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Figured some of y'all might be as interested in this as me.
I was in a Sprint corporate store yesterday and I talked to a techie. They said they're currently testing 4G in South County at one of the stores (don't remember which, sorry) and that it's live to everyone who drives by. They said they had a full launch slated for the metro area in about 3 weeks.
He went on to say that they will continue to improve 4G in the metro for the rest of this year, then around March or May of next year, they are gunna try and cover the outlying areas (think Festus, Arnold, etc. although probably not as far South as Farmington.)
Regards,
Jesse
Thanks for the update. I live in the Southwest Garden area, and I can usually get a 4G connection, but its usually not too much faster than the 3G so it's not really worth it yet (though sometimes it's much faster than other times). Hopefully as they continue to upgrade it the speed improves.
Though I think the Fascinate looks better and has a camera flash, the Vibrant seems to look better on paper: More on-board memory, HSDPA offers "potentially" fasters data speeds, Tmo can do voice and data at the same time while Verizon can't, no Bing or VZ apps on the Vibrant, and I can buy the phone out of contract at a reduced rate.
The only thing that makes me hesitate (besides the less-appealing design), is Tmo's coverage vs. Verizon. I'm primarily in L.A. / I.E. and do some occasional traveling, and have no experience with Tmo service. Should I be concerned or just make the jump?
i can't speak for 3G coverage on Tmo vs Verizon but can on voice call svc
Tmo seems to have partnered with every small carrier around the country - every year i make about 5-6 visits to clients or suppliers around the country with two other folks from partner companies - one is on AT&T and one on Verizon - and every time we're in a rural area, their svc drops out before my Tmo's does
Last Dec we were heading south out of derby, VT ((on the canadian border) and about 35 miles south you're heading into foothills - my bud with verizon lost his svc, and had to use my phone for about 20 minutes (my tmo was showing 1 bar signal) - he finished his call and about 5 minutes were were i the hills with no signal
when we started coming out of the foothills (they were really mountains but we were gaining elevation with numerous small rock outcroppings around us), anyway, when we started coming out, my Tmo was first to have svc again
they always notice my Tmo's svc is better than their's
and there's no roaming chgs with Tmo here in US or at least i've never had any
have had similiar experiences traveling thru rural S. Carolina, Georgia, Tenn, W VA, Kentucky and western TX and thru New Mexico
nice info above.. but yes.. T-Mobile is GSM/W-CDMA/UMTS/HSPA+ so u can talk-n-surf over 3G (21HSPA+).. also, our speeds dominates all US carriers (even Sprints 4G/WiMax).. T-Mobile will upgrade its HSPA+ data again in 2011 from 21mbps to 42mbps.. i live in Seattle and we have 21HSPA+, but real world results will be between 5-10mbps (also depending on your device limitation).. also, T-Mobile gives u more bang for your buck.. but yes, they do have a smaller foorprint (mainly in more rural areas).. no problem for me since i stay in cities, and not in the boonies.
Even tho Verizon ADDED flash, it gimped its I.M. to 2GB (also no FFC--only Sprint has FFC).. T-Mobile even packed the Vibrant with a few goodies like the movie Avatar.
The Los Angeles and Inland Empire area have good 3G coverage from what I hear. HSPA+ is growing too. 3G coverage when traveling won't be like Verizon so I would check to see if 3G coverage overall is good enough for you.
sec1has said:
Though I think the Fascinate looks better and has a camera flash, the Vibrant seems to look better on paper: More on-board memory, HSDPA offers "potentially" fasters data speeds, Tmo can do voice and data at the same time while Verizon can't, no Bing or VZ apps on the Vibrant, and I can buy the phone out of contract at a reduced rate.
The only thing that makes me hesitate (besides the less-appealing design), is Tmo's coverage vs. Verizon. I'm primarily in L.A. / I.E. and do some occasional traveling, and have no experience with Tmo service. Should I be concerned or just make the jump?
