February Announcement from Sprint - Epic 4G General

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.
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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.

Related

Sprint Nexus One in the Works

Read the article here.
Sooo Ive heard....
Will see.. hmmm
This is exciting news but I'm not sure if I would immediately buy it...I'm doing fine with my hero now...With all the new ROMs being released, my phone is faster seeming that I flashed it..
I guess its just wait and see. sounds promising though
Diplomat2387 said:
This is exciting news but I'm not sure if I would immediately buy it...I'm doing fine with my hero now...With all the new ROMs being released, my phone is faster seeming that I flashed it..
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I'm with you... my Hero is running great now... but I wouldn't mind an N1 still
I just want to hear a confirmation from Google, Sprint, or HTC on this. Then I'll believe it.
even if it does drop, im going to hold out for the supersonic.
ricersniper said:
even if it does drop, im going to hold out for the supersonic.
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I agree. The supersonic is sexier in my opinion plus WiMax is a nifty thing for the future. Hey, if I coud get ANY phone to work with Sprint it would be the Nokia N900 but since that aint gonna happen I'll wait for the Supersonic.
Supersonic is really only going to be relevent if you either plan on moving to, or already live in a WiMax area. The average two years that it takes for us to rotate through phones will surely be passed by the time one gets "anticipated" WiMax coverage.
theraginasian said:
Supersonic is really only going to be relevent if you either plan on moving to, or already live in a WiMax area. The average two years that it takes for us to rotate through phones will surely be passed by the time one gets "anticipated" WiMax coverage.
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Works for me since i live in baltimore where they rolled it out already.
On another note though, I thought they specifically said the N1 was not coming to sprint at the launch. In that articile I don't see anything saying its coming to sprint, only what networking it supports. Not sure where the whole sprint thing is coming from. Doubt the N1 and supersonic would be coming to sprint.
I will definitely do a serious comparison of the Supersonic, and the Nexus One, should this thing really come to Sprint (I'm in Atlanta, so I'm covered for WiMax). And if the rumor of Sprint wanting to use Wal-Mart stores for 4G tower locations, this should help make WiMax available almost everywhere on the eastern US.
tokuzumi said:
I will definitely do a serious comparison of the Supersonic, and the Nexus One, should this thing really come to Sprint (I'm in Atlanta, so I'm covered for WiMax). And if the rumor of Sprint wanting to use Wal-Mart stores for 4G tower locations, this should help make WiMax available almost everywhere on the eastern US.
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http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/HTC-Supersonic-phone-pa_4382.html
I saw that also. My next upgrade is not until November, so I'm looking forward to getting something with WiMax. I live in Hampton Roads, VA so not sure how long it will be before it's rolled out here though.
+1 waiting on Supersonic. Here in Atlanta, Sprint's 4G WiMax network was the first in the country.
Call me spoiled, but I don't think I can go without SenseUI, especially on a platform with a rumored 1ghz cpu.
I'll be just fine with my Rooted and (soon enough 2.1) ROM'ed Hero until the Supersonic drops.
True true, as long as the Supersonic does WiMax, EvDO, and they don't cut out 1x, I'd rather have that than an N1
We have WiMax here in the DFW metroplex, so no worries there. The only reason not to get a wimax phone is the possibility that a carrier in the US will deploy an LTE network and kill interest in wimax, hehe.
Well WiMax has not rolled out where I live & it's hasn't been announced as one of the locales that getting WiMax soon....
More clues to a Sprint Nexus One: link.
So the Supersonic will only work on the WiMax and not on the regular 3G network as well? That's kind of stupid since WiMax is only in limited areas. So that means if you travel down the road to an area that doesn't have WiMax and have a break down you're screwed. Want the Supersonic, but I'll stick with the Hero.
No, it would have WiMax, EvDO (most likely) & 1x. It won't make sense to have WiMax only.
Also, don't forget to take into consideration that Sprint Premier customers were moved to new phones every 12 months, and that they are trying to move most customers to that plan.
it would be pointless for sprint to release two almost identical phones. It's not gonna happen.

