I have read a lot of opinions about what the new 4G LTE will mean to current 4G phones from definately won't work to it will just need a radio update. Is anyone really in the know on this subject and what is the correct answer?
Of course it probably doesn't mean anything for my EVO as we still do not have Wimax 4G in our area, only got to use 4G once on a layover in Dallas, makes me glad to continue to pay the $ 10 monthly fee that was started with the EVO 4G phone service plan requirements.
It will NOT work with ANY phone currently out now. Wimax and LTE are completely different technologies, a simple radio flash will not make wimax phones connect to LTE. You will have to wait until sprint releases LTE phones.
great question. I was wondering the same thing. I thought that they were different radio chips but I am not positive, Look forward to an answer from an expert.
A simple OTA won't fix that. if the radio was built in, then perhaps [what they're considering on the galaxy nexus]. But sprint plans to support wimax til 2015 I believe, so basically if you don't have an LTE phone by then, you won't be supported.
I upgraded to a Motorola Photon for a week just before Sprint started to switch over to the LTE and asked this question on the Photon forum, had answers all over the place, but the one thing that Sprint did tell me is if you currently do not have 4G Wimax in your area you will not as Sprint is not expanding the 4G wimax, only the 4G LTE will be expanded into new areas. This leaves me with a PROMISE that I got when I first started to pay the $ 10 per month that Sprint will be expanding it and you will sometime in the future be able to use the 4G.
erikemb said:
great question. I was wondering the same thing. I thought that they were different radio chips but I am not positive, Look forward to an answer from an expert.
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Not exactly an expert here, but Sprint re-sells Clearwire WiMax operating in the 2.6GHz range of the spectrum. Sprint plans to deploy LTE in their existing 1.9GHz range of spectrum holdings. They are planning a 5x5 Frequency Division Duplexing scheme here.
So, to answer the question: There's no way existing WiMax devices will ever support Sprint's upcoming LTE deployment. Chipsets, frequencies and overall technology built into your EVO 4G is simply incompatible. Case closed.
Sprint always seems to want to sell a new wimax phone. I am wondering if they have an upgrade plan for those holding a wimax phone when wimax goes away?
If they do not have a plan when the best time to switch is and is it even worth it.
So is the extra $10 we pay for data for the 3G or the 4G we are supposed to get? Sorry it may be a dumb question but I'm on a plan with my fiancés parents.
scottypeterson said:
So is the extra $10 we pay for data for the 3G or the 4G we are supposed to get? Sorry it may be a dumb question but I'm on a plan with my fiancés parents.
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The 10$ is for the 4G.
scottypeterson said:
So is the extra $10 we pay for data for the 3G or the 4G we are supposed to get? Sorry it may be a dumb question but I'm on a plan with my fiancés parents.
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It was initially referred to 4G, but then a lawsuit brewed because consumers were forced to pay for a service that wasn't available. Therefore, Sprint changed it to a Smartphone fee. That's why all new headsets purchased is subject to the $10 fee. While people with old contracts don't pay.
Sent from my PC36100
spyd312 said:
It was initially referred to 4G, but then a lawsuit brewed because consumers were forced to pay for a service that wasn't available. Therefore, Sprint changed it to a Smartphone fee. That's why all new headsets purchased is subject to the $10 fee. While people with old contracts don't pay.
Sent from my PC36100
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actually I think it was to just soften the blow of the 10 data add on I remember paying this on my instinct. although I am in the Phoenix area and have only 5 or 6 areas with 5g (none near me) I still think $10 is a good value for unlimited data compared to other carriers.
jayshocka said:
actually I think it was to just soften the blow of the 10 data add on I remember paying this on my instinct. although I am in the Phoenix area and have only 5 or 6 areas with 5g (none near me) I still think $10 is a good value for unlimited data compared to other carriers.
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I signed a 2 year contact for 4 lines 18 months ago. 1 evo, 2 intercepts, 1 flip phone. 3 out 4 are smartphones, but I've only been paying $10 for only 1 line (Evo). My contract states that the $10 was due to the fact that my phone is 4G capable. Since the other 2 phones aren't 4G capable, the $10 fee didn't apply. For a while, there was a class action lawsuit filed against Sprint because it wasn't fair to be forced to pay for a service premium, if the service wasn't even available in the consumer's region. Sprint got around this by changing the $10 fee as a smartphone surcharge. Sprint has always been providing unlimited data and the $10 fee never constituted to obtaining unlimited data usage. I just got lucky that I'm saving $20/month since my contract isn't subject to the new terms and conditions.
Reference:
http://classactionlawsuitsinthenews.com/class-action-lawsuit-complaints/sprint-class-action-lawsuit-complaint-filed-over-sprints-htc-evo-4g-cell-phone-samsung-epic-4g-cell-phone-sprints-4g-network/
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There is some good reading if you do a Google search on the topic.
One article put it in perspective for me..... the "hype" of something new sells phones... think of how many EVO's flew off the shelf awaiting 4g that never came. Technology is ever changing.
LTE is gonna be the same. For those living in the very large money making metropolitan areas it will be a reality. For those on the outskirts ........ well it may never come.
4g would have been nice but since it's release ( I was a lucky first) my EVO has locked 4g less than 10 times. I love my EVO cause it was/and still is an awesome phone. My next phone probably will be an LTE but not because of LTE availability. The technology is growing and sad as it may be.... hand cranking the model A wont make sense when I can start the car with the push of a button while the key is in my pocket. My EVO will however, hold a place on my display case next to my startac analog. Thanks to ICS.... it might even get taken out for Sunday drives!
