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Apple and AT&T Team Up to Improve Cellular Service in Puerto Rico With LTE Band 8 Activation

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Apple and AT&T have been working together to improve cellular connectivity for iPhone users in Puerto Rico who have been largely without cellular service since Hurricane Maria hit a month ago.

The two companies are enabling LTE Band 8, a provisional LTE band that's been approved but not activated or licensed in the United States or Puerto Rico, reports TechCrunch.

iphone8gold-800x522.jpg

LTE Band 8 will work with the iPhone 5c and up on iOS 10 or higher in Puerto Rico following a carrier update. Band 8 is a 900Mhz band with improved range to better reach cell towers that are located further away.
"We are working with AT&T to activate cellular service for iPhone users in Puerto Rico as the island recovers from Hurricane Maria," read an Apple statement. "Apple engineers have created a special carrier settings update which users connected to Wi-Fi or who are connected to a cellular network will automatically be prompted to download throughout the week. The update allows iPhone customers with iPhone 5c and later models running iOS 10 or higher, to connect to a provisional band on the AT&T network so they can be in touch with loved ones and get services in this time of need."
Click to expand...
iPhone owners in Puerto Rico will need to go to Settings --> General --> About when connected to Wi-Fi or cellular to download the carrier update.

Once the new carrier data has been installed, iPhones will be able to use Band 8 where available to connect to cellular towers and Project Loon balloons being deployed by Google to improve cellular service in Puerto Rico.

Project Loon balloons support basic communication and internet activities for sending text messaging and accessing information online over LTE.

projectloonballoon-800x534.jpg

Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria on September 20, much of Puerto Rico continues to be without power, and millions are also without running water. Many areas are also without cellular service and Wi-Fi connectivity with up to 75 percent of antennas currently down, making it difficult for families to stay in touch.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple and AT&T Team Up to Improve Cellular Service in Puerto Rico With LTE Band 8 Activation
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/10/20/att-apple-puerto-rico-lte-band-8/
Nice did the update. Getting 1.4- 2mb IDK what band I'm using of course.
If it wasn't for this post I wouldn't know I needed to go to the about section. The download was automatic once I got there.
Appreciate it MR!
[doublepost=1508543512][/doublepost]
macTW said:
NorCal could use project loon too. Much of the infrastructure near the fires has fallen or burned.
Click to expand...
I believe project loon was tested originally in PR a few years ago.
 
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Very interesting to watch this work. This is Project Loon’s first clustering project, and it could be revolutionary if it works well.
 
Carlanga said:
Nice did the update. Getting 1.4- 2mb IDK what band I'm using of course.
If it wasn't for this post I wouldn't know I needed to go to the about section. The download was automatic once I got there.
[doublepost=1508543512][/doublepost]
I believe project loon was tested originally in PR a few years ago.
Click to expand...
They deployed and covered but didn’t use their algorithms to cluster over a location as specific as the island.

But I know many who need service in California. It’d be interesting to see dual deployments, if possible.
 
macTW said:
They deployed and covered but didn’t use their algorithms to cluster over a location as specific as the island.

But I know many who need service in California. It’d be interesting to see dual deployments, if possible.
Click to expand...
What I'm saying is that they tested them prototypes originally in PR AFAIK.
But yes the balloons were all over the place the next day after they deployed them here in PR after they got approved post hurricane Maria.
 
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Does anyone knowledgeable know why this could not be implemented on android phone too?
 
I went to church yesterday. We had some doctors in Puerto Rico, they went there to assist. They say the situation is terrible. They were supposed to come back yesterday but the plane was filled with people injured (a big plane) and they had to stay. The emergency power plants of the airport stopped working yesterday too. Those plants are meant to work for a few days or a few weeks. The airport has no power and they were left in the dark. They say FEMA has not being around that area. They are the only doctors to arrive. They do not know what they are going to do or when they are coming back. No power, no communications...
 
