  TKJunkMail Enjoy the sun Premium join:2002-03-03 Avalon, NJ
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| Why Ben Wolff is FORMER Clearwire CEO
And Wolff's statement waffling on viability of WiMax probably played a part in why he is now the FORMER CEO of Clearwire.
Sprint has largely hitched their wagon to Mobile WiMax, they aren't ruling out offering LTE technology....It's not particularly surprising, given that former Clearwire CEO Ben Wolff said almost the exactly the same thing back in December. Of course, Sprint keeping its options open makes a lot more sense than Clearwire doing the same thing. Especially when Clearwire is trying to convince people to start using WiMax. -- My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page |
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 samrocks Premium join:2003-07-30 | LTE?
What's LTE? |
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  mindfrost82
join:2003-04-19 Cortland, IL
| I hope you're being sarcastic 
Since every other major carrier seems to be going with LTE, it only makes sense for Sprint to keep it as an option, otherwise they're going to stick it to themselves by being the only carrier to offer WiMax with no real roaming options (beseides the Clearwire deal).
Of course since they've already put huge amounts of money into WiMax, I don't know if they would have the cash flow or credit to offer LTE too. |
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  adisor19
join:2004-10-11
·Velcom
·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Radioactif
·Videotron
| WiMAX is doomed and so is Sprint
Sprint has 0% chance of survival if they base their future 4G network on WiMAX. They're already bleeding customers like there's no tomorrow and by going with wimax, this will only make things worse.
WiMAX should have just been the dumb third pipe that it was meant to be, not some cell network. If phones will ever be made for WiMAX, expect them to be bulky, ugly and generally 1 or 2 generation behind just like CDMA phones are now.
There is simply no future for WiMAX as a phone network. Sprint should see the light and plan an LTE roll out asap if they have any intention of still being around as a cell phone provider in the next 4 years.
Adi |
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  en102 Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26 Valencia, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
·DSL EXTREME
| While Sprint's demise may be premature, I do think that Sprint may have issues in deploying LTE.
1. Money - they don't have a lot of money to invest..period. What little they have/had is in WiMAX. AT&T has AT&T, VZW has VZ+Vodafone, T-Mobile has DT.
2. Spectrum - Sprint didn't get on the AWS spectrum like T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon Wireless did. What would they run LTE on ? It may be possible to scavenge some spectrum out of their iDEN spectrum swap deal. -- Canada = Hollywood North |
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  tiger72 SexaT duorP Premium join:2001-03-28 Saint Louis, MO clubs: | reply to samrocks Re: LTE?
Long-Term Evolution.
LTE is "4g" for cellular networks. It will be an all-ip data network. Fast as hell.
GSM -> GPRS -> EDGE -> UMTS -> HSPA -> LTE |
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  n2jtx
join:2001-01-13 Glen Head, NY
·Optimum Online
| reply to mindfrost82 If Sprint decides to go it alone and not adopt LTE then that will be the final nail in their coffin. Every other carrier is on the path to LTE and will at least be able to use comparable equipment. Sprint equipment will undoubtedly cost more because they will be a niche market and manufacturers will not have the benefit of efficiencies of scale (one reason why GSM phones tend to cost less because they are the de fact worldwide standard). |
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  mike12806 Premium join:2007-08-28 Milton, MA | smart movie.....
Sprint's been running two obsolete, proprietary network technologies for years now (iDen and CDMA), so who wouldn't expect them to pick the one technology no other mobile carrier is adopting? |
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 hottboiinnc ME
join:2003-10-15 Cleveland, OH
·Time Warner Cable
·buckeye cable
| CDMA is hardly obsolete in this country. the US screwed up when VZW, Sprint, Alltel, Cricket, MetroPCS and everyone else basically went to CDMA instead of GSM. ATT, T-Mobile and a few other smaller providers that are GSM knew what they were doing in adopting an a technology that is and will be world wide for many years to come. and iDEN is still used around the world as well. Sprint also isnt the only carrier in the US that offers iDEN. |
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 ydoucare
join:2003-03-12 Rensselaer, IN
·Embarq
·Millenicom
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
2 edits | reply to adisor19 Re: WiMAX is doomed and so is Sprint
said by adisor19 :Sprint has 0% chance of survival if they base their future 4G network on WiMAX. They're already bleeding customers like there's no tomorrow and by going with wimax, this will only make things worse. WiMAX should have just been the dumb third pipe that it was meant to be, not some cell network. If phones will ever be made for WiMAX, expect them to be bulky, ugly and generally 1 or 2 generation behind just like CDMA phones are now. There is simply no future for WiMAX as a phone network. Sprint should see the light and plan an LTE roll out asap if they have any intention of still being around as a cell phone provider in the next 4 years. Adi What are you talking about? WiMax is not a cell network, and is not intended to be. It is basically a mobile WiFi standard operating under licensed frequencies. It's only use at this point is mobile internet. The purpose of a WiMax capable phone would be for fast mobile data, not making calls, which is what the pre-existing CDMA network is for. |
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  adisor19
join:2004-10-11
·Velcom
·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Radioactif
·Videotron
| Keeping 2 networks in parallel like what you're implying is madness and VERY expensive. It makes 0 sense to go this way when the WHOLE WORLD is standardizing on LTE. Wimax equipment will be expensive since it will be produced in lower numbers.
