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No AWS HSPA?

terryjohnson16

Mar 15, 2013, 8:54 AM
No T-Mobile AWS HSPA?
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Tofuchong

Mar 15, 2013, 8:59 AM
AWS HSPA is a thing of the past. T-mobile is migrating it to AWS LTE, so soon, it will be AWS LTE, and UMTS HSPA.
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terryjohnson16

Mar 15, 2013, 9:56 AM
TMobile primarily uses AWS HSPA. Dropping it won't help them. Their pcs HSPA is horrible compared to their AWS HSPA network.
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Tofuchong

Mar 15, 2013, 11:46 AM
They need the AWS spectrum for LTE, which is what they are launching LTE on. They are also migrating most of their 1900mhz GSM spectrum to HSPA, so coverage will get better. 1900mhz has better penetration qualities from what I've heard than 1700mhz does, and for LTE it is not really an issue.

But yeah, AWS HSPA is pretty much going away.
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terryjohnson16

Mar 15, 2013, 1:36 PM
T-Mobile will not stop selling phones with AWS HSPA anytime soon. Regardless of LTE launching.
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Tofuchong

Mar 15, 2013, 1:38 PM
Well, they have and will stop selling device that use AWS HSPA exclusively, which is the main reason they stopped selling the HTC One S. I can't say this for certain, but once LTE is fully launched, and all the 2G spectrum is migrated to 3G UMTS, you may just might see them stop selling phones that support AWS HSPA. It's possible.
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michael_herc

Mar 16, 2013, 12:28 PM
Tofuchong is right. T-Mobile is rapidly turning AWS UMTS off and switching over their UMTS network to PCS. AWS is going to be exclusively used by LTE only. They're doing this to better match AT&T's network configuration. It also helps with phone manufacturers so they don't have to make a "special T-Mobile" version of every phone.
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WiWavelength

Mar 18, 2013, 10:12 AM
michael_herc said:
Tofuchong is right. T-Mobile is rapidly turning AWS UMTS off and switching over their UMTS network to PCS. AWS is going to be exclusively used by LTE only.


No, that is wrong. T-Mobile cannot just turn off AWS W-CDMA and move it over to PCS because T-Mobile still has millions of devices on the network that do not support PCS W-CDMA.

So, T-Mobile has acquired some new AWS spectrum for LTE and will refarm some of its existing AWS spectrum from W-CDMA to LTE. But T-Mobile will have to keep at least a single AWS W-CDMA carrier running in all existing markets for the next several years.

AJ
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Tofuchong

Mar 18, 2013, 12:41 PM
Based on the AWS auctions, there are 5mhz and 10mhz channels available. Based on T-Mobile's current spectrum holdings on the FCC website, they have only 5Mhz AWS channels in use in most areas they have 3G/4G connectivity. The Majority uses only one single 5mhz channel. Based on that, it will be very, very difficult for them to keep the AWS network running unless they get a massive amount of new AWS spectrum, which is possible.
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WiWavelength

Mar 18, 2013, 3:32 PM
Tofuchong said:
Based on the AWS auctions, there are 5mhz and 10mhz channels available.


Well, yes, sort of. Those are actually AWS licenses or blocks, and they do come in 5 MHz x 5 MHz and 10 MHz x 10 MHz bandwidths, otherwise known as 5 MHz FDD and 10 MHz FDD, respectively.

Tofuchong said:
Based on T-Mobile's current spectrum holdings on the FCC website, they have only 5Mhz AWS channels in use in most areas they have 3G/4G connectivity. The Majority uses only one single 5mhz channel.


No, that is wrong. In most major markets, T-Mobile is running DC-HSPA+ 42, which requires 10 MHz FDD (or two adjacent 5 MHz FDD blocks).

Tofuchong said:
B
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Jayshmay

Apr 20, 2013, 3:36 PM
Are 10mhz chuncks of spectrum good? Isn't Vzn's LTE running on a 20mhz chunck?

Also, is anywhere in Ct considered among the top 100 markets?
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Jayshmay

Apr 20, 2013, 3:30 PM
When I read "PCS" I think of Sprint.
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WiWavelength

Mar 18, 2013, 10:31 AM
Tofuchong said:
Well, they have and will stop selling device that use AWS HSPA exclusively, which is the main reason they stopped selling the HTC One S.


Nope. The T-Mobile variant HTC One S does also support PCS W-CDMA. Even the Amaze does, too.

AJ
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Tofuchong

Mar 18, 2013, 12:33 PM
Yep. I double checked, and you are right. However, those bands are currently locked and are not available for connection on One S devices sold by T-Mobile. Believe me - I have received MANY calls from customers in markets that have already been migrated complaining about their One S being on EDGE. I've had WAY too many of those calls.
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Jayshmay

Mar 17, 2013, 11:56 AM
LTE is suppose to be launching sometime at the end of the month, right? With a software update to the Monster phone (Note II).

I'm really, really curious about speedtests on Tmo's LTE network! Exciting times right now.

