Move Over iPhone 3G. Sprint preparing 4G Cell Network - 2011 Release Date?

[Prof.]

"Sprint has at least a two-year head start with 4G technology."

While 3G mobile networks show great promise for delivering a rich Internet and media experience, Sprint is already preparing the launch of its 4G technology, WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), which promises peak data speeds ranging from 10 to 70 megabits per second.

Sprint has at least a two-year head start with 4G technology. AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile have all pledged support for LTE, which stands for Long Term Evolution, a road map for the 4G phase of the UMTS standard. The first commercial deployment of LTE networks in the U.S. is not expected until 2011.

WiMAX is ready to go now. Sprint's XOHM service, its brand of WiMAX, is explained by Sprint Nextel XOHM representative John Polivka: “Imagine a Wi-Fi access point the size of a city instead of a coffee shop or bookstore. WiMAX is a city-sized ‘hot spot’ with better capacity … and better data security.”

Sprint is planning to join its WiMAX business and network infrastructure with wireless Internet service provider Clearwire to launch WiMAX services in Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Chicago by the end of the year.

While mobile Internet access is part of the WiMAX plan, the full scope of the technology includes support for myriad devices including ultra-mobile PCs, USB dongles and network cards for PCs, gaming devices, navigation equipment and digital cameras and camcorders.

The combined Sprint Nextel and Clearwire company, operating as Clearwire, recently announced partnerships with Intel, Google, Comcast and Time Warner Cable for a variety of products and services.

Clearwire’s Chief Strategy Officer, Scott Richardson, is optimistic.

“We believe that Clearwire is the only operator that is truly ready to launch a 4G network today,” he said. “There’s no shortcut in testing and optimizing a new technology. We have been doing this for the past two years and we believe that now we are ready for prime time, and ready to execute.”

[mlemonds]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_0_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5C1 Safari/525.20)

didn't know that sprint was planning on being around that long. LOL

[Dagless]

Move over iPhone 3G?

Slowly, over the next 3 years.

[nakamuramori2]

still 3 more yrs left.. my contract will be over by that time..so it's ok ^^

[MacNut]

Considering the fact that AT&T just launched 3G this year and Sprint has had it for a few years now I would say they have a head start.

[K3mp]

It is a bit of hard to compare products of 2011 to products of 2008.

[c073186]

Well... if this is to be implemented by 2011... that is three more years. In the past two years, we've had two iPhones. Doing the math, I'd say it is a strong possibility that by the time 4G is out that we might have yet another iPhone?

[7on]

I just wished T-mo would buy them because I haven't heard of any T-mo 4G prospects...

[sushi]

It is a bit of hard to compare products of 2011 to products of 2008.
Agree.

Many things can happen in three years time.

[agbot]

I think you could write hundreds of articles that state "Move over [insert current technology here], in 3 or more years [insert future technology here] may potentially take over." :rolleyes:

[whooleytoo]

Considering the fact that AT&T just launched 3G this year and Sprint has had it for a few years now I would say they have a head start.

True, but AT&T now have a massive incentive (i.e. revenue generating stream) from its 3G network that should light a fire under it.

[plinden]

Well... if this is to be implemented by 2011... that is three more years. In the past two years, we've had two iPhones. Doing the math, I'd say it is a strong possibility that by the time 4G is out that we might have yet another iPhone?

And by then the AT&T exclusivity deal will be over.

[MacNut]

I think Apple needs to fix the software in the iPhone first. I have been hearing so many complaints from iPhone owners about the phone more than the lack of AT&T's network.

[WildCowboy]

2011 is when everybody else is expected to launch 4G via LTE. Sprint is apparently still planning to launch it via WiMAX in a limited capacity later this year. Just a few months ago they announced that they were going to launch it in Baltimore this month.

And Prof., a link would be helpful: here (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26511322/) is his source.

[pseudobrit]

And by then the AT&T exclusivity deal will be over.

Which doesn't matter if Apple don't release a CDMA handset to utilize Sprint's legacy networks.

[mkrishnan]

AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile have all pledged support for LTE, which stands for Long Term Evolution, a road map for the 4G phase of the UMTS standard. The first commercial deployment of LTE networks in the U.S. is not expected until 2011.

I just wished T-mo would buy them because I haven't heard of any T-mo 4G prospects...

I think it's coming... T-Mobile is supposedly launching test 4G / LTE in Germany next year. And they do seem fairly serious about LTE in the US ultimately also. But I do tend to think that all four of T-Mo, Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T won't continue to exist in their current forms by the time LTE comes out -- that one of them will get subsumed somewhere.

As for Sprint and WiMAX ... it sounds like a nice technology, but the encapsulation and isolation of Sprint's product is what made me walk away in the first place. I left Sprint when I wanted to upgrade (2003), and my criteria were that the phone... have bluetooth, be able to store a calendar and sophisticated contacts by 2003 standards, and sync with computers (either Mac or Win). And I had to leave Sprint because I couldn't have any of those things.

Now Sprint has fairly sophisticated phones that play videos and stuff like that and I still can't just plug them in and get my contacts and calendar and iTunes songs on them.... I guess they have a Blackberry or two, but....

The media stuff is nice, but the basic PIM-type connectivity is de rigeur.

[scaredpoet]

Well... if this is to be implemented by 2011... that is three more years. In the past two years, we've had two iPhones. Doing the math, I'd say it is a strong possibility that by the time 4G is out that we might have yet another iPhone?

It should also be pointed out that Sprint's track record for meeting deadlines is 100% in the failure rate.

They actually projected WiMax as operating by THIS year, originally, and that everyone on Sprint would have handsets with blazingly fast internet. Oh well, guess that's not happening till 2011 now. If that.