Clear Says It Can Achieve 90Mbps Downstream via LTE -- And LightSquared Is Involved

Interesting...
http://www.dailywireless.org/2011/03/08/another-rumor-lightsquared-sprint/
Looks like Sprint and LightSquared might be linking up to provide LTE over S's existing spectrum.
Meanwhile, in the same article, it seems that Clear is also looking at converting their towers to LTE base-stations, with the ability to deliver 90Mbps (in un-congested cells) downstream (the carrier in Japan that's getting the EVO said their WiMax network was going to deliver similar capability).
So, is it a done deal: Sprint to LTE (with some spectrum at 2.5GHz standardized around the world), with Clear's network augmenting and providing density?
Also interesting: Best Buy is buying wholesale access from LightSquared -
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/23/best-buy-signs-up-for-lightsquareds-wholesale-lte-service/
Looks like a very fast, and very LTE future for S. Anyone up for an EVO 5LTE?
really interesting so their not using the 700 mhz band like verizon theyre using the 2.5ghz isnt that bad because it cant penetrate buildings as easily?
Halabeaster54 said:
really interesting so their not using the 700 mhz band like verizon theyre using the 2.5ghz isnt that bad because it cant penetrate buildings as easily?
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Verizon has bought all the good spectrums
A drop of Chuck Norris's semen was placed on Android OS. We now have CyanogenMod.
Lightsquared I believe owns spectrum in the 1400-1500mhz frequencies. If they are going to use Clear's 2500mhz frequency to augment and help with capacity that sounds like a plan.
Edit - article states lightsquared owns spectrum in the 1600mhz frequency. That's still much better than Clear's 2500mhz, and Sprint was able to build their PCS network with 1900mhz frequency.
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That 2.5GHz band is apparently a world-standard. Maybe they have to bump up the wattage to get better penetration into dense buildings?
I was reading a couple of other articles and they are suggesting that Sprint might be talking about acquiring LightSquared. They apparently will be doing some network-sharing definitely.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/report-lightsquared-talks-sprint-network-sharing-deal/2011-02-23
And interestingly in this ^^^ same article, Dan Hesse is saying that actual field deployment of LTE in their eight largest metro areas will start in the "August timeframe." What??!!
That's interesting to me, because that dude BSOD over at the Android Forums said that the new EVO 3D would be WiMax- and LTE-capable. Makes me wonder if there's a little trick hidden up the EVO 3D's sleeve -- WiMax AND LTE capability -- that Sprint is being coy about right now...
TonyArmstrong said:
That 2.5GHz band is apparently a world-standard. Maybe they have to bump up the wattage to get better penetration into dense buildings?
I was reading a couple of other articles and they are suggesting that Sprint might be talking about acquiring LightSquared. They apparently will be doing some network-sharing definitely.
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/report-lightsquared-talks-sprint-network-sharing-deal/2011-02-23
And interestingly in this ^^^ same article, Dan Hesse is saying that actual field deployment of LTE in their eight largest metro areas will start in the "August timeframe." What??!!
That's interesting to me, because that dude BSOD over at the Android Forums said that the new EVO 3D would be WiMax- and LTE-capable. Makes me wonder if there's a little trick hidden up the EVO 3D's sleeve -- WiMax AND LTE capability -- that Sprint is being coy about right now...
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It is rumored that the Evo 3D is both WiMax/LTE capable.
TonyArmstrong said:
And interestingly in this ^^^ same article, Dan Hesse is saying that actual field deployment of LTE in their eight largest metro areas will start in the "August timeframe." What??!!
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Haha, I just totally went to Wikipedia to see where San Diego was on the list of largest U.S. cities. #8.
I'm really hoping that Sprint does start to move to LTE soon, as it seems like the spread of WiMax has either slowed to a crawl, or completely stopped. Not really a point in having a 4G phone, if you're never going to get the 4G that your phone has a radio for.
That said, I really hope the E3D is WiMax/LTE...it's the only phone I've seen so far that I will trade my EVO for.
