Galaxy S3 on Sprint. Never seen 4G. Anyone else?

[sequel]

I live 20 miles north of Cincinnati, OH. I've been to the center of San Francisco, Detroit, Columbus, Dayton, and Nashville with this phone and I have NEVER seen 4G. Could something be wrong with the 4G radio? All of the areas I've been show that there is 4G coverage on Sprint's coverage maps.

If anyone has any ideas or information, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[ExtremeNerd]

Sprint is awful. You have to be in a city where they've launched 4G before you'll see it.

4g LTE is different from 4G Wi-Max. Your phone is LTE, not Wi-Max. They have like 7 markets with LTE

 

[sequel]

Argh. I knew I should've gone with Verizon. I'm locked in for another year and a half. Thanks for the info. I figured it was the case.

 

[ExtremeNerd]

Yeah, sprint is the devil =P

LTE is overrated IMO anyway. I prefer GSM with HSPA+. I get 10+ MBPS on T-Mobile nearly everywhere I go regularly. All for $45 per month.

 

[fdbryant3]

Actually Sprint LTE is available in 32 cities with more on the way.

 

[ExtremeNerd]

Of course more are on the way...that's like saying next week there will be a new phone....it's obvious that when something is inadequate, it will be changed.

However, looking at Sprint's cities, there are few major markets. Sedalia, MO? I drive through there a few dozen times each summer. It is tiny. Many of these still seem to be pilot cities. They have three major markets.

With the immense failure that was Wi-Max, I don't expect Sprint to be competitive in LTE for years.

 

[EarlyMon]

I moved your post here to the Sprint 4G section, maybe also see -

http://androidforums.com/4g-discussion/410067-network-vision-lte-rollout.html

By the way, best bet in your shoes (I have been there), take your phone to a corporate store with a repair center and tell them that you need a full RF test, they often call it a box test.

No need to live with a bad phone if that's the problem.

 

[BenChase7]

This is what Sprint has done with their network upgrades so far. The link is updated every week to include the number of towers that have been upgraded. Typically, S4GRU confirms anywhere from 300 - 500+ tower upgrades a week. I'd bookmark the following link as a reference, as it is updated weekly: Network Vision/LTE Deployment Running List - Sprint 4G Rollout Updates

 

[suprmallet]

Yeah, WiMax was bungled on multiple levels, and I live in Los Angeles, where WiMax was pretty strong. But Sprint's LTE rollout is looking to be entirely different. I'm seeing LTE all over town, with more and more spots coming online every day.

 

[suprmallet]

And I just switched to the Note 2 from the EVO LTE, and I can say that I'm now getting LTE in 95% of all the places I go in the city (the LTE had problems finding and holding LTE signals, the Note 2 does not).

 

[BenChase7]

And I just switched to the Note 2 from the EVO LTE, and I can say that I'm now getting LTE in 95% of all the places I go in the city (the LTE had problems finding and holding LTE signals, the Note 2 does not).

Unfortunately, I think you're right. I've read the same thing about the EVO struggling to connect to LTE at times. There is a thread about it at S4GRU, and many share your same experience on the EVO. Apparently, as a given market becomes more saturated with LTE tower upgrades, the problem is far less noticeable and in most cases diminishes rapidly. And, like you have experienced, those of us in markets where Network Vision is just now taking off, have much better luck connecting to LTE with the Galaxy S III and Note II. Its good to hear things are moving along well where you are (LA)... 95% is pretty fantastic for a new market. Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[suprmallet]

Well, let me amend, 95% of where I go in the city is home and work. There's no LTE at Santa Monica College currently, where I go a few hours twice a week. Still, I have noticed it in multiple areas around the city, including places I didn't expect, so the rollout is happening and it is proceeding quickly.

 

[BenChase7]

^
Yea, I knew what ya meant.