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wikiverse said:
Private companies co-operating to benefit people where the Government has failed.

'Evil Capitalism' at work again.
Click to expand...

The government did not really fail, It was the truck drivers.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/30/news/teamsters-union-puerto-rico-hurricane-maria/index.html

Relief workers haven't been able to distribute the goods, in part because only about 20% of Puerto Rico's truck drivers have reported back to work since Hurricane Maria swept through, according to a representative for Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló.

That's why the mayor was standing in front a mountain of pallets of supplies the government took in and lying.
 
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Is this a band only found in iPhones but not available in other phones powered by android?
 
Michaelgtrusa said:
AT&T shocks me with this effort considering how poor their home internet service is. I'll be watching this one and hope for the best.
Click to expand...

You must not have AT&T Fiber. I’ve had it for over two years now and it’s fantastic. Not a single outage in over two years and I routinely have >900 Mbps up and down. All for $70/month. Can’t beat it, in my opinion. Of course, the footprint of AT&T Fiber is much, much smaller than AT&T’s much slower service. As for the $20/month service AT&T offers, that is garbage.
 
sevvere said:
Is this a band only found in iPhones but not available in other phones powered by android?
Click to expand...

there are most likely other phones that support the band. the issue with android phones is that the hardware and software is very fragmented. this means each manufacturer would have to coordinate this for each of their phone models. its the same reason why when google releases a new android version every phone gets it a a different time.

apple does more of their stuff in house and has way more control over the hardware and software so its easy for them to do this on a large scale.

in short, on a technical level im sure there are plenty of phones out there that are capable but its up to the companies to consider the cost of rolling something like this out.
 
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MacRumors said:



Apple and AT&T have been working together to improve cellular connectivity for iPhone users in Puerto Rico who have been largely without cellular service since Hurricane Maria hit a month ago.

The two companies are enabling LTE Band 8, a provisional LTE band that's been approved but not activated or licensed in the United States or Puerto Rico, reports TechCrunch.

iphone8gold-800x522.jpg

LTE Band 8 will work with the iPhone 5c and up on iOS 10 or higher in Puerto Rico following a carrier update. Band 8 is a 900Mhz band with improved range to better reach cell towers that are located further away.iPhone owners in Puerto Rico will need to go to Settings --> General --> About when connected to Wi-Fi or cellular to download the carrier update.

Once the new carrier data has been installed, iPhones will be able to use Band 8 where available to connect to cellular towers and Project Loon balloons being deployed by Google to improve cellular service in Puerto Rico.

Project Loon balloons support basic communication and internet activities for sending text messaging and accessing information online over LTE.

projectloonballoon-800x534.jpg

Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria on September 20, much of Puerto Rico continues to be without power, and millions are also without running water. Many areas are also without cellular service and Wi-Fi connectivity with up to 75 percent of antennas currently down, making it difficult for families to stay in touch.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple and AT&T Team Up to Improve Cellular Service in Puerto Rico With LTE Band 8 Activation
Click to expand...

Am I the only one who completely forgot that the iPhone 5c every existed? What a stupid device.
 
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I'm guessing the carrier update came with iOS 11.1 beta 4 because I don't have one pending to install when I go to About?

What version are ya'll who got the update seeing? I'm on AT&T 30.0.

Not that it matters as I'm not in PR, just curious.
 
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i love seeing this kind of initiative and cooperation between 2 of the greatest corporate giants on the planet.

has anyone seen any kind of more detailed time line for when it might be actually be able to used by people in the need on the ground?
 
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Sad to see this turn into a political fight. For those against helping Puerto Rico, what is your other choice, an independent Puerto Rico? As long as Puerto Rico is a US territory the US has a responsibility to it and its citizens, regardless of mayors or governors. To have a president who only seems to be willing to help states that voted for him is a disgrace. Good to see that private citizens are stepping up to help when the administration is refusing to do for racial, cultural or whatever grudge the president has.
 
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