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I live down in the high desert, and travel all the time between here and L.A. and San Diego, and have excellent coverage all over the I.E./L.A./San Diego area. So I don't think you have much to fear with transferring over to tmo
Looks like I'll be switching carriers.
sec1has said:
Looks like I'll be switching carriers.
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Cool Enjoy Calling People and Going Online at the same time with a faster 3G
sec1has said:
Looks like I'll be switching carriers.
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Before you do, find out from people using T-Mobile in the areas that you frequent how their reception is. I love T-Mobile. Their CS rocks and prices are very good, but I couldn't get reception at my desk in my office in Manhattan and had to switch. It's great that it works 35 miles from the Canadian border, but if it doesn't work where you need it, it doesn't work.
Drachen said:
Before you do, find out from people using T-Mobile in the areas that you frequent how their reception is. I love T-Mobile. Their CS rocks and prices are very good, but I couldn't get reception at my desk in my office in Manhattan and had to switch. It's great that it works 35 miles from the Canadian border, but if it doesn't work where you need it, it doesn't work.
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When was that and with what phone? T-Mobile is extremely good in Los Angeles, I don't think you know how good they are out there. There will be weak zones for any carrier but T-Mobile is great in Los Angeles. It's their core market. Also there are some sites planned later this year to go online. Not to mention when I took at look at compass.t-mobile.com, not only was NYC lit up with over 40 new towers (includes microcells), so was the Los Angeles area.. 20 new sites in one zip code earlier this year. So, things are always subject to change.
Drachen said:
Before you do, find out from people using T-Mobile in the areas that you frequent how their reception is. I love T-Mobile. Their CS rocks and prices are very good, but I couldn't get reception at my desk in my office in Manhattan and had to switch. It's great that it works 35 miles from the Canadian border, but if it doesn't work where you need it, it doesn't work.
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can't say anything about manhatten, but worked fine in queens when i visited the inlaws last thanksgiving
I live in the same areas you metioned L.A./I.E. and i have tmo the service is great in L.A. I had verizon and went to school in west la and the service was patchy but with tmo it was at minimum 2 bars all over same area with 3g. the only problem i find with tmo is going to events with a lot of people/cells phones, the phone has service/3g but i couldn't text, make a call, or use the internet. i have problems with this at dodger games and i had problems during the summer at coachella but i love tmo and will definitely be getting the vibrant!!
pinkgabe said:
I live in the same areas you metioned L.A./I.E. and i have tmo the service is great in L.A. I had verizon and went to school in west la and the service was patchy but with tmo it was at minimum 2 bars all over same area with 3g. the only problem i find with tmo is going to events with a lot of people/cells phones, the phone has service/3g but i couldn't text, make a call, or use the internet. i have problems with this at dodger games and i had problems during the summer at coachella but i love tmo and will definitely be getting the vibrant!!
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The Pre-HSPA+ network was pretty limited in terms of how many calls and data it could handle but HSPA+ should alleviate that until the site runs out of spectrum (slots for calls/data).
heygrl said:
Not to mention when I took at look at compass.t-mobile.com, not only was NYC lit up with over 40 new towers (includes microcells), so was the Los Angeles area.. 20 new sites in one zip code earlier this year. So, things are always subject to change.
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Not about to get into an argument about it, just going by my own experience. I used several HTC phones, a MDA, Touch Duo and Diamond. I found the reception great where I live near the Empire State Building, but really crappy in my office in Flatiron and under Grand Central. Even A/B tested with borrowed iPhone SIMs to make sure it was a carrier issue and not a phone issue. I switched to AT&T in Nov of 2008 and haven't had a problem since using a Fuze, Omnia 2 and Nexus One. (Meanwhile T-Mobile went from having only crap phones to a great lineup and AT&T went to becoming a one-trick iPony)
My point wasn't that T-Mobile sucks. I rather like the company, but the service didn't work for me in the places I tend to be a lot. My point was that you should try to actually confirm the reception yourself in the places you frequent rather than just going by others' experiences.
pinkgabe said:
I live in the same areas you metioned L.A./I.E. and i have tmo the service is great in L.A. I had verizon and went to school in west la and the service was patchy but with tmo it was at minimum 2 bars all over same area with 3g. the only problem i find with tmo is going to events with a lot of people/cells phones, the phone has service/3g but i couldn't text, make a call, or use the internet. i have problems with this at dodger games and i had problems during the summer at coachella but i love tmo and will definitely be getting the vibrant!!