DirtyShroomz said:
It is rumored that the Evo 3D is both WiMax/LTE capable.
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Exactly. But no one is talking about it right now.
Kinda makes me think that Sprint has an "October Surprise" of its own planned.
once we get a tear down of this phone we can know for sure what it has in it.
blackroseMD1 said:
Haha, I just totally went to Wikipedia to see where San Diego was on the list of largest U.S. cities. #8.
I'm really hoping that Sprint does start to move to LTE soon, as it seems like the spread of WiMax has either slowed to a crawl, or completely stopped. Not really a point in having a 4G phone, if you're never going to get the 4G that your phone has a radio for.
That said, I really hope the E3D is WiMax/LTE...it's the only phone I've seen so far that I will trade my EVO for.
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I hope Los Angeles gets it. Plenty cities got WiMAX before Los Angeles, which I found odd considering LA is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. Of course, LA is also very spread out, whereas other major metropolitan centers are more compact (see: New York City). Here's hoping for some lovely LTE on our new Evo 3Ds.
I'm still trying to figure out what all the hype about LTE is over. Sure Clear's spectrum sucks for building penetration and their bandwidth is way to small at 10MHz but how would using LTE make it any better?
This may be slightly off topic since I know light squared is bringing more spectrum to the table, but I'm seriously confused about it all.
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xHausx said:
I'm still trying to figure out what all the hype about LTE is over. Sure Clear's spectrum sucks for building penetration and their bandwidth is way to small at 10MHz but how would using LTE make it any better?
This may be slightly off topic since I know light squared is bringing more spectrum to the table, but I'm seriously confused about it all.
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Lightsquared has a lot of Spectrum in the 1600mhz spectrum. With the rumors of them partnering with Sprint on the Network Vision/Project Leapfrog buildout, they will put their equipment on Sprint's towers. This helps with the speed of the build out, and building penetration won't be as much of an issue as 2500mhz Wimax. Most of Sprint's towers were spaced for 1900mhz (they didn't have 800mhz until acquiring Nextel), so I would assume 1600mhz LTE should be fine for indoor use.
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Yay lets achieve 90mbps in areas that already have 4G and not roll it out to the little guys who still can't get 4G(very populated area). Sprints network blows.
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blackroseMD1 said:
Haha, I just totally went to Wikipedia to see where San Diego was on the list of largest U.S. cities. #8.
I'm really hoping that Sprint does start to move to LTE soon, as it seems like the spread of WiMax has either slowed to a crawl, or completely stopped. Not really a point in having a 4G phone, if you're never going to get the 4G that your phone has a radio for.
That said, I really hope the E3D is WiMax/LTE...it's the only phone I've seen so far that I will trade my EVO for.
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totalanonymity said:
I hope Los Angeles gets it. Plenty cities got WiMAX before Los Angeles, which I found odd considering LA is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. Of course, LA is also very spread out, whereas other major metropolitan centers are more compact (see: New York City). Here's hoping for some lovely LTE on our new Evo 3Ds.
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I think the operative term is "their eight largest" metropolitan areas -- meaning the eight markets that have the most Sprint customers, regardless their place in the overall largest metro areas. I assume that Sprint's 8 largest markets are roughly similar to the largest metro areas overall.
Hopefully, we'll all be benefiting from dramatically faster mobile broadband speeds.
Sprint's 4G solution is at a crawl or complete stop, because that's exactly what happened. The rollout is at a complete stop, and both companies still are not at an agreement. The ones who are still committed to Clear stopped investing, and it's just a mess. Sprint wants Clear to join their Network Vision, which would save both companies billions of dollars. This is the holdup on Sprint's decision towards LTE. Lightsquared is ready to use their Network Vision, and will pay Sprint for it. Clear better make their decision quick, or other companies will help Sprint make the decision soon.
The 8 largest metropolitan cities that Hesse was talking about was their multi-mode towers, and nothing more. Sprint have "soft" LTE markets, but nothing close to launch. Clear is holding **** up.
