WiMax wins, hands down! WiMax service is cheaper, and unlimited. HSPA+ doesn't solve any of the network clogging problems that have forced AT&T to cap smartphone data. Verizon's LTE data is capped, as well. Only Sprint offers truly unlimited 4G service on both mobile broadband sticks/cards as well smartphones for the price.
^ I saw in one of your posts a couple weeks ago they recently expanded 4G in your area. Glad to hear that! How is it working out so far? What city do you live in?
San Jose, California. There's been 4G here officially since December (and unofficially since last fall). I just lived in a hole in coverage until recently. The only issues I have with WiMax are 1) building penetration, and 2) tower hand-off. It seems like I have to turn it off and back on again if I leave the range of one tower to connect to the other.
Just give a few months, we are going to hit up to 50 mbps with wimax. The fcc is going to allow 10mhz channels.
^ I know you're the WiMax goddess and have a wealth of knowledge on this... if you have a minute, can you elaborate.. just a bit, please. I'm curious.
to answer your question about the 10Mhz channels BenChase7 FCC to consider proposal that could boost Clearwire network speeds - SprintUsers.com
If this does happen, wouldn't there be a limitation on the wimax chip that is inside most of the Sprint phones? I saw that the Sequans chip is limited to like 40Mbps vs the Verizon phones that are rated 100Mbps or higher? I think that even if this does go through we will have to wait for the "equipment" at the basestations to be upgraded. Hopefully it doesn't take 2 years to get that done.
From what I've heard from RiverOfIce, when this goes through the FCC, it could up and running very soon. Does not sound like any equipment changes are needed at the basestations.
Sweet. I would think it would be more software based. That article made it sound like they needed to completely rebuild each basestation with new hardware.
By the end of this year, people on LTE won't be thinking about if they're being throttled because they'll be self-throttling due to per GB cost. LTE and HSPA+ still suffer from too many users because I think they're both still linked to 3G GSM, which probably means a lot of people sharing the same access points. The think I like most about Wimax is that it's not technology created by wireless carriers so they don't control the standards. LTE's built for carrier controls.
I have an HTC EVO 4G in the Oakland/San Francisco bay area. When I'm not moving Wimax is great but when you ride in a car/bus, the connection drops and doesn't automatically re-connect. Is this a problem with Wimax or the phone and does LTE drop connection less often on compatible android phones? Also, would Wimax 2 be better at holding constant connection while physically moving within the coverage area? Basically, I know very well the shortcomings of Wimax in reference to my phone and would like to know what would resolve this issue since not being able to use Wimax while on the move cripples it's day-to-day usage for me making it only useful at airports, hotels and various other places where I'm not moving and don't have access to a high speed internet connection.
There are many uses where a high speed connection would be helpful. Main reason would be for when I do things like: - Watch videos on Netflix - Play Android games online - Download/Upload random files - Tether to a laptop and get work done or do whatever As it is now, I use 3G 99% of the time due to the shortcomings like no auto-reconnect and the strain on battery performance.
Wimax while moving is great when it works. It allows talk and data simultaneously. Works perfectly if 4G signals is strong. I use it all the time. Extended battery needed though.
I too would like to know the answer to these questions. I live in Chicago and see the same things. Biggest thing I regret going to Sprint is WiMAX dropping so much while traveling, and I'm reduced to just sticking with 3G which is fine for the most part seeing it does save battery.
I used to have the same problem with evo and overdrive but I don't notice as much with the nexus s. It hands off much better from tower to tower and 3g to 4g and back.
Found out why the EVO 3D doesn't connect between WiMAX towers efficiently, because it has a retry time set to 5 minutes! How to Get 4G WiMax to Reconnect Quicker on HTC Evo 3D/4G! | HTC Evo 4G Hacks! I found this guide to make that retry instant.