Before that, their latest implementation of 3G (EVDO Rev a) was supposed to be nationwide in 2007. I didn't really start to happen until this year.

EVDO? That was supposed to be in 2004. Try 2006 for actual launch.

And 1XRTT, the generation before that? That was supposed to be ready in 2001. They weren't in hand until the end of 2002.

Let's also not forget, 3G is still not implemented nationwide on Sprint's network, and in many areas, 1X is still the best you can hope for. So forgive me for being skeptical about Sprint and 4G, but I was a longtime customer of theirs, and I've heard this song and dance many times before.

[MacNut]

How many phones other than the iPhone will Apple allow iTunes to be used.

Comparing Sprints 3G to AT&T's how much more widespread is Sprint.

[StoneColdSober]

Considering the fact that AT&T just launched 3G this year and Sprint has had it for a few years now I would say they have a head start.

Sorry, that is incorrect. AT&T initially launched their 3G back in 2006.

As for Sprints WiMax, thanks, I think I will avoid picking a technology that only one company in the US will be using, especially when that one company appears to be rapidly dying.

[MacNut]

How widespread was AT&T's 3G in 2006? It is 2008 and it is not that far spread.

[O. Frabjous-Dey]

I remember hearing about WiMAX for the first time in 2003 or 2004. Anyone know what's taking so long?

[MacNut]

I remember hearing about WiMAX for the first time in 2003 or 2004. Anyone know what's taking so long?Im sure Apple has created a lot of things back in 2003 that just came to market as well. Just because it was created in 2003 doesn't mean its ready for use for another 5 years. A lot of this has to wait until the analog TV turn off next year.

[StoneColdSober]

How widespread was AT&T's 3G in 2006? It is 2008 and it is not that far spread.

Not very. But that wasn't my point. My point was to clarify an misstatement of fact, AT&T did not just roll out 3G this year, they began the roll out in 2006. And as with every cellular carrier, the roll outs occur over a period of time.

[MacNut]

Not very. But that wasn't my point. My point was to clarify an misstatement of fact, AT&T did not just roll out 3G this year, they began the roll out in 2006. And as with every cellular carrier, the roll outs occur over a period of time.If it wasn't for the iPhone AT&T still would not have rolled out as much as they did.

[scaredpoet]

I remember hearing about WiMAX for the first time in 2003 or 2004. Anyone know what's taking so long?


Sprint's ineptness. That's what's taking so long.

[Enigmafan420]

Yeah-can't wait to get some of that Sprint "world famous" customer service...

Sprint's CS is the only one that can make AT&Ts look good ;)

[StoneColdSober]

If it wasn't for the iPhone AT&T still would not have rolled out as much as they did.

I'm not quite sure how you come to that conclusion. There are many other phones out there that use 3G. There are numerous advantages to AT&T to convert to 3G as it allows for more efficient use of AT&T's resources.

It isn't like a company just makes a decision of this kind one day and then rolls out the change nationwide the next day. The upgrade to 3G for both T-Mobile and AT&T and to EVDO for Verizon and Sprint were in the works for years before they ever began a roll out. They were in the works long before Apple had even discussed the iPhone with any company.

Have the sped things up some, maybe. But I would venture to guess that it has not sped up substantially, if anything, it has possibly slowed it down as AT&T is and has been working on beefing up areas that already had 3G coverage.

[lakaiordie]

sprint will still suck anyway.

[Diseal3]

I could be dead by then.

[mcdj]

Move over lead bullets, DARPA preparing laser rifles - 2056 release date?

[Cynicalone]

I would be surprised if Sprint survived to 2011 w/o someone buying them. They'll be the next to fall imo. Maybe a Sprint-Verizon merger since they use the same technology.

[cobaltchroma]

10-70 megabits?
isnt 3G capped at around 1 megabit?
oh god.
that would be like instant web pages!

[bluenoise]

10-70 megabits?
isnt 3G capped at around 1 megabit?

No. I regularly get more than 1 megabit on my iPhone, and often more than 1.3.

[cobaltchroma]

No. I regularly get more than 1 megabit on my iPhone, and often more than 1.3.

well even then,
10 megabits would be INSANE!

[benthewraith]

"Sprint has at least a two-year head start with 4G technology."

I'm SO inclined to go back to Sprint.....



not. :rolleyes:

[11800506]

Yeah... by the time Sprint actually gets Wimax launched AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile will also have their LTE networks launched as well. LTE has become the worldwide 4G standard by now meaning that there will be a wider variety of phones, so even if Sprint does launch their network earlier it barely means anything because there won't be very many phones able to use it.

[mkrishnan]

LTE has become the worldwide 4G standard by now meaning that there will be a wider variety of phones...

But my understanding is that it's not quite so simple. Like there's that T-Mo comment that was referenced earlier with the exec from T-Mobile questioning plans of other carriers to launch LTE on 700 MHz spectrum because of compatibility with devices abroad. Hopefully, however, interoperability testing (http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208800174) is suggestive of seriousness about compatibility. I guess what's not clear though is whether a small enough set of bands will be available globally so that there could actually be a multi-band LTE phone that will work on every network, or that many phones will be such multi-band LTE phones.

For instance, T-Mobile USA and AT&T operate technologically intercompatible 3G networks on different frequencies (well, the T-Mo one is still in its infancy, but the point still stands). A phone that had all the frequencies could use either network, but few phones like this exist.

[benzslrpee]

isn't the XOHM service already released? i know it's live in a couple of cities up in New England already.

[WildCowboy]

They've been doing limited testing in Chicago, DC, and Baltimore since late last year. But it's supposed to actually launch sometime this month in Baltimore, with Chicago and Washington following by the end of the year. Only promising speeds of 2-4 Mbps at first though.