Just wondering which carrier people are using. I have Verizon, but thinking of jumping ship because of the whole bootloader thing. Unfortunately, it seems like they are the fastest and in the most markets. Here's what I've come up with...
Verizon: Fastest carrier and in the most markets in the US. Unfortunately, bootloader is locked.
AT&T: Second choice because they have 4g deployed in many markets.
Sprint: It's a gamble because they are going through a huge upgrade with their network. Don't have 4g widely deployed, but they say they will in the future.
T-Mobile: Quick speeds, but not widely deployed.
I'd love to get people's opinion and which carrier they have.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1755931
Please DO NOT USE THE POLL!!!
I was stupid and didn't see the other poll. Don't want to duplicate results.
Mods, please remove this. It seems like I can only edit the post and not delete it.
Thanks and sorry about that!
Videotron.
If you plan on making a long-term switch:
Verizon - Verizon will always stay the fastest. They will most likely be first to deploy LTE-Advanced (gigabit/s 4G) on the best spectrum (700mhz). This means fastest speeds + best LTE-Adv coverage.
AT&T - Never considered or would consider. Slow 3G in areas without LTE. I'm not sure about their LTE-Adv plans or what spectrums they currently and will use.
Sprint - Sprint's 3G network is fairly slow in some areas, but can also be up to par with Verizon in others. They use the 1900mhz spectrum but have 3G in most areas so it doesn't really matter. In areas where sprint doesn't have 3G, verizon likely only has 2G or even nothing. You can roam on Verizon's 2G for free if you have Sprint. Basically, coverage is not an issue but you may have slow 3G speeds. Later this year Sprint plans to begin switching 3G to 800mhz, according to wikipedia. This means better speeds which is great and more coverage (although not an issue really).
Now, let's talk 4G. Sprint plans to deploy LTE on the 1900mhz spectrum also which is decent but still means good coverage if they will be able to set up enough towers. Speed would be around what Verizon's LTE offers but probably a little worse. They also plan to move LTE to the 800mhz spectrum in 2014 which means tower range, penetration, and speed on par with Verizon.
I'm not clear on the details and I don't even know if anyone knows yet, but their LTE-Adv. network will supposedly be deployed on 2500mhz which would be terrible and mean no real (non-spotty) coverage unless in huge cities. We know this from sprint's past mistake of putting WiMax on 2500mhz. For reference, 2500mhz coverage is like WiFi but a little more. I'm pretty sure the source I heard this from was wrong and Sprint won't make this mistake again.
What would make more sense is if LTE-Advanced is put on 1900mhz after LTE is moved to 800mhz.
TL;DR: Sprint is the cheapest option and will probably be on-par with Verizon in the future. Samsung bootloaders are unlocked. They have true unlimited data which is also the biggest plus. I'd recommend switching to Sprint.
T-Mobile - Honestly, I don't know enough about T-Mo.
Wow, thank you very much for the in depth and useful information!
I'm still t'ed off at verizon about this whole bootloader locked/encrypted thing. I came from a DX and feel like I missed out on a lot (updates) because of the issues that surround that phone.
So, it sounds like Sprint may be caught up to Verizon in 2014, which is when my contract would end for the s3 with verizon. But then in 2014, who knows what Verizon will have.
I think I'm finally starting to be OK with not having the best or fastest, but something that I will be happy with and get the job done. I use to subscribe to the middle tier for internet, but now thinking of dropping it to the lower one because it's cheaper and same speeds as it was two years ago. I guess as long as I have 20 megabit, I'm happy.
If you have good Tmobile coverage in your area...Tmobile would be the one to go with.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia5iBxqsjW8
PS. If you enough cash to buy the SGS3 outright without a contract, do it! Im on TMobile's $30/month plan and its been awesome. I've cut my cellphone bill by atleast 60%. I get 100 mins, unlimited text and data (1st 5gb at 4G, then throttled to 2G).
babymatteo said:
If you have good Tmobile coverage in your area...Tmobile would be the one to go with.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia5iBxqsjW8
PS. If you enough cash to buy the SGS3 outright without a contract, do it! Im on TMobile's $30/month plan and its been awesome. I've cut my cellphone bill by atleast 60%. I get 100 mins, unlimited text and data (1st 5gb at 4G, then throttled to 2G).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Latency on lte is better tho, that's for sure, but yeah I got tmobile is cheaper for me, i had att, sprint and verizon, if only sprint had lte here I would stay with them, but now I'm happy with tmobile -
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
yousefak said:
If you plan on making a long-term switch:
Verizon - Verizon will always stay the fastest. They will most likely be first to deploy LTE-Advanced (gigabit/s 4G) on the best spectrum (700mhz). This means fastest speeds + best LTE-Adv coverage.
AT&T - Never considered or would consider. Slow 3G in areas without LTE. I'm not sure about their LTE-Adv plans or what spectrums they currently and will use.
Sprint - Sprint's 3G network is fairly slow in some areas, but can also be up to par with Verizon in others. They use the 1900mhz spectrum but have 3G in most areas so it doesn't really matter. In areas where sprint doesn't have 3G, verizon likely only has 2G or even nothing. You can roam on Verizon's 2G for free if you have Sprint. Basically, coverage is not an issue but you may have slow 3G speeds. Later this year Sprint plans to begin switching 3G to 800mhz, according to wikipedia. This means better speeds which is great and more coverage (although not an issue really).
Now, let's talk 4G. Sprint plans to deploy LTE on the 1900mhz spectrum also which is decent but still means good coverage if they will be able to set up enough towers. Speed would be around what Verizon's LTE offers but probably a little worse. They also plan to move LTE to the 800mhz spectrum in 2014 which means tower range, penetration, and speed on par with Verizon.
I'm not clear on the details and I don't even know if anyone knows yet, but their LTE-Adv. network will supposedly be deployed on 2500mhz which would be terrible and mean no real (non-spotty) coverage unless in huge cities. We know this from sprint's past mistake of putting WiMax on 2500mhz. For reference, 2500mhz coverage is like WiFi but a little more. I'm pretty sure the source I heard this from was wrong and Sprint won't make this mistake again.
What would make more sense is if LTE-Advanced is put on 1900mhz after LTE is moved to 800mhz.
TL;DR: Sprint is the cheapest option and will probably be on-par with Verizon in the future. Samsung bootloaders are unlocked. They have true unlimited data which is also the biggest plus. I'd recommend switching to Sprint.
T-Mobile - Honestly, I don't know enough about T-Mo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get 5-10 mb/s on hspa with att. I'd definitely consider that better then slow....
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
T-Mobile.
I've posted this before elsewhere but....
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However, I must say that I live in an area that has strong service with all four "big" carriers and many smaller ones.
I also live in a three story house (on the top floor) surrounded by two story buildings...
Throwing bricks since 2008.....and proud of it.
Proud t-mobile customer since the summer of '06
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
yousefak said:
If you plan on making a long-term switch:
Verizon - Verizon will always stay the fastest. They will most likely be first to deploy LTE-Advanced (gigabit/s 4G) on the best spectrum (700mhz). This means fastest speeds + best LTE-Adv coverage.
AT&T - Never considered or would consider. Slow 3G in areas without LTE. I'm not sure about their LTE-Adv plans or what spectrums they currently and will use.
Sprint - Sprint's 3G network is fairly slow in some areas, but can also be up to par with Verizon in others. They use the 1900mhz spectrum but have 3G in most areas so it doesn't really matter. In areas where sprint doesn't have 3G, verizon likely only has 2G or even nothing. You can roam on Verizon's 2G for free if you have Sprint. Basically, coverage is not an issue but you may have slow 3G speeds. Later this year Sprint plans to begin switching 3G to 800mhz, according to wikipedia. This means better speeds which is great and more coverage (although not an issue really).