Sent from my reincarnated EVO chilled on Decks ICS
The old phones like the EVO, EVO 3D, EPIC 4G and even the GALAXY SAMSUNG S II won't work on their new LTE. I went to a Sprint store and I asked the guys and they told me that it will still have the WiMax network, but those phones won't work on LTE network. Shame, I really want to get the S II
That is what got this thread going, I wanted to upgrade and the Sprint store salesperson told me the 4G phones would work with 4G LTE so I upgrade to a Motorola Photon. It was a good upgrade from the EVO but as most state on this thread would not work on LTE. That made the phone not work the upgrade to be locked in for two years especially since I didn't have 4G now, if 4G LTE came out in my area I still wouldn't be able to use it even though I've been paying the $ 10 / month from intro date of the EVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yet another in the never ending string of lies misrepresentations from Sprint, as well as being yet another sign of just how little their customers mean to Sprint.
After having their 4G available for over two years they still have only a fraction of their users with 4G coverage.
Worse, search back and find the first articles about Sprint moving from Wimax to LTE, and you'll find that the Sprint representatives stated that during the transitional time (this would start about...now?) Sprint would be offering phones that supported BOTH Wimax and LTE so that its customers could get the phones that they want and enjoy whichever 4G service is available to them. Of course if you're part of the vast majority of the population of the U.S., this means neither.
But, the point is that Sprint representatives said to multiple sources that we would be offered phones that supported both, and once again they are failing to do as they said. No doubt they were just saying what they felt they needed to in order to halt the easily anticipated storm of customer inquiries upon the announcement of the switch. Since the well trained U.S. consumer has the memory of a gnat and believes whatever they are told, Sprint no longer cares what their customers want, need, or deserve because their customers don't remember what they were promised and have been trained to be sheep and eat whatever slop is poured in the trough in front of them.
Of course, from talking to family and friends with service from other providers, as well as researching on the web, I know that Sprint isn't any worse than any other provider. Cell phone service providers have some of the lowest customer service ratings period. The number of complaints regarding cell phone service providers is also among the very highest. None of this is any secret; one only has to seek out the readily available information and knowledge.
When it comes to cellphone service providers, there is no clear winner. And in sprite of their generally crappy 3G service and minimal 4G coverage, Sprint does still offer mostly free roaming and mostly unlimited data, so they are not going anywhere regardless of how horrible their cell service and customer service is.
I'll give them this...they've positioned themselves beautifully within their market.
No 4G here and LTE is all hype to sell phones.... suckin em for all they are worth on 3G now and refuse to use Wifi on either of my EVO4Gs.
If I could get wife to ditch cable internet/tv I'd get em for even more.
Related
I would like to dump my relations with Verizon a hope that some of you guys can help me. Sprint.T-Mobile.at&t is what I have to use so thanks lol
Sent from my Incredible 2 ReMix using Tapatalk
Edit I have a incredible and really love the hell out of it so you could call me an HTC fan boy
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You didn't request anything you need help with.
Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T are not compatible with the Verizon CDMA phones so you won't be able to use your Verizon Incredible on their networks. AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM networks. Sprint I believe uses a different bandwidth than Verizon besides their old PCS network being incompatible. This is why you only see threads for how to use Verizon smartphones on Cricket and Boost mobile. W
When my first Verizon Eris died it was going to be a week before I could get a new phone so I called Verizon to see if I could activate my old Sprint Motorola Krzr as both companies sold them. Verizon can activate old phones from other companies, they verified this when I called, but unfortunately Sprint phones aren't ones they could activate.
@slim I did but will help you understand. I need to switch carriers and would like to see what people use and like to offer me suggestions on what company and phone to get. That's what I wanted to know lol
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Well, I'd say to go with Sprint, as they are pretty much the only carrier left to offer truly unlimited data without throttling (although that probably won't be for long). They have some nice HTC phones over there like the Evo 3D, Evo Shift 4G, etc.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
computerwiz908 said:
Well, I'd say to go with Sprint, as they are pretty much the only carrier left to offer truly unlimited data without throttling (although that probably won't be for long). They have some nice HTC phones over there like the Evo 3D, Evo Shift 4G, etc.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
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I mow through between 10 and 20 gig a month on my phone and I've NEVER been throttled on either the dInc or Tbolt I'm using. The last Sprint rep I spoke with 3 days ago made no attempt to hide Sprint's data throttling policy. I'm not sure where you heard that wasn't the case.
Concerning the OP's post, Sprint has consistently brought cream of the crop Android devices to the table. The primary reason the dInc garnered the dev community that it did was because the EVO 4G is nearly identical under the glass. Sprint has announced a transition away from WiMax for 4G in favor of LTE. When it appears they're making dramatically more headway on that front than they ever did with WiMax, I'll likely switch. I wouldn't be a customer of AT&T if they paid me. Or T-Mobile. I mean, unlimited 20-30 Mbit LTE in my pocket for $40 a month... you can't beat that with a stick!
