dewbertdc

24 minutes ago, cyclone said:

where in my account do I go to see? I have only been able to see T-MO bands since yesterday and I went looking around and don't see it mentioned anywhere

It's not visible to the end user, you have to call or chat with support to get them to check.  There's been some talk that Neville Ray (T-Mobile CTO) was aiming for the end of this month for "network integration" to be substantially complete, so I think folks are going to start seeing this more and more over the next few days...

FYI for anyone with a recent multi-line T-Mobile plan, they're offering another free line for life if you call in or chat via T-Force on Twitter/Facebook/iMessage.

I now have five lines of Magenta Plus for $125, all taxes included.  (Three free lines, plus a $15 discount match from when I ported one number over from Verizon that had an corporate discount attached to it).

2 hours ago, radem said:

The network would have pushed users back and forth to the antenna and bandwidth that worked best for those users no matter if the antenna was a legacy Sprint or legacy T-Mobile. 

I am a legacy T-Mobile customer, and can observe that this *seems* to be what's happening now when connected to the 311-490 PLMN.  Most T-Mobile and Sprint towers are broadcasting it (Shentel areas seem to be a notable exception), subscribers of both networks can now connect to it, and it will try to balance you across both legacy networks as necessary. 

I wish I had an Android phone and SCP so I could see better what was going on, but from what I can tell from iPhone field test mode: when I connect to the 311-490 (as of this morning showing as "T-Mobile," not "Sprint") network in the manual network selection screen on my iPhone 11 Pro, Field test mode shows the PLMN as 310-260 when connected to the legacy T-Mobile network and 310-120 on the legacy Sprint network.  

I was in a CVS this weekend that is directly in the shadow of a tower with Sprint B41, and only a weak B12 T-Mobile (310-260) signal. After a few minutes, my phone popped on to Sprint B41 (310-120) and stayed there, then was back on T-Mobile B66 when I got home.

Quote

This should have occurred before they took away any LTE resources from either network and they should have avoided forcing users to move to the T-Mobile network before they were sure they would have the same or better experience. With proper planning this should have occurred within weeks of the merger date.

Agree with you here.  This should have been step 1 before any of the 5G Stuff happened.  It really seems like their initial 5G rollout was pretty slap-dash... T-Mobile is even now texting folks who have 5G devices but didn't get an updated 5G-compatible SIM that they need to get a new one.  

There’s some weird stuff happening here. VoLTE is working just fine, but I’ll also occasionally see that I’m on T-Mobile bands with the 310-260 PLMN in field test mode when my phone is showing the Sprint alpha tag.  Also I’m seeing B71 at my house for the first time ever.

I’m also noticing that force selecting Sprint shows a ton more neighbor cells (both T-Mobile and Sprint) than being on T-Mobile.

Will keep an eye on it... progress!!

Looks like we’ve got Sprint network access in Washington, DC now as well...

32 minutes ago, JLevoLTE said:

Lmao riverside county is huge

That’s specific enough for me - was just curious if it had expanded outside of the states we already know about. 

4 minutes ago, bar5rab said:

Hi All-

Long time viewer who has not commented in some time. Was on Sprint for a decade but switched to T Mobile four years ago. 
 

Today during my break, I went to the break room as I usually do. I am often connected to WiFi and or Tmobile WiFi Calling. I noticed my cellular reception was showing 4 bars. To my astonishment I saw Sprint as the network provider. This is an unlocked iPhone so there are no old device issues. Reception is very very strong throughout the building I’m in. Thought I’d share!

Can you share your approximate location?

19 minutes ago, Trip said:

You say this like it's a bad thing, but Shentel does it too and that's the best part of the Sprint network that I've experienced--and I'd argue that some of Sprint's problem has been that it doesn't do this.  Not prioritizing the deployment is how you end up with Band 41 on towers surrounded by corn fields and cow pastures in Fauquier County, but a Band 25 GMO serving multiple shopping centers in Alexandria. 

But to your other point, there's a ton of Sprint 8T8R and MMIMO gear they could recycle in the short term to cover the rest of the Band 41 spectrum; perhaps even just moving it from the Sprint rack to the T-Mobile rack.  Or they could just leave it operating in the current tower position until the T-Mobile gear is upgraded with newer n41 gear and then remove the legacy Band 41 gear at that time.

