Would you mind if Sprint changed directions from WiMax to LTE? Most of us know that Sprint was among the first to dip into a 4G market and now they may become the first to change their strategy after doing so. We are going to explain the situation currently as well as some of the reasons for Sprints actions.

Let’s break it down. Currently Sprint customers carry certain 4G devices that operate on the WiMax network that is built by Clearwire, not by Sprint themselves. In other words, this isn’t their own personal 4G network like Verizon has built (LTE.) You may ask why if you do not already know the answer. It was because at the time Sprint could not really afford to build out their own network due to low funds.

Following what we like to call the Sprint and Clearwire merger, Clearwire then began to fall into a hole of debt themselves. They even said they may turn to LTE once they can afford funding to expand. While Sprint and Clearwire are still trying to find their way, Verizon and AT&T are closing ground on Sprint, pressing ahead with their own networks using a different 4G technology called Long Term Evolution, or LTE.

Now is the time for Sprint to make a huge turn around if they plan to do so. They don’t want to get left behind. Rumors suggest that Sprint executives are preparing a 4G strategy announcement sometime before midyear. A few years ago when they started working with Clearwire and WiMax they didn’t have many options available but wanted to be among the first with a 4G network. They may have rushed a little bit too quickly.

Now Sprint has nothing but time and options. “It’s really wide open,” said Jonathan Atkin of RBC Capital Markets. “A lot of investors are anxious to hear about the expansion of 4G coverage.” Sprint has made some come back in profit margins and are finally ready to look at other options. Some options include either pumping more money into Clearwire or working out some other way to expand its 4G network’s coverage map, possibly LTE.

According to sources, an unconfirmed report last week linked Sprint with a prospective independent LTE network being planned by LightSquared Inc., a potential competitor of Clearwire. What would you guess when you hear something like this? Maybe they’re discussing the possibility of LTE in the near future?

Either way they decide to move, what would you like to see? Would this bother you at all? Let us know what you think and how you think any changes may hurt or benefit the company. Leave your comments in the boxes below.

Source: KCS

Sprint and LightSquared Inc. are in discussion to share cell sites equipment, helping build out each others network. The deal, if it goes through, would allow LightSquared to roll out its network faster and cheaper then their current thought of methods. With Sprint planing to spend $5 billion in infrastructure upgrades in the near future, this would leave Sprint with extra capacity in which they can offer to LightSquared is what’s being said.

If you aren’t familiar with LightSquared, they are backed by Falcone’s Harbinger Capital Partners hedge fund and are out to compete with AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless and Clearwire Corp. selling so-called fourth-generation wireless service. Falcone has invested billions and faces government deadlines for building out his network. According to sources, he agreed last year to the Federal Communications Commission conditions that he will employ a combination satellite-terrestrial network for as many as 100 million Americans by the end of 2012 and 260 million by 2016. Interesting plan they have in store and maybe they will succeed. This kind of deal would put more pressure on Clearwire to hurry and get moving faster.

If the deal goes through, this would give Sprint the option to send traffic to LightSquared or to Clearwire. This could possibly cause even more changes in data prices that most of us don’t even want to discuss. That’s a very touchy topic, especially if prices are being said to increase. We aren’t saying it would happen for sure but sources suggest it would very well be possible.

LightSquared recently announced they plan to invest $586 million into its network build-out. They have also said they have agreements with five customers to provide wholesale 4G service, including two carriers, a national retailer, a device manufacturer and a website. They are also said to be in talks for nationwide wholesale service with a carrier based outside of the U.S.

What do you think about this news? Let us know your opinions in the comment boxes below.

Source: BusinessWeek

Sprint’s hard work is paying off, but is it paying off quick enough? Let us know what you think after reading this article.

During the 4th quarter of 2010, Sprint saw a tremendous decrease in subscriber losses from the past years while also seeing tremendous increases in new subscriber activations. Before the 4th quarter was over, Sprint calculated an addition of 1.1 million new subscribers in 2010. This is what’s so exciting for them currently and hopefully with the launch of newer, higher end devices can only help them, not hurt them.

Currently, Sprint & Nextel Corp. are the third largest U.S. mobile-phone carrier. However, they now face some pretty tough competition with rival 4G carriers releasing new phones and features constantly. By showing their numbers and success last year, this doesn’t mean Sprint will continue to grow but does prove that there’s room for it to happen.