OP the best way for you to decide is to look at each providers coverage in your area then go with the one with the best coverage. If they all have equal coverage then go with the one that offers the best plan that fits your needs/budget.
ew. I switched from Sprint to Verizon and don't regret a thing. I didn't have a bank account and couldn't get one until I paid off some debts and regardless of this, I was charged $4.99 every bill for NOT using their automated payment crap. on top of this, my plan originally was 69.99 for unlimited data, text, and maybe 450ish minutes. out of nowhere, random surcharges kept getting added to my bill and it got to the point where I was paying $102 because they added $30+ surcharges and taxes onto my account. I also never had good reception. really think going to Sprint is a bad idea.
if you are switching so that you can pay less, I can recommend that you go to Verizon and ask if your employer makes you qualified for a discount on your bill or (if you attend a college) see if you can use that. I get up to 17% off my bill and since I was grandfathered in with the old data plan, I pay only $47 a month for my phone bill with unlimited data+text.
I would also recommend sprint but wait until a better phone than the 3d come our since like the Htc evo soon after it came out the shift came out and now the 3d so that could mean that theres another one coming out with better specs... I personally was thinking on swtching to T-mobile and get the Thc Sensation but like "computerwiz908" I dont like the idea of getting rip with throttling..... Also if you decide let us know what you got...
dincdoes.me said:
@slim I did but will help you understand. I need to switch carriers and would like to see what people use and like to offer me suggestions on what company and phone to get. That's what I wanted to know lol
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Well take note you're asking a bunch of Verizon users.
Sprint is the best company out of the bunch as far as price but it depends on what type of reception you get where you're at. Sprint also has a nice selection of android phones, and if you like the INC then sprint has the EVO line of phones that are sort cousins to our phone- I actually like them better than the INC and INC2.
If you're switching to Sprint, you could get the Photon 4g. They're unlocking bootloaders now. The Photon 4g seems like a better upgrade to the Evo 4g rather than the Evo 3D. (Kickstand?!)
http://androidcommunity.com/motorola-photon-4g-bootloader-unlock-available-now-20110815/
Keep your DInc and switch to Pageplus. Their service is over the Verizon network, but costs a lot less. You get the superior coverage of Verizon's network, without the add-on fees. Search "pageplus" for more detailed posts on this.
DInc with CyanogenMod 6.1 & Invisiblek #28 kernel.
OlafTheOx said:
Keep your DInc and switch to Pageplus. Their service is over the Verizon network, but costs a lot less. You get the superior coverage of Verizon's network, without the add-on fees. Search "pageplus" for more detailed posts on this.
DInc with CyanogenMod 6.1 & Invisiblek #28 kernel.
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100mb data limit?
100$ per GB over
.10 per MB
cvbcbcmv said:
and that's where they get ya.
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yeah I used 30GB last month, I'd rather pay $60 on verizon than 3,000$ there lol
Looks like a good deal as long as you don't use data
I think ill stick with the Dinc for a bit I'm thing of switching carriers bcuz of horrible data coverage where I live.. but I'm moving at the end of September so I think ill tuff it out I saw that there is a chineese phone coming unlocked with the choice of 16gb dual core or a 32gb ver. With 4 cores which sounds tasty to me!! But .. from what I understand it can't be used on Verizon .. so I might switch to a carrier that allows similar cards and works on GSM not CDMA
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No way id switch from verizon here in the midwest. Excellent service out in the sticks.
If ive helped you, please hit the damn thanks button!
Donny in Traverse City Mi I average about 1 - 2 bars ... lol
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Im always about 1-2 bars, but thats even out of town where tmobile, sprint, and att get zero signal, atleast in kansas and oklahoma. I rarely get 4 bars. Coverage area more important to me than a smaller high signal area.
If ive helped you, please hit the damn thanks button!
donnyp1 said:
Im always about 1-2 bars, but thats even out of town where tmobile, sprint, and att get zero signal, atleast in kansas and oklahoma. I rarely get 4 bars. Coverage area more important to me than a smaller high signal area.
If ive helped you, please hit the damn thanks button!
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Yeah having full bars doesn't do much. You don't get faster rates and the quality isn't lower, if you have 1 bar or less is the only reason you should worry about slowdowns and possible dropped calls.
Honestly I've never had 0 signal except while on a plane in high altitude or underground / tunnel. I live in VA and traveled out to California, went out to a rather remote lake and still got very nice 1x coverage, although 3G was very weak- it went in an out. Still good considering how far out it was and how there was practically nobody for miles and it wasn't near any interstates.
If Sprint rolls out LTE in Q2 of 2012, does this mean my promises of 4G coverage takes a giant sized dump?
ET4G
Nobody knows.
I don't think so, they won't abandon WiMax entirely, not for awhile at least. Besides, with Network Vision there isn't much to worry about.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
yeah, looks like unless there is some way the et4g can receive a wimax signal...we are gonna be left on the curve holding our phones and a big handful of nothing!
rather than returning the phone, how about a refund for all the months that i've been paying for 4g services and getting nothing! basically we have been funding a technology that we aren't even going to be able to take advantage of...genius Sprint, absolutely genius.
sounds like a class action lawsuit if you ask me. and sprint shouldn't think it wouldn't happen, they should take a lesson from what bank of america is going through with their over draft fees.
How about everybody chills out, takes a deep breath, steps back and realizes that by time Sprint shuts off the WiMax transmitters our ET4Gs will be obsolete pieces of crap and we'll definitely be eligible for upgrades...?
daneurysm said:
How about everybody chills out, takes a deep breath, steps back and realizes that by time Sprint shuts off the WiMax transmitters our ET4Gs will be obsolete pieces of crap and we'll definitely be eligible for upgrades...?