Now, let's talk 4G. Sprint plans to deploy LTE on the 1900mhz spectrum also which is decent but still means good coverage if they will be able to set up enough towers. Speed would be around what Verizon's LTE offers but probably a little worse. They also plan to move LTE to the 800mhz spectrum in 2014 which means tower range, penetration, and speed on par with Verizon.
I'm not clear on the details and I don't even know if anyone knows yet, but their LTE-Adv. network will supposedly be deployed on 2500mhz which would be terrible and mean no real (non-spotty) coverage unless in huge cities. We know this from sprint's past mistake of putting WiMax on 2500mhz. For reference, 2500mhz coverage is like WiFi but a little more. I'm pretty sure the source I heard this from was wrong and Sprint won't make this mistake again.
What would make more sense is if LTE-Advanced is put on 1900mhz after LTE is moved to 800mhz.
TL;DR: Sprint is the cheapest option and will probably be on-par with Verizon in the future. Samsung bootloaders are unlocked. They have true unlimited data which is also the biggest plus. I'd recommend switching to Sprint.
T-Mobile - Honestly, I don't know enough about T-Mo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE will be on 1900 800 and 2500. Voice will be on 1900 and 800. Network Vision takes all the towers they have now and upgrades them with all services. On top of a all new backhaul to support it all. The system is a software update away from LTE-Adv. And will operate on all 3 Bands, replacing LTE. The system will be very cheap to keep upgraded and maintained for many many years to come. It uses fiber to the antenna where a RRU is 6" from the antenna. No lose of single from the long run to the cabinet. This means more power from right off the antennas.
The idea behind it? Say your down town where there is a good 2500 LTE... Your phone switches to it and you have unbeatable service. As you drive away, you signal drops and your phone will switch to the 1900. You pull in to a Bass Pro Shop and get deep in the store. Your signal drops below optimal and you phone switches to 800. You never know, you just know that everywhere you go... You have probably that fastest service out there.
You ask, why not just use the 800 all the time. Spectrum and throughput. That's another long rant.
Conclusion? Sprint is putting out a ton of money for a system that's ahead. It will be very hard to beat, and they plan to share it. $$$. This helps keep our cost down. But this will have to wait till 2014. After Nextel is done and Clear gets LTE rolling. As of now, most suffer from old tech and a T1 backhaul. Unless your lucky and are in a first round market.
Like me.. Hehe as you probably see in the 30 other threads made about we have LTE. lol
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
wiz561 said:
Wow, thank you very much for the in depth and useful information!
I'm still t'ed off at verizon about this whole bootloader locked/encrypted thing. I came from a DX and feel like I missed out on a lot (updates) because of the issues that surround that phone.
So, it sounds like Sprint may be caught up to Verizon in 2014, which is when my contract would end for the s3 with verizon. But then in 2014, who knows what Verizon will have.
I think I'm finally starting to be OK with not having the best or fastest, but something that I will be happy with and get the job done. I use to subscribe to the middle tier for internet, but now thinking of dropping it to the lower one because it's cheaper and same speeds as it was two years ago. I guess as long as I have 20 megabit, I'm happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with sprint and their 3g is really still fine for everything but downloads. It's worth the price.
parsa5 said:
I get 5-10 mb/s on hspa with att. I'd definitely consider that better then slow....
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HSPA+ is more 4g that 3g. Their gsm 3g was what I was talking about.
a454nova said:
LTE will be on 1900 800 and 2500. Voice will be on 1900 and 800. Network Vision takes all the towers they have now and upgrades them with all services. On top of a all new backhaul to support it all. The system is a software update away from LTE-Adv. And will operate on all 3 Bands, replacing LTE. The system will be very cheap to keep upgraded and maintained for many many years to come. It uses fiber to the antenna where a RRU is 6" from the antenna. No lose of single from the long run to the cabinet. This means more power from right off the antennas.
The idea behind it? Say your down town where there is a good 2500 LTE... Your phone switches to it and you have unbeatable service. As you drive away, you signal drops and your phone will switch to the 1900. You pull in to a Bass Pro Shop and get deep in the store. Your signal drops below optimal and you phone switches to 800. You never know, you just know that everywhere you go... You have probably that fastest service out there.
You ask, why not just use the 800 all the time. Spectrum and throughput. That's another long rant.
Conclusion? Sprint is putting out a ton of money for a system that's ahead. It will be very hard to beat, and they plan to share it. $$$. This helps keep our cost down. But this will have to wait till 2014. After Nextel is done and Clear gets LTE rolling. As of now, most suffer from old tech and a T1 backhaul. Unless your lucky and are in a first round market.
Like me.. Hehe as you probably see in the 30 other threads made about we have LTE. lol
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow. Thanks for the well written response. This makes me feel much better about being with sprint.
Sent from my Evo 3D on Sprint's blazing fast 3G network with 4G coverage everywhere
Related
First, this isn't one of "those" threads that just talks about "OMGZ WiMax is so much betterz kthx" it's a technical discussion, so be prepared for lots of technical jargon.
I don't really know where to start, so lets just dive right in:
Clear & Sprint - Bandwidth & an Open Relationship:
Even if LTE does end up winning in the global market, Sprint & Clear (from here on out, if I mention one, assume the other is mentioned too) can easily switch. Their 2.5Ghz spectrum is widely used worldwide for both LTE & WiMax, so not only can they easily switch in software, they will have better global roaming potential than the other big carriers here in the USA that are using 700Mhz spectrum for there nets.
Clear is running tests this year in both TD-LTE and FDD-LTE. They are clearly shaping up to be one hell of a 4G provider, and even a backbone provider with their large WiMax buildout so far done. (WiMax is a nearly perfect technology for wireless backhaul, in case you didn't know)
Also, Sprint has MASSIVE spectrum holdings in the 2.5Ghz channels, so that gives them many more advantages that I'll get into later.
Frequency, frequency, frequency!
I cannot stress how important this is! Everyone is saying how much better LTE is than WiMax because of its better building penetration & lower build out costs. Being on 700Mhz here in the USA, it will require ~1/4th of the equipment vs WiMax to get the same coverage area & building penetration.
Thats fine & dandy, until you talk global roaming. See, in the EU, LTE is actually slated for the 2.6Ghz channel, and WiMax is still on 2.5Ghz. So here in the USA, LTE probably does have an advantage coverage & cost wise to carriers, but it also hamstrings them in multiple ways. In Europe, with it on the 2.6 channel it will actually be on par if not slightly worse than WiMax coverage & penetration wise. It will also cost about the same to roll out.
Roaming:
Obviously being on 700Mhz here in the USA, people will be able to roam between Verizon & AT&T, and anyone else on that channel. The problems come when you go overseas. As mentioned above, in Europe LTE is on a completely different freq than here, so global roaming without multi-band radios is pretty much out. This increases cost for devices.
Clear will be using 2.5Ghz spectrum for LTE (should they switch) so they should be able to roam globally, although they may not. This is a HUGE advantage.
Size DOES matter!
No, you pervs, not like that.
Because of the vast spectrum that Sprint holds, they can take advantage of it and provide much higher throughput over the same technology. While VZW & AT&T are limited spectrum wise because of using 700, Sprint isn't. Most LTE carriers in the US can only offer 10Mhz channels for upload & download. This leads to the weak (relatively) speeds of 5-12Mbps down Verizon is promising at launch.
On the other hand, Clear can take advantage of all that spectrum & offer channels of anywhere from 20-40Mhz Actually, they are using paired 20Mhz channels for a total of 40Mhz throughput per connection on LTE, providing FOUR TIMES the throughput of other networks. That's how they can promise speeds of 20-70Mbps downlink. Chalk another one up for Clear.
Is It True 4G?
It depends. LTE is a true 4G standard no matter how you slice it.
WiMax-16e is what Clear currently has rolled out. It is NOT true 4G. It has most of the qualifications (full IP backbone network, etc) but it doesn't meet speed requirements. Fixed you have to (theoretically) be able to provide 1Gbps downlink & 100Mbps mobile to qualify as 4G. LTE (if you use the right frequencies & have the spectrum to provide wide enough channels) can do that. 16e can't. Enough said.
