Official 4G/WiMax: what is it, why do we want it

[RiverOfIce]

So the 500 mhz will be in dense areas while 2.5 stays In more rural areas

other way around

500mhz will be for rural areas. 2.5 will be for dense areas.

They can also use 500mhz to connect nodes.

For example a country store can use 2.5ghz from a 500mhz signal.

Or you can get a SOHO that takes in 500mhz and repeats at 2.5ghz.

 

[JunBringer]

Sprint's WiMAX network helping Maryland police

Annapolis P.D. first started exploring WiMAX technology in January 2009, when it started a pilot project with Sprint to see how it could integrate WiMAX with its surveillance cameras spread throughout the city. While Annapolis only has one WiMAX-capable surveillance camera installed so far, the police department is asking the city for funding for two additional cameras this summer.


link: Sprint's WiMAX network helping Maryland police

I work in Annapolis and haven't tried 4G out yet down there. I'm pretty pumped now as I just realized I get full strength 4G INSIDE my house and now at my work too. Bad. Ass.

 

[Sgt. Slaughter]

..... If you are in a wimax area, you signal will improve weekly. And there are still alot of glitches and whole in the system.

Well I can say I live in an area that is also blanketed by every coverage map and I too can not get any 4G signal at my home inside. If I walk outside I can pick up at most poor/fiar signal but it constantly drops and tries to reconnect so its useless there. Now if I drive about .5-1mi away down the street I pick up Good 4G coverage on my Evo no problem.
I'm not on the edge of coverage in any way or anywhere near any kind of edge. I've also submitted multiple tickets for this issue and gotten no where as they report back saying tech's checked the towers and they are fine. One rep even told me they might be able to adjust the tower which never happened.
I am now at wits end with this issue and about to give up on 4G coverage here. The current state of my last ticket is that they are sending out the coverage people to re-take readings in my area and then report back and re-do the coverage map accordingly.
Evidently the tower closest to me points in the opposite direction so I dont pick it up, and the other tower is just a hair too far away for me to pick up.
I've spoken to too many reps, tech reps, adv. tech support reps, priority service line reps, and all is the same response with giving hope it can be fixed and then I get nothing in the end. I made sure they noted on the ticket's that I'm open to ANY resolution wether it be adding a repeater or some sort of equip. to boost the signal coverage of WiMax here since I can assume the Evo's antennae can only be so goo being in a phone.

Sorry for the rant, but the sentence of your signal improving weekly I just dont agree with as mine has been the same here(Raleigh, NC) since I got the Evo.
Check out my location Latitude, Longitude: 35.738061060544844, -78.6532312631607.

I understand its new tech and all but the fact that they have already rolled out 4G here and haven't finished rolling out across the US I dont see them spending the $ to fine tune it here in raleigh when they need to spend $ to roll it out fresh at so many other places.

 

[RiverOfIce]

I understand its new tech and all but the fact that they have already rolled out 4G here and haven't finished rolling out across the US I dont see them spending the $ to fine tune it here in raleigh when they need to spend $ to roll it out fresh at so many other places.

The vast majority of money is being spent on filling in the weaker spots. Regardless of what people say, penetration of signal is actually really good at 2.5ghz, in most cases less then 2% degradation. Your problem is like my problem, you are near a primary tower, which is made to connect other towers and shoots over you, not hitting you. Like 3g coverage was 5 years ago, wimax is today. It will get better, just needs to fill in. They will have to add a downward facing receiver to your tower.

 

[Hurricane350]

Boston has been a soft since may 14. The full lauch should be before july 7th. But that is just a guess.

Any update on official launch of Boston?

 

[RiverOfIce]

Any update on official launch of Boston?

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Samsung is rolling out wimax for Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Providence, R.I. and Boston.

They are really strict when it comes to turning things on, they do not like to do soft launches or not complete launches.

I have August-October for Boston, but hell that is like 3 months.

So sometime between now and the end of the year. Sorry. Comcast is also doing a lot of towers in Boston.

 

[eieio]

Just got a peak of what the coverage area/map for NY is suppose to look like. WOW!!

If they pull this off NY will be one of the best covered areas on launch day

 

[twospirits]

You are such a tease.
But I can believe it. Yesterday was one heck of a good signal day. 4 down and 1 up I was very impressed, but that was near my work area, at home nothing as usual. Can't hardly wait.

TS

 

[THEFORCE]

The vast majority of money is being spent on filling in the weaker spots. Regardless of what people say, penetration of signal is actually really good at 2.5ghz, in most cases less then 2% degradation. Your problem is like my problem, you are near a primary tower, which is made to connect other towers and shoots over you, not hitting you. Like 3g coverage was 5 years ago, wimax is today. It will get better, just needs to fill in. They will have to add a downward facing receiver to your tower.

I'm having a hard time believing this...I'm literally looking at the tower with 3 bar 4g signal and I walk into a walmart and the signal drops to fair/poor...idk if wimax I is even worth it as it can barely be used in doors and is a freaking battery hog

 

[RiverOfIce]

My real problem was building penetration...

