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I have a Sprint HTC Evo that I unfortunately am still paying for an additional 20 days, so I thought I'd report about my experiences with Sprint and Verizon 4G networks.
Of course, Sprint uses a 2.5GHz frequency and Verizon uses 800mhz or so. First of all, this makes a huge difference, with Sprint being forced to map out "best" supposedly indoor 4g coverage and other outdoor 4g coverage separately. The higher frequency sprint uses is very poor to penetrate building walls and other obstructions.
I live right in the city of Chicago and 4g on Sprint is a joke. Their coverage map shows coverage where it doesn't exist, you can fall out of 4g suddenly, and its just not that fast. Yes there are some places where it's fast (close to towers) but it is far from reliable.
I am very impressed with Verizon 4g coverage already. I know it isn't in very many markets yet, but they really seem to be getting it right in the markets they decide to cover. Drove 20 miles out to the Chicago suburbs for work this morning, and had a 4g signal the whole time.
Sprint (and T-Mobile/ATT with their 3.5G) can unveil all the fancy new phones they want, but I would never go back to their awful network. Having a smartphone on Sprint is like driving a lamborghini on city streets. I'd rather take mine out on the highway.
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T-Mobile Makes America’s Largest 4G Network Even Faster by Lighting Up 42 Mbps Speed in Las Vegas, New York and Orlando
The Company’s Innovative 4G Device Portfolio Expands With Tablet, Mobile Broadband Devices and Smartphones, Including the T-Mobile G2x with Google
Orlando, Fla. and Bellevue, Wash. — Mar. 21, 2011 PDT
Today at the International CTIA Wireless 2011, T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced the expansion of its broad selection of consumer-ready 4G products, including the T-Mobile® G2x with Google™ which is built for speed and mobile entertainment. T-Mobile also announced the first major markets where it is doubling the speed of its 4G network to achieve a theoretical download speed of 42 Mbps. T-Mobile customers in Las Vegas, New York and Orlando, Fla., will be the first in the country to experience the increased 4G speed, followed closely by Chicago and further expansion of the New York network into Long Island, N.Y., and Northern New Jersey. By mid-year, T-Mobile expects 140 million Americans in 25 markets to have access to increased 4G speeds.
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http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/articles/4g-smartphone-tablet-network-sidekick-g2x-gslate
That new just cheered me up a little that we could theoretically get up to 42 Mbps 4G speeds. Can't wait to see how fast the speeds would be once they activate those speeds
No more upgrade to 42mbps why waist money let AT&T do the upgrade
Don't cheer too much yet, we need to wait a year. Also in a year AT&T will fully acquire T-Mobile and its networks. They paid the T-Mobile's owner 25BILLION up front. And AT&T will recieve the other 14BILLION from stock shares.
I heard on the news tonight that AT&T said that the T-Mobile users would have to get new phones to be able to use the 3G. Yes report said 3G. Looks like AT&T is planning to turn off the T-Mobile 4G and go with their 4G system. So this news of faster T-Mobile is not going to be good news for us T-Mobile customers.
DoneDunIt said:
I heard on the news tonight that AT&T said that the T-Mobile users would have to get new phones to be able to use the 3G. Yes report said 3G. Looks like AT&T is planning to turn off the T-Mobile 4G and go with their 4G system. So this news of faster T-Mobile is not going to be good news for us T-Mobile customers.
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Hmmm...would seem redundant due to tmos larger 4g network and since they're both gsm networks there shouldn't be an issue.
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DoneDunIt said:
I heard on the news tonight that AT&T said that the T-Mobile users would have to get new phones to be able to use the 3G. Yes report said 3G. Looks like AT&T is planning to turn off the T-Mobile 4G and go with their 4G system. So this news of faster T-Mobile is not going to be good news for us T-Mobile customers.
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Yeah, i read on several sites that att is going to turn off the tmo 3g bands and convert it to theirs. I guess once the merger is complete it will render all tmo 3g/4g useless once they turn it off. At least us with 4g can enjoy faster speeds before att shuts it down.
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I read that at&t is shutting down the 3g band but u can still access the 4g bands since it will be the same at as at&t's..
pinoyz said:
Yeah, i read on several sites that att is going to turn off the tmo 3g bands and convert it to theirs. I guess once the merger is complete it will render all tmo 3g/4g useless once they turn it off. At least us with 4g can enjoy faster speeds before att shuts it down.
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Can you cite any reliable sources that say our phones will be useless? According to t-mo, they will work fine...
http://www.tmonews.com/2011/03/t-mobile-posts-question-answer-on-att-acquisition/
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Agree with the guy above. Sources?
