MtnSierraSprint

I was looking for a Nevada Market section and could not find it. Is this where folks from Nevada discuss their market/network ? RE: "Spectrum Analysis...Parts 1 & 2" (2/2012) http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-27-spectrum-analysisdoes-sprint-have-more-options-for-additional-lte-carriers/ http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-33-spectrum-analysis-part-twosprint-and-t-mobile-spare-pcs-spectrum-would-pair-nicely-for-a-lte-partnership/ "Sprint is rolling out its Network Vision platform this year, utilizing its “green field” PCS G block 10 MHz nationwide licenses to deploy an initial 5 MHz x 5 MHz LTE channel" "Sprint can and does operate many of its CDMA2000 markets (e.g. Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, etc.) in only 20 MHz of licensed PCS A-F block spectrum" I am trying to figure out why Sprint is only using 5x5 B25, at least in the San Francisco Bay Area. "So, Sprint could stand pat with its planned 5 MHz x 5 MHz LTE roll out (while VZW launches 10 MHz x 10 MHz in all of its LTE markets, AT&T in most of its LTE markets). Or, better yet, Sprint could add a fifth prong to its plan of attack: Sprint leverages its existing PCS A-F block spectrum assets for an additional LTE channel in many top markets." from Spectrum Analysis Pt. 1 "Sprint has numerous markets in which it holds 30 MHz of licensed PCS A-F spectrum, thus could potentially set aside that “surplus” 10 MHz for a second 5 MHz x 5 MHz LTE channel in those 30 MHz markets" from Spectrum Analysis Pt. 2 It sounds like in addition to the capacity B41 offers, there is room to increase B25. If additional blocks are available of freed up how difficult is it to activate it? Have the NV improvements made this easier to do?

they are all good reasons, but I like the "John & Marcelo hate each other" the best. John has been fun and stirred things up, but its time for a grownup, and Marcelo's tweet Straight Outta Bullsh*t shows he can be fun too.

saywhatman - Thanks.

Glad to hear things are moving in the right direction in Alameda. Shame you may not be able to surf the web while your eating lunch, but hopefully things will continue to improve and that will get taken care of. It would be interesting to know how big the B41 pipe is in Alameda. Excuse me if I am using incorrect terminology, I am sure someone here can correct me, but if it is currently single carrier which I guess would be 20 x 20 B41 and that is increased then is it possible those indoor areas will get reception. I am frequently in the hills over by the Claremont Hotel and 13/24 interchange. Rush hour overwhelms every carrier's capacity, particularly when UC Berkeley is in session which increases the population of Berkeley by 30%. You have everyone heading south out of Berkeley on 13 and everyone in Contra Costa County returning home from work on 24 through the Caldocot Tunnel. I will post some picts of the towers over by Lake Temiscal if anyone is interested, if it has not been done already. I assume Sprint has towers there as well as by the tunnel. TMobile has an antenae on top of a power pole in the 100 block of Tunnel Rd. too. That one looks pretty basic, but I would think Sprint could place one or two in the same general area which would help with capacity in a high traffic zone. I think those antenaes that attach to the top of the telephone poles are perfect, as far as having a small footprint and not being too obnoxious. I supect that TMobile antenae was picked up from ATT and has been there for a long time. At any rate the hills are a case that require 700/800 MHZ spectrum and I am afraid Sprints 5 x 5 B26 is not enough. Between the politics and the terrain I think at least 10 x 10 600MHZ in combination with the B26 and B41 densification is what it will take to change things. If Sprint needs someone to get the neighborhood(s) behind a B41 pole top antnenae give me a shout. The neighborhoods in this area are well organized and know how to get things done. In what way is it optimized?

Thanks for your helpful detailed observations. I am curious what size blocks does Sprint currently have for B25 and B26 in the Bay Area. My understanding is B26 is 5 x 5. I have heard service in the "flats" of Berkeley/Emeryville/El Cerito/Albany has always been spotty with Sprint. Getting permits in Berkeley is challenging but doable. In fact one concern I have had since NV was announced is that I have seen very few Sprint permit applications listed, disclaimer - I have not checked this in over a year. There is vocal opposition to cell towers, but I think the majority of residents are fed up with restricted service in a community where people work in higher education, science, and technology. I assume there are a few members/visitors to this forum who reside or work in Berkeley and I would welcome hearing more first hand accounts of any progress or black holes that you have noticed recently. It looks like Sprint has done a good job around UC Berkeley, I would be interested if people have noticed improvements and are happy with capacity, speeds, and coverage. I would also like to hear from anyone who has recent experiences using BART particularly in San Francisco and the East Bay. Nothing tests wireless capacity on BART like a ten car train in the tube during rush hour! When you say it is saturated, are you getting dropped calls, unable to make calls, or slow data? Where there is B41 how well is it holding up indoors?