As for the EVO 3D having Beceem's BCS500 chip, which will be the first of its kind and not even in mass production, is driving me up the wall. That and a firmware, not hardware revisions, will make their old 4G capable devices run LTE. People don't think for themselves anymore. MSM8660 is not LTE-capable or 1X- Advanced/SVDO ready, but if BSOD said it, it's true. I guess I have to find the secret Sim Card later on today.
Don't be so quick to jump on the Lightsquared bandwagon. They will soon be shutdown by the FCC and FAA if they can't solve the bleed over problem. Seems their tech interferes with GPS and WAAS receivers making them a danger to aviation and air traffic control. During tests an aircraft within 15 miles of their towers have had total GPS failure. They've been working on it for a while but haven't been able to fix it. Now they are trying to blame the GPS manufacturers, but it is a spectrum issue and the FAA may force the FCC to block the spectrum if they can't solve their noise bleedover problem into the GPS spectrum.
TonyArmstrong said:
Interesting...
http://www.dailywireless.org/2011/03/08/another-rumor-lightsquared-sprint/
Looks like Sprint and LightSquared might be linking up to provide LTE over S's existing spectrum.
Meanwhile, in the same article, it seems that Clear is also looking at converting their towers to LTE base-stations, with the ability to deliver 90Mbps (in un-congested cells) downstream (the carrier in Japan that's getting the EVO said their WiMax network was going to deliver similar capability).
So, is it a done deal: Sprint to LTE (with some spectrum at 2.5GHz standardized around the world), with Clear's network augmenting and providing density?
Also interesting: Best Buy is buying wholesale access from LightSquared -
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/23/best-buy-signs-up-for-lightsquareds-wholesale-lte-service/
Looks like a very fast, and very LTE future for S. Anyone up for an EVO 5LTE?
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Doubt sprint moves fully to a LTE only network anytime in the near future.
Check out this video with the Clearwire CTO discussing the LTE trials.
http://www.lightreading.com/video.asp?doc_id=205968&
He clearly talks about how they are looking at doing both. He also says their trails will not be done for a few more months.
The good thing is the speed he reports being able to get is outstanding!
a couple points of clarification;
Re in-building penetration at 2.5 GHz. This is a major downside to using 2.5GHz frequencies, but part of the advantage to network vision is that Sprint will be able to use various technologies at different frequencies. So they'll be able to run WiMax and / or LTE at the 1.9 GHz frequencies that are currently used for CDMA / EVDO, and eventually even at the 800 MHz frequencies currently used by the iDEN network (current PTT users will need to be migrated to next-generation PTT on CDMA before that spectrum can be used for other technologies. The upside to 2.5 GHz is the amount of Bandwidth Sprint's got there. Prior to the Sprint / Nextel merger, each company had enough bandwidth on it's own to run a nationwide 4G network at 2.5GHz (Nextel even trialed a Flash-OFDM based network for a while in 2003/2004, but the technology wasn't ready yet and the real-world performance was not any faster than 3G).
Regarding bandwidth, Sprint / Clear has an average of 120 MHz of bandwidth at 2.5GHz, not 10 MHz. Some of that may be Sprint's and some may be Clears, but my understanding is that most of that is owned by Clear as that bandwidth constituted the bulk of Sprint's investment in Clear. Either company should be able make use of plenty of spectrum at 2.5 GHZ for whatever purposes they deem worthy, assuming they can work out their pricing arguments. Some articles that came out a couple of weeks ago (I think one was in the Wall Street Journal, among other financial sites) made it sound like they're close to hashing out some sort of agreement, and that Clear will have the cash it needs this spring. Can't happen soon enough if you ask me.
