision" before they merge.  I see Leap and US Cellular get bought up before Sprint/Tmobile tie the knot.   

I understand that. I only posted the slide because there seemed to be some questions on it.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for the image.  I feel better about it now.  In this case, maybe the best route for Sprint to go to acquire Clearwire is to wait it out until November.  I just hope the release of tri-band LTE devices are not delayed because of this Clearwire debacle.  I know Sprint has already sent out a press release talking about tri-band LTE devices later on this year but who knows.

I'm not sure that Dish wants it for mobile video necessarily. I think they want it for fixed broadband, fixed VOD and OTT. I would rather that Sprint took the money and ran particularly if they get the price that Dish is willng to pay to $5 or $6. I know I sound like a broken record, but there are better frequencies for mobile broadband.

Where are you going  to find these "better" frequencies?  The only upcoming spectrum auctions in the next few years are the PCS H block, AWS-3 block, possibly 600 MHz and possibly some other one from 1695-1710 Mhz (FCC still looking for paired 15 MHz of downlink spectrum). 

I would like Sprint to dip into the AWS pool since most of the other major carriers are supporting it but I think its going to be hard to convince Son to drop 2.5 GHz completely since he has a TD-LTE ecosystem built in Japan already.

Sprint and SoftBank can close right after FCC approval without Clearwire, if SoftBank wants to do that.

 

Robert via Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

I am trying to see if there are any cons for closing the Sprint/Softbank deal in July if they can do so.  If there isn't really a con, I don't see why Softbank/Sprint wouldn't do it to seal the deal.  If Softbank made Sprint and Clearwire combo a condition and the merger would not occur without it, then it gives Dish more firepower to continue to just 1 up Softbank every time they propose a new Clearwire offer knowing it will continue to delay the completion of the merger.  If the Softbank/Sprint deal is finalized then Charlie knows he only has Clearwire to hang his hopes on and Sprint can play the waiting game until end of November to seal the deal.

Sprint just needs to ride out until the end of November, voting down every Dish deal until then and keep Clearwire solvent with cash.  Clearwire will still deploy its TD-LTE during this time providing some benefit for new tri-band devices coming in the Fall.

 

After November 30th, Sprint gobbles up the rest of Clearwire matching any deal Dish made in the interim.  Sprint already owns 54% of Clearwire.  It will only be paying for the rest.  Even if they have to over pay by $1 to $2 per share, it will be worth it in the long run.  

 

Between now and then, If Charlie can agree to a reasonable offer for just the EBS spectrum, Sprint should agree to sell that.  Also, a network hosting deal for Dish if reasonable terms can be reached.  However, I believe that no reasonable offer will be accepted by Dish.  He wants to own it, for two reasons.  One, so he will have long term security and not be beholden to have to renegotiate in the future when a deal expires.  And two, so he can have it for no cost.  He cannot stand that someone would make a profit off him.

 

I believe Sprint/SoftBank could work out a deal with anyone to resolve this.  Except for possibly Charlie.  The only way Charlie will agree to a deal is if everyone else loses.  If everyone else doesn't lose, then he sees he left money on the table.  Yet, he is willing to overpay for Clearwire.  He's shrewd, but he's a dumbass.

 

Robert

So how does this affect the Sprint/Softbank/Clearwire merger deal which was suppose to be able to close in July at the earliest.  I guess if Softbank/Sprint plays this Clearwire debacle until end of November then this Sprint/Softbank/Clearwire merger won't be closed until early 2014?

Emmm...smoked turkey.  *drool*

 

Robert

You sound like Homer Simpson!!

Can Sprint just buy more of the shares now to get more ownership stake in Clearwire?

Charlie Ergen really must hate SoftBank. A lot.

I think this all started when Dish and Charlie learned that Sprint was up for sale.  I think prior to the Softbank deal, no one knew that Sprint was up for sale.  Since Charlie is so desperate to enter the mobile video business, he understands he needs spectrum and a wireless carrier that can build out a LTE network that can deploy their S-band spectrum. He understood that the cell phone service is where most of the mobile video traffic is coming from and that most people have a cell phone its a perfect market to enter in.  Of course Charlie Ergen hates Softbank a lot because he is competing against them for a major wireless carrier that can help deploy his vision.

I do not think the current Sprint deal will be enough. I wonder if they do not just wait until the Standstill Agreement ends.  Dish is definitely desperate, which is probably why they are willing to continue this bidding war. It is probably smarter for Sprint to wait it out instead of engaging. 

What is the "standstill agreement"?  Is this the thing about some period expires in November where it only needs 50% of the vote instead of 75%?

Has softbank publicly acknowledged that the Softbank/Sprint deal is dependent on whether they acquire Clearwire outright?  If so then that plan is definitely backfiring on Softbank's face. 

As Dish's attempts at getting Sprint grow dimmer with the national security issue resolved today, it seems that Dish can throw any arbitrary number higher than $3.40 to block the vote for Clearwire given that Softbank might say "No" if it can't get Clearwire with the Sprint package.  Its genius if you ask me.  It helps stall time to give Sprint more time to consider the Dish bid if they know Softbank would drop out if they don't get Clearwire.

I am confused though, how can Dish still acquire Clearwire if Sprint still has majority vote on the company and they would obviously vote "No" on that deal?  It seems like a DOA proposition and Dish is just trying to drive the price up.  Why doesn't Dish just propose an outrageous number like $10/share and stop playing the cat and mouse game.

No tri-band, no sale. I'm still pissed off at Motorola for the way that they abandoned the original Photon anyway.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Don't get me started.  I am still livid about the abandoned ICS project on the Photon.  Since its slated to be released in 2H 2013, it should have tri-band LTE so I am not so worried about that.  I think Sprint knows the importance of needing to begin releasing tri-band LTE phones on its flagship products.