Sprint Explains Spotty LTE in Launch Markets

**MsRandall** · 07-24-2012, 10:18 PM

Credit to DSL reports
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/S...Markets-120508

Sprint Explains Spotty LTE in Launch Markets
PR Appears to Have Trumped Actual Availability
by Karl Bode 7 hours ago tags: coverage · wireless · wireless

Last week we noted that Sprint's LTE launch left a little something to be desired, with the company saying they'd launched in fifteen markets -- but users who live in those markets being hard pressed to find any actual LTE signal. The company's official support forums are filled with users in supposed launch markets like Atlanta and Houston who have wandered their respective cities unable to find LTE with their Sprint LTE devices. Sprint's Senior VP of Networks, Bob Azzi, tells Light Reading Mobile the company isn't really determining qualified launch markets based on the percentage covered, but due to a more nebulous determination of whether the available LTE service there will be useful:
"We weren't planning to wait until we had all our cell sites covered," explained Azzi. Instead the cities went live "when we determined that we had a sufficient footprint that enough people could find it in enough places."...Rather than launch on a specific percentage, Azzi explains, the operator's teams look at whether the coverage available will "prove a useful enough experience for our customers for us to launch it." "We weren't planning to wait until we had all our cell sites covered," explained Azzi. Instead the cities went live "when we determined that we had a sufficient footprint that enough people could find it in enough places."

In other words, Sprint wanted the PR benefit of announcing a fifteen market launch without waiting until those markets were more saturated with signal. Sprint likely wanted to appear that were nipping at the heels of AT&T, who only has LTE available in 47 markets despite a notable head start. Azzi does insist that users in these launch markets should see a dramatic improvement in the next few months.

**carpediem06** · 07-24-2012, 10:33 PM

sprint being deceptive as usual, what's new?

**MsRandall** · 07-24-2012, 10:49 PM

I dont know....I mean all carriers do the PR spin...seems for some reason when Sprint does it they get called on it.

**carpediem06** · 07-24-2012, 10:52 PM

they're getting called on it because they blew it a while back...they are contracting out their spectrum, and us end users are getting screwed.

**Bibbin** · 07-25-2012, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsRandall

I dont know....I mean all carriers do the PR spin...seems for some reason when Sprint does it they get called on it.

. . . because they are so atrociously bad at it. 15 markets? How does Sprint define "market?" I can attest to the fact that Sprint's LTE presence in Atlanta is akin to a needle in a haystack.

Pyramid-3 · 07-25-2012, 08:59 AM

So it's not really a Sprint. More of a jaunt or a stroll.

**jj14** · 07-26-2012, 08:54 AM

Sprint: Welcome to customer care - how can I help you?
Customer: Why is LTE coverage so sucky (non-existent) in your launch cities (Dallas for example)
Sprint: Oh, haven't you heard? The Bird
Customer: bird? huh?
Sprint: <gets up and sings/dances like> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx...tailpage#t=28s

Reference: http://gizmodo.com/5929230/your-spri...cause-of-birds

dragonsoul1980 · 07-26-2012, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jj14

Sprint: Welcome to customer care - how can I help you?
Customer: Why is LTE coverage so sucky (non-existent) in your launch cities (Dallas for example)
Sprint: Oh, haven't you heard? The Bird
Customer: bird? huh?
Sprint: <gets up and sings/dances like> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx...tailpage#t=28s

Reference: http://gizmodo.com/5929230/your-spri...cause-of-birds

LMAO , I read about the birds in Engadget this morning .... Very nice lol lol

***ZiggyZ*** · 07-26-2012, 10:00 AM

A carrier shouldn't still announce that they've launched coverage when they really haven't. Just because they are actively working on it, meaning techs are actually there working on a SINGLE tower, doesn't mean that they've launched it. I also don't feel that a carrier should go and announce that they've launched a particular city or market just because ONE tower has it active.

This reminds me of the reps that told me in my local BUFFALO sprint store, that 4G(WiMax) was released in buffalo, but it was supposivly only at the airport. I went to the airport and never got a signal.