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Drachen said:
Not about to get into an argument about it, just going by my own experience. I used several HTC phones, a MDA, Touch Duo and Diamond. I found the reception great where I live near the Empire State Building, but really crappy in my office in Flatiron and under Grand Central. Even A/B tested with borrowed iPhone SIMs to make sure it was a carrier issue and not a phone issue. I switched to AT&T in Nov of 2008 and haven't had a problem since using a Fuze, Omnia 2 and Nexus One. (Meanwhile T-Mobile went from having only crap phones to a great lineup and AT&T went to becoming a one-trick iPony)
My point wasn't that T-Mobile sucks. I rather like the company, but the service didn't work for me in the places I tend to be a lot. My point was that you should try to actually confirm the reception yourself in the places you frequent rather than just going by others' experiences.
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November 2008 is far too long ago. HTC/Apple (especially Samsung) phones also really don't offer good reception regardless of sim swapping. A phone with crap reception will be even crappier on PCS and less crappy on CLR (850). I already stated that I've seen over 40 pink "T"'s on compass.t-mobile.com in NYC earlier this year which ultimately means coverage has improved since 2008. ATM there are over 7 new sites showing and that's within the last 90 days.
That doesn't mean the coverage isn't weak, but the phone matters greatly and the ones you listed are all average or below average. I can go out to a warehouse and have my Samsung phone lose coverage, but not my Motorola? If I only had Samsung phones I'd probably think there was no coverage in that warehouse when there actually is coverage, my Samsung just didn't pick up the signal.
I will say this about T-Mobiles service, about 6 months ago the best signal I could get in my house was edge, now mind you the only carriers getting signal at all in my house were Verizon and T-Mobile. AT&T and Sprint could not get a signal whatsoever even at a window.
Well I woke up one morning and saw a full 5 bars of 3G and thought I was dreaming. Well low and behold now I have that all the time just about anywhere I go. For the record I only live about 10-15 minutes from Boston, so it's not like I'm in the middle of nowhere lol.
Just waiting patiently for my HSPA+ now, which the Boston market is confirmed as getting it soon.
heygrl said:
November 2008 is far too long ago. HTC/Apple (especially Samsung) phones also really don't offer good reception regardless of sim swapping. A phone with crap reception will be even crappier on PCS and less crappy on CLR (850). I already stated that I've seen over 40 pink "T"'s on compass.t-mobile.com in NYC earlier this year which ultimately means coverage has improved since 2008. ATM there are over 7 new sites showing and that's within the last 90 days.
That doesn't mean the coverage isn't weak, but the phone matters greatly and the ones you listed are all average or below average. I can go out to a warehouse and have my Samsung phone lose coverage, but not my Motorola? If I only had Samsung phones I'd probably think there was no coverage in that warehouse when there actually is coverage, my Samsung just didn't pick up the signal.
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I think you're basically illustrating my point. All the reasons I switched are irrelevant to anyone that is not me in Nov of 2008. They were highly relevant to me in Nov of 2008, considering that I couldn't get service in a place I spend 1/3 of my life on weekdays. It didn't matter how good the reception would be once they finished the AWS rollout, how good it was in LA or 35 miles from the Canadian border or the fact that the phones I like have sub-par reception. The decision had to be made based on my own experience not someone else saying that it was good.
