No, this is obviously the public name for "Network Vision" which was a whole-stock replacement of their existing cobbled-together baseband infrastructure.
Same old Sprint - heavy on promise of something never delivered to but a small segment in selected markets. I still have trouble getting a decent 3g signal 99% of the time.
That's the trouble with Sprint. If you don't have LTE, their 3G is as bad as it gets. It hasn't been upgraded or improved since it was built in 2002-2003 and branded PCS Vision. A decade ago it was ahead of its time, but when you look at what T-Mobile can do to 3G, it's painfully obvious Sprint really screwed up initially bedding with WiMax.
They actually ARE improving their 3G network alongside all these LTE developments... Puerto Rico was one of the second tier LTE markets and I've seen a marked improvement in areas where I still don't get LTE (I seem to live in the one area of the island where LTE coverage is still somewhat thin).
Yes I am in an area with "4g LTE" except they have only upgraded about 50% of the towers here. No LTE at my house. No LTE at the local movie theater, no LTE at the Local Mall or the theater at the mall. There coverage map of course shows it all nice and LTE but it is a lie. This sounds great but Sprint needs to finish the roll outs before they say it is done and produce honest coverage maps.
I left Sprint a few weeks ago because of their horribly spotty coverage (LTE and otherwise) in Austin. Whenever I did have service, the speed was horrendous. And the bad service made my battery last only a few days, even just sitting unused.
I'm now on T-Mobile and so far it has been great. And cheaper.
I had a similar experience as you in San Diego. The coverage was actually fine, but the speeds were always horrendous.
I paid the early termination fee (with most of it recouped via a discounted final month after I told them I've kept an entire year's worth of speed test logs) to get rid of Sprint and switched to T-Mo last year. It's cheaper and faster around these parts and I haven't looked back.
You were one of 360,000 last quarter to bail on that train wreck. T-Mobile's $30/month pre-paid plan + Nexus 4 = cheap LTE awesome sauce for people who use bookoo data/texts and don't need a lot of minutes.
Yes, I have one of those "magical" Nexus 4 devices that is exactly like all of the other Nexus 4 devices. You might want to use Google before you assume anyone is trolling. Nexus 4 is quite popular on T-Mobile and various Canadian carriers because the hardware supports LTE on band 4, which is what those carriers use. Getting it working just requires flashing a zip. No "magic" involved.
Of particular interest here is how Sprint is deploying LTE on the PCS G band (1900MHz), which is virtually unused anywhere else in the world with the exception of a small regional carrier in Canada who uses it for CDMA. Since that small regional carrier has just been purchased by a large incumbent carrier (Telus and effectively Bell as a result), that low-value PCS G band spectrum that sold for a bargain basement price is now valuable LTE-capable spectrum.
Can someone please explain in plain English what are these LTE bands thing?
In recent years I used to have in account the technology (GSM or CDMA) and then the frecuency for the formers and 3G but now in LTE also of a frequency I need to get in account a band too.
Also, this band thing is something that can be modified in the smartphones by a carrier?, for example, here in my country carrier we have the same frecuency as Sprint (CDMA/3G 800 mhz, LTE 1900mhz but band 2), can for example my carrier buy a bunch of second hand smartphones from sprint a modified the band (maybe with a permission from someone)?
If you live within 100KM of the Canadian border you will never get an 800MHz signal because Canada hasn't reallocated the spectrum to be inline with Sprins nor are there any solid plans to yet. The same is also true with Mexico but they're working on it and are expected to be ready around 2016. So if you with-in 100KM of an international border not 800MHz building penetrating signals for you.
Interesting... There seems to be an issue with 800MHz deployment in Puerto Rico as well, though it's obviously not border related, being an island and all...
Very disappointing from such a great tech blog that still doesn't know it's NOT Nokia Siemens Network, aka NSN, Nokia has bought Siemens's stake and it's now under Nokia's control , it remained as NSN but now stands for Nokia Solutions and Network .. You can show some love to Nokia! It won't bite you after all. Be up to date ! Please.
Unfortunately Sprint is the only network I can use. Virgin Mobile is owned by Sprint and is the only carrier that offers unlimited data and texting for 35/month. I would LOVE it if Verizon offered a prepaid service like that for that price, or even a little more honestly. I hate all the restrictions and games these ISP's play. I just want a nice phone, the option to buy it without a contract, and to not get financially RAPED to have the service turned on. WHY IS THAT SO HARD!?