- from the other thread, was replying there.
Not any more then 3g or voice. You just have a more towers for voice and 3g.

The fade on average from 500mhz-3ghz is about 2%. But in some cases it can hit up to 20%.

The issue right now is not penetration, but tower density and angle.

With most 3g you have a couple of towers focused in narrow areas, with wimax you have a few towers over a large areas.

With at worst case a 20% degradation from 500mhz-3ghz. Care to guess the degradation from 1.9ghz (3g evdo) and 2.5ghz (wimax). Yep, not much.

http://descanso.jpl.nasa.gov/Propagation/napex20/vogel2.pdf

From nasa, worst case, if you have -12 decibel fade at 800mhz (lte), -15 decibel fade at 1900mhz (evdo), and -19 decibel fade at 2500mhz (wimax).

It is not the fade that is the problem, but tower density, but if you do not believe me I am ok with that.

oh the the battery hog, no it is not, having 3g and wimax is a battery hog. But wimax radio alone sucks less battery then your 3g radio does.

oh probably want me to prove that too, ok

Power output of the wimax radio is about 200milliamps
https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=1278009

Power output for cdma is about 240 milliamps
https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=1278132

Power output for evdo is about, surprise surprise it is the same radio, 240milliamps
https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=1278133

Of course the cdma/evdo radio can not really fully shut down, but can hibernate at 70milliamps. Wimax radio can turn completely off, sucking a whole 0 milliamps.

 

[THEFORCE]

- from the other thread, was replying there.
Not any more then 3g or voice. You just have a more towers for voice and 3g.

The fade on average from 500mhz-3ghz is about 2%. But in some cases it can hit up to 20%.

The issue right now is not penetration, but tower density and angle.

With most 3g you have a couple of towers focused in narrow areas, with wimax you have a few towers over a large areas.

With at worst case a 20% degradation from 500mhz-3ghz. Care to guess the degradation from 1.9ghz (3g evdo) and 2.5ghz (wimax). Yep, not much.

http://descanso.jpl.nasa.gov/Propagation/napex20/vogel2.pdf

From nasa, worst case, if you have -12 decibel fade at 800mhz (lte), -15 decibel fade at 1900mhz (evdo), and -19 decibel fade at 2500mhz (wimax).

It is not the fade that is the problem, but tower density, but if you do not believe me I am ok with that.

oh the the battery hog, no it is not, having 3g and wimax is a battery hog. But wimax radio alone sucks less battery then your 3g radio does.

oh probably want me to prove that too, ok

Power output of the wimax radio is about 200milliamps
https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=1278009

Power output for cdma is about 240 milliamps
https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=1278132

Power output for evdo is about, surprise surprise it is the same radio, 240milliamps
https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=1278133

Of course the cdma/evdo radio can not really fully shut down, but can hibernate at 70milliamps. Wimax radio can turn completely off, sucking a whole 0 milliamps.

Thanks...

 

[Hurricane350]

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Samsung is rolling out wimax for Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Providence, R.I. and Boston.

They are really strict when it comes to turning things on, they do not like to do soft launches or not complete launches.

I have August-October for Boston, but hell that is like 3 months.

So sometime between now and the end of the year. Sorry. Comcast is also doing a lot of towers in Boston.

Thanks for the info... something is better than nothing. What do you mean by Samsung? Excuse my ignorance.

 

[RiverOfIce]

Thanks for the info... something is better than nothing. What do you mean by Samsung? Excuse my ignorance.

Sammy, samsung as in SAMSUNG United States - Main.

They are the one that is building out the wimax in the above cities.

 

[ArrowSmith]

So how can Sprint call WiMAX 4G when they nowhere near the spec of 1Gbps download like the rest of the world? Why are we getting crippled network?

 

[RiverOfIce]

So how can Sprint call WiMAX 4G when they nowhere near the spec of 1Gbps download like the rest of the world? Why are we getting crippled network?

Where in the world, is the rest of the world getting wireless speeds of 1gbps? 1gbps is impossible using current wireless specs and commercial systems. You just cant do it. Up to 250mbps in a closed lab yes. In real world, not for the forseenable future.

4g is a marketing term. Like "more bars in more places" or "most reliable network." There Is really no difference. It is a phrase that is used to describe the differences between two products. The fun part is that it does not even have to be true.

But focusing on just your question, wimax will never be 4g. It will have the speed, but not the protocols. Wimax is mobile broadband. 4 g is the 4 th generation of mobile data. They are not and will not ever be the same. Speed is more of a guide line then a rule.

 

[FLEMTP]

Any word in Miami/Fort Lauderdale? I've driven through the area and still can't find an active tower... =(

I got a 4g signal last week at roughly I-595 and university. It was "obtaining IP address from Sprint" but i didnt pull over or stay in the 4G area long enough to see if it would indeed fully work. I did also get spotty signals randomly throughout broward county.

 

[FLEMTP]

I was on the phone with a tech support escalations rep yesterday regarding some services issues with my 3G mifi.. and the tech informed me that a tower was down. He said that his computer showed problems with both 3G and 4G signal, but to my knowledge, Fort Myers, FL does not have 4G coverage yet, whether it be a soft roll out.. or beta testing. Why would the computer show a 4G outage if this were the case... or should I just be leaving my 4G on and see if there is indeed a 4G signal out there & sprint isnt saying anything about it being there yet?