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Here is one link. ATT want current T-Mobile "4G" spectrum for LTE. GSM will continue to work on TMO phones the way I read it.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/21/confirmed-atandt-wants-to-use-t-mobiles-aws-spectrum-for-lte-bui/
Att is looking to add frequencies to their new phones coming out. That way they can free up some of the congestion. If you think about it....killing off the tmo 4g would be stupid. Heck we only get 2g where I live now. Do you really need 3g or 4g? Nope I get plenty of wifi when out and about! Failed attempt by att as far as I'm concerned.
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I highly doubt they will turn off T-Mobiles 4G it would be a disadvantage to service and a useless expense.
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this would be great if i was getting drastically higher speeds on my mt4g. I get maybe 1 mb higher (on avg) than a non hspa+ device. so i dont care if it is 100mpbs im not seeing any huge speed boost in my HSPA+ area (miami, fl)
Quick question, doesn't the nexus s have the same bandwidths as t-mobile AND at&t? If so, the nexus s it is.
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The only thing I'm worried about is at&ts plans. Once my contract is up having to switch to there worthless plans is bs. I got unlimited everything right now.
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What do I need to know moving from a 3G phone to a 4G phone (HTC Inspire)? Will the SIM and everything work with the phone right out of the box? Will I be charged extra for being on 4G?
Switching sim cards is not an issue. 4G technically doesn't exist yet for the Inspire.
Sent from Desire HD or Inspire 4G or whatever this thing is called via premium XDA app.
I need to switch out my SIM card or it will work as I have it?
It will work just fine.
It should work just by swapping sim cards. Eventually you may have to get a new sim when HSPA+ rolls out.
Sent from Desire HD or Inspire 4G or whatever this thing is called via premium XDA app.
Sounds great...thanks guys.
There should be some clarification made here. The Inspire requires a 4G data plan code to be added to your account - and it does require a new SIM if you are in a 4G area. Most of the coastlines around the country are 4G already. Well... "4G" anyway - the maximum theoretical modem speed in the Inspire is 14.4Mbps/5.76Mbps, which is pathetic considering T-Mo's 21Mbps phones and their 40+Mbps network.
Verizon currently holds the speed crown overall in the country when it comes to 4G speeds but it really depends on your area. Here in Colorado, Sprint bested both Verizon and T-Mobile on "4G" speed (WiMAX in their case) by a good margin in random tests by an independent lab not hired by Sprint.
Either way, I've seen T-Mobile tests that have passed 25Mbps - no joke - and I've yet to see more than 10Mbps (this was a test on Sprint) or 7Mbps on Verizon but at&t struggles to get 2Mbps so its a huge upgrade anyway.
EtherealRemnant said:
There should be some clarification made here. The Inspire requires a 4G data plan code to be added to your account - and it does require a new SIM if you are in a 4G area. Most of the coastlines around the country are 4G already. Well... "4G" anyway - the maximum theoretical modem speed in the Inspire is 14.4Mbps/5.76Mbps, which is pathetic considering T-Mo's 21Mbps phones and their 40+Mbps network.
Verizon currently holds the speed crown overall in the country when it comes to 4G speeds but it really depends on your area. Here in Colorado, Sprint bested both Verizon and T-Mobile on "4G" speed (WiMAX in their case) by a good margin in random tests by an independent lab not hired by Sprint.
Either way, I've seen T-Mobile tests that have passed 25Mbps - no joke - and I've yet to see more than 10Mbps (this was a test on Sprint) or 7Mbps on Verizon but at&t struggles to get 2Mbps so its a huge upgrade anyway.
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According to several ATT corporate folks the 4G sim cards will probably not be required for some time. Its basically a new paint job on the old cards. And this is coming from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, aka Big Blues Backyard. Eventually 4G will he turned on. Then ATTs version of LTE. And it will be widely used & consumed. But until then its no real worry. Think about when 3G phones first started rolling out. We were still rocking our old sim cards for quite a while but there was an eventual need to change.
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ryanmfraser said:
According to several ATT corporate folks the 4G sim cards will probably not be required for some time. Its basically a new paint job on the old cards. And this is coming from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, aka Big Blues Backyard. Eventually 4G will he turned on. Then ATTs version of LTE. And it will be widely used & consumed. But until then its no real worry. Think about when 3G phones first started rolling out. We were still rocking our old sim cards for quite a while but there was an eventual need to change.
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I got the information straight from a manager in business services. The new SIM cards that are being deployed with these phones are required, along with a new SOC code for "4G" internet service to work when it is deployed. If you go to at&t's website and look at their 4G map, it has been turned on in a very small number of places (Texas and Buffalo, NY to name two) and if you are using an old SIM, you will not get the faster speeds. I hate this SIM card business honestly. Coming from CDMA, it royally sucks when you have an issue and your cell is your only phone because of the fact that inactive SIMs cannot call 611. I went through that hell today. Inactive CDMA phones will still call customer service, giving you the freedom to get technical support without much of a fuss. I had to call at&t three times today because of provisioning issues with my Inspire and being unable to call from another phone.