- Trip

LOL - my comment was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it's both good and bad - T-Mobile certainly keeps costs low by doing this and passes those savings on to the consumer, however, I've noticed that in DC proper, they haven't been able to keep up with the explosive growth in some of our neighborhoods.

The NoMA and H Street NE areas blew up over the last couple of years, and until very recently T-Mobile has been spotty (especially indoors) and had poor data speeds even with a strong signal.  The Fort Totten area of NE DC is starting to have the same problems - meanwhile, my AT&T work phone and Sprint iPad are flying along here.

12 minutes ago, Trip said:

I'm not sure how much of a rush T-Mobile is going to be in to turn off Band 41 LTE.  Quite frankly, they need the capacity for the Sprint customers right now, and my understanding is that the existing NR equipment only does 100 MHz of LTE and/or NR, meaning any remaining spectrum would be wasted if Band 41 LTE were turned off before that NR equipment is, itself, replaced.  I'm actually surprised they're running Band 41 LTE on T-Mobile in this area given that they could just run 100 MHz of NR and be done with it, but they must need the capacity on LTE for their own customers.

If Band 41 LTE is gone at this time next year, my guess is that they either seriously subsidized cheaper NR phones and have much better penetration with those devices than I would expect otherwise, or they've decided to punish LTE customers with poor performance until they upgrade--or leave for AT&T or Verizon.

- Trip

I don't see B41 LTE going away any time soon, either, but I also don't expect that we'll see 100MHz NR carriers everywhere soon either.

T-Mobile is famous for only deploying capacity where they need it - I can see them reserving 100MHz of their 2.5 for NR but only deploying the full carrier where they know there's demand, leaving the 40-60MHz carriers in place elsewhere.  They could use multiple panels to deliver LTE alongside it, or use the higher-capacity Ericsson AIR 6449 panels that are becoming available to deliver it all.

The breadth of their 2.5GHz spectrum holdings gives them a lot of flexibility, but they've got to clear the legacy Sprint stuff out first...

Marketing fluff aside, there's a pretty good explainer video for MU-MIMO in this press release.

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/network/t-mobile-achieves-mind-blowing-5g-speeds-with-mu-mimo

Quote

In tech terms, with 100 MHz of total 5G spectrum in the demonstration, T-Mobile was able to achieve an astonishing 50+ bps/Hz in spectral efficiency. That is much higher than the single digit efficiency typically experienced today. T-Mobile expects to begin deploying this technology next year as they continue the goal of building America’s best 5G network.

Sounds like we can expect 100MHz NR channels next year, after they consolidate/eliminate Sprint B41 LTE.

14 minutes ago, bmoses said:

central iowa here, i've been trying to force my phone to the sprint network every day for the past week and so far it won't let me on there. i have the oneplus 7t pro 5G phone. tried combinations of selecting the 311490 network as well as disabling all bands except sprints. nothing yet 😕 

I'm wondering if CA was accelerated due to the wildfires.  Better to have two networks at their disposal during this time of need.

21 hours ago, greenbastard said:

My native T-Mobile line can now roam on Sprint using the 311-490 PLMN here in Houston. So far, it depends on the device you're using. VoLTE and SMS seem to work fine over all three Sprint bands on my unlocked Pixel using my T-Mobile SIM. Oddly enough, roaming isn't working on my tmobile OnePlus device.

Lots more of this being reported in the /r/tmobile Subreddit as well.  Still nothing here in Washington, DC when I try to force roam.  I'm going to try to stop by my office (with a Sprint DAS, but no T-Mobile) later to see if it's enabled there.

Dallas Area: 

Irvine, CA: 

Las Vegas, NV:

51 minutes ago, floorguy said:

Yea I am betting it's more the MFG side pushing for new phones (so they can sell more and make more money)  Vs carrier.. (which could give 2 craps how old the phone is on the network, they still get their money)  Plus the carrier MAY have to subsidize some to get people to switch over... or the mfg gives them a deal.. Either way, my money is on the mfg pushing for the new phones

I think selling new phones is a secondary concern for the manufacturers as it relates to this change.  The newest Samsung Galaxy phone on that list (the GS6 family) was released in 2015 with Android 5.0, and the last software update that Samsung released for it was Android 7.0 with the November 2018 security patches.  There's no way Samsung's developers are going to want to re-open that codebase to include T-Mobile's WiFi calling bits for the few S6 devices that are still out there on Sprint.  