I have not seen much activity here recently and was wondering what kind of experience people have been having in the Bay Area now, in particular San Francisco, Marin, and the East Bay (Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley). Are speeds and coverage improving and becoming more consistent when you are on the move?

I hope so too! I had not heard of that problem. One thing related to the screen is I hope Apple sticks with Corning, Gorilla Glass 4 or one of the other next gen glass products Corning has in the works. I had seen rumors earlier this year that Foxcon was ramping up Sapphire production, possibly for the iPhone 6s/7. I thought this was kind of funny, a typo I hope, but this article went so far as to state Foxcon "is planning to open up a new planet to manufacture sapphire glass ......." "New information coming from Focus Taiwan online publication says that Foxconn is planning to open up a new planet to manufacture sapphire glass screens for the 2015 iPhone models."

TMobile is the low bar. - "Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said last week that he expects Sprint’s network to be number one or two in the nation within 18 to 24 months." - That will require displacing ATT or Verizon or both. I hope he is right, but I will not ignore reasons to question the enthusiasm of any wireless carrier CEO. I call a bank robber a bank robber. If bank robber A robbed 35 banks and bank robber B robbed 7 banks, I still call them both bank robbers. As someone who has filed complaints with the FTC and the California PUC against my carrier, I have not and will not give any of them a pass. Once again I am new here so I do not want to disparage Sprint uneccesarily, but it is no secret the extent to which this industry requires regulation and oversight given all of them (ATT, Sprint, TMobile, and Verizon) have repeatedly crossed the line of both legal and ethical business practices. Just because Sprint supports Net Neutrality as I do, does not change the facts. I am going to go further on this. Over ten years I have spent hours and weeks on the phone arguing with Verizon reps over incorrect billing, and plan features being changed "by accident", listened to claims that "that feature is no longer offered and there is no way we can change it back", and then when they finally get it that I am not going to leave it alone, they admit their mistakes and take steps to correct issues they previously stated were impossible to correct. The saying "an elephant never forgets" applies here for all customers regardless of carrier. My guess as evidenced by TMobile's growth, is that there are a lot of customers who will not hesitate to jump ship if there is a carrier that offers better value and that cuts the B.S. and holds itself to the highest ethical standards (that is not to say TMobile has done so). When we see Sprint offering new "Unlimited" plans that throttle video streaming, when I go into Sprint stores where the staff is simply not trained adequately - "we have unlimited domestic roaming on all of our unlimited plans", in response to what is the roaming cap on the plan you are offering me, I see reason to continue to be concerned and room for improvement. I was considering including recent headlines regarding the fines handed out to all carriers just in the last year, but I think everyone here has read them and understands they are justified. The more money consumers give to these recalcitrant companies, the more those consumers implicitly subsidize the douchebaggery. Once again Sprint is "subsidize(ing) the douchebaggery" in relying on Verizon to fill in much of its national coverage, and only getting the lowest quality service out of the deal.

True, but it is a national artery that connects the West Coast to the Midwest, not to mention the West Coast to the East Coast. San Francisco, Chicago, to New York, it does not get more main street than that across the U.S. I undestand the prioriteis, and do not expect Sprint's capex to hit $15 billion next year as much as I wish it would. It does show there are some real gaps that are not yet being addressed.

500 miles is a long way for a road like that. Me personaly I like taking Route 50 or Route 6 + the Extra Terrestrial Highway. "VZW, its parent company long has been a douchebag to the FCC and American public over issues such as deregulation, wired broadband expansion, and Net Neutrality. Consumers who pay VZW for service help enable that douchebaggery." Wireless companies, all, are ________. You can fill in the blank. I am new here so I will watch my language. Regarding paying VZW for service, it would seem Sprint is itself paying a premium for the poorest service that VZW provides. Sprint can change that. I think TMobile's success in part reflects disgust with wireless carriers and a willingness to support an underdog that is going to bat for the consumer even if their service is not perfect.