Drachen said:
I think you're basically illustrating my point. All the reasons I switched are irrelevant to anyone that is not me in Nov of 2008. They were highly relevant to me in Nov of 2008, considering that I couldn't get service in a place I spend 1/3 of my life on weekdays. It didn't matter how good the reception would be once they finished the AWS rollout, how good it was in LA or 35 miles from the Canadian border or the fact that the phones I like have sub-par reception. The decision had to be made based on my own experience not someone else saying that it was good.
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So why would you post here? Seriously though...
heygrl said:
So why would you post here? Seriously though...
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Because this is a phone forum and not a (no offense) network fanboy forum. The phone I want and the phone you want are basically the same and there's more activity here. A root update was posted in the Vibrant dev forum that answered a question on the Captivate forum. Our phone drops 3 days after yours and there's going to be a lot of experimentation going on and the results will benefit both of us.
That and I thought I had something to add to the conversation and couldn't keep my trap shut. Personal failing.
heygrl said:
So why would you post here? Seriously though...
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Drachen said:
Because this is a phone forum and not a (no offense) network fanboy forum. The phone I want and the phone you want are basically the same and there's more activity here. A root update was posted in the Vibrant dev forum that answered a question on the Captivate forum. Our phone drops 3 days after yours and there's going to be a lot of experimentation going on and the results will benefit both of us.
That and I thought I had something to add to the conversation and couldn't keep my trap shut. Personal failing.
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I doesn't really matter whose on what carrier. Each person is going to have different needs and different carriers will support those different needs. I think we can all agree this will be a kick ass phone and blows the iphone out of the water.
I thought engadget did a piece on data rates of carriers & ATT came out on top. Was this incorrect?
I am going to post this in both forums. I think it will be an interesting read for each. haha
I'm on sprint. My Premier account is up and I can get a phone upgrade. I currently have a Hero and was going to get an EVO on Monday.
Because of the pro-rated ETF fees from Sprint, I can cancel my account for $120.
I watched several reviews for the My Touch 4g and was really impressed with the phone. The quadrant scores were cool to see. I realize that isn't the be all/end all but from the couple days of research I did on the phone, I am liking what I'm seeing.
I've read up on the EVO for several weeks now. I'm familiar with the phone and realize the amount of user support it has. I am 'pro root' so I would be looking for the root option in the future.
Price wise, T-Mobile and Sprint with WI-Max would be about the same cost to me each month.
With choosing to stay with Sprint I'd lose the Premier account status. I would have to sit with the MT4G for 2 years or buy out of pocket.
I'd be buying an 'older' phone but one that has a great user community. I'd probably be happy with the Evo until my next Premier renew date.
I'd have the Wi-Max network to use.
I'd have a better screen? I don't know yet as I haven't tried the MT4G at a store.
With choosing to go with T-Mobile I'd be getting a newer phone for the same price as I would pay for the Evo (ETF of $120 and I've seen the MT4G for sale for $80). Next gen processor.
I'd be losing screen real estate and the look and feel of the Evo which I've come to like.
I'd be losing the xda community support or the amount. I am sure the MT4G community will grow.
I'd be committed to T-Mobile for 2 years. I wouldn't be able to upgrade after 12 months.
***Coverage-wise, it's a tossup. I live in Minneapolis and have Wi-Max and from what I see on T-Mobile, HSPA+ is here too. A concern of mine is that when we travel back home (to eastern wisconsin) the coverage for T-Mobile is extinct. the website shows it using a different carrier. Sprint back home is 3g.
Not sure what I want to do. My friend who has an Evo looked at the MT4g and said he wouldn't switch based on looks. He hadn't investigated the phone in depth. Guess looks are important but I'm thinking a few other things that should weigh into the equation.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. I'll probably get fanboys from each forum but I'm sure there will be enough objective info to glean.
daryllh said:
***Coverage-wise, it's a tossup. I live in Minneapolis and have Wi-Max and from what I see on T-Mobile, HSPA+ is here too. A concern of mine is that when we travel back home (to eastern wisconsin) the coverage for T-Mobile is extinct. the website shows it using a different carrier. Sprint back home is 3g.