BUT! WiMax-16m (WiMax2, as it's been branded) is a true 4G standard. It was finalized as a standard this summer, and equipment providers (Alcatel-Lucent, Motorola, etc) are expected to be able to provide backend gear for it by early next year & user devices by the end of next year. This is where WiMax really can compete with LTE. Think of the WiMax to WiMax2 upgrade as the HSPA to HSPA+ rollouts going on on T-Mobile & Bell/Rogers in Canada. Another plus for WiMax 2 (16m) is that it is completely backward compatible with WiMax (16e), again just like HSPA devices are compatible with HSPA+ networks.
Other Advantages:
LTE does offer a standardized voice transmission method, whereas WiMax (2) doesn't. This is a big thing for carriers, and I'm not going to say it doesn't matter, because it does. Sprint & any other WiMax provider worldwide will have to maintain their GSM or CDMA2000 networks to keep providing voice. That also means that mobile devices will have to provide dual-mode CDMA/WiMax or GSM/WiMax chips to stay connected. This could change. They could implement it down the road, but in its current state, WiMax can't do it. OTOH, EvDo devices also have to be dual mode, since the EvDo standard that CDMA carriers chose couldn't do voice, whereas different techs (such as EvDv from Qualcomm) could do both. So it's not really new to many of them, just something to consider.
Wrapup (my opinion):
Both are great technologies if done right. Right now, WiMax has the advantage because its more rolled out & it has the spectrum available to operators to provide higher speeds. That could easily change in the future, especially if more telcos can provide larger channels for LTE to reach its full speeds. WiMax 2 could also be a game changer in the industry.
In all actuality, the technologies are almost identical. It isn't like HD-DVD vs BluRay, where there was a clearcut winner. There won't be that here, both are excellent technologies & will continue to coexist. Much like Cable vs. DSL in the landline world. WiMax offers great technology as wireless backhaul & last mile delivery for rural broadband, but is also becoming a good access technology for 4G wireless. LTE was designed by carriers & for carriers as the natural progression to HSPA to carry voice as well as data. It is an access network at heart. WiMax is more flexible, it can do access or backhaul. It really comes down to carrier choice & what freqs they have available to them.
Hope this helps clear some stuff up. I've seen a lot of uneducated posts about this & it really annoys me.
EDIT - More info:
Topography is another huge factor. For some markets LTE will be a better choice, and for others WiMax will. Again it comes down to what freqs the telcos have available to deploy on.
Also, I forgot to clarify a couple more things about Clear's LTE trials. I mentioned that they were using TD-LTE & FDD-LTE (a good article on them here). A key difference is that TD is able to be used on the same unpaired freqs as WiMax is, so where carriers that only had access to the unpaired freqs before had to go with WiMax can now go with a variation of LTE (although still not the same as the normal carriers). FDD is what most telcos already have access to today, so they are building on it. Clear has both. Another win. Clear's TD-LTE trials are using paired 10Mhz channels for a total of 20Mhz, which will provide speeds potentially faster than WiMax but slower than FDD-LTE. Their FDD-LTE trials will be using paired 20Mhz channels for 40Mhz total.
Several more good articles on the subject here, here, and here.
WiMax is currently seen as the predominant tech of choice in India because of the abundance of unpaired spectrum available there. Good articles on that here & here. Intel is a huge backer of WiMax in India as well as the US, and are offering SoC's & laptop chipsets with WiMax integrated. They are also offering standalone Mini-PCIe WiMax cards. See more info on big WiMax players in the WiMax Forum group.
I'm trying to be as unbiased as possible here & give the (dis)advantages of both techs here. There are links in defense of both techs above, and I'm not a "fanboy" for either one.
Reserved just in case.
Also, vote this to the front page if you think it's educational!
Wow, that was really well written. Bookmarked for future reference, and to share in other forums or blog posts/comments
WiMax carriers wouldn't necessarily have to carry dual-mode for voice. Why couldn't they just use a VoIP technology? Latency on WiMax in good coverage is low enough to sustain a stable and high-quality VoIP call. Even SIP traffic through a carrier-specific VPN tunnel would probably be sufficient to handle any voice demand.
afazel said:
WiMax carriers wouldn't necessarily have to carry dual-mode for voice. Why couldn't they just use a VoIP technology? Latency on WiMax in good coverage is low enough to sustain a stable and high-quality VoIP call. Even SIP traffic through a carrier-specific VPN tunnel would probably be sufficient to handle any voice demand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true, but like I said, there's no STANDARD for voice on WiMax. Carriers can implement their own, but it could vary between networks. As far as the IEEE standards are concerned there is no voice. On the other hand, LTE has a standard across networks.
Spectrum doesn't mean **** if you can't get connected inside. Many, many places this will be a huge issue. Even if you can get connected the signal loss will hamper bandwidth so again whats the point?
LTE is going to be the clear winner. Clear will eventually switch and the only losers will be handsets like the EVO and Eipc for anyone that is still using them with 4g in mind because inside of a couple of years I doubt they will continue to work (4g).
Aridon said:
Spectrum doesn't mean **** if you can't get connected inside. Many, many places this will be a huge issue. Even if you can get connected the signal loss will hamper bandwidth so again whats the point?
LTE is going to be the clear winner. Clear will eventually switch and the only losers will be handsets like the EVO and Eipc for anyone that is still using them with 4g in mind because inside of a couple of years I doubt they will continue to work (4g).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Youre spectrum point is only valid in the US since in other regions LTE is on a higher freq. Plus my spectrum points were all about LTE. WiMax is currently using 10Mhz channels too. I was saying that Clear's FDD-LTE trials will use 40Mhz channels. Their TD-LTE trials will be using paired 10Mhz channels for 20Mhz total.
Also, if Sprint builds the network properly (ie densely enough) then you won't have connection problems. That's the catch here in the US & why LTE will win here, but in other regions its still a fair fight.
While it's nice knowing our phones are just that little bit more "future proof",by the time any carrier has respectable lte /wimax2 networks, the majority of us would have already been upgraded to the next big thing which would have those capabilities out of the box.
from what i remember
almost all the carriers in the world (80+%) are planning to use LTE
sprint seems like the only major one that uses wimax (and planning to convert to LTE )
cLOUDFAn said:
from what i remember
almost all the carriers in the world (80+%) are planning to use LTE
sprint seems like the only major one that uses wimax (and planning to convert to LTE )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually Yota in Russia is a major WiMax/GSM carrier & several telcos in Japan (can't remember names) are both behind WiMax. There are also several in India, which is one of the larger markets in the world.
Both will coexist happily I think. A major part of Clear's LTE trials this year are to test performance of providing both LTE & WiMax over the same channel. Another thing to consider is topography. I don't remember where I saw it but I saw a graphic that showed the range of 2.5 WiMax vs 700 LTE. Obviously the LTE provided better range, but depending on the topography WiMax can be a better option because it provides better service in dense urban areas if the network is planned right (less than 15dBm of loss from structures is a good level, 19 or 20 is the norm)
wimax in ugunda as well cool story, anyways I have a Q, the dual voice data thing, are you saying wimax wont support making calls and surfing net at the same time in the future and LTE will?
crakerjaks said:
wimax in ugunda as well cool story, anyways I have a Q, the dual voice data thing, are you saying wimax wont support making calls and surfing net at the same time in the future and LTE will?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, WiMax & LTE both support simultaneous voice & data. LTE supports it the right way, just like WCDMA/HSPA support it now.
WiMax supports it but only because it requires a dual mode radio (one for voice/EvDo, one for WiMax)
What I said means that if you have JUST an LTE connection (IE no 2G/3G/etc fallback network at all) you can make a phone call. If you have JUST a WiMax connection with no fallback network you can't make a call.