In any case, if you are in a 4G area, you need a 4G SIM to be able to connect to the HSPA+ network, just like EDGE SIMs didn't connect to the 3G network when it FINALLY started to launch.
aaronv89 said:
I need to switch out my SIM card or it will work as I have it?
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Well when I bought mine they changed the sim I used to have in the iPhone 3G with a new one... So I guess you should to.. It's free so why not?
It's true the 4G it's more an 3 1/2 G but what is gonna happen when they actually enable it???
This is why I said you "may" need the card. At&T has been vague on this
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Im on tmobile and bought a htc one s bought really like how the htc one x looks and want to get it , i really like how fast tmobile 4g is here in los angeles, i get 18mbps down & 3mbps up , is at&t this fast or faster ? here in l.a of course
I'm not in LA but I have seen 35+ mbps. I see 25-28 often and average probably 15-20. The absolute slowest I have ever seen on this phone was around 8mbps which is still insane for a cell phone. Up is always around 10-15.
_MetalHead_ said:
I'm not in LA but I have seen 35+ mbps. I see 25-28 often and average probably 15-20. The absolute slowest I have ever seen on this phone was around 8mbps which is still insane for a cell phone. Up is always around 10-15.
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that sounds pretty good to me , well taht means im going with at&t
I saw 36 mb in NYC over the weekend
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_MetalHead_ said:
I'm not in LA but I have seen 35+ mbps. I see 25-28 often and average probably 15-20. The absolute slowest I have ever seen on this phone was around 8mbps which is still insane for a cell phone. Up is always around 10-15.
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I second this. I'm also in the Chicago area, so I guess my post doesn't help sample size, though. But I also have been amazed at how much better my cell signal strength has been with the LTE. The 750mhz spectrum really helps get inside buildings and penetrate walls. I think this is something definitely worth taking into consideration, and often overlooked by people who are willing to settle for HSPA+. No matter how much your provider improves transfer rates on HSPA+, the signal strength isn't getting any better unless they physically add a cell tower closer to you - good luck waiting for that to happen - or you get onto a lower frequency band, like LTE here in the states.
~16 no LTE & 20+ LTE in Glendale
Not sure if there is LTE outside downtown & close proximity
bgaccord said:
Im on tmobile and bought a htc one s bought really like how the htc one x looks and want to get it , i really like how fast tmobile 4g is here in los angeles, i get 18mbps down & 3mbps up , is at&t this fast or faster ? here in l.a of course
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I'm on a nexus s on t-mobile so my radio can't even take advantage of the faster HSPA+ but for me, in Portland OR, the coverage on tmo sucks compared to my wife's at&t (non-lte) phone. I'm just waiting for a kick ass LTE device with good dev support.
This is here in Phoenix.. this was the only screenshot I had but I get speeds over 30 mbps often.
I live east of LA downtown in the San Gabriel Valley... LTE coverage is very spotty still.
I know I'm not with at&t but here in Montreal with Bell I have around 50mb down and 19-20 up !
I visited Vegas two years ago, and ATT 4G (HSPA) network was horrible. I had great signal, but the system is so saturated that it was useless as far as data went. Phone calls i had no problem.
vegas was the same way when i was there in april. no improvement apparently. no lte in fresno yet but i thought this speed was pretty impressive. aprox 5 times faster than i was getting on my aria....
att 4g lte speed
i am in mid florida and i have the galaxy note i hit a 4g lte patch n
ear tampa i hit 53.93 mbps
Raleigh NC. I had let outside of the city. Isn't fo far inside it to see top speed
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I'm on LTE all the time in the metro Atlanta area and I've never seen anything below 20mbps and I average in the upper 30's/low 40s since I updated to the 1.82 radio. I've hit over 60mbps on numerous occasions. Not sure if it's the new radio or if AT&T strengthened the signal but I never got LTE at my house but now I have full bars and great speed. I live about 50 miles north of Atlanta also.
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Hopefully att will bring lte to Seattle soon.
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incofstupid said:
Hopefully att will bring lte to Seattle soon.
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I'm surprised they haven't already, we got it recently here in Oklahoma City and it's been wonderful. I imagine it's a lot more work to deploy a network there due to Seattle's topography and building density.
Granted its 1 A.M.
I never get under 40 mb/s here in south Fort Worth.