I really don't think there will be a spectrum crunch in 2015 like the FCC or whoever predicted.

so long as end users can get no less than 2-5mbps, then there's no spectrum crunch as far as I'm concerned. And on Verizon's nearly 2.5y/o LTE network I still get well above 2-5mbps in most places, even 30+mbps. So really,... what's gonna change in the next 24-30mo's in users habits that there will be a spectrum crunch.

Both ATT & Vzn have something like 20mhz chunks of 700mhz LTE in most places.

And once Tmo co...
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Jayshmay

Mar 18, 2013, 12:55 PM
Thanks for sharing! I saw this on Engadget Mobile and Phandroid website, very, very impressive speeds!!! Fastest speed I ever got on Verizon was 54 down 15 up.

Exciting times we live in!
I'm holding out on upgrading until smartphones with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor reach the market, sometime in the 2nd half of the year.
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WiWavelength

Mar 18, 2013, 10:22 AM
Jayshmay said:
And once Tmo combines it's spectrum with MetroPCS they'll have lots, and lots of spectrum in most places.


Most places? No. The T-Mobile-MetroPCS combination affects relatively few markets. NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Florida, Detroit, DFW, Las Vegas, LA, and the Bay Area.

Outside of those areas, MetroPCS does not operate and does not hold spectrum. So, in most places, the amount of combined spectrum will be what T-Mobile alone brings to the table.

AJ
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mingkee

Mar 20, 2013, 6:49 PM
Don't give FALSE INFORMATION.
AWS HSPA will be around along with PCS HSPA and AWS LTE for a long time.
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Tofuchong

Mar 22, 2013, 9:39 AM
Not about the Network. The network is not going anywhere, but DEVICES specifically with AWS-WCDMA support will be few and far between moving forward. I'm talking about devices that support AWS-WCDMA, and NOT 1900Mhz WCDMA (UMTS).

Thats what the question was about, the device, not the network.
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WiWavelength

Mar 22, 2013, 12:20 PM
Tofuchong said:
Not about the Network. The network is not going anywhere, but DEVICES specifically with AWS-WCDMA support will be few and far between moving forward. I'm talking about devices that support AWS-WCDMA, and NOT 1900Mhz WCDMA (UMTS).


Your statements above are not entirely clear. Let me try to clarify.

Going forward, all new T-Mobile devices will include PCS W-CDMA capability. They will also continue to include AWS W-CDMA capability.

AJ
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Tofuchong

Mar 22, 2013, 12:32 PM
Yes, perfect - Thank you. I don't know why I had so much trouble articulating that.
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OlemanGSM

Mar 21, 2013, 10:05 AM
Nice conversation, but as for penetration qualities 1700mhz does a better job than 1900 and thats why is makes more sense for tmobile to release LTE on it first...They will not be getting rid of HSPA+ devices in the 1700mhz for a while. It does now make it easier for Unlocked devices to be put on there network without having to deal with turtle mode EDGE....
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WiWavelength

Mar 21, 2013, 10:16 AM
OlemanGSM said:
Nice conversation, but as for penetration qualities 1700mhz does a better job than 1900 and thats why is makes more sense for tmobile to release LTE on it first...


Not quite. The "1700 MHz" convention is something that Phone Scoop and other outlets have used to refer to AWS, and it is problematic for the many who do not know wireless spectrum very well.

The proper nomenclature should be AWS 2100+1700 MHz because the downlink is in the 2100 MHz range, the uplink in the 1700 MHz range.

So, AWS 2100+1700 MHz is a mixed bag. Yes, compared to PCS 1900 MHz, the AWS 1700 MHz uplink has a slight propagation advantage, but the AWS 2100 MHz downlink is at a slight propagation disadvantage. A...
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Rich Brome

Mar 15, 2013, 12:20 PM
The T-Mobile version will have it, of course.

We just have one S4 page for now, but we will update it and possibly add pages for other variants as Samsung and the carriers detail the differences in the US versions.
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Jayshmay

Apr 21, 2013, 6:46 PM
I have a question, I'm coming from a Samsung Droid Charge to the S4,...do newer smartphone's have better radios?

I ask because my Droid Charge"s radio switches between 3G & LTE quite a bit, so I'm wondering if newer smartphones have better radios that hold LTE better?. . .
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mingkee

Mar 20, 2013, 6:48 PM
Don't worry.
T899 (probably) will have AWS HSPA+LTE for sure.
Don't you notice there's NO CDMA band at all?
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Jaden10

Apr 18, 2013, 12:16 PM
It does support both LTE and HSPA+ 42. Read the detail under data. T-Mobile said it is going to support both for the foreseeable future.
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Jayshmay

Apr 21, 2013, 6:54 PM
It's that combination of HSPA 21/42 & LTE that I like about T-Mobile. ATT gave up with HSPA 21, whereas T-Mobile followed the GSM upgrade path and moved forward with HSPA 42, better network if there isn't an LTE signal or bad LTE radio in a phone.
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