IE: WiMax is currently a data only network, like when T-Mobile launched their 3G network there was no voice coverage. Sprint could add it down the road (and probably will, if they don't switch to LTE) by using as the other poster said one of several possible VoIP options to deliver calls. LTE also uses VoIP as their call standard, since its a completely IP based backbone network like WiMax.
Aridon said:
Spectrum doesn't mean **** if you can't get connected inside. Many, many places this will be a huge issue. Even if you can get connected the signal loss will hamper bandwidth so again whats the point?
LTE is going to be the clear winner. Clear will eventually switch and the only losers will be handsets like the EVO and Eipc for anyone that is still using them with 4g in mind because inside of a couple of years I doubt they will continue to work (4g).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats true. Wimax has rolled out in Salt Lake City and its pretty much useless. It works on the main streets but as soon as you go off those,it fades fast. Inside buildings,you can rarely get a signal. It may get better,but right now the line of sight characteristics of the 2.5ghz signals are really a problem and Im not yet convinced that they can put in enough towers to overcome it.
Great OP !
...as an european, I am waiting for a nice LTE device
Great post so far - enjoying it very much.
What are your thoughts on the current Sprint WiMAX? Do you guys think the cities that are live will be kept the way they are? I remember reading somewhere when most cities are live Sprint will go back and improve the older cities so people can get more of a consistent signal. Its not WiMAX perse, its Sprint ATM.
Anybody know the energy efficiency (on the users end) of LTE, WiMax, and even HSPA+? WiMax is great even in it's US infancy, ~100 ping + 6-10Mbps down for me, but it's so much more energy inefficient compared to 3G that it's only something that I turn on if I want to tether and can connect my EVO to a power source.
Now compare that to the iPhone 4 which I also have. I don't think it's a HSPA+ phone but it can still take advantage (albeit not fully) of it if the signal is there. So I end up getting around the same ping and 4 Mbps and change on the down link. Now the thing that interests me the most is that it doesn't seem to effect the battery life as much if at all. So I actually get to enjoy the increased speed. Of course, I don't know by how much, if at all, this is effected if the phone is HSPA+ capable (20Mps+).
I know WiMax is very similar to WiFi, and we all know that WiFi is a lot nicer to the battery than 3G. So is WiMax's battery hogging maybe related to the poor coverage and can possibly be significantly improved when there's more coverage? Is anybody really, really near a tower and feel a difference?
What about LTE? Anybody from Sweden (or any other place that has LTE rolled out) here?
Edit: Now that I think of it, wouldn't LTE be better in this regard since it only has to power one radio for both voice/data?
Award Tour said:
Anybody know the energy efficiency (on the users end) of LTE, WiMax, and even HSPA+? WiMax is great even in it's US infancy, ~100 ping + 6-10Mbps down for me, but it's so much more energy inefficient compared to 3G that it's only something that I turn on if I want to tether and can connect my EVO to a power source.
Now compare that to the iPhone 4 which I also have. I don't think it's a HSPA+ phone but it can still take advantage (albeit not fully) of it if the signal is there. So I end up getting around the same ping and 4 Mbps and change on the down link. Now the thing that interests me the most is that it doesn't seem to effect the battery life as much if at all. So I actually get to enjoy the increased speed. Of course, I don't know by how much, if at all, this is effected if the phone is HSPA+ capable (20Mps+).
I know WiMax is very similar to WiFi, and we all know that WiFi is a lot nicer to the battery than 3G. So is WiMax's battery hogging maybe related to the poor coverage and can possibly be significantly improved when there's more coverage? Is anybody really, really near a tower and feel a difference?
What about LTE? Anybody from Sweden (or any other place that has LTE rolled out) here?
Edit: Now that I think of it, wouldn't LTE be better in this regard since it only has to power one radio for both voice/data?
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Click to collapse
Its the phone not the network, really. ****ty battery life only gets ****tier when you are searching for a weak signal.
werxen said:
Its the phone not the network, really. ****ty battery life only gets ****tier when you are searching for a weak signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but you have imagine that there are battery differences between LTE, WiMax, and HSPA+; just as there is between "2G", "3G", and WiFi
In Europe at least, LTE is pushed by a much stronger lobby and will be THE 4G standard.
It's already being deployed in Japan as well and will be in the USA. I think this is the next worldwide standard, so the prices will go down and that will leave only minor networks to Wimax as a mobility technology.
Wimax is already used in some places as a fixed internet acces (no mobility, only fixed wireless).
In France, I don't see LTE happening before 2013 because there have been many investments in the WCDMA networks so they will use HSPA+ to push and perfect the 3G network before eventually switching to LTE.
I found in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) website a diagram about different telecom generations:
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From: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/imt-2000/Revised_JV/IntroducingIMT_item3.html
So the WiMAX IEEE 802.16e (and f) and LTE (3GPP Release 9) can be considered as "3.9G".
The ITU has selected two technologies for the 4G (IMT-Advanced) which are the WiMAX IEEE 802.16m and LTE-Advanced (3GPP Release 10) [url=http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/archive/27_series/27.007/27007-a00.zip](1st Rev. zip file)[/url].
I would add also that Qualcomm who is the inventor of the CDMA technology may prefer LTE-Advanced (3GPP Release 10) over WiMAX IEEE 802.16m.
Here, a pdf presentation about the benefits of the LTE-Advanced from his website:
http://www.qualcomm.de/documents/files/lte-advanced-benefits.pdf
More info about the 4G (IMT-Advanced):
http://www.itu.int/itunews/manager/display.asp?lang=en&year=2008&issue=10&ipage=39&ext=html
So my girlfriend picked up a Thunderbolt, and I have to admit I'm pretty jealous of the 4G speeds and coverage she's getting. In our building, I don't get any Sprint signal at all in the basement (I always roam on VZW), meanwhile she's speed-testing at 18mbps. In fact pretty much everywhere we've gone in the area, she gets LTE coverage both inside and out, much unlike the EVO's pretty-much-outside-only WiMAX coverage...
I've found WiMAX to work pretty well if I'm outside or in my car, and I'm sitting perfectly still. Of course I can't leave it enabled unless I use my extended battery, or else the phone will be dead in short order.
I guess Sprint's 9 months of being the only provider with "real" 4G phones was nice while it lasted, but VZW is really kicking ass now when it comes to 4G speed and coverage, to the point where I'd say they're pretty much the only player in town.
So u saying ur gonna switch to the thunderbolt
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BlueScreenOfTOM said:
So my girlfriend picked up a Thunderbolt, and I have to admit I'm pretty jealous of the 4G speeds and coverage she's getting. In our building, I don't get any Sprint signal at all in the basement (I always roam on VZW), meanwhile she's speed-testing at 18mbps. In fact pretty much everywhere we've gone in the area, she gets LTE coverage both inside and out, much unlike the EVO's pretty-much-outside-only WiMAX coverage...
I've found WiMAX to work pretty well if I'm outside or in my car, and I'm sitting perfectly still. Of course I can't leave it enabled unless I use my extended battery, or else the phone will be dead in short order.
I guess Sprint's 9 months of being the only provider with "real" 4G phones was nice while it lasted, but VZW is really kicking ass now when it comes to 4G speed and coverage, to the point where I'd say they're pretty much the only player in town.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, yeah, your lady is going to get blistering speeds because there might be 1000 people in your whole city with LTE right now. Verizon says it expects 5-12Mbps on "loaded cells." I just touched 10Mbs in Manhattan -- on a loaded net. Not saying WiMax is perfect; far from.
Here's the thing: it doesn't matter to me if you go to VZW -- in fact you're one less connected user on WiMax, so I'll be incrementally faster. If you're gonna go to Verizon, do so once you see what performance of both the net and the device is going to be -- in real world, saturated network situations.
Realistically even when the network gets loaded itll still be faster than wimax. Just like with twice the users the 3G is better also. It just is what it is.