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Hrmmm I highly doubt it. Once again everything is rumored till officially announce. Saying that the rumors are suggesting for now that Sprint is going to release new phones with both LTE and Wimax radio's. That means Wimax would not be turning off anytime soon. Plus all you really have to do is take good care of your phone, maybe, get a good sturdy case and just sell it later for a LTE variant phone if LTE does become more predominant anytime soon, which I doubt. That's my game plan for now since I am a phone nerd who wants only the best.
Edit:
Sorry daneurysm I read your post wrong. I actually agree with what you say.
ill cross the bridge when it comes. If they switch everything to LTE, they wont just abandon wimax number one, theyve put too much $$ into it, number two who cares. If a LTE phone comes out that I want, Ill just buy a phone that supports it and sell the s2. But for now, im totally happy with the s2, so I say again my friends, lets just cross the bridge when it comes
TheDudeAbides said:
If Sprint rolls out LTE in Q2 of 2012, does this mean my promises of 4G coverage takes a giant sized dump?
ET4G
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According to a bunch of cnet articles, yes, the october 7 announcement will include the end of the clear partnership. In other words, the 4g service you have now is the 4g service you will have for the life of your phone.
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Sprint is looking to eventually build out/migrate to a TD-LTE network, which is at least partially compatible with wimax supposedly
The technology is very similar, if Sprint were to just switch to LTE now, as far as I know all that they would have to do is a firmware update. I could be wrong though, I am certainly not an expert. It comes back to Network Vision though, Sprint could easily have both with minimal cost.
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Im just wondering if they go LTE what will happen to me? I'm in an area that doesn't have Wimax and never will so what now?
they will probably make it work, i cant see them having a million people with wiimax smartphones look stupid when lte come
LTE & WiMax
I have read multiple places that the underlying layer 0 technology in Wimax and LTE are functionally the same. That most modern WiMax technology can be flashed to support both LTE and WiMax. Clear mentioned this several times in their releases regarding their building of an LTE network. Sprint has said something along the same lines when they announced their deal to build an LTE Network for someone else. It would absolutely result in a class action lawsuit if Sprint continued to sell new WiMax phones without the intention of extending WiMax in to those areas that currently do not have WiMax service, especially when advertising that they were rolling it out nationwide. There appear to already be class action lawsuits winding their way through the legal system for people who are suing over being charged the premium data fee for an Evo when their Anything Data Plan said they were entitled to unlimited data on Sprint's network. It is strongly believed that this is why Sprint changed it to all smart phones, even those on older plans so as to close that gate. I live about 10 miles from the closest WiMax service and it hasn't changed in 2 years. I honestly expect that they will ultimately expand it in to my area because I live along a major California Highway heading north. I sort of new this was coming when I bought the phone so it really means less to me the when I purchased the HTC View as the data plan on my phone allows me unlimited 3G but my View has only 4gb of 3G and that scares me enough to not use it fervently to watch Midget Porn. Midget Porn uses less GBs to stream, takes up less storage space and is formats perfectly for the Epic Touch Screen. Think about it for a second. Yeah it is funny.
Midget porn... yes...
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Today’s Sprint strategy meeting revealed a significant amount of information about the future of the Now Network. Sprint has began the rollout of its new network and the rapid deployment of LTE on their 800 and 1900MHz frequencies. In fact, the “Network Vision” deployment is going so well that Sprint is expecting to be completely finished by the of end of 2013, rather than the speculated 3 to 5 years.
Sprint is investing $4 to $5 billion into “Network Vision,” with an expected net return of $10 to $11 billion by 2017. Sprint is expecting to launch it’s first LTE device by mid-2012 (posibly an LTE EVO device) and close the year with 15 LTE devices in it’s lineup. The agreement between Clearwire and Sprint is set expire at the end of 2012. Sprint will sell WiMax devices all the way through til the end of 2012, but support for WiMax devices will continue for an unspecified period beyond 2012.
Sprint is progressively turning over the Nextel 800MHz spectrum for use on CDMA. The 800 and 1900MHz spectra are owned and operated by Sprint, and will provide for voice, data, and 4G as per “Network Vision.” Pending FCC approval due to GPS interference, LightSquared’s 1600MHz spectrum will also be used exclusively for LTE on Sprint, in addition to the 800 and 1900MHz frequencies. There are no plans to use Clearwire or their 2.5GHz spectrum after 2012. However, Sprint is waiting to see what happens with their network change to LTE.
Many of you have numerous questions such as: “Why is LightSquared paying Sprint to use their LTE network?”, “Where is Sprint getting the money to invest in “Network Vision?”, “What is going to happen to my WiMax device?”, or “How does this effect me?” Keep reading for answers to all these questions.
http://briefmobile.com/understanding-sprints-strategy
My question is why do they need so many frequencys of lte
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gtuansdiamm said:
My question is why do they need so many frequencys of lte
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Because it answers spectrum issues while allowing for building penetration when needed.
gtuansdiamm said:
My question is why do they need so many frequencys of lte
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1900MHz will be the primary LTE usage. 800MHz will be used by around 20% of users, and that's mainly deep in buildings and in extremely rural areas. 1600MHz is basically a bonus that came with LightSquare. There is still a chance the FCC might not pass it's usage of the frequency because it is so close to the GPS frequency. It's only 20MHz of spectrum in the 1600MHz realm, so it's no big deal. It's the money that Sprint needs.