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This is the only part I will comment on. I am in the south twin cities.
I have a t-mo 9700, and an evo. The t-mobile coverage here sucks. I drop calls at an alarming rate compared to the evo. Both the wimax and hspa give great speeds. I've driven all over Wisconsin...and you are right. Coverage there is EDGE at best in many areas for t-mobile.
All I can say is my biggest selling point would be the service in the area. I switched from Sprint to Tmobile to get the HD2. When I got it... I soon realized I wouldnt keep it long. I didnt realize until the second day that it wasnt that my phone wasnt ringing inside my house it was that I had no reception lol. And standing outside and leaving the phone sitting by the window just to get a bar got old pretty quick. On top of that there were quite a few dead spots around my area where I would always drop calls or not be able to get data. I switched back after 2 weeks. So the first thing id do is make sure tmobile can give you at least equal service to what you have now... at LEAST. And I say that because a lot of people I know that have tmobile are hyping up the HSPA+ but they can barely even get 3G.
As far as phones go you really cant lose either way. Honestly I pay very little.. if any attention to that quadrant stuff. In real time day to day use the differences make little to no difference TO ME. Its like people were complaining about a "lag" of like 0.000000009 milliseconds compared to other phones when as a general user I could care less. Either way you decide in another month or so there will probably be something new out anyways that made you wish that you had waited lol.
uniquenameevo said:
This is the only part I will comment on. I am in the south twin cities.
I have a t-mo 9700, and an evo. The t-mobile coverage here sucks. I drop calls at an alarming rate compared to the evo. Both the wimax and hspa give great speeds. I've driven all over Wisconsin...and you are right. Coverage there is EDGE at best in many areas for t-mobile.
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That's good to know. I'm more concerned about the data speeds as I spend about 50 minutes a month talking on my phone. Well, a hundred counting weekends.
I just switched from T-Mobile to Sprint a month ago. I had an HD2 on T-Mobile. My biggest comment....... I wish I would have done it sooner!!!! If I were you, I'd stay with Sprint. T-Mobile was good and al, but their coverage isn't all that great, compared to Sprint.
Sent from my HTC EVO 4G.
uniquenameevo said:
This is the only part I will comment on. I am in the south twin cities.
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I'm also in the south twin cities (Apple Valley, specifically) and I'm currently with T-mobile. I have an EVO right now on their 30 day trial and coverage/speed is so much better than with my T-mobile mytouch. I've been working with Tmobile on my coverage issues, but they haven't been very helpful. I'm going to be dropping them soon and moving over to sprint.
daryllh said:
That's good to know. I'm more concerned about the data speeds as I spend about 50 minutes a month talking on my phone. Well, a hundred counting weekends.
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I'd love to comment, but the way a BB handles data I can't give you a real answer. It is faster than last spring...but on an android I don't know how it will stack up. Sprint speeds are quite good.
goaliemn said:
I'm also in the south twin cities (Apple Valley, specifically) and I'm currently with T-mobile. I have an EVO right now on their 30 day trial and coverage/speed is so much better than with my T-mobile mytouch. I've been working with Tmobile on my coverage issues, but they haven't been very helpful. I'm going to be dropping them soon and moving over to sprint.
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I'm on the Savage side of things. I do have the drop issue all over though. I heard it was because they dropped in network roaming or something along that line.
I ended up ordering a mytouch. I'll take it for a 2 week spin.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
I switched from T-Mobile to Sprint a few weeks ago, and I couldn't be happier. I live in a city of 80,000, Saint Joseph, Missouri. The ONLY cell phone carrier here without 3g coverage is T-Mobile. They didn't even have EDGE until 7 months ago. There are parts of the city where cell coverage is non existant, and T-Mobile refuses to acknowledge it on their coverage map. When in Kansas City, I would get 3g speeds of 400kbps down and 500kbps up. It was pathetic.
