dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
view:
topics flat nest 
Comments on news posted 2011-01-03 12:12:19: Last fall MetroPCS was the first mobile operator in the United States to launch LTE wireless broadband service in parts of Las Vegas, the Dallas Fort Worth area, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Detroit. ..


mix
join:2002-03-19
Romeo, MI
GL.iNet GL-B1300
Netgear CM500

1 edit

mix

Member

Seems pretty clear to me...

All this says is that MetroPCS gets to determine what types of data get counted against your cap (1 GB in this example). So everything they say is unlimited (youtube for example), is unlimited, everything not specifically mentioned goes towards your 1 GB. Where is the mystery? I would just think of this as a 1 GB data plan with a few things that happen to be unlimited, like apparently watching youtube videos or accessing their online store.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Samsung Craft 4G feature phone not a real smartphone

It looks like they can easily control what you access by not offering(YET) a real user customizable smartphone. The Craft looks like a feature phone with MetroPCS deciding what you can and can not access thru it.

I'll bet when they offer a real Android smartphone with 4G capability you will have to buy the $60/mo real unlimited plan to use it.

Certainly looks like MetroPCS is going to make full use of the flexibility to ignore net neutrality restrictions that the recent FCC rules made available to wireless carriers.

K3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium Member
join:2006-01-17
Columbia, PA

K3SGM

Premium Member

Metro PCS LTE IS A JOKE

They don't have any radio spectrum available to them to do anything serious with LTE.

LTE/LTE Advanced requires a dedicated 30-40MHz of radio spectrum.

Try and do decent LTE when you only have 10MHz, and you are also sharing it with your existing 1xRTT and EVDO network at the same time.

1xRTT requires 1.25MHz each way, thus 2.5MHz per channel.

EVDO is also 1.25 MHz each way, thus 2.5 MHz per channel.

Only 5 MHz left for LTE?????

They need 6x - 8x more radio spectrum to deploy any type of useful LTE, and they DON'T HAVE IT.

LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL.



ROTFLMFAO!!!!!

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode to mix

News Guy

to mix

Re: Seems pretty clear to me...

What's the data consumption limit on the $40 plan?
borka
join:2003-04-01
Ponte Vedra, FL

borka to K3SGM

Member

to K3SGM

Re: Metro PCS LTE IS A JOKE

so what is 4g web??

the way i understand it, 4g web should be ANY website?

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

said by borka:

so what is 4g web??

the way i understand it, 4g web should be ANY website?

The basic $40 plan only can access the web thru a proxy called MetroWeb and that only gives you access to SOME web sites:
»www.metropcs.com/product ··· etroweb/

The $50 plan gives you plain old straight web access to anything up to a 1GB cap

The $60 plan gives unlimited access to all web sites.

K3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium Member
join:2006-01-17
Columbia, PA

K3SGM to borka

Premium Member

to borka
I'm on 10G already.

WiFi connected Android smart-phone, via 35/35 Verizon FiOS....

What's with this ONLY 4G crap????

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5 to Karl Bode

Premium Member

to Karl Bode

Re: Seems pretty clear to me...

said by Karl Bode:

What's the data consumption limit on the $40 plan?

There is no cap on the $40 plan. But web access is thru the MetroWeb proxy and they limit what sites you have access to.

MalibuMaxx
Premium Member
join:2007-02-06
Chesterton, IN

MalibuMaxx to K3SGM

Premium Member

to K3SGM

Re: Metro PCS LTE IS A JOKE

I am glad you can stay within your 1000 ft range of you access point vs the range of a 4G tower your coverage is much greater...
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

disclosure:

the disclosure is THE LAW, according to new rules adopted by FCC.. but all that "glitters" in the wierless offerings isn't gold.. infact it can be quite brown & stinky

nice try, metro pcs

MxxCon
join:1999-11-19
Brooklyn, NY
ARRIS TM822
Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I

MxxCon

Member

Bye Bye open internet of innovation?