***ZiggyZ*** · 07-26-2012, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jj14

Sprint: Welcome to customer care - how can I help you?
Customer: Why is LTE coverage so sucky (non-existent) in your launch cities (Dallas for example)
Sprint: Oh, haven't you heard? The Bird
Customer: bird? huh?
Sprint: <gets up and sings/dances like> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx...tailpage#t=28s

Reference: http://gizmodo.com/5929230/your-spri...cause-of-birds

Sprint REALLY said this? lol "the bird?

**jj14** · 07-26-2012, 10:09 AM

well, that conversation was a fictional one, but per gizmodo (and several other tech sites), yes, Sprint did indicate that birds were causing bad LTE coverage.

Must have something to do with the special frequencies that Sprint's spectrum uses to make the birds come flying at supersonic speeds to Sprint's towers ONLY and leave the other carrier's towers alone

</s>

**carpediem06** · 07-26-2012, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZiggyZ

A carrier shouldn't still announce that they've launched coverage when they really haven't. Just because they are actively working on it, meaning techs are actually there working on a SINGLE tower, doesn't mean that they've launched it. I also don't feel that a carrier should go and announce that they've launched a particular city or market just because ONE tower has it active.

This reminds me of the reps that told me in my local BUFFALO sprint store, that 4G(WiMax) was released in buffalo, but it was supposivly only at the airport. I went to the airport and never got a signal.

lol...sprint being shady again....rather dan hesse

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZiggyZ

Sprint REALLY said this? lol "the bird?

he was joking

**Evan702** · 07-26-2012, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZiggyZ

A carrier shouldn't still announce that they've launched coverage when they really haven't. Just because they are actively working on it, meaning techs are actually there working on a SINGLE tower, doesn't mean that they've launched it. I also don't feel that a carrier should go and announce that they've launched a particular city or market just because ONE tower has it active.

Which of Sprint's five launch cities (Atlanta, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Kansas City) has just ONE LTE tower active?

***ZiggyZ*** · 07-26-2012, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan702

Which of Sprint's five launch cities (Atlanta, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Kansas City) has just ONE LTE tower active?

That I dont know. I was primarily referring to Buffalo. I was told 4G(WiMax) was released when it was supposedly one tower over at the airport for which I was never able to.pick up on.

Pyramid-3 · 07-26-2012, 01:12 PM

You are all infidels and reactionaries. To the gulag with you and your disloyalty. Sprint is the greatest thing ever in the history of people. LTE coverage reaches from here to Saturn with 1 million percent coverage and faster than light speed. All Hail Sprint!!!!

07-24-2012, 10:18 PM	#1
MsRandall The SU Goddess Mood: Join Date: Aug 19, '02 Location: The "Bay Area" Baby! Posts: 10,768 Phone: 32gb iPhone 5 Trades: 34 Thanks: 54 Thanked 337 Times in 225 Posts SU$: 39,471	Sprint Explains Spotty LTE in Launch Markets Credit to DSL reports http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/S...Markets-120508 Sprint Explains Spotty LTE in Launch Markets PR Appears to Have Trumped Actual Availability by Karl Bode 7 hours ago tags: coverage · wireless · wireless Last week we noted that Sprint's LTE launch left a little something to be desired, with the company saying they'd launched in fifteen markets -- but users who live in those markets being hard pressed to find any actual LTE signal. The company's official support forums are filled with users in supposed launch markets like Atlanta and Houston who have wandered their respective cities unable to find LTE with their Sprint LTE devices. Sprint's Senior VP of Networks, Bob Azzi, tells Light Reading Mobile the company isn't really determining qualified launch markets based on the percentage covered, but due to a more nebulous determination of whether the available LTE service there will be useful: "We weren't planning to wait until we had all our cell sites covered," explained Azzi. Instead the cities went live "when we determined that we had a sufficient footprint that enough people could find it in enough places."...Rather than launch on a specific percentage, Azzi explains, the operator's teams look at whether the coverage available will "prove a useful enough experience for our customers for us to launch it." "We weren't planning to wait until we had all our cell sites covered," explained Azzi. Instead the cities went live "when we determined that we had a sufficient footprint that enough people could find it in enough places." In other words, Sprint wanted the PR benefit of announcing a fifteen market launch without waiting until those markets were more saturated with signal. Sprint likely wanted to appear that were nipping at the heels of AT&T, who only has LTE available in 47 markets despite a notable head start. Azzi does insist that users in these launch markets should see a dramatic improvement in the next few months. __________________ A Sprint customer from 12/10/98-9/6/12 A Verizon customer since 6/21/12 Blessed to have my Mother as my guardian angel since 12/19/06..I love and miss you so much!!!!