T-Mobile's support is WONDERFUL, however their network is the worst I have ever seen.
Shushunmire said:
I switched from T-Mobile to Sprint a few weeks ago, and I couldn't be happier. I live in a city of 80,000, Saint Joseph, Missouri. The ONLY cell phone carrier here without 3g coverage is T-Mobile. They didn't even have EDGE until 7 months ago. There are parts of the city where cell coverage is non existant, and T-Mobile refuses to acknowledge it on their coverage map. When in Kansas City, I would get 3g speeds of 400kbps down and 500kbps up. It was pathetic.
T-Mobile's support is WONDERFUL, however their network is the worst I have ever seen.
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Same here, in southern Missoura, att only has EDGE, Verizon has 1x (not sure if thats 3g or not), Sprint has 3g and pretty decent speeds. T-Mobile has no coverage out here, thats how I was able to terminate my contract without an ETF. T-Mobile is great in urban areas, but outside of larger cities reception and data speed leaves much to be desired, even along major interstates and highways.
I thought about the same thing but in all honestity sprints all around better. Im not gonna lie though from what u hear tmobiles supposed 4g actually faster then sprints but not to many markets so yea. Sprints a better choice or go verizon
Sent from my PC36100-evo-using Tapatalk
What's your gut feel?
All of the poll options seem extremely relevant.
SVDO - Technically the HTC Thunderbird (Verizon EVO) is going to support this, at least that's what leaked documents propose. It'd make sense for Sprint to launch something similar.
Nationwide 4G coverage - It's really starting to pick up, they just lit up 4g in my area and i've heard a lot of reports of new 4g locations going in all over the country
CMDA iPhone - You have to admit that the technology is there, all it would take is an agreement with Apple and Sprint could support the iPhone just as well as Verizon. I find this one to be the least likely, although possible
Dual core phones - I'm sure I'm not the only one that noticed that ATT / Verizon stole the show and Sprint had no new phone announcements at CES... It seems likely that they'd try and sign on with a handset manufacturer to get some competition going for ATT / Verizon and their Tegra handsets.
Dual core phones, or tablets.
Other than that, plan changes.
I hope voice and data. But I don't expect it. Maybe they will formally announce that they are going to slightly screw existing customers with their new gold and silver premier customer requirements.
running_the_dream said:
I hope voice and data. But I don't expect it. Maybe they will formally announce that they are going to slightly screw existing customers with their new gold and silver premier customer requirements.
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The slogan of "making the impossible possible" made me think SVDO is going to be the announcement. It had better be big with a phrase like that
Of course none of the above. This big annoucement will be about Froyo and a Sprint iPhone.
My gut feel is the overlay of Wimax with LTE. Maybe announcing an LTE device as well. The trials have been underway since last year, so I would imagine it would be about time.
A Sprint iPhone that runs GingerBread and an iPad that runs Honeycomb.
I chose dual core phone.... but really just a new piece of hardware was what I was aiming at, not necessarily dual core.
Having thought about it and read the comments, I would suspect an announcement regarding LTE/non WiMax service is more likely, especially as far as being "announcement" worthy. Plus it will downplay any talk of WiMax getting canned.
Regarding 4G buildout, where have there been new deployments? Or are we talking places that just started 'working' but are not documented as being in place? I hadn't heard anything about any new locations except the last major announcment of cities.
A little bird told me that the rumor within Sprint is an HTC dual-core 3D phone. That wouldn't "make the impossible possible," but it would explain the presence of an illusionist.
This little bird, however, is only one step up from a Sprint retail rep. So, I'm not putting too much stock in it.
Superbovine said:
I chose dual core phone.... but really just a new piece of hardware was what I was aiming at, not necessarily dual core.
Having thought about it and read the comments, I would suspect an announcement regarding LTE/non WiMax service is more likely, especially as far as being "announcement" worthy. Plus it will downplay any talk of WiMax getting canned.