Keep in mind Sprint still doesn’t have their very own 4G strategy. They currently use Clearwire’s 4G WiMax network to provide service and plan to upgrade their own network, providing additional forms of wireless technology such as LTE. Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint, has previously mentioned that Sprint has the capability and wireless-spectrum position to launch an LTE network now, although he admitted it wouldn’t be a long-term solution. He said he would provide more of a direction on its 4G strategy later this year.

With these reports coming from last year, where do you think Sprint stands now? Do you think they are consistently improving or do you think they are going back down the ladder? Let us know what you think and where you think Sprint needs to improve, if at all.

Source: WSJ

Clearwire, Sprint and Time Warner Cable announced today that they will be launching their 4G service in New York City on November 1, 2010. Isn’t this just what some of us wanted to hear? Also, in separate announcements, Clearwire and Sprint then spoke of the upcoming launch of 4G service in the San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles areas. According to Clearwire, by the end of 2010 the 4G network is also expected to be available in other major metropolitan areas such as Denver, Miami, Cincinnati and Cleveland.

Clearwire will partner with Sprint and Time Warner for the New York launch, with Comcast and Sprint in San Francisco, and with Sprint in Los Angeles according to PCMag.

Once available, customers in these areas will be able to increase their mobility and productivity in several ways including instantly downloading large files to get work done on the run, browsing the web hastily from any location or watching online videos and movies nearly anywhere around town. Consumers will also be able to purchase a wide range of 4G devices including: compact USB modems, WiMAX laptops and netbooks and other wireless devices, all aimed at making lives in 4G cities more efficient.

Found on Clearwires website they do offer several plans ranging from $25 to $110 per month, depending on the services you select. Keep in mind that with the 4G package you will get unlimited usage in 4G coverage areas, download speeds up to 6.0 Mbps as well as upload speeds up to 1.0 Mbps. Are you one of their consumers who have been patiently waiting for this launch? The time is near and you can soon enjoy mobile browsing at faster speeds and much more.

Source: PCMag,WSJ and Clearwire

Have you ever been asked to pay for something that you couldn’t receive?  PPCGeeks’ very own blogger explains that the new 4G fee has exposed how Sprint is asking their customers to do exactly that.  Sprint’s new HTC EVO 4G phone comes with a $199 price tag but also tacks on a mandatory $10 monthly fee that they’ve labeled as a “Premium Data” add-on, similar to road-side assistance.

Our blogger has been in contact with Sprint over the last week and has been asking them for one request:  simply explain the fee.

Sprint’s “Premium Data” fee has been described by Sprint as a way of allowing their customers to experience data like never before.  They call this ride a “Richer Data Experience” and the admission cost is $10 per month.  The thing is, though, the blogger directly questioned the definition of “Premium Data” and was told that it is related to the phone’s enhanced features, such as dual HD cameras, Snapdragon processor, 4.3″ touchscreen and even a kickstand.

The obvious question here is if this fee has any relation to Sprint’s new 4G network (currently only in 33 markets).  Sprint’s answer is that it doesn’t matter if you are on your existing 3G network or in one of their new 4G areas – you must pay the fee.  They continue to state that this is related specifically to the phone.  That’s right, customers are being told that this fee will allow them to experience a “Richer Data Experience” even if they’re not in a 4G area!

Since explainthefee.com was created 4 days ago, there have been over 5,000 hits as our blogger has posted his email interactions from Dan@Sprint.com and even emails from Sprint’s Public Relations department.  The site has received numerous emails from people sharing their own stories and providing their supporting comments.

Several days ago, there was a Sprint “HTC EVO 4G Playbook” that was leaked on the Internet that poses “sample” questions that customer’s might ask their sales people.  One question in the playbook was “Why would someone in a 3G market buy an EVO 4G and pay for the $10 Premium Data?” This was answered with the following:

The EVO offers an unparalleled experience on 3G as well as 4G.  The combination of a 4.3 inch screen, built-in-kickstand, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Android 2.1 and the hallmark HTC Sense experience makes HTC EVO 4G a best-in-class 3G phone.  As 4G launches in additional markets, HTC EVO 4G will take a great 3G experience (and great apps created for 3G, especially those using video) and makes it even better on 4G.