Adi |
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  Horde
@tcs-inc.com
| reply to adisor19 said by adisor19 :Sprint has 0% chance of survival if they base their future 4G network on WiMAX. They're already bleeding customers like there's no tomorrow and by going with wimax, this will only make things worse. WiMAX should have just been the dumb third pipe that it was meant to be, not some cell network. If phones will ever be made for WiMAX, expect them to be bulky, ugly and generally 1 or 2 generation behind just like CDMA phones are now. There is simply no future for WiMAX as a phone network. Sprint should see the light and plan an LTE roll out asap if they have any intention of still being around as a cell phone provider in the next 4 years. Adi Typical....totally clueless individual posting about something he knows nothing about....shocker. |
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  adisor19
join:2004-10-11 | Sorry if i upset your feelings but reality is Wimax is a doomed standard and a BAD choice TM for sprint.
Adi |
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  SHABAZZ
join:2008-07-13 Seattle, WA
| reply to adisor19 What do you think AT&T and Verizon will have to do? Run to networks. LTE will need its own separate antennas, radios and base stations. Thats the difference between an all IP network and a switched voice network. And who says that Wimax will be produced in smaller numbers. From my vantage point Wimax is already in the lead and it will stay that way for the foreseeable future. Networks are going live in Asia, Europe, Africa and the US while the LTE protocol is in the process of being finalized and has nothing live outside of field trials. |
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  SHABAZZ
join:2008-07-13 Seattle, WA
| reply to adisor19 The Europeans said the same thing about CDMA in America and look how that turned out. Theyre 140 million plus subscribers using a technology that couldnt survive. I say build both 4G networks and let the people decide not the men behind the curtains. |
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 patcat88
join:2002-04-05 Jamaica, NY | sprint is a 1 trick pony
Someones forgetting about Sprint's other broadband ventures. »www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1770841,00.asp |
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 patcat88
join:2002-04-05 Jamaica, NY
1 edit | reply to SHABAZZ Re: WiMAX is doomed and so is Sprint
said by SHABAZZ :The Europeans said the same thing about CDMA in America and look how that turned out. Theyre 140 million plus subscribers using a technology that couldnt survive. I say build both 4G networks and let the people decide not the men behind the curtains. CDMA base station equipment and interest free financing was offered for free by Qualcomm to get CDMA adopted outside of North America. Basically it had to bribe the eastern european/3rd world governements and cell carriers to accept the standard. Then Qualcomm jacks up the price on handset chipsets to pay for the near free base stations.
Qualcomm abandoned its CDMA standard because it got its IP and patents into 3G/4G GSM, and doesn't have to worry about whether its parents and IP will be used or not. You can't build a 3G/4G chipset without a license from Qualcomm.
Also the reason why CDMA took off in North Am. was because GSM took WAY too long to appear in the USA, T-mobile was GSM from day 1 (1996/1997), but it was a minority carrier. ATT/SBC didn't go GSM until 2000/2001. It was TDMA before that. TDMA had no upgrade path, and no advantages over GSM, its main purpose was that TDMA falls back to AMPS/US Analog which was widespread at the time, while GSM could NEVER do that (lets ignore that aborted effort). |
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 patcat88
join:2002-04-05 Jamaica, NY
| reply to hottboiinnc Re: smart movie.....
said by hottboiinnc :CDMA is hardly obsolete in this country. the US screwed up when VZW, Sprint, Alltel, Cricket, MetroPCS and everyone else basically went to CDMA instead of GSM. Cricket was founded by Qualcomm for the sole reason of pushing CDMA technology. |
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 patcat88
join:2002-04-05 Jamaica, NY
| reply to n2jtx Re: LTE?
said by n2jtx : Every other carrier is on the path to LTE and will at least be able to use comparable equipment. Sprint equipment will undoubtedly cost more because they will be a niche market and manufacturers will not have the benefit of efficiencies of scale (one reason why GSM phones tend to cost less because they are the de fact worldwide standard). Verizon has said their LTE phones will not have SIM card slots, and not support them. Have fun in carrier branded handset hell. ATT said their LTE will.
How much of a firmware vs physical electronics vs chipset difference this is, I dont know. |
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 patcat88
join:2002-04-05 Jamaica, NY
| reply to tiger72 said by tiger72 :Long-Term Evolution. LTE is "4g" for cellular networks. It will be an all-ip data network. Fast as hell. Only after sandvine throttling, prioritization of carrier VOIP, and caps. |
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