"Verizon extorts money from Sprint because they can. They charge sprint somewhere in the hundred(s) of dollars per GB in areas where no other roaming partners exist." "Verizon won't be shutting down CDMA 1x anytime soon. Thin it out to bare minimum? Most likely but total shutdown is unlikely." It sounds like the sooner Sprint can become less reliant on Verizon the better. I was hopeful that a combination of partnerships that allow for native coverage and network expansion were going to be addressing this. Here is a dated article regarding Verizon's CDMA: When Will Verizon shutter its CDMA Netwrks - "even if Verizon doesn’t shut down 2G and 3G sites for another nine years (2021), there’s nothing stopping it from whittling away at them. Verizon’s CDMA 1X and EV-DO technologies can persist on very little bandwidth, meaning Verizon could keep nationwide 2G and 3G networks with only a handful of megahertz. " https://gigaom.com/2012/10/11/when-will-verizon-shutter-its-cdma-networks-2021-maybe/ I was looking at the most recent "NV Sites Complete - 14AUG2015" and was surprised to not see anything on Interstate 80 between Fernley/Fallon NV. and Salt Lake with the exception of Wendover on the Utah Nevada state line - 500 miles.

Thanks AJ for your assessment. I have been a guest visitor to S4GRU for many years, particularly the last two years as Sprint's potential, network upgrades, and change in management are indicators of meaningful change. I decided to join and support this one of a kind community and resource now that I am seriously considering Sprint. The Sprint store in S.F. has offered me a very attractive plan/rate, and I am going to be upgrading my phone in September/October to a cross carrier compatible model. That is another question probably for another Topic List in the S4GRU Forums and that is which phones are or will (next 2 - 3 months) be fully compatible across VZW,Sprint, and TMobile (I personaly have no interest in ATT). At this point it looks like Nexus 6 and hopefully the upcoming iPhone 6S (band 12 please!). Thanks for clarifying the details of the VZW & Sprint roaming arrangement and coverage. "Sprint roams freely on VZW." - I take it means that whenever you are roaming on VZW it is considered native coverage and will not count against your roaming allotment. One additional question this raises and goes to Sprint's reliance on roaming partners, is how certain and long term is this arrangement with VZW? " Additionally, on most plans, any VZW roaming will be slow CDMA1X data." - How will this work when VZW transitions completely to LTE? "Most Sprint plans have voice and data roaming caps. The data caps range 100-300 MB/mo." - Does the Unlimited Everything Plan that is still available to New customers, does that still keep the 300MB roaming cap? Also and please do not take this as picking on Sprint - I am doing my homework and I only wish all carriers had a community as informed and helpful as S4GRU - but regarding losses of agreements that have impacted Sprints coverage in Montana, Kansas, and other areas for example, are current arrangements with roaming partners on a more solid footing? Are there plans, recent examples, like TMobile is doing with their network, of building out the Sprint network in areas of high roaming to reduce the costs and realiance on roaming partners? "The combination of Sprint native footprint expansion and CCA/RRPP footprint -- whenever that happens -- will never equal the combination of VZW native footprint and LTE in Rural America footprint." - Any evidence, expectation, of CCA/RRPP native roaming agreements in Nevada/Utah? I am also under the impression from the excellent information I have seen so far here on S4GRU and in other reports that 4G/Spark is what is going to be built out/implemented with these partners, and that it will become native coverage. One important speculative game changer is if Sprint decides to and is successful in acquiring 10 - 15 mhz block of 600MHZ spectrum nationaly. If Soft Bank is committed to becoming number 1 or 2, then in my view this needs to happen. That is something I have some hope for. That could be a compelling reason to lock in a very attractive rate now, that could pay off nicely in three years, and be the beginning of the end of roaming on Sprint.

I am considering moving to Sprint from Verizon. I can handle a little short term pain and gaps in coverage where I am used to having Verizon LTE service now, but I want to be sure I do not jump prematurely. Sprint's coverage maps which I assume are best case, show basicaly roaming or no coverage at all off of Interstates and good sized cities, particularly in Eastern California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado where I travel quite a bit. The news regarding CCA and RRPP has been encouraging, but as has been raised by others here, are there any significant areas that have changed from rural roaming to native Sprint coverage? It has been many years since Verizon got rid of roaming completely and I can tell you it is not something anyone would want to go back to, after having service that eliminates that headache. It is my hope that Sprint is taking steps to reach a point where roaming is less and less of a concern, and ultimately will be eliminated as it has been on Verizon. A map of areas that have changed from roaming to native coverage, with date of the change, would be helpful to see the scale and pace of romaing territory that is becomeing part of Sprints native coverage.