And lastly, there's no way Sprint would move to LTE exclusively. The new multi-modal towers make it very easy to deploy multiple technology side by side. Since the network format will be decoupled from network hardware, running a new network on the same tower is as easy as pushing a software update out to the tower. There's no need to uninstall the old technology to enable new technology. Sprint's got too many 4G customers already on board to make them all migrate to a new technology, and Hesse has publicly stated that Sprint's future in 4G will include WiMax regardless of whatever else may be offered.
cruise350 said:
Don't be so quick to jump on the Lightsquared bandwagon. They will soon be shutdown by the FCC and FAA if they can't solve the bleed over problem. Seems their tech interferes with GPS and WAAS receivers making them a danger to aviation and air traffic control. During tests an aircraft within 15 miles of their towers have had total GPS failure. They've been working on it for a while but haven't been able to fix it. Now they are trying to blame the GPS manufacturers, but it is a spectrum issue and the FAA may force the FCC to block the spectrum if they can't solve their noise bleedover problem into the GPS spectrum.
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Do you have any articles about the bleed over? I'd love to read more into this.
SilverStone641 said:
Do you have any articles about the bleed over? I'd love to read more into this.
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dude who do you get your internet service from to get that speed in your sig? I know PSINET went under long ago in '01 i think so speedtest is reporting the isp wront on the result there.

Interesting 4G information I heard (why areas don't have them)

I was trying to figure out when 4G would be full rolled out in a certain area, & here is a response I received.
..............................................................
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.
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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.

Sprint LTE phone coming in Q3, 2012

While not Evo Shift related, but we should start seeing Sprint LTE phones late next year.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Spri...-the-second-half-of-2012-likely-in-Q3_id24383
Let the rumors and hopes begin!
Quad core, AMOLED screen, and minimal manufacturer skinning (I know, I know, a pipe dream)
All this talk about lte, wimax, clearwire, etc. has brought me to realize I know very little about the subject. I thought 4G was 4G. Apparently there are differences. None of the carriers offer 4G where I live, the closest being verizon about 60 miles away. I guess I'm off to the world of google and wiki to do some researching.
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My Shift should last me until then.
jsp254 said:
All this talk about lte, wimax, clearwire, etc. has brought me to realize I know very little about the subject. I thought 4G was 4G. Apparently there are differences. None of the carriers offer 4G where I live, the closest being verizon about 60 miles away. I guess I'm off to the world of google and wiki to do some researching.
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actually, none of the carriers anywhere in the country offer 4G, they offer somewhat advanced 3G that they've labeled as 4G. But that's a debate for a different place.
Chances are, if you don't have "4G" now, you sure as heck won't miss it if you get a phone that has "4G" capabilities and you're in an area that isn't covered by that service. I rarely use the "4G" on my Shift, because it's 150 miles to the closest site that has it. I think that's the case for a whole lot of people with the Shift, and other "4G" phones, especially on Sprint.
The LTE service Sprint is coming out with is supposed to be put in the same locations as their 3G within a year of the beginning of the rollout, so all 3G covered areas would also have LTE in theory (or so the rumors have said). That would actually make a difference in the phones people purchase, and make that extra $10/month for the "smartphone fee" worthwhile.
It's probably worth waiting on your upgrade until next fall to get the LTE phones if you're into the more advanced phones, but Wimax will still be supported (but not likely expanded), and of course they'll still have the 3G capabilities. Personally, I haven't decided whether I'll keep my Shift past my Feb upgrade or not, it'll depend on the condition of my Shift, the device rumors I'm hearing, and of course how much money I have to upgrade. It's my last yearly upgrade, so I have to actually buy a phone that I expect to last for two years.
tatonka_hero said:
actually, none of the carriers anywhere in the country offer 4G, they offer somewhat advanced 3G that they've labeled as 4G. But that's a debate for a different place.
Chances are, if you don't have "4G" now, you sure as heck won't miss it if you get a phone that has "4G" capabilities and you're in an area that isn't covered by that service. I rarely use the "4G" on my Shift, because it's 150 miles to the closest site that has it. I think that's the case for a whole lot of people with the Shift, and other "4G" phones, especially on Sprint.
The LTE service Sprint is coming out with is supposed to be put in the same locations as their 3G within a year of the beginning of the rollout, so all 3G covered areas would also have LTE in theory (or so the rumors have said). That would actually make a difference in the phones people purchase, and make that extra $10/month for the "smartphone fee" worthwhile.