Does this mean that our Wimax devices will be worthless? I hate that we have to pay an up charge for 4g devices using a technology that will not be in service in two years and Sprint really dragged their butts in trying to implement in the first place. I will probably upgrade to a new device by this time, but it is really pissing me off that they do this and cancel the one year upgrade.
Not that my Wimax is really doing anything in the first place, whenever I go to a place that has Wimax coverage (per Clearmax's maps) I can get just enough signal for my phone to tell me it has 4g. I get excited and then find out that its not strong enough and this is with two different phones (Epic & Epic Touch) and then the phone gives up on connecting to 4g anyway.
I paid the 3g up charge around 2006 when I lived in a town that did not have 3g coverage. I did not mind as Sprint upgraded their towers and eventually got me 3g. I would be pissed to pay this fee on phone using technology that they will abandon requiring me to buy something else to take advantage of newer technology that I have subsidized through a charge that I have never really taken advantage of.
Thanks Sprint for selling us devices with an up charge for a technology that you will abandon in a few years.
mag44 said:
Does this mean that our Wimax devices will be worthless? I hate that we have to pay an up charge for 4g devices using a technology that will not be in service in two years and Sprint really dragged their butts in trying to implement in the first place. I will probably upgrade to a new device by this time, but it is really pissing me off that they do this and cancel the one year upgrade.
Not that my Wimax is really doing anything in the first place, whenever I go to a place that has Wimax coverage (per Clearmax's maps) I can get just enough signal for my phone to tell me it has 4g. I get excited and then find out that its not strong enough and this is with two different phones (Epic & Epic Touch) and then the phone gives up on connecting to 4g anyway.
I paid the 3g up charge around 2006 when I lived in a town that did not have 3g coverage. I did not mind as Sprint upgraded their towers and eventually got me 3g. I would be pissed to pay this fee on phone using technology that they will abandon requiring me to buy something else to take advantage of newer technology that I have subsidized through a charge that I have never really taken advantage of.
Thanks Sprint for selling us devices with an up charge for a technology that you will abandon in a few years.
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WiMax will be supported for around 2 to 3 years after 2012. I will bet on that.
newalker91 said:
Stop it. You're not paying any fee for 4G, you're paying for having a data intensive smartphone. So tired of hearing people whine about $10 saying it's for a service they don't get. It is not a charge for 4G. Go price a plan on another unlimited carri- oh wait you cant.
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Yes, corporate double speak from from Sprint. They did the exact SAME THING during the 3G roll out. I remember I had a Samsung A900 phone at the time. You are paying to subside their 4G roll out and I personally don't care about this if they didn't bungle it with this Wimax crap that they are abandoning in a few years.
Data intensive is just a joke after they realized that they weren't going to get 4g into many markets and even the markets that they got into implemented it in the coverage was too spotty.
Anyway If they really wanted to tax "data intensive" phones why didn't they do this earlier, they had phones that sucked up data before this whole charge.
I'm not complaining about the charge itself, I would appreciate it if it was used like the 3G charge. Which I believe helped the speed of the 3g implementation. I have been with Sprint since 2002 moved from a big city to a smaller town since then and was impressed with their service upgrades in the 2006~2007 time period.
mag44 said:
Yes, corporate double speak from from Sprint. They did the exact SAME THING during the 3G roll out. I remember I had a Samsung A900 phone at the time. You are paying to subside their 4G roll out and I personally don't care about this if they didn't bungle it with this Wimax crap that they are abandoning in a few years.
Data intensive is just a joke after they realized that they weren't going to get 4g into many markets and even the markets that they got into implemented it in the coverage was too spotty.
Anyway If they really wanted to tax "data intensive" phones why didn't they do this earlier, they had phones that sucked up data before this whole charge.
I'm not complaining about the charge itself, I would appreciate it if it was used like the 3G charge. Which I believe helped the speed of the 3g implementation. I have been with Sprint since 2002 moved from a big city to a smaller town since then and was impressed with their service upgrades in the 2006~2007 time period.
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So what if you are? They have to pay for it some how!
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newalker91 said:
Stop it. You're not paying any fee for 4G, you're paying for having a data intensive smartphone. So tired of hearing people whine about $10 saying it's for a service they don't get. It is not a charge for 4G. Go price a plan on another unlimited carri- oh wait you cant.
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Dude, it's not worth it.
It's been discussed and proven 10000000000000000000000000000 times on this boards.
They're trolls.
They should honestly get a ban for not reading and just trolling.
Korey_Nicholson said:
So what if you are? They have to pay for it some how!
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The whole point is they picked the wrong 4g technology. They decided to charge people for 4g initially, then realized that they messed up and decided to call the extra charge to a "data intensive" fee to cover their butts so people would not complain about not having 4g. And people like me would get labeled as whiners for even bringing up the issue. I travel a lot and even when I am in 4g cities the coverage is spotty at best. Now Sprint has changed paths, along with their upgrade offer, potentially leaving people in the dust with their extra fees.
Like I said in my earlier post I paid the extra fee to have a 3g phone when they first came out, but I would be pissed if they changed to some new 3g technology and my phone lost one of its selling points. I didn't mind that I got no 3g service at first in my home town but it eventually came.
mag44 said:
The whole point is they picked the wrong 4g technology. They decided to charge people for 4g initially, then realized that they messed up and decided to call the extra charge to a "data intensive" fee to cover their butts so people would not complain about not having 4g. And people like me would get labeled as whiners for even bringing up the issue. I travel a lot and even when I am in 4g cities the coverage is spotty at best. Now Sprint has changed paths, along with their upgrade offer, potentially leaving people in the dust with their extra fees.
