Sprint President Indicates Improvements in 4G Experience


In an interview with Sprint's president and head of network operations, Steve Elfman indicated there will be some really cool things coming out in 2012 and 2013. Elfman has indicated that newer phones will feature multimode radios, which will shift between networks easier. The radios will also support 3G and multiple flavors of 4G like 4G LTE and WiMAX so users can enjoy either network depending on their location. Their main challenge is figuring out how to put enough antennas on the phones to work with all the different cellular frequencies, he said. When these features are implemented users should be able to get a more consistent experience with video calling and streaming movies on the go.

Elfman said "4G is certainly evolving" and "I think that 2012 is going to be a very big year for good consumer experiences," indicating that coverage is going to get even better. To help with deployment Elfman indicated they could use a metered solution where you'd only pay for the minutes used on a device, or creative bundles that cover multiple devices. Elfman describes these options as mega family plans, with multiple devices on a single bill and integrate "session based" access, which offers customers brief period of access when needed. We should find out more about their plans on October 7th when Sprint holds a strategy updated to announce their upcoming plans.


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Sprint Strategy Update coming on October 7th

Early this year Sprint's Dan Hesse indicated we'd receive more information about their 4G strategy this fall, and October 7th looks to be that date. According to Engadget, there will be presentations by senior management and a Q&A session to follow. With rumors floating around like Sprint getting the iPhone 5 and the news about Sprint and LightSquared's 4G LTE deal this should turn into a very exciting press release. Feel free to comment below and let us know what you think Sprint has up their sleeve! 


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AT&T’s 4G LTE Network seen in Atlanta, Offering 25Mbps Speeds

On Monday there were reports that AT&T's 4G LTE network is live in Chicago, and BGR has received new images confirming the network is up and running in Atlanta too. Their tester didn't have any trouble finding 4G reception throughout the city and seems to be covered better than the unofficial Chicago 4G LTE market. As you can see from the speedtest (below), it looks like AT&T has amped up this market delivering almost 25Mbps download and over 8Mbps on the upload. This is more what we expect from 4G LTE service and it will be interesting to see how their network holds up when more users hop onto the network.
   
(Image courtesy of BGR)


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Sprint First U.S. Carrier to Debut Galaxy S II With Samsung Epic 4G Touch


OVERLAND PARK, Kan. & DALLAS (BUSINESS WIRE), August 30, 2011 - Sprint (NYSE: S), the first national wireless carrier to launch the groundbreaking data speeds of 4G, and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States1, today announced the upcoming availability of the first Samsung Galaxy S™ II product to be available in the United States, Samsung Galaxy S™ II, Epic™ 4G Touch.

As Sprint’s 27th 4G-capable device, Epic 4G Touch boasts a 4.52-inch Super AMOLED™ Plus touchscreen and one of the industry’s fastest dual-core processors, the new Samsung Exynos™, bringing it rich content at blazingly fast speeds. Customers will benefit from a large screen which will offer a vibrant viewing experience delivering the best picture quality at the fastest speeds available.

Epic 4G Touch will cost just $199.99 (excluding taxes) with a new two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade, and be available beginning Sept. 16.

“Sprint is proud to build on the success of the first Galaxy S product, Samsung Epic 4G, with the first U.S. device in the next generation of Samsung’s award-winning Galaxy S lineup, Epic 4G Touch,” said Fared Adib, vice president–Product Development, Sprint. “Epic 4G Touch is a powerful smartphone that delivers vibrant and exciting content at lightning fast speeds. This device is ultra-thin yet ultra-powerful with a screen that rivals anything else in the industry.”

Epic 4G Touch is one of the thinnest smartphones, measuring just 0.38 inches thick. Its Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen display delivers brilliant colors with the most contrast, providing a vivid and crisp viewing experience. It is built on Android™ 2.3, Gingerbread, and powered by one of the fastest dual-core processors available along with the blazing-fast Sprint 4G speeds on America’s Favorite 4G Network2.

Other key features include:
  • Samsung Exynos™ 1.2GHz dual-core processor
  • Dual cameras: 8MP, rear-facing camera/camcorder with auto-focus and flash that shoots video in 1080p HD high profile and 2MP, front-facing camera ideal for self-portraits or video chat
  • 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capable, supporting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices on the Sprint 3G or 4G network
  • Voice Talk by Vlingo™ allows users to give their Epic 4G Touch voice commands, including voice dial, text message, navigation, music, Web browsing and search
  • Task Manager enables users to view and close the applications they have active and any items that may have been downloaded and to check on memory usage via the Task Manager widget
  • Screen grab feature allows users to easily take a screen capture of the phone screen by pressing the power button and the home key simultaneously
  • Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface provides superior multitasking and customization for an enhanced visual and intuitive smartphone experience
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/a capable
  • Visual Voicemail
  • Enterprise functionality provides support for exchange device management policies, offers increased security of data and services and enables mobile conferencing while on the go
  • microSD card slot that supports up to a 32GB memory card
  • Stereo Bluetooth Wireless Technology 3.0
  • Access to more than 250,000 apps through Android Market™

“We are proud to build upon the successful launch of the original Galaxy S with Sprint last year,” said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile. “The Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch is the next-generation premium smartphone that delivers top-of-the-line features and design, as well as blazing fast speeds with Sprint’s 4G network and Samsung’s new Exynos dual core processor.”