It's probably worth waiting on your upgrade until next fall to get the LTE phones if you're into the more advanced phones, but Wimax will still be supported (but not likely expanded), and of course they'll still have the 3G capabilities. Personally, I haven't decided whether I'll keep my Shift past my Feb upgrade or not, it'll depend on the condition of my Shift, the device rumors I'm hearing, and of course how much money I have to upgrade. It's my last yearly upgrade, so I have to actually buy a phone that I expect to last for two years.
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I'm in the same boat and I'm waiting for Q3 2012.
I use 4G all the time and honestly can't wait to see the improvements LTE bring
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tatonka_hero said:
It's probably worth waiting on your upgrade until next fall to get the LTE phones if you're into the more advanced phones, but Wimax will still be supported (but not likely expanded), and of course they'll still have the 3G capabilities. Personally, I haven't decided whether I'll keep my Shift past my Feb upgrade or not, it'll depend on the condition of my Shift, the device rumors I'm hearing, and of course how much money I have to upgrade. It's my last yearly upgrade, so I have to actually buy a phone that I expect to last for two years.
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From my understanding they're re-purposing their 1900mhz band they use for 3G/Voice for LTE. Once the re-purposing is complete our phones would lose 3G/Voice functions outside of roaming on Verizon as they're relocating their 3G/Voice services to 800mhz (Verizon uses 850mhz so our 850mhz radio won't work on Sprint's 800mhz band). Hopefully they'll keep 3G/Voice on 1900mhz so they can gradually phase out their 1900mhz phones on both Sprint and Virgin Mobile. I'm not due for an upgrade until March 2013.
thronnos said:
I use 4G all the time and honestly can't wait to see the improvements LTE bring
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You probably won't notice a huge difference except for the amount of coverage. Comparing my WiMAX speeds to those of my friends on Verizon's LTE we're about the same speed (around 10Mbps).
I didn't know people actually use 4G. I have in here in San Antonio but never use it cause I'm always on WiFi and if I don't have that I'm probably not on my phone downloading stuff
Supreme Sense mocking you with ICS style
I use 4G whenever 3G is crapping out because it really kills my battery. I think im going to start carrying a 2nd battery.
I have 4G where I am, great at the house. Can definately tell when I switch back to 3G. Use 4G all the time and love it.
I have 4g most of the time but my wifi is much faster. For a while I was using the 4g until I could figure out who my internet provider would be at our new place. 4g is still pretty bad as I live in downtown los angeles with cell coverage that dies as soon as you walk into any building more than 100 feet.
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I just hope sprints lte has better building penetration. That's the only reason i don't use wimax much now. It drops connection so easy inside buildings if you are away from windows and takes a long time to pick it up again and while it's trying to connect or if it's dropping you get no data.
Evo_Shift said:
I just hope sprints lte has better building penetration. That's the only reason i don't use wimax much now. It drops connection so easy inside buildings if you are away from windows and takes a long time to pick it up again and while it's trying to connect or if it's dropping you get no data.
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How's your 3G reception? They're re-purposing their 3G/Voice 1900mhz band for LTE so if you have crappy 3G reception most likely you'll have crappy LTE reception when it finally rolls out.

Wtf happened to network vision?

Its been a year and I live in NYC and I see NO change in service. Still the same dead spots everywhere there was one.
Sprint is really messing up by taking their sweet ass time.
I read an article that the nexus won't be coming out till June/July. What? By then, the Verizon version (with LTE) will have been 7 or so months old. Almost time for that yearly upgrade.
Maybe its because they want the iPhone 4s to sell so that's why they're taking their sweet ass time, but tbh, after swearing by sprint for years (since my bbcurve 8820) I'm starting to be distracted by tmobile.
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Sprint, on their site, says its Galaxy Nexus is LTE. So summer was when they supposed to switch on lte. Some areas might be harder to update the service or something else, my service in Virginia (speed and signal strength) has doubled in the past year.
