Network vision & LTE rollout

[BenChase7]

That will help me a lot! Nice job, man!

 

[Doomstang]

Wow thanks Tommydaniel!

 

[Tommydaniel]

Thanks guys, if the graphic from S4GRU wasn't so oddly shaped I would have been able to manipulate it better..

 

[NYCHitman1]

I couldn't think of where to put this, but I ran a speedtest yesterday and my speeds were through the roof. They were higher than I have ever seen before on the Sprint network. I'm almost certain that there are no active NV towers here on Long Island. I'm not really sure what the culprit could be.

 

[dan330]

dont we wish that was the norm for 3G!!

 

[Doomstang]

I couldn't think of where to put this, but I ran a speedtest yesterday and my speeds were through the roof. They were higher than I have ever seen before on the Sprint network. I'm almost certain that there are no active NV towers here on Long Island. I'm not really sure what the culprit could be.

https://network.sprint.com/search/Valley+Stream,+NY/

It looks like there have been several recent upgrades in the area (assuming Valley Stream is the area you were at). I wouldn't get used to them staying that high all the time but its definitely nice to see improvements from time to time

 

[BenChase7]

Any improvement is a good! Just keep in mind, most of these improvements are most likely not Network Vision... they are temporary improvements to tie us over while Network Vision is being deployed. These improvements only include T-1 backhaul upgrades and additional evdo carriers.
When Network Vision is rolled out, it will be a much more significant improvement that includes Microwave and Fiber backhaul to almost every tower on Sprints network (and obviously LTE is included in that, among others).

 

[SurrealOne]

Also like Ben says most of the current improvements are just little prep work and some towers are getting some EDVO REV A upgrades and you will see better 3g speeds. But the big stuff is yet to come.

 

[Adar]

dont we wish that was the norm for 3G!!

I would love to get more than 300k on 3g. Even with full bars here in Wichita, 300k is the max I get for download speed, and 100k for upload, although I average about 50k for upload and 150k for download. It is terrible.

 

[BenChase7]

This is a pretty interesting and exciting read here.. I like what I'm hearing!

S4GRU.com:
"Now S4GRU.com can confirm that 20 sites have been upgraded in the Sprint Boston market (see map below) to Network Vision. What is really exciting about this, is it is further confirmation of the validity of our inside sourced material. If you recall, Sprint hasn't even announced the Boston market yet. But we announced it as a First Round market back on February 20th! And now work is coming to pass as we said."

Full Article: Boston Network Vision/LTE Deployment is charging full steam ahead with 20 sites now confirmed complete - Sprint 4G Rollout Updates

 

[BenChase7]

.....it is unlikely I will get 4G here in Wichita in anything less than another year.....

There is no way you will have to wait another year for Sprint's 4G LTE in Wichita.. Wichita is part of the Kansas City (Overland Park.. Sprints home town) market and they will be one of the first to get LTE. They are likely deploying LTE in your area as we speak. In fact, there are probably LTE sites live there right now. You will most likely have Sprint 4G LTE in just a few months.

Sprint announces Kansas City and Baltimore to Network Vision & LTE launches for first half of 2012 - Sprint 4G Rollout Updates

 

[Tommydaniel]

There is no way you will have to wait another year for Sprint's 4G LTE in Wichita.. Wichita is part of the Kansas City (Overland Park.. Sprints home town) market and they will be one of the first to get LTE. They are likely deploying LTE in your area as we speak.

Sprint announces Kansas City and Baltimore to Network Vision & LTE launches for first half of 2012 - Sprint 4G Rollout Updates

Wichita is part of the Kansas market, the entire state, not the Kansas city market.

 

[BenChase7]

Wichita is part of the Kansas market, the entire state, not the Kansas city market.

ok, thanks. However, the point still remains the same.

 

[Tommydaniel]

ok, thanks. However, the point still remains the same.

I would agree with you if the Kansas market was announced to get LTE, but it wasn't. Only Kansas City was announced. If Topeka and Wichita(which are both in the "Kansas Market") were in the first round they would have announced it. Topeka is the capital after all, and Wichita has a pretty big population not to announce. I also don't expect small towns like Lawrence and Manhattan to get LTE before the larger areas.

 

[BenChase7]

Humm.. not so sure about that. As far as I understand, Sprint is not limiting Network Vision deployment to individual cities within a market. When they begin deployment of a certain "area" it includes all cities/cell cites within that market, as indicated by the market map in the above link I posted. Maybe have to ask S4GRU to clarify.. but I'd be willing to bet once deployment in that market starts, it will not stop at Kansas City.. and the deployment will continue until the entire market is complete.

PS. Where did you hear that they would only complete select cities within a market?

