T-Mobile LTE & Network Discussion

[lou99/maximus1987]

Ok I guess we're merging aws3 discussion here. Ok.

 

@tgryta: FCC to reveal winners of the AWS spectrum auction Friday, @gnagesh reports after talking to @TomWheelerFCC

[Deval]

He is absolutely right. Verizon with sites spaced for CLR, and almost three times more subscribers than T-Mobile would either need to build more cell sites, or deploy more spectrum in order to keep up with the capacity demand. They happen to have large swaths of greenfield AWS which they've been deploying, but in markets like NYC they're obviously refarming PCS as well. 

 

Deploying spectrum is significantly cheaper than building new sites, so you can expect duopoly to ride that option until they can't anymore.

 

Yep, and the greenfield will help for the most part. 

 

I don't mind a refarm, and it's smart really. The question is, if they are refarming PCS, does that mean B25 support?

[Deval]

Can vzw do volte-only with current tower density?

 

Yes they can, hell, their LTE coverage is almost ubiquitous. As a Sprint customer, I wish we had that type of network consistency. 

[Fraydog]

Even in rural, VZW is adding towers. I've seen a few adds not far from me. 

[joshnys8913]

Verizon is smart to keep expanding the network now through increasing density and adding spectrum.  And they are in a position that they can "out plan" most of their competition for the future too.  

 

AT&T has had to get very crafty to maximize the leverage of their position, which is significantly less advantageous than VZW.  That's why AT&T is left with the nation's strongest LTE network message.  Because they have been densifying and turning up their LTE radios to the max (a good and bad thing).  No rest for the wicked!  

 

Tmo is sitting good now.  But it has the weakest spectrum position for the long term growth.  That can change, of course.  But that's the way it is now.  We will see how they ended up with AWS-3 and how (or if) 600MHz goes.  And Sprint's future begins and ends with Band 41, of course.

IT would be nice if Sprint had all there sites LTE but thats a long ways away it seems. 

[milan03]

AT&T has had to get very crafty to maximize the leverage of their position, which is significantly less advantageous than VZW.  That's why AT&T is left with the nation's strongest LTE network message.  Because they have been densifying and turning up their LTE radios to the max (a good and bad thing).  

They've got crafty with their advertisement, guaranteeing absolutely no tangible improvement in user experience. They don't even mention that term once. They mention "optimal signal experience"   http://www.att.com/network/en/index.html

 

 

"AT&T’s network now has the nation’s strongest LTE signal 1.

 

By doing things like placing LTE radios at the top of towers to maximize power and optimizing cell site density we've engineered our network to provide an optimal signal experience."

 

 

[danlodish345]

 

They've got crafty with their advertisement, guaranteeing absolutely no tangible improvement in user experience. They don't even mention that term once. They mention "optimal signal experience" http://www.att.com/network/en/index.html

 

 

"AT&T’s network now has the nation’s strongest LTE signal 1.

 

 

By doing things like placing LTE radios at the top of towers to maximize power and optimizing cell site density we've engineered our network to provide an optimal signal experience."

AT&T cant even get 3 bars of lte at my house let alone pull 10 megs down

[lou99/maximus1987]

AT&T cant even get 3 bars of lte at my house let alone pull 10 megs down

Att lost net phone postpaid in most recent quarter.

[Ascertion]

AT&T cant even get 3 bars of lte at my house let alone pull 10 megs down

In my area, AT&T's LTE signal is very good but the speeds in certain zones are very low.  I wonder if they program their phones similarly to how the N5 was programmed on certain basebands, where it "inflates" the signal by ~10dB.  At a -105 signal, I expect there to be great performance but there's times where it'll stutter on loading images/internet streaming.  Still nice to have a good constant LTE signal though.

[danlodish345]

In my area, AT&T's LTE signal is very good but the speeds in certain zones are very low.  I wonder if they program their phones similarly to how the N5 was programmed on certain basebands, where it "inflates" the signal by ~10dB.  At a -105 signal, I expect there to be great performance but there's times where it'll stutter on loading images/internet streaming.  Still nice to have a good constant LTE signal though.

tmobile actualy beats everyone here in terms of speed and signal strength coverage

[lou99/maximus1987]

tmobile actualy beats everyone here in terms of speed and signal strength coverage

Id like to know where this city is.

[WiWavelength]

Id like to know where this city is.

 

Funkytown.

 

AJ

[WiWavelength]

Id like to know where this city is.

 

Whoville.