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With an ETA of late 2013 for full-deployment, Network Vision is the fastest full network roll-out/replacement I've ever heard of. Remember, Sprint is betting the farm on it and they are paying a decent premium to Ericsson to build it for them. They aren't just adding Mobile Base Stations, they are completely replacing the majority of them. Currently, they have to maintain around three per site; CDMA, WiMax, iDEN, and back-haul.
The new MBSes will be a single station with perhaps the exception of back-haul, since that is dependent of the technology and geographic area.
The fact of the matter is that they are literally rebuilding their entire network and are doing it right; not half-assed like all the other carriers in the US. A lot of that new infrastructure is in-place, but they have to wait for things like microwave and fiber links to be lit-up before they can configure as well as light their new MBSS equipment up.
As for dense urban areas, there is a reason there are dead spots. Lots of buildings that absorb, block, and refractive signals. It's the largest challenge in wireless networks and it takes a lot of time/manpower to get working reliably.
And don't forget, iDEN is being phased completely out as well, so devices that utilize that 850/900MHz block of spectrum have to be made.
Think of some short-term pain for long-term gain.
As for the late 2013 ETA; I was told directly by someone at Ericsson at Sprint's WHQ (they share that huge campus in Overland Park) that completion timeframe. They also mentioned that they were going at break-neck speed in doing it. I hope that isn't sensitive information, as I think it's publicly available.
Any more complaints?
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Mutiny32, thank you for the insightful post - it certainly lends optimism to those of us who decided to stick it out with Sprint. I also live in NYC and while VZW is definitely better right now for building penetration due to its lower frequency and its LTE is way faster than Sprint's 4G Still, I don't see that many serious reception issues with Sprint, although coverage _outside_ NYC and network speeds in/out could definitely be better (and did Sprint completely stop WiMax expansion? These towers can be converted to LTE once it's ready, can't they?). A few times my texts have been delayed - for over a day, which never happens with my wife's Droid 2. Even though I am on SERO, joining wifey's family plan with VZW would have cost about the same $$ for the same minutes and perks, and I never use more than 2.5 GB of data per month. Verizon simply does not have a worthy QWERTY slider phone to upgrade to (Droid 4, with its non-swappable battery, crappy screen does not make the grade and Stratosphere is not an upgrade to Epic). CM9 lent my Epic a new life, even though I am very annoyed at not being able to get my phone to autorotate and the proximity sensor to work with the rom (features work on CleanGB). Will see what slider phone options Sprint will have when LTE rolls out.
A_Flying_Fox said:
Its been a year and I live in NYC and I see NO change in service. Still the same dead spots everywhere there was one.
Sprint is really messing up by taking their sweet ass time.
I read an article that the nexus won't be coming out till June/July. What? By then, the Verizon version (with LTE) will have been 7 or so months old. Almost time for that yearly upgrade.
Maybe its because they want the iPhone 4s to sell so that's why they're taking their sweet ass time, but tbh, after swearing by sprint for years (since my bbcurve 8820) I'm starting to be distracted by tmobile.
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Yeah, why is it taking so long for them to rebuild EVERY radio site including replacing all the antennas all over the country? I mean come on, it only took them what, 10 years to build it the first time.
Seriously, digiblur posted a link to this blog which has great detailed info about each market's buildout. It may answer the OP's questions.
http://s4gru.com/
According to that site, NYC is a second round market, and second round markets will begin buildout between May and December 2012 if there are no issues with first round buildouts that would delay things.
http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/212-network-visionlte-deployment-running-list/
I would prefer the second round myself. The crews should have plenty of experience by then.
R3537L1F3 said:
Sprint, on their site, says its Galaxy Nexus is LTE. So summer was when they supposed to switch on lte. Some areas might be harder to update the service or something else, my service in Virginia (speed and signal strength) has doubled in the past year.
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That's awesome for you. In Lansing and Jackson, MI my speeds have dropped by about half in general. Sprint service is starting to really suck here
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Thank you all for all the info....I have been wondering what was happening in the short/medium term for Sprint.