As you can see, Sprint doesn’t clearly explain anything.  Again, they try to sell the “Data Add-on” as hardware features of the phone.  Our blogger has recently posted his last update titled “Just answer the questions.”  This is what he wants Sprint to explain:

If the “Premium Data” charge is not for the 3G nor 4G network access and the charge is for the phone features why is it that all of the “Premium Data” features are listed as technical specifications of the HTC EVO 4G phone?  If I were to take this phone to a non-Sprint area, such as the south pole, would those “Premium Data” features work, such as the 4.3″ screen, HD Camera/Camcorder, faster processor, and even kickstand?  Would I be able to use these features in Airplane mode? If I can use those in a non-Sprint area or in Airplane mode, why must I pay $10 a month to use this “add-on” when I’m not using Sprint’s data network?  Can you please explain the fee?

 You can read his ongoing saga and try to bring more attention to this mandatory “add-on” by going to http://explainthefee.com and joining thefacebook.com/explainthefee group. You can also follow the site ontwitter.com/explainthefee.

The HTC EVO 4G provides capabilities never before available on a wireless device.  The $10 Premium Data Add-on will ensure your customers receive a richer data experience and get the most out of their EVO (Not to mention customers get unlimited data on the Sprint network).

Art Work Credit: [sammich]

Thanks to our friends at Sprint, over the course of the past week I have had the privilege to test and evaluate Sprint’s Overdrive 3G/4G mobile hotspot, and I must say this product is a must have for any road warrior. The device itself is similar to the MiFi and is capable of providing WiFi at both 3G and 4G (4G Network available in select cities) speeds to multiple devices with a single mobile broadband account.

“Accelerate at high speed with the first dual-mode shareable device of its kind-available only from Sprint. Now you can extend your 3G and 4G (4G Network available in select cities) experience beyond your laptop to any Wi-Fi-enabled device such as cameras, music players and portable game consoles. And because it supports up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices, you can share your high-speed connection with friends, family, co-workers and customers. 16 GB of shared storage and no software or activation to fuss with, the Overdrive is a must have for work or play, home or away.”

Highlights

• 3G Sprint Mobile Broadband Network and Sprint 4G Network-capable hotspot
• Unique LCD screen displays signal strength, battery level and network connection type

Key Features

• 4G speeds that are up to 10x faster than 3G*
• Dual-mode 3G/4G device
• Mobile hotspot
• GPS Navigation enabled
• Web browsing capable
• Memory card slot
• Improves in-building wireless signal
• Supports multiple simultaneous users

The Overdrive, which is made by Sierra Wireless, measures in at 3″x3″ and is about half an inch wide and weighs in at a hefty 4.5 ounces. The device itself has a single button used for turning it on and off. All the controlling of the device is done via http://overdrive/, which I thought was a very nice feature not having to install any additional software. Other external features are a mute switch, a micro USB port, and a microSD slot. Inside the device, there is a removable battery and a hard reset button as well. The Overdrive also has an LCD screen that is only visible when the display is active. The 1.4-inch LCD shows how well your coverage is, if you are on 3G or 4G, the name of your signal, your password, the amount of data you have transferred, and other vital information.

Using the device was quite simple, as I mentioned above, you do not have to install any third party software to get the device up and running. To activate the device you simply connect it to your computer, turn it on, and find the WiFi signal the way you normally would. The overdrive will display a security password on its LCD for you to enter once you have established the connection. Once you have the device set up to your liking you can connect to the internet or go back to the setup page (located at 192.168.0.1). This will also act as a handy status page that tells you about signal strength, alerts, and so forth.

Once I had the device set up to my laptop it was time to put it to the test. I strapped it into my truck and off we went for some true speed testing. I am fortunate that San Antonio is a 4G coverage area so I was able to test both 3G and 4G speeds and compare them to what Sprint advertises in my area. On my best day testing 4G speeds, I was able to get 4.2 mb/s down and .96 mb/s up, as for the 3G speeds I averaged around 445KBps down and 93KBps up.

Overall, I was satisfied with the device. My only complaint is the battery life. With only three hours of continuous use available (which is what’s advertised) you will need to remember to take a charger with you if you plan on using this device out-and-about.

Bottom Line: With an impressive design and good performance this device is a must have for any road warrior out there.

The Sprint Overdrive is available for $49.99 after instant savings and web special, also requires a new line or eligible upgrade with a 2-yr contract.

In addition, the Overdrive has GPS and a microSD card slot. The Overdrive costs $99.99 after two year service agreement.

Source