07-24-2012, 10:49 PM	#3
MsRandall The SU Goddess Mood: Join Date: Aug 19, '02 Location: The "Bay Area" Baby! Posts: 10,768 Phone: 32gb iPhone 5 Trades: 34 Thanks: 54 Thanked 337 Times in 225 Posts SU$: 39,471	I dont know....I mean all carriers do the PR spin...seems for some reason when Sprint does it they get called on it. __________________ A Sprint customer from 12/10/98-9/6/12 A Verizon customer since 6/21/12 Blessed to have my Mother as my guardian angel since 12/19/06..I love and miss you so much!!!!

07-26-2012, 10:00 AM	#9
*ZiggyZ* I'm Kind Of A BIG Deal... Mood: Join Date: Jul 19, '05 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 3,083 Phone: Galaxy SIII Thanks: 36 Thanked 37 Times in 34 Posts SU$: 10,923	A carrier shouldn't still announce that they've launched coverage when they really haven't. Just because they are actively working on it, meaning techs are actually there working on a SINGLE tower, doesn't mean that they've launched it. I also don't feel that a carrier should go and announce that they've launched a particular city or market just because ONE tower has it active. This reminds me of the reps that told me in my local BUFFALO sprint store, that 4G(WiMax) was released in buffalo, but it was supposivly only at the airport. I went to the airport and never got a signal. __________________ S\|P Sprint "GOLD" Premier - Sprint Customer Since 3/24/1999. 14 YEARS!!

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07-24-2012, 10:33 PM	#2
carpediem06 Digital PCS User Join Date: Jan 16, '10 Posts: 2,651 Thanks: 127 Thanked 164 Times in 139 Posts SU$: 19,047	sprint being deceptive as usual, what's new?

07-24-2012, 10:52 PM	#4
carpediem06 Digital PCS User Join Date: Jan 16, '10 Posts: 2,651 Thanks: 127 Thanked 164 Times in 139 Posts SU$: 19,047	they're getting called on it because they blew it a while back...they are contracting out their spectrum, and us end users are getting screwed.

07-25-2012, 08:59 AM	#6
Pyramid-3 Account Locked Join Date: Aug 5, '08 Posts: 1,140 Phone: HTC Evo 4G Thanks: 0 Thanked 28 Times in 27 Posts SU$: 10,901	So it's not really a Sprint. More of a jaunt or a stroll.

07-26-2012, 08:54 AM	#7
jj14 Walkie Talkie User Join Date: Mar 12, '08 Location: TX Posts: 353 Phone: HTC EVO Thanks: 14 Thanked 37 Times in 32 Posts SU$: 1,445	Sprint: Welcome to customer care - how can I help you? Customer: Why is LTE coverage so sucky (non-existent) in your launch cities (Dallas for example) Sprint: Oh, haven't you heard? The Bird Customer: bird? huh? Sprint: <gets up and sings/dances like> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx...tailpage#t=28s Reference: http://gizmodo.com/5929230/your-spri...cause-of-birds

07-26-2012, 10:09 AM	#11
jj14 Walkie Talkie User Join Date: Mar 12, '08 Location: TX Posts: 353 Phone: HTC EVO Thanks: 14 Thanked 37 Times in 32 Posts SU$: 1,445	well, that conversation was a fictional one, but per gizmodo (and several other tech sites), yes, Sprint did indicate that birds were causing bad LTE coverage. Must have something to do with the special frequencies that Sprint's spectrum uses to make the birds come flying at supersonic speeds to Sprint's towers ONLY and leave the other carrier's towers alone </s>

07-26-2012, 01:12 PM	#15
Pyramid-3 Account Locked Join Date: Aug 5, '08 Posts: 1,140 Phone: HTC Evo 4G Thanks: 0 Thanked 28 Times in 27 Posts SU$: 10,901	You are all infidels and reactionaries. To the gulag with you and your disloyalty. Sprint is the greatest thing ever in the history of people. LTE coverage reaches from here to Saturn with 1 million percent coverage and faster than light speed. All Hail Sprint!!!!