Im not willing to pay verizons prices...thats all it comes down to for me
zikronix said:
Im not willing to pay verizons prices...thats all it comes down to for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing here. I am ok living with sprints lesser service for the price difference.
The frequencies Verizon has for LTE are fundamentally better than what Clear/Sprint are using for WiMax, at least in terms of building penetration. The higher frequencies do have some advantages, but to me they're *completely* negated by the fact that I go from an "Excellent" 4G signal in the parking lot at work to alternating between "Poor" and "No signal" as soon as I walk in the building. VZW could put Wimax on their frequencies, or Sprint could put LTE on their frequencies, and either way, VZW would win. If Sprint deploys LTE on the Nextel frequencies, we'll have a much more even race.
That said, I like what I pay for Sprint and (especially with the AT&TMobile thing) I don't want to see Sprint fail. I'm sticking with them for now. But 4G on Sprint has been very, very disappointing. There is a point in time -- yet to be determined for me -- when I'll suck it up and pay VZW's prices if Sprint can't improve the 4G network in a major way.
brownhornet said:
Realistically even when the network gets loaded itll still be faster than wimax. Just like with twice the users the 3G is better also. It just is what it is.
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Click to collapse
This isn't necessarily true.
As a standard, WiMax has potential for higher speeds than LTE. Significantly higher -- like 30% higher. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wireless_data_standards
The question is, implementation, as always. Of course, it may be a moot point, as Sprint may cut bait from Clear (because of their mismanagement) and go with their LTE plans with LightSquared in tow.
My point remains, leaving Sprint now, based on VZW's LTE speeds NOW vs what they may be when fully-loaded might be a grass-greener-on-the-other-side move. And you know how that usually ends up...
My house is small and my work has thin walls, I get awesome 4g speed pretty much all the time. I guess if where your at you don't have the same results switch. You'll probably be happier.
TonyArmstrong said:
This isn't necessarily true.
As a standard, WiMax has potential for higher speeds than LTE. Significantly higher -- like 30% higher. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wireless_data_standards
The question is, implementation, as always. Of course, it may be a moot point, as Sprint may cut bait from Clear (because of their mismanagement) and go with their LTE plans with LightSquared in tow.
My point remains, leaving Sprint now, based on VZW's LTE speeds NOW vs what they may be when fully-loaded might be a grass-greener-on-the-other-side move. And you know how that usually ends up...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea and 10 times out of 10 we will NEVER see wimax speeds that high.. not if Clear is responsible for deploying it. And honestly the grass is greener not only interms of 4G speeds, but coverage and 3G speeds as well. In terms of VZW vs Sprint you pretty much get what you pay for. In terms of data I rarely even use the evo anymore. Turning on my wimax is pointless honestly unless im close to a tower. Even if VZW's speeds get chopped in half, which I doubt, itll still be faster than wimax here. The biggest factor is if you look at how many towers VZW has here as compared to Sprint, it makes sense as to why you can get LTE pretty much everywhere you go in in Metro Atlanta as compared to Wimax.. where once you leave downtown you're not really guaranteed to get it at all.
still love Sprint...
Long time Sprint here my self..
But 89.99 + 20% discount for unlimited 4G with Verizon was only $10 more than what i was paying with Sprint..
I love Sprint to death, but until they use their 800MHz spectrum for 4G then i'll be staying with Verizon..
I mean look at these insane speeds...
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asenduk said:
Long time Sprint here my self..
Verizon was only $10 more than what i was paying with Sprint..
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I just made this exact post in another thread lol. VZW is NOT that much more than Sprint anymore. Especially since Sprint made the $10 premium data mandatory for all smart phones. And im telling you now, if VZW does decide to make that promo that they ran for the any mobile for the same price, its gonna get ugly.
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novanosis85 said:
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Dont see how its trolling when its the truth. *shrug*
VZW is not much more for an individual user, but with a family plan its a lot more. Total for my 4 smartphones was 60 more a month. Not worth it, especially getting 10Mbps down everywhere I go. 15 vs 10 is just not a big deal to me.
gtkansan said:
VZW is not much more for an individual user, but with a family plan its a lot more. Total for my 4 smartphones was 60 more a month. Not worth it, especially getting 10Mbps down everywhere I go. 15 vs 10 is just not a big deal to me.
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Click to collapse
my plan three evo's after tax and 22% discount is 167, verizon for two phones not three after tax and discount was 189!
But like it was said if vzw did anytime any mobile. I might consider it. but then again 90% of people we know are on verizon so maybe it doesn matter.
these are the same customers that complained about the $10/fee
they aint going to pay $10-20 more ...
i agree sprint wimax signal is a joke.. i am in DFW (one of the major oginal wimax cities).. and it sucks!... so much so that I use a ROM that does not even have wimax support!.
i sure hope that sprint has real plans to fix this asap with wimax...not lte.
OP here. I switched from VZW to Sprint for the EVO, so I knew what I was coming from. When we got WiMAX here (DC/Baltimore area) it was at first very spotty, and it's still moderately spotty. I suppose I was expecting to see the same from VZW's LTE offerings, at least for the next year or so, but I was surprised to see how... good it is. I'm sure once the network gets a little more saturated the speeds won't be as good, but still, having 10-12mbps everywhere on VZW is quite different from having 3G in most places and 4G in a few select places like I'm used to now with Sprint.
I'm not saying I'm going to switch back to VZW... I hated the way they nickel-and-dimed everything... I like Sprint as a company much better. I just hope maybe they'll at least increase the back-end WiMAX speeds a little so they can be a bit more competitive with VZW LTE at least with speeds (I know the penetration isn't going to get much better...)
I will never go back to verizon for any reason. I don't really download that much on my phone that I can't do when I have wifi. Since having 4g on pretty much kills the battery, I leave it off most of the time. I love the evo, and if sprint improves things then it's even better.
same here, i have had them both, but sprint has been the best company for me. and where i work i roam the WHOLE time . but when the end of the month comes and that bill is in front of me i remember why im here!! o and of course the EVO !!! FTW
I just wanted to start this thread to ask if any insiders or users such as yourselves have any new information regarding wimax expansion, LTE deployment or any other type of rumors that point to us getting better services in the future. Any timelines on deployment or hints at them are appreciated.
Update: All will be revealed October 7, God willing
Update 2: It looks like Sprint might be upgrading the existing EVDO Rev A network to Rev B. also a new video on network vision
Korey says the rev b upgrade is bs.
What I have heard:
Network Vision:
A new program to replace all existing cell sites with all new hardware which is backed by fiber optics (yes!!! no more 150k 3g) and works with all technologies on all frequencies possible (CDMA 800/1900), (Wimax 2500) and (LTE 800/1900/2500(Clear)/1600(lightsquared?))
EDIT: New image
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Credit: Evan702
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Light Squared LTE partnership:
Sprint is rumored to be negotiating with light squared to piggyback their network on sprint's towers further increasing the quality of sprint's lte network.
Edit: The deal is either done or close to complete. source
Credit: boliviano3
Edit 2: It looks like lightsquared has vacated the spectrum which interfered with GPS in favor of some other spectrum. They claim the GPS interference is no longer an issue. If it's true we could see 1400/1600mhz lte in 2013.
LightSquared announces 'solution' for GPS issue, says LTE network will roll out on schedule
Bloomberg said:
“LightSquared and Sprint will jointly develop, deploy and operate LightSquared’s 4G LTE network,” according to the letter. “Sprint will become a significant customer of LightSquared’s 4G LTE network.”
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's also worth noting that this network will operate in the 1600mhz spectrum and due to GPS providers illegal use of this spectrum, the lte network will interfere with vital high precision GPS used in agriculture.
Basically, John Deere is squatting on LightSquared's spectrum but there is nothing we can do about it because we need their products for food production.
Clear Moving to LTE:
It's a done deal the question is when. It's still using that nasty 2500mhz spectrum so I'm not all that interested.