Click for full size
More and more this is becoming the reality
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx to K3SGM

Member

to K3SGM

Re: Metro PCS LTE IS A JOKE

They're using 1.4 MHz channels for LTE. Since LTE is more spectrally efficient than EvDO you'll get better data rates, but this is competitive with EvDO on other carriers, not HSPA/WiMAX/LTE.
iansltx

iansltx to MxxCon

Member

to MxxCon

Re: Bye Bye open internet of innovation?

Here's the thing: MetroPCS's $40 plan is cheaper than an unlimited voice + text + data plan from ANY other carrier. CricKet's $55 Android plan only includes 1GB of unthrottled data as well, so MetroPCS has them beat there too...

MxxCon
join:1999-11-19
Brooklyn, NY

MxxCon

Member

yes, metropcs is one of the cheapest, but i don't think any other carrier discriminate based on content/websites..
theeinstein
Premium Member
join:2003-07-31
Fernandina Beach, FL

theeinstein

Premium Member

Metro

They do what they do well.. They don't pretend to be the fastest carrier like (AT&T caugh caugh...) They only portray to provide decent service at a great price without screwing you with USF (Verizon).. and pounding you in the a#$ with early term fees.. Long Live Metro!!
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

fiberguy2 to MxxCon

Premium Member

to MxxCon

Re: Bye Bye open internet of innovation?

said by MxxCon:

yes, metropcs is one of the cheapest, but i don't think any other carrier discriminate based on content/websites..

They may not now, but they all came from that platform. They all came from metered plans, went unlimited, and many of them are talking about going back to a metered plan again. What makes you think that they'd like like to get back to walled garden plans as an entry option?

While I think limiting access to providers of web content that are available to the general web is stoopid to begin with. however, there is nothing to stop carriers of 'data' or data networks from making their first line offering be that of their own content portals.. and from there, the next step would be to start adding in "content powered by" (youtube, hulu, etc)

Drastic changes don't seem to happen any more, not since the day of AOL going from hourly billing to their so called unlimited use. Today, when they go one small step at a time, its much easier for them to change with out people noticing or caring, much.
fiberguy2

fiberguy2 to theeinstein

Premium Member

to theeinstein

Re: Metro

I personally agree that metro is what metro is and they do what they do well. However, people with the microphone, such as on this site, cough cough, seem to feel that every carrier should be the same, you know, in the name of competition and "innovation".. by the way, what exactly IS innovation around here anyway? .. it seems to be what ever the powers that be, here, wants innovation to be.

I see innovation on many levels. I find MetroPCS to be innovative period. They are the ones that really started pushing out flat rate unlimited metro services to customers.. seemed to be a move in a direction that others (the big boys) have no followed. Seems innovative to me!

HOWEVER, now that they have pushed out (omg, say it) "4G" service, they're not innovating or offering something that people want.. yup! No one wants this stuff.. NONE of their very large customer base that continues to subscribe to their service wants or believes in what MetroPCS is offering.

However, people like Karl will continue to post and make Metro look bad for what they're doing.. you know, because they don't offer things like tethering, or air cards, and their speeds are 3G-ish. (I dunno, maybe they wanted to take the step from EVDO to the next step, but really aren't out to push out really fast speeds, however, the LTE investment made sense as far as a deployment)

Here ya go, guys.. if things like tethering, or data cards, or fast speeds mean something to you, then go to Sprint, ATT, or Verizon and TMO and have at it.. MetroPCS isn't for you.

By the way, isn't the carrier that claims to have the fastest speeds AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, AND T-Mobile?

tiger72
SexaT duorP
Premium Member
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO

tiger72 to FFH5

Premium Member

to FFH5

Re: Seems pretty clear to me...

Finally a perfect example of why Network Neutrality is necessary on wireless, just as it is on wireline.
theeinstein
Premium Member
join:2003-07-31
Fernandina Beach, FL

theeinstein to fiberguy2

Premium Member

to fiberguy2

Re: Metro

Totally agree... If we strip away the greed for speed from LTE... the true reason Metro wants it in my opinion is penetration. That is one area their service suffered was building penetration.