Anyone using a phone on that list will have a bad network experience with the new T-Mobile anyway, as they all certainly lack B71 and VoLTE.  I think 5 years is about the upper limit of what folks should reasonably expect for the useful life of a smartphone, and again, most of the devices on this list are even older than that.

1 hour ago, iansltx said:

It will be interesting to see when mobile hotspot switches over to the T-Mobile backbone (at least for folks who don't have a static IP), as well as what happens to the SprintLink backbone in general. Maybe CenturyLink picks it up since they seem to like buying up Tier 1 network providers and running them into the gr...er...integrating them into a diverse portfolio of international connectivity? I was going to mention Dish, but have a feeling they wouldn't want the overhead of existing SprintLink customers.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the SprintLink backbone integrated into the Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier network.  https://globalcarrier.telekom.com/network

39 minutes ago, dkyeager said:

Go a notice about that on Thursday for a Sprint LG G4.  Many other carriers version of this phone supported VoLTE.  Just another tactic by T-Mobile to get people to switch to their network without doing unique Sprint site conversion work

List of phone from above link:

 

The following devices are impacted and will lose Wi-Fi Calling support on October 30, 2020.

• Kyocera Hydro Vibe
• LG G Flex
• LG G Flex II
• LG G Stylo
• LG G3
• LG G3 Vigor
• LG G4
• Samsung Galaxy S III 
• Samsung Galaxy MEGA
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5
• Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
• Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
• Samsung Galaxy S4
• Samsung Galaxy S5
• Samsung Galaxy S5 Sport
• Samsung Galaxy S6 
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge +
• Samsung Grand Prime
• Sharp Aquos Crystal

 

Maybe so, but if a software update to the device is required to enable T-Mobile WiFi calling on these devices, that would require coordination with the manufacturers who have no interest in supporting these old devices. 

Sprint's WiFi calling FAQ has been updated to note that a lengthy list of older phones will no longer support WiFi calling as of October 30, 2020. 

https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/services/faqs-about-wi-fi-calling.html

2 hours ago, RedSpark said:

I'm surprised I'm not on 3XCA for Band 41.

How much spectrum is being utilized for 5G in DC currently?

If your Serving Cell info is B41 (primary carrier) and your CA status has two component carriers on B41, I believe that is 3xCA in B41.

I just checked my T-Mobile phone, and I'm on B66 for my Serving Cell, and the CA Status shows Component Carrier 0 as B2 and Component Carrier 1 as B12, so I am also running 3xCA, just across 3 bands.

I'd be surprised if they keep 3 Sprint B41 carriers online around here for much longer - the 2.5GHz spectrum is already getting crowded with at least one T-Mobile B41 carrier (potentially two) and their NR carriers.

58 minutes ago, RedSpark said:

Thanks for the info. What screen would I find the CA Configuration on?

CA Status

17 minutes ago, Tengen31 said:

You're connected to B12+41 CA?

 

Sent from my SM-G975U1 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

No, the CA configuration is a different screen in field test mode. Neighbor Cells indicate which signals the phone is being instructed to scan for to find other nearby towers and report back signal strength in the event the phone needs to hand off to a different tower. 

16 hours ago, ingenium said:

Sprint sites have begun broadcasting the Clearwire PLMN (311-490, the same one that T-Mobile broadcasts for Sprint roaming). Even my Airave has it, whereas it didn't a month or so ago. I'm pretty sure the reports on reddit showed T-Mobile customers using this PLMN on Sprint. So my assumption is that this is the PLMN for the merged network.

We've seen other signs of true MOCN, such as T-Mobile neighbors showing up while connected to Sprint in some areas (for me this is only in rural areas. It doesn't happen in Pittsburgh for example, where Sprint has the better network). The phone only scans neighbors that the tower asks it to, so the tower is specifically asking the phone to check on the T-Mobile neighbors and report back signal strength and quality. Normally this is used so the tower can determine if it should do a handoff. I haven't seen it handoff from Sprint to T-Mobile directly (and can't get a NSG log to confirm it's a real handoff), but I know others have seen it happen. So it's definitely a sign that they're close to having active handoffs between both networks, which would effectively merge them.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
 

Interesting stuff - the only place I know nearby that has no native T-Mobile service but a strong Sprint signal is my office in the basement level of a large office building (there's a Sprint DAS there).  I may have to find an excuse to go in some day soon to see if my phone connects down there.