 

AJ

[S4GRU]

I'm sure Tmo is completely better in performance and coverage somewhere. Sprint even can take this crown somewhere. So I don't necessarily doubt danlodish. However, even if it's true in his Northern Jersey suburb, we know that cannot be extrapolated nationwide. But kudos to Tmo for making 45,000 people in Dan's area happy. Well, or at least one quarter of them.

[danlodish345]

I'm sure Tmo is completely better in performance and coverage somewhere. Sprint even can take this crown somewhere. So I don't necessarily doubt danlodish. However, even if it's true in his Northern Jersey suburb, we know that cannot be extrapolated nationwide. But kudos to Tmo for making 45,000 people in Dan's area happy. Well, or at least one quarter of them.

my question to you is....how come sprint hasnt expanding into new areas where isnt any service and i m well aware of there recent expansion... i m talking about in areas virgina west virgona and the central midwest

[danlodish345]

but i give sprint kudos because at ;east they are starting wide band deployment in my area.....

[S4GRU]

my question to you is....how come sprint hasnt expanding into new areas where isnt any service and i m well aware of there recent expansion... i m talking about in areas virgina west virgona and the central midwest

 

Because they don't want to.  It's that simple.

 

But they cannot expand service in Virginia and West Virginia as it would violate their contract with nTelos.  And nTelos is providing service in those areas for Sprint.  And they are expanding services in the Upper Midwest.  They have purchased assets in Montana.  They have to add service in the Dakotas and Wyoming soon to meet their buildout requirements for G block.  

 

Also, Sprint's plan is a lot of the expansion of coverage is going to be via the RRPP.  You may not like it, but they have a plan.  Do what's best for you.

[danlodish345]

Because they don't want to.  It's that simple.

 

But they cannot expand service in Virginia and West Virginia as it would violate their contract with nTelos.  And nTelos is providing service in those areas for Sprint.  And they are expanding services in the Upper Midwest.  They have purchased assets in Montana.  They have to add service in the Dakotas and Wyoming soon to meet their buildout requirements for G block.  

 

Also, Sprint's plan is a lot of the expansion of coverage is going to be via the RRPP.  You may not like it, but they have a plan.  Do what's best for you.

it doesnt bother me....one bit...lol i m just curious....i actually also want knowledge ...i also read ntelos is pulling out of the virgina markets and giving the PCS licenses to tmobile.....but doesnt sprint have PCS nationwide

[S4GRU]

it doesnt bother me....one bit...lol i m just curious....i actually also want knowledge ...i also read ntelos is pulling out of the virgina markets and giving the PCS licenses to tmobile.....but doesnt sprint have PCS nationwide

 

nTelos is only pulling out of places where Sprint offers coverage already.  nTelos is not giving spectrum to T-Mobile.  They are selling it.  Sprint felt it didn't need to pay for more spectrum in the Eastern Virginia markets and wanted to use that money somewhere else.  Probably helping nTelos deploy LTE in their Western Markets.

[danlodish345]

nTelos is only pulling out of places where Sprint offers coverage already.  nTelos is not giving spectrum to T-Mobile.  They are selling it.  Sprint felt it didn't need to pay for more spectrum in the Eastern Virginia markets and wanted to use that money somewhere else.  Probably helping nTelos deploy LTE in their Western Markets.

makes sense and are those 5 by 5 mHZ licences ? 

[S4GRU]

makes sense and are those 5 by 5 mHZ licences ? 

 

I don't think it stated the sizes in the press release.  The sizes may be variable by market in that area.

[danlodish345]

I don't think it stated the sizes in the press release.  The sizes may be variable by market in that area.

that makes sense thank you for educating me.... i appreciate the knowledge

[Deval]

my question to you is....how come sprint hasnt expanding into new areas where isnt any service and i m well aware of there recent expansion... i m talking about in areas virgina west virgona and the central midwest

 

Before they focus on those areas, there is a more immediate need to densify the network in this area, and fill in gaps where the towns have outgrown coverage.

[Fraydog]

Sprint is in the worst position to expand of the four major networks. They have to densify urban with 2.6 GHz and work their way out. I know that sounds like a negative statement, but the good news is Sprint has decent rural LTE coverage with Network Vision providing 800 MHz LTE and CDMA. They're fine where they have rural towers FWIW.

[danlodish345]

Sprint is in the worst position to expand of the four major networks. They have to densify urban with 2.6 GHz and work their way out. I know that sounds like a negative statement, but the good news is Sprint has decent rural LTE coverage with Network Vision providing 800 MHz LTE and CDMA. They're fine where they have rural towers FWIW.

cant they build out rual towers to expand native coverage and dont thwy have nationwide SMR PCS AND EBS and BRS licenses