Regarding 4G buildout, where have there been new deployments? Or are we talking places that just started 'working' but are not documented as being in place? I hadn't heard anything about any new locations except the last major announcment of cities.
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They just threw up 4g towers this week in Lansing and Flint, MI.... if they're canning 4g they probably would have stopped rolling it out by now. As far as I can tell (hit up the EVO forums for a better judge) there's a lot of new 4g sites rolling out.
Maybe they going give us actually 3g speed. You know the fast speed that t mobile has which ironically is the same speed as our 4g.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I also think it's gonna be a 3D capable device...
the HTC Blaine!
jk.
actually that would sound cool (if david blaine wasn't so douchy)
How about the Evo 3D-ouche
Maybe froyo finally and 3 years later gingerbread 6 months after the release of android 4.5 apple pie.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
where did you hear about the Lansing towers? I just tried and wasn't able to connect.
I vote nationwide 4g and a few new phones. I just checked clear's site and it is now showing tuisa as well as every other major city in oklahoma as having some coverage (not 100% covered). Previously no 4g coverage was available anywhere in the state. I think that sprint will reveal a slew of new cities for the new 4g rollout.
That being said I'm still mad because the 4g coverage in tulsa is only in north tulsa and I live in south tulsa. :sigh
edit: if you don't have 4g now look at this map there is a chance you'll get it soon
Its going to be the blackberry tablet and some boring phones with maybe 1 good phone being announced.
I'd love to see some major 4g roll out, I'm still aggrivated by the fact that I live in San Diego(one of the largest cities in the united states and part of one of the largest economies in the world, yes thats right CA's economy is an incredibly large portion of the US's economy) and we don't even have 4g.
snowmanwithahat said:
They just threw up 4g towers this week in Lansing and Flint, MI.... if they're canning 4g they probably would have stopped rolling it out by now. As far as I can tell (hit up the EVO forums for a better judge) there's a lot of new 4g sites rolling out.
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Thanks. I keep hoping I will see something (we need any kind of tower really, but 4g would be nice). There is 4g 100 miles north and 65 miles south of me (and for like 80-90 miles of coast too), so I keep hoping they will connect the dots.
Having used 4G in DC, I certainly hope they don't can it either as it worked great (better than my home connection usually). If Clearwire continues the way they were last time I paid attention, it doesn't look good though
lynyrd65 said:
edit: if you don't have 4g now look at this map there is a chance you'll get it soon
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MF
I used to check that all the time then I stopped. There is coverage shown 10 friggin minutes south of me now (not "Best Clear", but 4G nonetheless).
Interesting that they skipped Stuart. I understand skipping Hobe Sound and even Jupiter (just below it, very near to where it's full coverage), but Stuart is a major cash town, almost as much so as where I am, but with 4X the population to boot.
Ack. They best keep moving north.
I think they are testing the connection in rural areas where traffic is low then moving up into more densely populated areas later. This is how they rolled out in many cities that now have coverage. One of the posters talked about how in memphis only "the hood" is covered, the same could be said for tulsa and probably many other cities.
They will cover us eventually. If you look at Dallas, tx you will notice that all of the suburbs around it are covered, the same is likely to happen for Memphis, Tulsa, Port St. Lucie and others.
I was trying to figure out when 4G would be full rolled out in a certain area, & here is a response I received.
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There will not likely be any more (my city) coverage until Winter at the earliest. Sprint/Clear are running around putting up "Protection Sites" in every CMA (Cellular Market Area) in the country. There are over 700 CMA's in the U.S. These are regions that the FCC breaks down the country into to issue spectrum licensing for mobile carriers.
There are two types of crews putting up new 4G service now. Fill-In Crews and Protection Site Crews. The Fill-In crews are adding service in primary markets that already have service. They expanded service in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle and New York this year. They will keep moving on in Primary Markets only that already have service. (your city is a secondary market) The Protection Site crews are running all over the Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands installing at least one tower in every CMA. Two or three in secondary markets.