What it all means:
The network vision upgrade should result in a dramatic increase in network speed because the back haul to the new towers is fiber optics meaning they won't be choked for bandwidth under the load of heavy smartphone use.
Vision should also lead to much better coverage in building and out because of the use of the old iDen (nextel) 800mhz frequency. 800mhz is why Verizon and US Cellular have the coverage they do. One 800mhz tower can serve the same coverage area three 1900mhz towers do. Sprint intends to switch all towers to use this frequency as well as 1900mhz when the 800mhz network is at capacity.
The light squared deal is a win-win for Sprint despite the controversy surrounding the interference Lightsquared causes with GPS. Unlike the situation they face with Clear today, Lightsqared will actually be paying Sprint to use their network. This could expedite the deployment of LTE for Sprint with the financial incentives Lightsquared will provide.
TL;DR
If the rumors are true Sprints network will be by far the best in the country. If you know something please tell us. I tire of Sprint's silence on their future plans (I want 1500kbps 3g/10mbps wimax nao!).
Even owners of Wimax devices (us) will see an improvement in overall coverage and speed as Sprint converts all towers to use Wimax and 800 mhz cdma (as well as lte).
Sweet. This would be great. My 3g is not 190k. It just says DEATH in a speed check. Lol.
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marcusant said:
Sweet. This would be great. My 3g is not 190k. It just says DEATH in a speed check. Lol.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, I guess I should be thankful.
I have not heard anything more than what you posted ... but it does sound good for us (eventually)
I hope it comes true and quickly... The market is moving really fast right now and Sprint is starting to feel like is going to fall behind again...
cberrios said:
I hope it comes true and quickly... The market is moving really fast right now and Sprint is starting to feel like is going to fall behind again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree. releasing 4G before anyone was a great move and increased their revenue, regardless of the loss it reported from 2010(less of a loss than 2007-2009 for sure) but now that ATT, and big red have released LTE, sprint is already behind, atleast to those who know the difference in the types of 4g anyway. this will deff be a great step in the right direction for the company. now if only they would release a SGS2 WITH a keyboard ill be set lol oh well, maybe when SGS3 comes out =P ill probably still have my epic by then anyway hahahahaha
I hear you on the "keyboard" feature ... the AWESOME Screen Display and Physical Keyboard are what made me get the EPIC instead of EVO .... hopefully SGS3 !!!
TexasEpic4G said:
I hear you on the "keyboard" feature ... the AWESOME Screen Display and Physical Keyboard are what made me get the EPIC instead of EVO .... hopefully SGS3 !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
amen to that Tex. same reason i got this phone too.
Ohhhh man, this perks me up! I, too, got the epic after many months of research (and seeing every one of my friends who own Evo's replacing them every two or three months due to cracked/broken screens). I really hate the Evo for it's weight, but hate it even more because of its lack of keyboard.
Now back on topic. When I got my phone, I did the research on the networks, and was REALLY bummed that Verizon has the better speeds and coverage, whereas a few years ago, it was the opposite. *sigh*
I would really like to see this happen fast. My coverage where I live is bad, and we only have 3G right now (which I cannot complain about, but do when it does not work... which means A LOT of complaining).
Everything else about this awesome phone? AMAZING. Glad I chose it instead of the others. Just sayin.
I would like the technical controversy of whether WiMax handsets could ever be easily upgraded to support LTE laid to rest, yea or nay. I suspect nay, and since they expect 2 year or less upgrades for users, maybe it's a non-issue.
DroidApprentice said:
I would like the technical controversy of whether WiMax handsets could ever be easily upgraded to support LTE laid to rest, yea or nay. I suspect nay, and since they expect 2 year or less upgrades for users, maybe it's a non-issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a chance they could be but, it is slim because the only lte band our phones could support is 2500mhz from Clear so it wouldn't improve coverage much (Vison will because of more towers but it will still be spotty) but speed could go up a bit.
I think it would be pointless though. They would be better off uncapping the Wimax speeds (which would make them more or less the same speeds as LTE ~ up to 40mbps). I would say most likely they keep the wimax caps (maybe ease up a little on the upload cap) and leave the phones with Wimax.
I was happy that Sprint made the first move with 4G. WiMax was already established in many markets, so it made sense for them to use that to be the first ones to market with 4G. And to be honest WiMax gets good and consistant speeds with relatively low latency (average 5-7 down and 1-1.5 up with around 70-80 ms latency), its just that once you enter a building or even a car for that matter the signal penetration drops off sharply. Thats that 2500 Mhz spectrum for ya. BUt hopefully this deal with light squared will accelerate thier LTE deployment. It would be nice to have all the major carriers on one universal 4G standard that way you could roam anywhere you go. I just hope sprint can stay in the game. This AT&T/T-mobile merger is going to put the hurt on the ol now network.
maybe......someday
expect the worst hope for the best that way you dont get your feels hurt lol
iam happy now lol
bump
hoping for a response from whosdaman or someone else who works for sprint
My bro works at Sams club in the phone department, and the Sprint Rep that handles distributing phones to all stores in the valley told him that they are not deploying out any more 4G as they are in talks to use LTE like verizon on their network.
WIMAX phones CAN convert to LTE....as can the currently deployed WIMAX equipment with no additional hardware...it's basically a software update. Sprint will be converting their 800MHz frequencies from IDEN to CDMA and will use LTE across all frequencies and incorporate aggregation which is where multiple frequencies are used simultaneously thereby increasing total frequency width and speed.
This thread should be deleted, while continuing on with this one...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1015442
TexasEpic4G said:
I hear you on the "keyboard" feature ... the AWESOME Screen Display and Physical Keyboard are what made me get the EPIC instead of EVO .... hopefully SGS3 !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the same reason I got the Epic as well, but I now very rarely use the hardware keyboard. I'm excited for the new SGSII, but to each his own I guess
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lynyrd65 said:
bump
hoping for a response from whosdaman or someone else who works for sprint
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, well what do you want me to say? haha...I've already talked about this previously.
"Cellular Frequency Aggregation: Using multiple Cellular Radio Frequencies in parallel to increase link speed" Think of it like Link aggregation whereas using multiple Ethernet network cables/ports in parallel to increase overall link speed......Using 3 100Mb ethernet ports at the same time to have an effective 300Mb total connection. This is only possible if both the sending computer AND receiving computer support the capability. NVIDIA motherboards with dual 1GB ethernet ports can perform this using their driver.
REPOST......
From sprint website
Current vs. New cell site
Today, Sprint uses separate equipment to deploy services on 800 MHz spectrum, 1.9 GHz spectrum and, through its relationship with Clearwire, 2.5 GHz spectrum. Under the terms of the new contracts, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Samsung will install new network equipment and software that brings together multiple spectrum bands, or airwaves, on a single, multi-mode base station.
Comparison between today's base stations and Network Vision base stations
With Network Vision, Sprint will make substantial changes to the cell sites that power its wireless network. The top image shows Sprint’s existing base stations, which require single, refrigerator-sized cabinets for each technology. Large black coaxial cables must run from each cabinet to the top of the cell tower, which has an inherent loss of signal. The Network Vision multi-mode base station will require less space. Other advantages will include the ability for Sprint to use spectrum bands on multiple technologies, replacing coaxial cables with fiber that is not affected by signal loss and improved remote radio heads that replace existing less efficient radios.
Multi-mode technology
The implementation of multi-mode technology throughout the Sprint network will:
• Enhance service
• Create network flexibility
• Reduce operating costs
• Improve environmental sustainability
______________________________
Other Rumors alluded to by sprint
Berge Ayvazian, Senior Consultant, Heavy Reading
“This is a very bold move. Sprint was first with an all-digital wireless network; the first to upgrade to EVDO; and more recently, the first to broadly offer 4G services. Sprint is once again first to deploy a common converged mobile network that will strengthen its 3G services; enhance its 4G technology options; and continue delivering the industry’s leading push-to-talk offering.”