Like I said in my earlier post I paid the extra fee to have a 3g phone when they first came out, but I would be pissed if they changed to some new 3g technology and my phone lost one of its selling points. I didn't mind that I got no 3g service at first in my home town but it eventually came.
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1) At no point was it ever labeled a 4g fee.
2) By the time the Wimax network is shut down no one on XDA will have one and most of the rest of the population will have moved on as well.
See newalker91....its pointless.
Its literally the same pointless and rehashed arguments that have been used the last year and a half
newalker91 said:
They have openly stated that the Premium Data fee is to help carry the costs of both 4G roll-out and 3G backhaul improvements. The reason they need to do these things is because of the fact that a smartphone can now burn through 5-10 GB of data in a month without much effort at all. With the increase in data streaming/file hosting/social networking applications, it will only get higher. Add in the addition of the iPhone, the network cannot handle it. People want more than what they pay for, it's a rule of thumb with any service, it just gets really frustrating after hearing it day in and day out.
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I keep hearing the iphone will take down your network argument but how is an iphone any different than any top line android phone. They run the same or similar applications.
Anyway, I don't think anyone understands my frustration or bothered to read my posts. I DO NOT MIND PAYING THE EXTRA DATA FEE. I just feel used by having to pay to subsidies for some crappy "4g" technology that Sprint is abandoning and changed their phone upgrade policies to screw people who are attempting to take advantage of at the moment.
I have been a Sprint customer since 2002 and like their service for the most part, they provide value that I have not seen with the other carriers. I also love move Epic Touch it is a great phone its just stuff like this that gets me pissed off.
---------- Post added at 01:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:53 AM ----------
mattykinsx said:
1) At no point was it ever labeled a 4g fee.
2) By the time the Wimax network is shut down no one on XDA will have one and most of the rest of the population will have moved on as well.
See newalker91....its pointless.
Its literally the same pointless and rehashed arguments that have been used the last year and a half
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Click to collapse
Okay not a 4g data fee but a PREMIUM DATA FEE. The 4g was not the total decider but it was a major decision point in their implementation of this fee. And I think that you are missing the point, I honestly don't care about the fee if they were using this to improve their Wimax. As far as phones using more data, they've had plenty of smartphones on the network before they did this, it was the 4g that allowed them to charge people.
http://androidandme.com/2010/05/new...s-mandatory-10-premium-29-for-mobile-hotspot/
Argument is also not "rehashed" as Sprint didn't decide to abandon their technology until this week but reading comprehension is beyond you so I will have to forgive you.
Again not complaining about the fee itself, I'm complaining about Sprints Wimax wasteland. If you read my posts I paid a $10 fee for my Samsung A900 3g and did not care because it garnered results. But here it ends up subsidizing some worthless and eventually abandoned technology. But, I am just a troll so what do I know.
And saying that nobody will have a wimax phone by the time they are phased out is an excellent argument. First, Sprint has changed their upgrade polices so many people NOT ON XDA (I do care about people not on this website) will be stuck on second tier wimax crap. Next, if you have a 4G phone right now you are paying for 4g wimax coverage (Yes you are also paying for the great camera on the phone and your facebook usage but if you read Sprint's statement this is mainly driven by 4g). I know that Sprint's official statements say that this extra charge is to cover the amount of data used by these phones but they decided to wait until their 4g phones were release and their poorly implemented 4g roll out. Its not smart to say its okay because by the time it comes through "we'll all have new phones".
And one more question, "Is the regular user burning through 5~10 GB of Data of their phone?". The only people that I know doing this are people who stream Netflix or something similar, who are not in the majority and Nextflix is not on every phone yet. I understand that there are users using an healthy amount of data on their phones but these people are NOT in the majority.
Although take my words for what its worth I just a troll though I've been here longer than the people who think that I am
newalker91 said:
They have openly stated that the Premium Data fee is to help carry the costs of both 4G roll-out and 3G backhaul improvements. The reason they need to do these things is because of the fact that a smartphone can now burn through 5-10 GB of data in a month without much effort at all. With the increase in data streaming/file hosting/social networking applications, it will only get higher. Add in the addition of the iPhone, the network cannot handle it. People want more than what they pay for, it's a rule of thumb with any service, it just gets really frustrating after hearing it day in and day out.
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Except we were just sold shiny new $600 phones, of which 4G is a prominent selling point... and now the majority of us in the country who don't currently have WiMAX are now hung out to dry for 2 years because we have no hope of ever GETTING 4G unless we want to fork out ANOTHER $600 for a new phone.
If I knew I was going to benefit by eventually being able to use 4G with this device, or even get reasonable 3G speeds in the major city I live in, I wouldn't be resentful of the fee at all. However, I will never be able to use 4G on this phone, and they could triple my current average 3G speeds and I'd be up to a whopping .5mbps.
Dalmus said:
Except we were just sold shiny new $600 phones, of which 4G is a prominent selling point... and now the majority of us in the country who don't currently have WiMAX are now hung out to dry for 2 years because we have no hope of ever GETTING 4G unless we want to fork out ANOTHER $600 for a new phone.