I'll take my hspa+ 42 over any lte provider right now, the fact remains lte coverage isn't nearly as good, sure it works in some area's and yes its blazing fast, but anything over 5 down on a cell phone is gravy, and over 10 when tethering is just fine.. Went on a road trip about 500 miles from ft. Lauderdale to Tampa with my friend who has verizon gnex, and my gsii on Tmobile... Lol he lost lte the second we left the city, while I tethered streaming netflix/sling player... So yea, hands down ill take coverage over speeds that aren't even needed... My parents have a second home kinda on the outskirts of a boondocks city, my dad replaced the Internet there with his phone, and he sees 21 down and 3 up...
Also, let's see how well lte works when all of a sudden 35% of the cellphone market, almost 80% more users on lte, start using it within one day.(iphone5).
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Not LTE, but I think its impressive for HSPA. IMO.
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I'm curious if anyone in the forum has bought the Blu Pure XL and used it on T-Mobile? Supposely the LTE support is "limited", but I would like to know what that might mean to me in the real world........
I recently took my Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy S4 and ported it to Walmart Family Mobile (which runs off T-Mobile), and I've had some baffling issues. Time for an upgrade. Considering this device, but only IF it will work well with T-Mobile... thanks
Yes, it works on TMobile. I get 4G LTE on it. I'm using it around the Bay Area, East Bay and Sacramento area in California.
I'm surprised you can take any Verizon phone - which runs on CDMA - and use it on TMobile - which uses GSM.
jaybirdhawaii said:
I'm surprised you can take any Verizon phone - which runs on CDMA - and use it on TMobile - which uses GSM.
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Yes Verizon phones have cdma and GSM bands and I know ever since the iPhone 5 and the galaxy s5 Samsung and Apple phones from verizon come factory unlocked for GSM use.
homerpez said:
I'm curious if anyone in the forum has bought the Blu Pure XL and used it on T-Mobile? Supposely the LTE support is "limited", but I would like to know what that might mean to me in the real world........
I recently took my Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy S4 and ported it to Walmart Family Mobile (which runs off T-Mobile), and I've had some baffling issues. Time for an upgrade. Considering this device, but only IF it will work well with T-Mobile... thanks
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Works fine in San Francisco bay area, Las Vegas, LA, San Diego & Austin TX. I had no coverage in Orlando,FL only.
I'm using it on t-mobile and have not had connectivity issues anywhere I've traveled.
The only thing missing on T-Mobile is LTE band 12, which is faster than the other bands present (provided you live in an area that has band 12.) I live in Dallas/Fort Worth and IN a band 12 area, and my LTE performance is usually the same on my LG V10 (which supports band 12) and my BLU Pure XL. I've had no problems (other than some minor bluetooth issues, that seem to have been resolved with the latest update.)
I came from a T-Mobile G4 I pre-ordered, so I had it a long time. Got the BLU in December. As far as I can tell, the Pure XL actually gets better and more consistent signal then the G4 did, I use about 40gb of data a month. Very consistent LTE signal in covered areas, and even rural signal is very good; I drive a lot.
I live in Dallas/Fort Worth area as well.
I have no issues with my Pure XL on T-Mobile. Since it doesn't have support for band 12, LTE coverage inside buildings can occasionally be spotty, but it just goes to regular 4G with full signal, no problem. I'm in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
homerpez said:
I'm curious if anyone in the forum has bought the Blu Pure XL and used it on T-Mobile? Supposely the LTE support is "limited", but I would like to know what that might mean to me in the real world........
I recently took my Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy S4 and ported it to Walmart Family Mobile (which runs off T-Mobile), and I've had some baffling issues. Time for an upgrade. Considering this device, but only IF it will work well with T-Mobile... thanks
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Works great for me on T-Mobile and never have problems with getting LTE. I'll take some speed tests and report. I work about 30 miles from home so will take both areas and list them to see if that helps.
Springfield Illinois checking in, I use T mobile and works great... fast lte (30+ MB down, ive seen as high as 45 i think
Works great on T-mo for me in Denver.
homerpez said:
I'm curious if anyone in the forum has bought the Blu Pure XL and used it on T-Mobile? Supposely the LTE support is "limited", but I would like to know what that might mean to me in the real world........
I recently took my Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy S4 and ported it to Walmart Family Mobile (which runs off T-Mobile), and I've had some baffling issues. Time for an upgrade. Considering this device, but only IF it will work well with T-Mobile... thanks
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Working for me. T-Mobile in sim 1. AT&T in sim 2.
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Works great in Livermore CA 94550.
Still want to switch to net 10 though, as I had previously.
Net10 Customer support is really bad......
The Pure XL works well in South FLorida ( WPB, Broward and Miami-Dade) on Tmobiles LTE network. Occasionally, I will drop down to 4G but 99% of the time, 4G LTE is available in my coverage area.
Down- 44Mbps UP - 27Mbps