Steve Elfman, Sprint president of Network Operations and Wholesale
“We’re seeing an increasing need from our push-to-talk customers for high-speed data capabilities. Marrying the industry’s only sub-second PTT call set-up with broadband data directly supports our customers’ needs and creates an unmatched offering in the market. Additionally, we fully expect a competitively priced lineup of rugged handsets and smartphones on the CDMA network.”
lynyrd65 said:
There is a chance they could be but, it is slim because the only lte band our phones could support is 2500mhz from Clear so it wouldn't improve coverage much (Vison will because of more towers but it will still be spotty) but speed could go up a bit.
I think it would be pointless though. They would be better off uncapping the Wimax speeds (which would make them more or less the same speeds as LTE ~ up to 40mbps). I would say most likely they keep the wimax caps (maybe ease up a little on the upload cap) and leave the phones with Wimax.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like sprint will be raising the cap on the upload tommorow. I guess they read my post.
http://phandroid.com/2011/06/09/sprint-said-to-raise-4g-upload-cap-to-1-5-mbps-june-10th/
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Looks like Sprint's getting ready to deploy LTE. What does everyone think?
http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/17/sprint-to-deploy-4g-lte-network-with-lightsquared/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-17/falcone-s-lightsquared-venture-reaches-a-15-year-network-deal-with-sprint.html
Last i heard, LightSquared was told by the FCC they weren't allowed to broadcast because they were overpowering civilian and aviation GPS units. Has this issue been resolved? A 15 year deal ain't worth squat if you can't turn on the juice!!
SilverStone641 said:
Last i heard, LightSquared was told by the FCC they weren't allowed to broadcast because they were overpowering civilian and aviation GPS units. Has this issue been resolved? A 15 year deal ain't worth squat if you can't turn on the juice!!
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Yeah, thats what I'm worried about, I wish/hope its as easy as a change of a frequency channel.
I"m sure they will iron those wrinkles before flipping the switch.
It would be like Sprint to throw its weight behind a technology that is failed, different or inferior. WiMAX isn't exactly inferior to LTE, but the 2.5 GHz band it relies on most certainly is inferior to the 700 MHz band that Verizon's LTE uses.
Ok, so lets say they deploy this 4g lte network... what happens to their 4g wimax network? From what little I know about wimax and lte chipsets, I dont think it would be possible for a firmware upgrade to turn wimax to lte. What happens to clear? One important thing to remember is that I didnt actually read the article so these questions may already be answered. haha.
Although, if my evo became a 3g only device, I would actually be ok with that if they drop the $10 a month surcharge
ZachPA said:
It would be like Sprint to throw its weight behind a technology that is failed, different or inferior. WiMAX isn't exactly inferior to LTE, but the 2.5 GHz band it relies on most certainly is inferior to the 700 MHz band that Verizon's LTE uses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Words straight out of my mouth.
is there a resource that lists open frequency ranges?
Could the new radio(SMR) thats in the evo 3d work on this frequency and be a dual wimax/lte combo?
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"The company can use LightSquared’s network to lessen the load on its own network as data demand has skyrocketed, an issue that has plagued other carriers. "
It sounds like they will be using them for backhaul, I don't see anything about Sprint using LTE. Right now backhaul is what Sprint is lacking so this will be a good thing for not just 4G but 3G speeds.
Cloyd said:
is there a resource that lists open frequency ranges?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here is a chart..
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/allochrt.pdf
I assume any potential move to lte will address wimax's inferior latency?
Sprint end users will NOT use LTE most likely ever. Sprint (the provider service) will utilize LTE strickly for back haul only. This is a very good thing for us the end user, basically means to us that we will have lots of bandwidth on tap. Wimax offers up to 12MB d/l transport speeds which most of us probably never see anyway. I personally get 7-8 around Baltimore/Annapolis areas of Maryland and this will hopefully allows us to have the bandwidth assuming more towers are deployed for our cell connectivity. This is a very good thing for us and the sooner the better!
sounds like lte will come later on firat is evdo rev o then rev a then rev b then do then do advance then lte
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I have spoken to my sprint rep a lot about how Sprint works. He used to work for Samsung and distributed phones to carriers in the northeastern part of the united states. Because of this, he learned a lot about Sprint. One thing that he learned was that Sprint has the most bandwidth out of all the carriers, and it is one of the main reasons why theory data is truly unlimited.
Just throwing that out there.
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xHausx said:
"The company can use LightSquared’s network to lessen the load on its own network as data demand has skyrocketed, an issue that has plagued other carriers. "
It sounds like they will be using them for backhaul, I don't see anything about Sprint using LTE. Right now backhaul is what Sprint is lacking so this will be a good thing for not just 4G but 3G speeds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It talks about Sprint using LTE in the third paragraph of the Bloomberg article.
“LightSquared and Sprint will jointly develop, deploy and operate LightSquared’s 4G LTE network,” according to the letter. “Sprint will become a significant customer of LightSquared’s 4G LTE network.”
Yet more money wasted on Wimax and shoveled into another bad relationship (Clearwire) Stay comfy in number 3 because you're going to be seated here a while, Sprint. At the very least they woke up and realized LTE is the way to go.
However even after Clearwire's long gone. Those who already have Wimax 4g will still be supported until after their devices are long gone. The only ones who will be bit will be the ones that should have upgraded lone ago. Like the ones today who are still carrying around Cingular phones refusing to upgrade to AT&T So at least Sprint will keep their core customers happy to an extent.
Sprint desperate to jump into the LTE iPhone train next year?
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
What good is backhaul when the airwaves can't reach end users?
It's like having a download server capable of gigabit speed, along with an ISP who can deliver it to you. Except you're saddled with a 1991-vintage 10 Mbps ethernet card.
That's the problem I've been noticing with WiMAX. Sprint has one hell of a data network, but the airwaves used to deliver that network are congested and not well suited to the consumer's needs.
I wonder how likely it is that an upcoming Galaxy 2 or Photon 4G will be LTE / Wimax on Sprint...
Here, service is comparable coverage wise and getting even better by TMobile as time goes by. Verizon has had good LTE coverage for several years. I don't travel much any more so that is not as big of an issue as it has been in the past.
I'm currently on Verizon and have been with them for a long time. My current agreement is up on Oct 22 and I am going to get the GN3 to replace my still very usable HTC Rezound. So near the end of Oct I will make the change.
So my options are open. Stay with Verizon or switch to T-Mobile
Pros for VZW
o Existing Service
o Existing Emp Discount
o "free" calling with many family members using VZW
o Solid service for both data and voice.
Cons VZW:
o Past devices GN2 for example were crippled
o Locked bootloader
Pros for T-Mobile
o Emp discount available
o Unlocked bootloader assumed
o Devices tend to be full (not crippled like VZW does)
o Less expensive service plan
o Better device upgrade plan.
Cons T-Mobile
o could cost other family members more for calls (don't really care)
o Unknown Service available though it looks good
o ???
I am really looking at porting my number over and moving to T-Mobile...
Curious what others are doing.
dont go to tmobile man. i live in cincinnati and friend has that has htc one x on tmobile and service is terrible. my bionic im using now is faster on 4g then his if it can ever even get 4g. I wont leave verizon cause the lte is so fast and reliable
i live in cincinnati
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Located in Phoenix which most likely has better coverage than many cities..
Comparison chart for Phoenix.... I get better than what is listed on Verizon.
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Ref:
http://www.techhive.com/article/2039452/atandt-has-fastest-lte-service-t-mobile-off-to-strong-start.html
krelvinaz said:
Located in Phoenix which most likely has better coverage than many cities..
Comparison chart for Phoenix.... I get better than what is listed on Verizon.
Ref:
http://www.techhive.com/article/2039452/atandt-has-fastest-lte-service-t-mobile-off-to-strong-start.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on the area. If Phoenix is like Detroit, then you definitely want T-Mobile. T-Mobile absolutely destroys everything else in my area.