3 minutes ago, Paynefanbro said:

I can confirm that I'm able to connect to Sprint Band 41 and Band 26 by forcing those bands. However, because I'm using an unlocked Android phone T-Mobile won't allow me to use domestic roaming data. I can only make calls. 

Interesting - the folks on that sub were saying that VoLTE wasn't working for them when they forced those bands.  Can you share engineering mode or SCP screenshots?   I'm intrigued.

T-Mo just issued a press release touting its N41 deployment.  Here's the list of cities/towns they've deployed to so far:

California

• Citrus
• La Puente
• Los Angeles
• Paramount
• San Fernando
• Willowbrook

District of Columbia

• Washington D.C.

Florida  

• Azalea Park
• Holiday
• Progress Village
• Westchase

Georgia  

• Atlanta
• Gainesville
• Mableton
• North Atlanta
• Winder

Illinois  

• Bellwood
• Calumet City
• Chicago
• Chicago Heights
• Glendale Heights
• Hanover Park
• Ingalls Park
• Northlake

Indiana  

• Merrillville

Maryland  

• Towson

Massachusetts  

• Holbrook
• Waltham

Michigan  

• Bangor
• Decatur

Minnesota  

• Maplewood

Missouri  

• Jennings

New Jersey  

• Camden
• Cliffside Park
• Fort Lee
• Hasbrouck Heights
• North Arlington
• Palisades Park
• Paterson
• Roselle
• Totowa

New York  

• Copiague
• East Williston
• Freeport
• Garden City
• Garden City Park
• Harbor Isle
• Hempstead
• Island Park
• Lindenhurst
• Long Beach
• Malverne Park Oaks
• Middle Island
• Mineola
• New York
• Plainview
• West Hempstead
• Williston Park

North Carolina  

• Clemmons
• Kernersville
• Pineville
• Stallings
• Statesville
• Winston-Salem

Oregon  

• Aloha
• Newberg
• Sherwood

Pennsylvania  

• Braddock
• Colwyn
• Darby
• East Lansdowne
• Kerrtown
• Meadville
• Philadelphia
• Rankin
• Yeadon

Texas  

• Dallas
• Houston
• Nassau Bay

Virginia  

• Bailey's Crossroads
• Bull Run
• Highland Springs
• Lake Barcroft
• Newport News
• Sudley
• Tysons Corner

Washington   

• Geneva
• Oak Harbor
• Snohomish

https://www.t-mobile.com/news/network/5g-speeds-supercharged-for-millions-more-people

58 minutes ago, Trip said:

I've had my T-Mobile phone locked on Band 41 for several days now, in order to track down T-Mobile Band 41.  I've seen it show my home site in SCP, but always with No Service; presumably its final attempt to make a connection before giving up, and then the stale data lingers.

I hope this is a sign they're planning to make both networks native to each other.  Because there's really no reason not to, and I'm not sure why they would have gone through the trouble of changing a bunch of Sprint GCIs (most notably in Baltimore, from what I've observed first-hand, but I've seen it in other markets as well) to not conflict with T-Mobile ones if they weren't going to do that.

- Trip

 

Their 2018-era FCC merger filings indicated that they were going to unify the RANs with MOCN as part of the transition, so hopefully that is still the plan.  If the rumors of network integration being "complete" by the end of this month are true, we'll know soon enough.

Some folks over in the T-Mobile subreddit are reporting that they can now connect to Sprint LTE if they force B41/B26 on their devices  Reportedly forcing B25 in an area with both networks will just make their device camp on T-Mo’s native B2 (MFBI to B25), which makes sense.

https://m.imgur.com/a/eE99oVH

I have an iPhone, so can’t test this myself. 

2 hours ago, chamb said:

If TM does actually acquire Shentel, they need to keep the Shentel network intact and add TM spectrum to the Shentel Sites.  Shentel built the near perfect network. Shentel is way way better than TM ever will be in this area. Shentel has the backbone established and it was done correctly. 

I can't imagine T-Mobile would do anything but keep nearly the entire Shentel network - their legacy network in Shentel markets is pretty terrible.  If they start to decomm a strong network, they're going to lose customers left and right.