 

[snowscum]

Broomfield Colorado now has 4g(3meg down is the best I could get).
I live about 2 miles from the tower on hwy 128 and the turnpike and get a couple of bars. It still fades in and out and dont know if its my radio or their service.

 

[eieio]

So how can Sprint call WiMAX 4G when they nowhere near the spec of 1Gbps download like the rest of the world? Why are we getting crippled network?

An IMT-Advanced cellular system must have target peak data rates of up to approximately 100 Mbit/s for high mobility such as mobile access and up to approximately 1 Gbit/s for low mobility such as nomadic/local wireless access, according to the ITU requirements. Scalable bandwidths up to at least 40 MHz should be provided.

 

[OutofDate1980]

I attempted to access RiverOfInce fcc.gov citations, but received "You are not authorized to access this page." Is there an alternative link ?

The links that are not accessible are;
"Power output of the wimax radio is about 200milliamps
https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=1278009

Power output for cdma is about 240 milliamps
https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=1278132

Power output for evdo is about, surprise surprise it is the same radio, 240milliamps
https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=1278133 "

 

[RiverOfIce]

I attempted to access RiverOfInce fcc.gov citations, but received "You are not authorized to access this page." Is there an alternative link ?"

Got to love the government.

Ok, here is how you do an fcc search.

1.) go to this website https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/GenericSearch.cfm
2.) Enter grantee code=nm8 and product code=PC36100 then enter.
3.) Should take you to the htc evo page.
4.) Click on details of any of the items listed.
5.) You are looking for part 27 emc test, part 22 emc test, and part 24 emc test.

 

[OutofDate1980]

Thanks for the instructions. I have this link, "A Comparison of IEEE 802.16e Mobile WiMAX Deployments in 700 MHz and 2500 MHz Bands"
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...be6LQy&usg=AFQjCNHbXPKXg3LDkUa7UEhx166NfzDMpQ

It appears to support the distance advantage of 700 MHz over 2.5 GHz, but also the disadvantage of 700 MHz in a urban area.

"The range benefit does not always translate to a deployment
advantage in regions with high population density unless operators have access to at least 20 MHz of spectrum. On the other hand, there is a significant deployment advantage with 700 MHz deployments in the lower population density regions with as little as 6 MHz of spectrum."

 

[RiverOfIce]

Longer waves, ie 700mhz will always do distance, but never will do density. You need shorter waves, ie 2.5ghz, to cover density, but not distance.

Why it is not lte or wimax, but lte and wimax.

 

[eieio]

Imagine Acquires Clearwire’s 4G Operations in Ireland

http://www.telephonyworld.com/news/i...ns-in-ireland/

DUBLIN, July 26, 2010—Imagine Communications Group, the broadband and phone company rolling out 4G WiMax across Ireland as an alternative access to the existing Eircom network, today announced it has acquired Clearwire’s Irish operations.

Clearwire has a significant telecoms infrastructure in Ireland which will now be used by Imagine as it continues a EUR100 million national roll-out of the high speed wireless network WiMax.

Following the Clearwire transaction, Imagine now has nearly 400 high sites nationwide to facilitate the rapid roll out of the WiMax network.

“This is a very significant and strategic deal for us as Clearwire is one of the world’s leading 4G operators,” said Mr. Brian O’Donohoe, MD of Imagine Communications Group.

“Key network and operational assets, as well as a talented technical team, will serve as a solid launch pad for expanding service and making 4G mobile broadband a reality across Ireland,” Mr. O’Donohoe said.

Imagine gained 50mHz of spectrum when purchasing Irish Broadband in 2008, added more spectrum in a Comreg process in 2009, and with Clearwire Ireland Limited’s spectrum now has over 120mHz of crucial 3.4/3.6mHz spectrum.

This will enable Imagine to take full advantage of the WiMax technology, which is expected to deliver speeds of 100mbits to consumers and businesses in the near future.

As part of the transaction, Clearwire will become a minority shareholder and will nominate a representative to Imagine’s board of directors. Other specific financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Imagine expects that the WiMax network will cover 90 per cent of Ireland within two years, with prices undercutting Eircom by 50 per cent.



SOURCE Imagine Communications​

 

[eieio]

Reliance to choose WiMAX in India after al

When the Indian BWA spectrum auctions concluded earlier this year, it seemed that the 2.3GHz TDD band - once considered a clear run for WiMAX - would actually be split between that technology and TD-LTE. While state-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL are already deploying WiMAX in their 2.3GHz spectrum, the privately held winners were more divided. The only one of these players to get licenses nationwide was Infotel, which was quickly snapped up by Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries (RIL). The firm implied that it would choose LTE for its new frequencies, even though Infotel had previously been committed to WiMAX, but now the firm appears to have opted for the more readily available technology after all, in the interests of early market impact.

http://www.rethink-wireless.com/2010/07/21/reliance-choose-wimax-india.htm