Once the network is built their profit margin's are nearly 100%. There's no reason 4GB of 4G LTE service needs to be 100+/month. But the only way that's ever going to change is if people STOP PAYING THAT MUCH for it. Just do without for a while, they'll lower their prices if everyone just boycotts their overpriced asses.
Softbank in Japan uses this band for TDD-LTE already. I don't know if their other bands work with Sprint's other bands but you can ask about Japanese phones here: http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/418-J...
Easy to slam on Sprint. I was my ISP replacement for a few months when I moved to Houston. 250GB/month at 25+Mb/s. Try doing that with Verizon. My first three months w/ Verizon hotspot cost me well over $400 for a handful of GBs. Sprint blew it with WiMax but I think they are doing a great job. It'll take a lot for me to jump ship.
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beepboy - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
Until they upgrade the backhaul I don't think it'll make much difference. Sounds like a marketing gimmick.drexnx - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
No, this is obviously the public name for "Network Vision" which was a whole-stock replacement of their existing cobbled-together baseband infrastructure.GaryJ51 - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
Same old Sprint - heavy on promise of something never delivered to but a small segment in selected markets. I still have trouble getting a decent 3g signal 99% of the time.Samus - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
That's the trouble with Sprint. If you don't have LTE, their 3G is as bad as it gets. It hasn't been upgraded or improved since it was built in 2002-2003 and branded PCS Vision. A decade ago it was ahead of its time, but when you look at what T-Mobile can do to 3G, it's painfully obvious Sprint really screwed up initially bedding with WiMax.Impulses - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
They actually ARE improving their 3G network alongside all these LTE developments... Puerto Rico was one of the second tier LTE markets and I've seen a marked improvement in areas where I still don't get LTE (I seem to live in the one area of the island where LTE coverage is still somewhat thin).lwatcdr - Thursday, November 7, 2013 - link
Yes I am in an area with "4g LTE" except they have only upgraded about 50% of the towers here. No LTE at my house. No LTE at the local movie theater, no LTE at the Local Mall or the theater at the mall. There coverage map of course shows it all nice and LTE but it is a lie. This sounds great but Sprint needs to finish the roll outs before they say it is done and produce honest coverage maps.t_newt - Thursday, December 19, 2013 - link
No coverage in the movie theater? Why are you using your phone in the theater? Turn it off so we can enjoy the movie!(Just joshing).
DanNeely - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
8x8 MIMO... Even as big as phones have been getting, won't packing that many antennas into a phone be hard to do?kirsch - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
I left Sprint a few weeks ago because of their horribly spotty coverage (LTE and otherwise) in Austin. Whenever I did have service, the speed was horrendous. And the bad service made my battery last only a few days, even just sitting unused.I'm now on T-Mobile and so far it has been great. And cheaper.
Cinnabuns - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
I had a similar experience as you in San Diego. The coverage was actually fine, but the speeds were always horrendous.I paid the early termination fee (with most of it recouped via a discounted final month after I told them I've kept an entire year's worth of speed test logs) to get rid of Sprint and switched to T-Mo last year. It's cheaper and faster around these parts and I haven't looked back.
Tehk17 - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
Sprint's service is great in Northern California. I have 5 bars most of the time and LTE has been in my area for about a year now.Every other provider has terrible service here. Usually one or zero bars, or simply no service at all, and no LTE.
That's just my experience.
That said, I went East for a few weeks and Sprint's service was pretty bad on the most part.
Reikon - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
Where in NorCal? It's terrible pretty much everywhere in the Bay Area.Bob Todd - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
You were one of 360,000 last quarter to bail on that train wreck. T-Mobile's $30/month pre-paid plan + Nexus 4 = cheap LTE awesome sauce for people who use bookoo data/texts and don't need a lot of minutes.Morawka - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
nexus 4 does not have LTEBob Todd - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Actually, it does have hardware support for for Band 4, which is what T-Mobile uses.http://www.anandtech.com/show/6474/nexus-4-include...
All you need to do is flash a different radio.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2...
superflex - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
TrollolollolMust have one of those magical Nexus 4 devices.
