T-Mobile LTE Discussion Thread(Companion to Location Thread)

[jhawkkw]

I've decided for the sake of organization, that I create a companion thread to go with the LTE Locations thread. So I'll be moving posts from there to here that aren't sharing locations or asking about specifics of a location. Feel free to continue your discussions here though.

Location Thread

 

[NYCHitman1]

My mother-in-law recently picked up the iPhone 5, which I have been running LTE speed tests from and they are preeeeeetty decent.

San Diego, Ca

Good grief.

 

[chong67]

LTE is still very very spotty.

Is there a good place to find out where the LTE tower is?

I am going to start installing this app soon: Coverage Maps | Sensorly

It is a social media thing that plot where the LTE are. You need data. Plotting is good.

 

[SuperAfnan]

LTE is still very very spotty.

Is there a good place to find out where the LTE tower is?

I am going to start installing this app soon: Coverage Maps | Sensorly

It is a social media thing that plot where the LTE are. You need data. Plotting is good.

Since T-mobile isn't telling us anything except in cities where it's done, they're probably building lte in your area if it's a big city.

Sensorly can tell you exactly where it is, only if people have plotted it. And just because no one plotted yet, doesn't mean lte isn't there.

 

[jhawkkw]

T-Mobile has been so aggressive with this rollout, that many places could see LTE without warning. My city got the switch flipped this past weekend, and it wasn't on their list of expected upcoming markets. They certainly seem to be progressing much faster than Sprint. They had WiMax in my city, but they are now the only big 4 carrier without LTE here.

 

[SuperAfnan]

T-Mobile has been so aggressive with this rollout, that many places could see LTE without warning. My city got the switch flipped this past weekend, and it wasn't on their list of expected upcoming markets. They certainly seem to be progressing much faster than Sprint. They had WiMax in my city, but they are now the only big 4 carrier without LTE here.

Yay T-mobile is beating Sprint. Our lte is faster too.

 

[greenghost2212]

Yay T-mobile is beating Sprint. Our lte is faster too.

Not really sprint still has more markets with lte than t mobile plus wider coverage and coming real soon 3 different lte frequencies.

 

[Gman9831]

Not really sprint still has more markets with lte than t mobile plus wider coverage and coming real soon 3 different lte frequencies.

T-mobile may likely beat Sprint in pop. covered at the end of the year. LTE on 3 different bands is not much of a difference unless they have CA which they wont till next year. Then one of those bands (2.5GHz) is almost crap, barely any building penetration whatsoever. Hard to configure and expensive to rollout.

 

[greenghost2212]

Sprint already paid for nv already and lte by itself on 2.5 is useless but add the other 2 and sprint coverage ids better due to low mid and high lte bands which tmobile doesn't have yet.

 

[Gman9831]

Sprint already paid for nv already and lte by itself on 2.5 is useless but add the other 2 and sprint coverage ids better due to low mid and high lte bands which tmobile doesn't have yet.

Tmobile has contiguous spectrum which is much better than 2 5x5MHz bands which only cap out @30mbps each. With contiguous spectrum on AWS t-mobile can get 20x20MHz which has a theoretical max of 150mbps vs the max of 5x5mhz which is 37mbps

 

[greenghost2212]

Tmobile has contiguous spectrum which is much better than 2 5x5MHz bands which only cap out @30mbps each. With contiguous spectrum on AWS t-mobile can get 20x20MHz which has a theoretical max of 150mbps vs the max of 5x5mhz which is 37mbps

Haha so many holes in that theory I'm not gonna start lol.

 

[jhawkkw]

Not really sprint still has more markets with lte than t mobile plus wider coverage and coming real soon 3 different lte frequencies.

Sprint might have more official markets, but T-Mobile has started this rollout at a blazing speed that it wouldn't surprise me if they passed Sprint by the end of the year. If not in number of markets, they will certainly pass with with population covered by LTE. Now granted I don't know if it's in the testing/unofficial phase, but Sprint doesn't even have official LTE in NYC yet. Maybe Hitman can chime in with the answer.

 

[greenghost2212]

Sprint might not have OFFICIALLY announced lte in nyc but it's there don't take my word look at sensorly.

 

[jhawkkw]

Sprint might not have OFFICIALLY announced lte in nyc but it's there don't take my word look at sensorly.

That's good, that's an awfully big market to not have covered.

 

[new optimus]

LTE coverage is mostly unofficial, I wonder how many places get the official nod at the upcoming event on july 10th?

 

[Gman9831]

Haha so many holes in that theory I'm not gonna start lol.

What holes?

Sprint will have 2 networks running on 5 so that's 2 lines running at a max of 37mbps but tmobile in some areas will have 1 line running at 20 with a max of 150mbps then some could still have an HSPA+42 network to fall back on but most will be 21mbps after that

 

[g0lden]

How can I find put how much spectrum is available in my area?

 

[jhawkkw]

How can I find put how much spectrum is available in my area?

Like who owns the frequencies?

 

[g0lden]

Yeah, I want to know if T-Mobile would be able to keep HSPA+ 42 after they bring LTE here.

 

[jhawkkw]

Yeah, I want to know if T-Mobile would be able to keep HSPA+ 42 after they bring LTE here.

It's unlikely. The HSPA +42 and LTE run on the same aws(1700/2100 MHz) frequency. So in markets where they are rolling out LTE, they've refarmed the HSPA to their 1900 MHz and thus it only becomes HSPA+21 due to loosing the second frequency to separate upstream and downstream.

 

[new optimus]

It's unlikely. The HSPA +42 and LTE run on the same aws(1700/2100 MHz) frequency. So in markets where they are rolling out LTE, they've refarmed the HSPA to their 1900 MHz and thus it only becomes HSPA+21 due to loosing the second frequency to separate upstream and downstream.

Depends on how much frequency they have, for example here in jax fl they have I think 50mhz of AWS. they run 20mhz LTE, and that leaves 30 for hspa 42

 

[Gman9831]

How can I find put how much spectrum is available in my area?

I'll go look whenever its up and running again, haven't checked in awhile though.

 

[Gman9831]

g0lden whats the exact area?

 

[Orion]

Based on real life usage, how's the service in the NYC/Westchester area? As I stated before, I'm on Sprint and really want to jump to T-mobile this coming fall.

 

[7Priest7]

T-Mobile is better for its hspa+ network.

More coverage.

From the screenshots I've seen for LTE on T-Mobile the speeds are no better than current HSPA+ speeds.

So, Why all the excitement for something that is only theoretically better in the distant future?

Better Question, Why isn't t-mobile focusing on giving all users 42mbps speeds on their existing towers?