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Sprint Says LTE Decision Coming in 4-6 Months

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Please go LTE

Kayslay34

Feb 15, 2011, 12:41 PM
It would be nice, uniformed network across the US. Or the can keep Wimax and LTE use one for voice, other one for data. Not sure if thats a possibility but it would be nice.
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pauldg

Feb 15, 2011, 12:50 PM
It wouldn't be very uniform since Sprint uses different spectrum for their Wimax than Verizon and AT&T use for LTE.

I think they should have jumped on LTE much sooner. Now, they'll have to transition current 4G customers over to a new standard, which means new hardware.

I hope they have enough spectrum to operate both a WiMax network and a LTE network concurrently during a transitional period. That may sound costly, but it would be the smoothest way to do it without losing their existing 4G customers.
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thechosen1ji

Feb 15, 2011, 1:35 PM
require a hardware change? i thought it might just need a software update maybe i heard wrong.
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Jayshmay

Feb 15, 2011, 2:02 PM
Supposedly WiMax & LTE aren't that different of technologies.
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fahrende

Feb 15, 2011, 2:19 PM
Like many things, it's not that simple in terms of compatibility.
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Jayshmay

Feb 15, 2011, 2:33 PM
Ah. . .nothing in this world is simple! 👿
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trenen

Feb 15, 2011, 11:26 PM
LTE requires sim cards, so doesn't that mean new hardware?
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Jayshmay

Feb 15, 2011, 11:53 PM
Good point!
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Overmann

Feb 16, 2011, 12:02 PM
And also LTE 4G uses 700 MHz vs. Wimax running 2.1-2.5 GHz, which requires a different antenna design to work properly, since devices do not use stick antennas anymore, but have folded origami antennas that maximize their reception at the intended frequency.
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Azeron

Feb 16, 2011, 4:26 PM
LTE does not require 700mHz. That's the spectrum Verizon and AT&T will use because they acquired it. If Sprint switched from Wi-Max to LTE they will use the same spectrum which they have an abundance of...2.5G
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Overmann

Feb 17, 2011, 10:47 AM
Which doesn't really help much, since that means LTE 4G Sprint phones will have to be redesigned to handle 2.5Ghz and 700MHz in order to cover the bases.
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algorithmplus

Feb 17, 2011, 5:17 PM
Overmann said:
Which doesn't really help much, since that means LTE 4G Sprint phones will have to be redesigned to handle 2.5Ghz and 700MHz in order to cover the bases.

Which isn't far from 2.5GHz WiMax and other bands of CDMA...
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CamelTowing

Feb 15, 2011, 2:18 PM
Yes and no..
Existing WiMax customers would just keep their 4G services going as is until they were ready for an upgrade.
I don't really see Sprint or Clear stopping WiMax services...
I see them implementing LTE in the areas they don't already have WiMax.
But Sprint has almost 4 times the spectrum(nationally) than the other carriers, so it could very well be possible to run both networks in the same market... It just depends on how much is available in the individual markets.
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Azeron

Feb 15, 2011, 5:09 PM
Why doesn't Sprint continue to run W-Max and just have manufacturers put LTE radios in future handsets to take advantage of roaming opportunities?
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algorithmplus

Feb 15, 2011, 5:50 PM
Azeron said:
Why doesn't Sprint continue to run W-Max and just have manufacturers put LTE radios in future handsets to take advantage of roaming opportunities?


I think another thing Sprint may be thinking of is roaming revenue. Knowing that if they did a WiMax-LTE hybrid system, they would pay for their customers to roam on competitor's networks, knowing that those competitors would never provide any roaming back to Sprint.

With LTE, they could partner and have reciprocal roaming agreements. It would be much easier from an engineering standpoint to add frequencies abilities to chipsets using a single technology than it would to have multiple frequencies *and* multiple technologies. Plus, with econo...
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Azeron

Feb 15, 2011, 6:37 PM
Problem is: They've already invested these resources in Wi-Max. If it is inevitable that they are going to switch to LTE then shouldn't they stop developing W-Max phones now? Everyday that advances has them creating the problem of what to do with the customers purchasing handsets on a dead end path.
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CamelTowing

Feb 15, 2011, 7:41 PM
Yeah it is pretty frustrating to try and figure out how it will go...
The Blackberry playbook for example is going to be a WiMax device for Sprint.
I have a feeling that even though the decision will be made in "4-6 months"... we won't see a Sprint LTE device until at least 2012 if they decide to go that route.

Like I said in my other post, I believe it makes the most sense to release LTE in markets that do not already have WiMax that way they can have the best of both worlds while they migrate to LTE.
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CellStudent

Feb 15, 2011, 5:50 PM
Azeron said:
Why doesn't Sprint continue to run W-Max and just have manufacturers put LTE radios in future handsets to take advantage of roaming opportunities?

Because it's really expensive to put an LTE microprocessor and a WiMAX microprocessor in the same handset- not to mention the extra antennas needed.

If they start by deciding to stop WiMAX roll-out and move to LTE in their 2.5 GHz bands, then they still have to insert LTE chipsets, but they don't have to redesign the antennas. Then in a few years when VoLTE is standardized and widespread they can drop EVDO support entirely like Verizon will.
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Kayslay34

Feb 15, 2011, 3:50 PM
Your actually wrong about that, switching from Wimax to LTE is a software change not hardware. Sprint has stated this multiple times.
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CellStudent

Feb 15, 2011, 4:22 PM
Kayslay34 said:
Your actually wrong about that, switching from Wimax to LTE is a software change not hardware. Sprint has stated this multiple times.

If Clear deployed high-quality programmable base stations, it's basically a software change at the cell site.

However, it's still a non-upgradeable hardware change at the handset level.

So, while it would be fairly easy for Clear to shift from WiMAX over to LTE, it would be relatively expensive for Sprint's customer's to move from WiMAX to LTE. They would have to buy new phones and modems.

I think it could be done, as long as they start acting quickly. This is what Sprint is talking about when they say they're looking at uptake ...
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algorithmplus

Feb 15, 2011, 5:57 PM
Not only looking at customer migration, but also looking at the manufacturing of devices. Coverage aside, only offering a few devices compared to hundred or so on competitors may put Sprint at a disadvantage.

Plus, this is at a time shortly after Clearwire announced plans to shutter the Clear retail stores. Sounds almost like a product that's about to be discontinued.

I live in Atlanta right now and I have a choice between MetroPCS LTE, Verizon LTE, or Sprint(Clear) WiMax. Why not go for the prevailing standard, especially when it's cheaper?
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