 

[Tommydaniel]

It just wouldn't make sense to not announce Wichita and Topeka if they were indeed part of the first round. The problem with the map is that it is labeled "Kansas Market", not "Kansas City Market". Where most of the other maps were labeled "Baltimore Market" or "Houston Market".

I just asked him, waiting for a reply.

 

[Tommydaniel]

Here's Roberts response, "The entire Kansas market. There are 2 phases. Sprint will announce market live in between phases, but'll keep working."

So from that I am guessing after KC, they will actually announce Wichita and Topeka as part of the second phase? maybe?

 

[BenChase7]

right, but I dont think "phases" have much to do with it either. There are two phases to each market. Phase 1 is when approx 50% of the sites within that market are complete.. this is the point at which Sprint will announce the market as 4G LTE "live." However.. they continue working at this point.. rolling right into phase 2, which ultimately completes the market with every remaining cell site being upgraded. There is no stop in-between each phase. Therefore, I highly doubt Sprint will announce any cities within that market separately.. since they are are included in that market... and deployment within any given market is continuous. Like I said, and im pretty sure as I follow S4GRU.com like a hound, that once a market is announced.. every site in that market will be upgraded to Network Vision - 4G LTE - before they leave the market. In other words, once they start.. the upgrade continues within that market until the market is 100% complete.

Edit: So, back to the point I originally made (or was trying to make), since Wichita is part of the Kansas city market, Wichita will receive Network Vision - 4G LTE - this year.

 

[Adar]

There is no way you will have to wait another year for Sprint's 4G LTE in Wichita.. Wichita is part of the Kansas City (Overland Park.. Sprints home town) market and they will be one of the first to get LTE. They are likely deploying LTE in your area as we speak. In fact, there are probably LTE sites live there right now. You will most likely have Sprint 4G LTE in just a few months.

Sprint announces Kansas City and Baltimore to Network Vision & LTE launches for first half of 2012 - Sprint 4G Rollout Updates

Unless the LTE rollout differs significantly from the Wimax rollout, I'm still not holding my breath. We never got Wimax here at all, even though Kansas City got it. If it gets here soon, I will be happily surprised, but I doubt it. Although Wichita isn't a tiny town, we generally get ignored in favor of Kansas City or Oklahoma City. Our 3g service is abysmal. Even with full bars, I average maybe 200k speeds at max, generally though it is under 100k. That is AFTER they have done a number of tower upgrades for us this past year.

 

[BenChase7]

Unless the LTE rollout differs significantly from the Wimax rollout, I'm still not holding my breath. We never got Wimax here at all, even though Kansas City got it. If it gets here soon, I will be happily surprised, but I doubt it. Although Wichita isn't a tiny town, we generally get ignored in favor of Kansas City or Oklahoma City. Our 3g service is abysmal. Even with full bars, I average maybe 200k speeds at max, generally though it is under 100k. That is AFTER they have done a number of tower upgrades for us this past year.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Sprint's LTE rollout is drastically different then the WiMax rollout. The WiMax deployment was done by Clear... The Network Vision/4G LTE is being built directly by Sprint and their 3 vendors which include Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, and Samsung. There is no comparison in the buildout. The network Sprint is building now is a whole new ballgame.

PS. I spoke with s4gru.com and they agreed with my understanding of the Kansas market deployment.

 

[Tommydaniel]

right, but I dont think "phases" have much to do with it either. There are two phases to each market. Phase 1 is when approx 50% of the sites within that market are complete.. this is the point at which Sprint will announce the market as 4G LTE "live." However.. they continue working at this point.. rolling right into phase 2, which ultimately completes the market with every remaining cell site being upgraded. There is no stop in-between each phase. Therefore, I highly doubt Sprint will announce any cities within that market separately.. since they are are included in that market... and deployment within any given market is continuous. Like I said, and im pretty sure as I follow S4GRU.com like a hound, that once a market is announced.. every site in that market will be upgraded to Network Vision - 4G LTE - before they leave the market. In other words, once they start.. the upgrade continues within that market until the market is 100% complete.

Edit: So, back to the point I originally made (or was trying to make), since Wichita is part of the Kansas city market, Wichita will receive Network Vision - 4G LTE - this year.

Kansas Market I'm just teasing now haha

 

[ab30494]

this will be sprints LTE coverage once the network vision is complete

 

[mak916]

this will be sprints LTE coverage once the network vision is complete

Wow, seems to be a lot of green on the east coast, but not too much on the west. How does this compare with the current WiMax?

 

[Joshbear]

this will be sprints LTE coverage once the network vision is complete

If that's the case, then it looks like I'll be jumping ship to Verizon once my contract is up.

 

[BenChase7]

How does this compare with the current WiMax?

Its a pretty impressive map. There is No Comparison.. this LTE coverage blows the WiMax coverage out of the water.