The two towers already operating in your city are "Protection Sites." These are limited deployments. They are operating at full strength signal, but do not have all the antennas as a full deployment would, and also the antennas are not fully directed to help building penetration. They are pointing straight out for maximum coverage area. Also, these do not have upgraded backhaul (microwave or fiber) that 4G really needs for maximum data throughput and speeds. They just utilize whatever internet service is already at the tower. Which may or may not be sufficient. Varies greatly from tower to tower and market to market.
In the Fall, Sprint is coming out with a new 4G plan. We know it will include LTE. But no one is sure to what extent. Whether Sprint and Clear will stop expanding WiMax completely and just service existing WiMax areas. All new deployments after the announcement might be LTE. Or they might finish building out WiMax completely, but this is unlikely. Or maybe they will announce they will finish WiMax in primary and maybe secondary markets before switching to LTE. We just don't know.
So no one knows how communities like yours will be impacted with their Sprint 4G deployment with this all up in the air. Only the highest executives are in on what's in-store. They are being very tight lipped. I think it's because they aren't even 100% sure yet. They are out striking deals with vendors, sub-contractors, joint venture partners and trying to get Network Vision off the ground too. But the Protection Site roll out will not be complete until Fall. Then those crews will be going on to something else. But no one knows where for sure yet.
In the end, it leaves a very frustrated Sprint customer service experience for 4G device owners. And with their 3G network speeds deteriorating below 2G, it just is ticking off people all the more!
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Well guess what? VERIZON has 4G NOW in my area. Anyway, it was an interesting read & I wonder how that will affect the phones that are going to come out, or even our Epic 4G
I really wish I had answers, but the above post is the best I have right now for those wondering WHY 4G is not in your area yet.
Is this why there is no Galaxy S2 yet on Sprint because they don't know what it will run on? Maybe that's the wait. Frustrating to say the least, & yes, 3G is declining not only in my area, but probably others as well. I really thought when I bought my Epic 4G i'd be looking at 6 months & 4G would be all set to go. Little did I know i'd be getting a phone I could never use for its full potential. At least not where I am at.
First
Looking forward to lte
Grapes
The protection towers has been well known for quite a while...along with the nothing new for this year.
Whats upsetting is nyc has the most dense population out of all the 4g markets and they still can't cover the entire city in 4G, and I am not talking about inside buildings, there are just too many holes on their coverage map.
4g? What's that? I would be happy with decent 3g coverage in my city. I don't think that's too much to ask for a city with a population of roughly 420,000 (and growing.)
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This kind of thing makes me want to get sprint on the phone and scream to all hell about this issue, but in the end, the customer service rep, their superior, and THEIR superior can't do anything about it. All the good, "decent" phones are 4g now anyway, so I guess all the biggest city in New Hampshire has to show for itself is 3g and FIOS....oh wait, we don't have FIOS either. Whenever my contract is up, for the first time in 9 years, I'm going to look at switching carriers. Uhg.
Same here. Upsets me as well. You could always tweet about it, & maybe Dan Hesse will get back to you......or maybe not.
I am a premiere member & just got a $5 credit for my anniversary. While nice, it doesn't change the fact that not only does 3G suck, 2 out of 3 places I really use my phone I barely get coverage or it roams, but 4G is only in this tiny section
I have a feeling I will be switching, or something, because aside from the 4G, I tested my phone in a new home we are buying, & guess what? Just like the other two places I use my phone. CAN'T GET SERVICE. My wife said it even sucked outside when we were in the new home.
I'm just about exhausted & fed up with Sprints lack of coverage.
That's what I realized why they are cheaper and unlimited not because they claim to be different but no service issues.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I will stay Sprint for now as long as they provide an unlimited data plan.
However, if I get sufficiently rich, I may switch to Verizon and pay for their largest data plan.