If I knew I was going to benefit by eventually being able to use 4G with this device, or even get reasonable 3G speeds in the major city I live in, I wouldn't be resentful of the fee at all. However, I will never be able to use 4G on this phone, and they could triple my current average 3G speeds and I'd be up to a whopping .5mbps.
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More like 1.5 mb/s consistently
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Dalmus said:
Except we were just sold shiny new $600 phones, of which 4G is a prominent selling point... and now the majority of us in the country who don't currently have WiMAX are now hung out to dry for 2 years because we have no hope of ever GETTING 4G unless we want to fork out ANOTHER $600 for a new phone.
If I knew I was going to benefit by eventually being able to use 4G with this device, or even get reasonable 3G speeds in the major city I live in, I wouldn't be resentful of the fee at all. However, I will never be able to use 4G on this phone, and they could triple my current average 3G speeds and I'd be up to a whopping .5mbps.
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If the gimmick that is "4g" is that big of a deal to you then sell your phone, go back to whatever phone you had and use that money when the LTE devices are available.
When Sprint Vision is released the 3g will be plenty fast.
Believe it or not, I know Verizon has convinced people of otherwise, you don't need 20mbit/s on your phone.
Or any speed close.
Christ, most people don't even have 20 mbit/s in their home!
Is that a server in your pocket? Didn't think so...
Nice XDAdvertisement, Mr. Nicholson.
k0nane said:
Nice XDAdvertisement, Mr. Nicholson.
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Hehe , attack strategy
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I am fine with 400-600KB/s
I must say I'm sad that I bought the ET4g and will never in its lifeget to turn on the 4g radio... seriously though its a little saddening I see both side of the story. When I got my evo4g I had 1.2Mb/sec download which is less than half of verizons 3g speeds on kauai and now in the last 6 months I'm at .3-.2 Mb/sec. Just makes me sad is all. I have a ferrari of a phone with a moped engine of a network hahahaha
mattykinsx said:
If the gimmick that is "4g" is that big of a deal to you then sell your phone, go back to whatever phone you had and use that money when the LTE devices are available.
When Sprint Vision is released the 3g will be plenty fast.
Believe it or not, I know Verizon has convinced people of otherwise, you don't need 20mbit/s on your phone.
Or any speed close.
Christ, most people don't even have 20 mbit/s in their home!
Is that a server in your pocket? Didn't think so...
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No, 4G isn't a big deal to me... And no, I don't need 20 mbits. You are right.
However, when I'm paying a "premium data fee" and the vast majority of the locations I go in the large city I live in have data speeds of about 15-20 kbytes/s, I get irritated. That's 1xRTT speeds. Three blocks from a tower. How do I know? Because I can force roam onto Verizon and get the same data speeds as I do native on Sprint.
If I lived in the middle of nowhere, I would expect bad 3G coverage, but I don't. I'm three freaking blocks from a Sprint tower, in a top 20 city in the country. I get the same speeds at 4am as I do at 4pm when all the 15 year olds get home from school and play on their phones.
And now, I get to wait until some mysterious time between now and the end of 2013 for them to implement their Network Vision plan in my area. Then my speeds can triple, and I'll get and average of 60 kbytes, which is still slower than Verizon, AT&T, and even Billy Bob's Cellular Emporium.
Believe me, I stay because I get a 25% discount from work, so my monthly bill is far cheaper than anything Verizon or AT&T can offer. But that is the ONLY reason. I generally discourage people from moving to Sprint, which in the long haul is worse for Sprint than if just left for Verizon.
Maybe Network Vision will result in finally getting the same, or at least similar, 3G speeds as everyone else on the planet... I'll be a happy camper. But with Sprint's history of a decreasing network footprint and decreasing data speeds, I'm not going to count on it.
While this is not necessarily an Epic question...I have been lurking in here for the last year or so, so I feel pretty comfortable with the Epic folks. I have been the goto guy for my family in regards to phone support and advice. In the past, I have always had a pretty good answer to "Which new phone should I get?"
Now, one of my family members wants an Android phone...one that is pretty fast and does "stuff" like internet, gps, apps, blah, blah, blah.
So what do you think? Would you recommend a 4G phone, knowing that Sprint is not going to be expanding the current 4G network? I know that they said current 4G phones will continue to be able to use the available 4G network, but if you live in an area without 4G...and they aren't expanding...???
Would you recommend waiting for the new 4G phones to come out? Are they 'around the corner' or years away?
What are your thoughts?
New 4G phones with Sprint LTE won't be available to mid 2012. If you have WiMax in your area now then a current 4G phone from Sprint will serve them well. Otherwise it will be a bit of a wait.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Depends on your location. My concern would be if sprint would be keeping the current data plans when they switch over to LTE or if they will increase the price and limit the usage. If you have WiMax available and it works well i would suggest getting a current 4g model, otherwise i would say get if a phone is needed now, get it second hand lock in the contract, then when LTE is avail use the discount to get one of the new lte phones.
ok, i just did some reading about sprint's data network problem. it sounds from my understanding that, if they were to put a data cap, that it will be higher than all the other carriers and it would be for LTE. to answer your question, go ahead and get that android phone that you want. don't worry about will be in the next couple years or so, just worry about what is available now. you never know, you may win or you may lose. it's part of the data game.
What? No 4g expansion?! They have been working on it in my area but never got it fully functional.
Now I'm mad.