Bob Todd - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Yes, I have one of those "magical" Nexus 4 devices that is exactly like all of the other Nexus 4 devices. You might want to use Google before you assume anyone is trolling. Nexus 4 is quite popular on T-Mobile and various Canadian carriers because the hardware supports LTE on band 4, which is what those carriers use. Getting it working just requires flashing a zip. No "magic" involved.Guspaz - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
Of particular interest here is how Sprint is deploying LTE on the PCS G band (1900MHz), which is virtually unused anywhere else in the world with the exception of a small regional carrier in Canada who uses it for CDMA. Since that small regional carrier has just been purchased by a large incumbent carrier (Telus and effectively Bell as a result), that low-value PCS G band spectrum that sold for a bargain basement price is now valuable LTE-capable spectrum.Nehemoth - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
Can someone please explain in plain English what are these LTE bands thing?In recent years I used to have in account the technology (GSM or CDMA) and then the frecuency for the formers and 3G but now in LTE also of a frequency I need to get in account a band too.
Also, this band thing is something that can be modified in the smartphones by a carrier?, for example, here in my country carrier we have the same frecuency as Sprint (CDMA/3G 800 mhz, LTE 1900mhz but band 2), can for example my carrier buy a bunch of second hand smartphones from sprint a modified the band (maybe with a permission from someone)?
Excuse the poor English
RU482 - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
this helped me a lothttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks
RU482 - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
Ooo, and thishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-UTRA#Frequency_band...
Nehemoth - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Thank youSunLord - Wednesday, October 30, 2013 - link
If you live within 100KM of the Canadian border you will never get an 800MHz signal because Canada hasn't reallocated the spectrum to be inline with Sprins nor are there any solid plans to yet. The same is also true with Mexico but they're working on it and are expected to be ready around 2016. So if you with-in 100KM of an international border not 800MHz building penetrating signals for you.Impulses - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Interesting... There seems to be an issue with 800MHz deployment in Puerto Rico as well, though it's obviously not border related, being an island and all...DeeEllEff - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Just released Nexus 5 supports the new Sprint "Spark" tri-mode LTE on bands 25, 26 and 41.edi_opteron - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
Very disappointing from such a great tech blog that still doesn't know it's NOT Nokia Siemens Network, aka NSN, Nokia has bought Siemens's stake and it's now under Nokia's control , it remained as NSN but now stands for Nokia Solutions and Network .. You can show some love to Nokia! It won't bite you after all. Be up to date ! Please.Hrel - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
Unfortunately Sprint is the only network I can use. Virgin Mobile is owned by Sprint and is the only carrier that offers unlimited data and texting for 35/month. I would LOVE it if Verizon offered a prepaid service like that for that price, or even a little more honestly. I hate all the restrictions and games these ISP's play. I just want a nice phone, the option to buy it without a contract, and to not get financially RAPED to have the service turned on. WHY IS THAT SO HARD!?Once the network is built their profit margin's are nearly 100%. There's no reason 4GB of 4G LTE service needs to be 100+/month. But the only way that's ever going to change is if people STOP PAYING THAT MUCH for it. Just do without for a while, they'll lower their prices if everyone just boycotts their overpriced asses.
critter13 - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
what chips support band 41? are there phones out there currently that could access this band with a software update?YoshoMasaki - Sunday, November 3, 2013 - link
Softbank in Japan uses this band for TDD-LTE already. I don't know if their other bands work with Sprint's other bands but you can ask about Japanese phones here: http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/418-J...rjwerth - Monday, November 4, 2013 - link
Spark??? Heck, Sprint went down in complete flames years ago in the Detroit area. Still doesn't work!DroidTomTom - Thursday, November 7, 2013 - link
How much battery power does it take to run 3 bands? It must be more than a single band.glpdx - Thursday, November 14, 2013 - link
Easy to slam on Sprint. I was my ISP replacement for a few months when I moved to Houston. 250GB/month at 25+Mb/s. Try doing that with Verizon. My first three months w/ Verizon hotspot cost me well over $400 for a handful of GBs. Sprint blew it with WiMax but I think they are doing a great job. It'll take a lot for me to jump ship.c933103 - Monday, May 12, 2014 - link
5+5+20.....some carrier of other countries could have triple as much frequency for their customers without the need of CA...