Phoenix Area LTE
krelvinaz said:
Here, service is comparable coverage wise and getting even better by TMobile as time goes by. Verizon has had good LTE coverage for several years. I don't travel much any more so that is not as big of an issue as it has been in the past.
I'm currently on Verizon and have been with them for a long time. My current agreement is up on Oct 22 and I am going to get the GN3 to replace my still very usable HTC Rezound. So near the end of Oct I will make the change.
So my options are open. Stay with Verizon or switch to T-Mobile
Pros for VZW
o Existing Service
o Existing Emp Discount
o "free" calling with many family members using VZW
o Solid service for both data and voice.
Cons VZW:
o Past devices GN2 for example were crippled
o Locked bootloader
Pros for T-Mobile
o Emp discount available
o Unlocked bootloader assumed
o Devices tend to be full (not crippled like VZW does)
o Less expensive service plan
o Better device upgrade plan.
Cons T-Mobile
o could cost other family members more for calls (don't really care)
o Unknown Service available though it looks good
o ???
I am really looking at porting my number over and moving to T-Mobile...
Curious what others are doing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had very good service with T-Mobile in the Phoenix area. T-Mobiles LTE in phoenix is very fast. Here are a few speed test screen shots taken from the Chandler, AZ area. (Only one of the speed tests were taken with GPS on Lat 33.28753 Lon -111.97256)
dixonwa said:
I have had very good service with T-Mobile in the Phoenix area. T-Mobiles LTE in phoenix is very fast. Here are a few speed test screen shots taken from the Chandler, AZ area. (Only one of the speed tests were taken with GPS on Lat 33.28753 Lon -111.97256)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Until you drive through a rural area late at night and break down, with T-mobile you will be hitchhiking for miles.
krelvinaz said:
Located in Phoenix which most likely has better coverage than many cities..
Comparison chart for Phoenix.... I get better than what is listed on Verizon.
Ref:
http://www.techhive.com/article/2039452/atandt-has-fastest-lte-service-t-mobile-off-to-strong-start.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is surprising. tmobile sucks bad here
I do agree that some remote locations does have poor data speeds on T-Mobile but I have never had an issue were I could not make a call. I travel a lot between Phoenix and San Diego and have never had a problem (Other areas may be different). I believe T-Mobile has come a long way in Phoenix. I made the jump from Sprint 1 ½ years ago when T-Mobile started offering their unlimited data and have been happy with them since. Every person uses there phone differently and I am just giving some information about my personal experience with T-Mobile.
Even if Data is gone - the Voice Calling is Not
dixonwa said:
I do agree that some remote locations does have poor data speeds on T-Mobile but I have never had an issue were I could not make a call. I travel a lot between Phoenix and San Diego and have never had a problem (Other areas may be different). I believe T-Mobile has come a long way in Phoenix. I made the jump from Sprint 1 ½ years ago when T-Mobile started offering their unlimited data and have been happy with them since. Every person uses there phone differently and I am just giving some information about my personal experience with T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second this - even if data is gone voice calling is not. I have switched to T-Mo - because it is very workable. There is cheaper family plans. There is greater device freedom. Please do not think any device will work. One has to look for the 1700 / 2100 mhz bands - notably - the S4 Google Version and possibly the Nexus 5 will have them.
Now to devices on Verizon - you know how restrictive that is.
It really depends on what kind of price you can get with your discount. I found an awesome discount for T-Mobile (no activation fee, $50 credit, 10% off service), so the Unlimited Everything plan from T-Mobile is $36 cheaper per month (Before the phone is paid off, then it becomes $57 cheaper) than what I'd pay for Verizon's 4GB plan. At that price it's crazy to go with Verizon, despite their generally great voice/data network (IMO). Anything is an improvement over Sprint in Colorado for me, at least
If the difference in price is small, maybe $10/mo or so, I'd opt for Verizon. If the difference is $20+ I'd opt for T-Mobile. If money were no issue, I'd opt for Verizon.
WIFI calling on tmobile is a plus.
I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and left Verizon for Sprint (horrible choice when it came to coverage) but now I'm with T-Mobile and could not be happier.
If T-Mobile has coverage in your area I say make the jump. I can't stand Verizon's politics! I believe they were the only carrier in the world to lock the bootloader on the Galaxy S3.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
bp328i said:
I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and left Verizon for Sprint (horrible choice when it came to coverage) but now I'm with T-Mobile and could not be happier.
If T-Mobile has coverage in your area I say make the jump. I can't stand Verizon's politics! I believe they were the only carrier in the world to lock the bootloader on the Galaxy S3.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
flat terrain down there, and you should be more worried about getting into a traffic accident by a grey hair or a drunk-druggie or your home or car robbed down there by a thug or Oxy snorter..
oneandroidnut said:
dont go to tmobile man. i live in cincinnati and friend has that has htc one x on tmobile and service is terrible. my bionic im using now is faster on 4g then his if it can ever even get 4g. I wont leave verizon cause the lte is so fast and reliable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HTC one has a horrible radio to begin with.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Wifi calling is a bit of underrated feature. You can travel abroad, connect to wifi and use your phone to call, send SMS, etc... Used it on my vacation in Roatan and it worked pretty well.
I agree, WiFi calling works great. I have found it very useful in the large office building where I work. Cell service in my office has been horrible with all 3 of the carriers that I have been with over the years. Now that I have WiFi calling I have great signal all over the building.
The rezound is an old phone with an old antenna. I had a gs4 that I sold so I can get the Note 3. Currently, I am using a galaxy nexus, and the speeds are not the same. The GS4 speeds are much faster and more consistent. In places I had LTE with the S4 the Galaxy Nexus has 3g speeds. You may want to check on that before making the switch. If you are doing it to save money and speed is no concern, then T-Mobile is your best bet.
leyvatron said:
The rezound is an old phone with an old antenna. I had a gs4 that I sold so I can get the Note 3. Currently, I am using a galaxy nexus, and the speeds are not the same. The GS4 speeds are much faster and more consistent. In places I had LTE with the S4 the Galaxy Nexus has 3g speeds. You may want to check on that before making the switch. If you are doing it to save money and speed is no concern, then T-Mobile is your best bet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, if any of you feel like it, can you tell me about t-mobile's wifi calling? Is that something they specifically endorse and works with your phone's phone number? Heard of wifi calling before but never used in conjunction with T-mobile.
Wifi calling is a home grown Tmo app that lets you place calls over a wifi connection instead of cellular network. Works great if you get a spotty signal. Downside is it's proprietary like Samsung's TW apps. Once you flash to another ROM you lose it.
To the OP, all I can do is reiterate the point about Tmo coverage in your area. Coming from ATT I love Tmo's prices but I find a lot more deadzone here in NYC. Seems to be a problem with penetration. In my apartment I get 87 dbm ATT signal but zero Tmo without a repeater attached to the window. Many buildings in midtown Manhattan have zero signal which is weird since it should be a well blanketed area. Leaving the city is a crap shoot. But then again it forces me to live life like its 1999 ;p
boshindo said:
Wifi calling is a home grown Tmo app that lets you place calls over a wifi connection instead of cellular network. Works great if you get a spotty signal. Downside is it's proprietary like Samsung's TW apps. Once you flash to another ROM you lose it.
To the OP, all I can do is reiterate the point about Tmo coverage in your area. Coming from ATT I love Tmo's prices but I find a lot more deadzone here in NYC. Seems to be a problem with penetration. In my apartment I get 87 dbm ATT signal but zero Tmo without a repeater attached to the window. Many buildings in midtown Manhattan have zero signal which is weird since it should be a well blanketed area. Leaving the city is a crap shoot. But then again it forces me to live life like its 1999 ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow, that's really nifty, thanks. Does it affect battery life when it's on? Or in other words does it prevent deep sleep when its running? I'm not sure how it keeps listening for calls over wifi.