Why am I paying a $10 service charge for this device?
sent from my secret underground bunker
I think the $10 was so they could be the first to roll out sub-par 4G and then have some cash to scrap it and roll 4G again to compete with other carriers.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Okay everyone, I feel like this a time for those of us that have to decide to renew our contract with Sprint...to make a real informed decision. I'm going to try and keep this short.
Read this first- here
I've been with every carrier EXCEPT Verizon and twice with Sprint. I always knew that Sprint's data network wasn't that great, but I found it usable (barely and often times frustrating). With my contract date ending on 5/3, I started looking at other carriers. I have friends on Verizon, TMo, and ATT. In a very non-scientific way, I decided to test the 3G & 4G speeds on those networks...later comparing them to Sprint. I always found my Sprint speeds to be the slowest...on both. Let me mention that I live in Kansas City...which is in Sprint's backyard...didn't even matter.
With the direction mobile technology is going...LTE is definitely here to stay. However, the battery powering the device is not improving (except for the Razr Maxx). And we all know that 4G...albeit LTE or WiMax, sucks the life out of the standard mAh battery in the device. Which is why, I use 3G most of the time...again, which is not that good on Sprint's network.
Even with the sexy Evo 4G LTE dropping soon, I am starting to reconsider my tenure with Sprint. Even with a good LTE network, 3G still plays a role...at least for me. Paired with my tests and the above article, it proves that Sprint needs to get their sh*t together. A great device means nothing on a sub par network.
I guess I'm angry right now and I don't plan to sit on the curb either. I really want to give Sprint a chance...have been for nearly 2 years. But, I don't want to be optimistic, only to be let down 2 more years later. So my question to my comrades is simple. Are you all going to stay with Sprint or look elsewhere?
Don't worry, I'm a big boy and I can take straight up responses. Sorry for the dissertation.
Regards,
sag
***Mods, feel free to move this to general discussion. I think it may belong there.***
You go to another carrier and get less data for more money, better speeds less quality. Sprints LTE roll out is bringing network vision with it which is enhanced 1x and 3g networks as well as LTE everywhere there is now 3g coverage within 2 years. I'll be sticking with sprint as I have been with every carrier and sprint has the best customer service and actually works with their customers. Vzw doesn't give a rats ass how badly they screw you and will even directly lie to your face to get you to change your plan, device, contract etc. ATT lte is spotty at best TMO is just a joke in alot of areas, and sprints network vision will far surpass all the other carriers by the end of 2014.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I'm sticking with Sprint. The price plans for Verizon are so much more expensive than what I'm currently paying, and I'm not sure the benefits warrant the cost. Also, I'm optimistic that Sprint is at least trying to get better. Their venture into WiMAX set them back, but they've been moving to correct that. Lastly, I'll be spending the next four years in college where I'll have WiFi available nearly constantly.
See there are so many things I am weighing right now...in no particular order
Devices offered...to include future device offerings
Data Speeds
Customer service
Coverage
Rate Plans
Tethering (the XDA way ;-))
Time to upgrade
I have been following the development of Sprint's network and it really DOES look promising. However, I do not want to wait for nothing. I'm trying not to let impulse or frustration get the best of me right now...really difficult. I love my Evo and I am hoping the love will continue with the Evo LTE. I just want to love the network as well.
Thanks for responding and I hope this continues to create dialog.
Brilliancy said:
I'm sticking with Sprint. The price plans for Verizon are so much more expensive than what I'm currently paying, and I'm not sure the benefits warrant the cost. Also, I'm optimistic that Sprint is at least trying to get better. Their venture into WiMAX set them back, but they've been moving to correct that. Lastly, I'll be spending the next four years in college where I'll have WiFi available nearly constantly.
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By the time network vision is fully deployed sprint is targeted to have the best network in the country. HD voice, consistent 1.8-3mb 3g speeds and LTE with coverage everywhere they currently have 3g with the same signal quality and building penetration as the current 3g network means they will have LTE in a bigger market than any other carrier while having the same or better 3g as well and far superior voice quality, with the customer service they currently have sprint will be poised to be the top dog once again.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
here are a few things floating in my mind on why to switching carriers ( other than having NO COVERAGE aka im runnin in airplane mode just to save battery cuz there is no point on leaving radio on unless i like looking at the x over my signal bars lol)
-boy do i miss sim cards it was WAYYY easier to switch phones imo (yea yea you can even switch sprint phones by talking to them online but still swap a sim and wait sounds like fun)
-i mean the faster speeds would be nice and the limits on amount of data might be hassle but... i really dont find myself downloading roms over the 3g/4g radio (well ok maybe 4g but i dont have that in my particular area either but i get that could be nice) and tethering could be an issue (and i mean by other means not the manufacturers app) since there are caps butttt yeah there is wifi so many places and at the rates the size of phones are coming who needs to tether a lappy lol
-i guess im so over customer service where unless it is really really really really really need im just gonna try to fix it myself just cuz.
andddd to be honest i know this sounds like a stupid thing or maybe just dumb but att has this 50 unlimited plan for the go phone (annnd a sim only costs like 4 bucks or something like that which means no need to hack away with cdma workshop to get my phone on boost or something). downside is yesss you have to buy a phone off plan and yes you still will get throttled (right ? wasnt that what they are doin to unlimited plans?) but id rather shell out for a phone i want that im not stuck with due to contract annnd have my 50 dollar plan throttled than a $100+ plan throttled lol anyways those are some of my thoughts just thought i'd share