Epic 4G Touch requires activation on one of the Sprint Everything Data plans plus a required $10 Premium Data add-on charge for smartphones. Sprint’s Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM includes unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $69.99 per month plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge – a savings of $40 per month vs. Verizon’s comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and 2GB Web, or $10 per month vs. Verizon’s 450-minute plan with unlimited text and 2GB web. The Mobile Hotspot option is available for an additional $29.99 per month supporting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously (pricing excludes taxes and surcharges).

Sprint was unbeaten among major wireless carriers for customer satisfaction according to results from the 2011 American Customer Satisfaction Index. In addition to tying for first place among wireless carriers, Sprint was also the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all industries, during the last three years, according to the survey.

As the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market 4G technology, Sprint made history by launching 4G in Baltimore in September 2008. Sprint currently offers 4G service in 71 markets in 28 states. For more information, visit http://4Ginfo.com/wimaxmarkets

Sprint’s annual developer conference, now called the Sprint Open Solutions Conference, will be held Nov. 2-4 in Santa Clara, Calif. Throughout the three-day conference, developers, enterprises and entrepreneurs will learn about Sprint’s open enablement strategy, creating applications for 4G and 3D, enterprise machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions, go-to-market strategies, approaches to make developers more profitable, and current Sprint tools and capabilities across devices, networks and platforms. For additional information and to register for the conference, visit http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2011.


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Doing a Site Survey to Determine if a Cellular Antenna Will Benefit you

 

(Step by step instructions on how to conduct a site survey) 
One of the most common questions we get asked is "Will an antenna help me?", and doing the site survey will give you crucial information to answer the question. This information will also indicate if you can get away with just an antenna, or if you'd need to add an amplifier to the setup to get a strong reliable cellular signal. If you don't know this information, it's virtually impossible to determine if an antenna is going to help or what type would be the best for your scenario. In fact, the concept of a cellular antenna is very similar to old analog and digital TV antennas.

Think of your old TV rabbit ears before satellite and cable were an option, which were used to give you a little clearer picture. This would be akin to our 6" Booster Antenna, used in indoor applications where you can't install something outside the building. Now, how many of you remember those large outdoor TV antennas you could purchase to put on top of your roof? The reason people did this was to obviously pull in more TV channels and get a clearer picture, and the concept is the same with a wireless modem. If you find that your cellular signal gets better outside, placing an antenna like our 18" Building Mount Omni on the roof will give you a better signal, which typically results in increased download/upload performance and increased reliability.

You can find detailed step by step instructions on how to conduct a site survey here - Click: How to do a Site Survey

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Give Your WiMAX Reception a Signal Boost



The 6" Booster Antenna is one of 3GStore's highest rated items and is a great solution for users looking to gain extra signal. Sprint and CLEAR's 4G WiMAX signal operates on the 2.5Ghz band, which sometimes has difficulty penetrating buildings throughout different cities. This antenna is a great solution for customers experiencing problems maintaining a 4G WiMAX signal in their building or while traveling. If you don't have 4G service at your location yet, the Booster antenna can also be used to give your 3G service a boost while you're on the go too! If you're looking for the perfect 3G/4G wireless modem that supports an antenna like this, we recommend the Sierra 250U because the antenna port construction is very durable. In fact, if you sign up for Sprint service with 3Gstore you'll also qualify for $20 off on your 6" Booster Antenna purchase!      


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AT&T 4G LTE Network Hits Chicago Unofficially


(Image Courtesy of BGR)

According to BGR AT&T's 4G LTE network finally went live this past weekend in the Chicago area offering faster speeds. AT&T hasn't officially announced LTE service in Chicago or any other markets slated for a 2011 launch, but you can clearly see the 4G LTE icon in the picture above. Their source was using a Elevate 4G LTE mobile hotspot to perform the tests and both an iPhone 4 and MacBook connected via WiFi to do some speedtests. The results were around 13Mbps download and upload speeds around 2Mbps. This somewhat puts them in the same territory of Verizon's 4G LTE network, but we've seen significantly faster speeds with Verizon 4G. However, the network isn't live and the tester was only receiving 3 bars of service so it's possible AT&T's 4G network may be even faster when they officially launch the market. Below you'll find a picture of a speedtest run off the Elevate 4G:

(Image Courtesy of BGR)


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