YES! We are in the 1st round of deployment (SF Bay Area), and we are being handled by Samsung. Well, considering the Bay Area is home to Silicon Valley, then it would be well worth it for Sprint to have NV/LTE here as soon as possible. The city I live in is where AT&T's West coast headquarters are located at (AT&T service is awesome here with LTE speeds of over 40 Mbps), I hope Sprint improves it's service out here soon.
I was so happy when I saw Chicago was on that initial list. I was floored when it wasn't, simply as the size of Chicago you think would be a good priority considering there are slightly over 10M people in this area. Now I see it's just because it won't be 'done' until Q4 this year. But, they're already working on it, which is fantastic!
I've had an upgrade since Feb '11, but haven't ditched the Epic, still holding strong. With the next Nexus coming out in a few months, I may jump on that bad boy real quick instead of waiting out the end of the year. It's really a Nexus vs HTC One X vs SGSIII debate now.
alright, sprint is "COMPLETELY" upgrading the ENTIRE network. and it's not going to be fully complete until 2014. they have to make sure every tower and base station is talking to each other, and they have to test run range quality with data and voice. so it's impossible they are done in less than a year. YOU HAVE TO BE PATIENT. are you aware that they are going to be lowering the mhz fruequency to either 800 or 900? so that way, you get stronger signal strength and faster speeds.
---------- Post added at 02:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:43 AM ----------
http://community.sprint.com/baw/com.../2011/12/27/sprint-network-vision-2011-wrapup
LORDFIRE00 said:
are you aware that they are going to be lowering the mhz fruequency to either 800 or 900?
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Not quite accurate. 1900mhz will stay around, but Sprint's 800mhz assets, currently tied up by IDEN, will be transitioned to EVDO and LTE usage.
That's what I mean. Note: I did not say 190mhz terminated.
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k0nane said:
Not quite accurate. 1900mhz will stay around, but Sprint's 800mhz assets, currently tied up by IDEN, will be transitioned to EVDO and LTE usage.
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800 will not be for LTE at first and some sites will not get any 800. And some sites will only get 800 for voice.
The http://s4gru.com site answered all my questions about my 1x problems. Its seems that sprints been working on the towers in my town. They will be only half done now and the other half in June. Also I was not aware Elgin was large enough to be on sprints radar for spectrum saturation. Hopefully they will implement something soon to help with that issue.
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Fatonuseni said:
The http://s4gru.com site answered all my questions about my 1x problems. Its seems that sprints been working on the towers in my town. They will be only half done now and the other half in June. Also I was not aware Elgin was large enough to be on sprints radar for spectrum saturation. Hopefully they will implement something soon to help with that issue.
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Technically I live in Elgin, so I'm pretty happy about that. While Elgin is a suburb, it's still over 100,000 people. It seems like they're starting in the West burbs, and working in towards the city. I spend the majority of my time in Elgin and Schaumburg, so as soon as that Nexus comes out, assuming it has slightly upgraded specs, I'll be all over that thing with Sprint LTE
A_Flying_Fox said:
Its been a year and I live in NYC and I see NO change in service. Still the same dead spots everywhere there was one.
Sprint is really messing up by taking their sweet ass time.
I read an article that the nexus won't be coming out till June/July. What? By then, the Verizon version (with LTE) will have been 7 or so months old. Almost time for that yearly upgrade.
Maybe its because they want the iPhone 4s to sell so that's why they're taking their sweet ass time, but tbh, after swearing by sprint for years (since my bbcurve 8820) I'm starting to be distracted by tmobile.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
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T-Mobile doesn't have LTE...
xboxfanj said:
T-Mobile doesn't have LTE...
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They have hspa+? Right?!
Fatonuseni said:
They have hspa+? Right?!
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Right, but it's not actually LTE if I remember correctly.
Just saw this on the s4gru.com website associated with Network Vision:
FCC Ready to give Sprint official go ahead on SMR 800MHz wideband spectrum

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