Archive for: metropcs
The future is coming — for MetroPCS customers anyway. During today’s conference call MetroPCS CEO Roger Linquist stated that the carrier is planning to release VoLTE-capable handsets early next year, and that the accompanying network-level support should begin going live in Q1 2012.
Currently, SMS and MMS services already run over MetroPCS’ LTE service where applicable.
Verizon on the other hand hasn’t mentioned anything more than a vague “next year” when faced with the same question. On that note, VZW has stated that they will be waiting to fully roll out VoLTE capabilities and hardware until their LTE network is more robust. That day could come as early as 2013 with VZW claiming that that will be the year in which their LTE network matches the footprint of their current EV-DO powered 3G network.
Looks like early adopters will have two choices for (widespread) LTE services. While AT&T’s LTE network is finally beginning to hit the public sector, their rollout speed so far looks to be far slower than Verizon’s. Please, AT&T. Surprise us.
Want a snappy LTE device that is more or less the LG Revolution but travels a less traveled path on MetroPCS? You’re in luck. LG is bringing the “Bryce” to MetroPCS in the near future. As previously stated, internal hardware is almost identical to the LG Revolution on VZW, except the Bryce gets newer software — Android 2.3.4 vs. the Revolution’s 2.2 — and 4 GB of internal storage vs. the Revo’s 16 GB. The 4.3″ 800 x 480 display and 1 GHz processor come back for an encore.
Pricing and release date aren’t yet known. For the record, anyway, the last LTE device (Indulge) cost a pretty penny at $399. Hopefully the LG Bryce is a bit more affordable. Then again, considering MetroPCS is a smaller regional carrier, those LTE network build out costs have to be recouped somewhere…
MetroPCS’ claim to fame in the great cellular race was being first out of the gate with LTE in Las Vegas. But plenty has changed since then. You’ve got Verizon working at break-neck pace, building out their own LTE network. Meanwhile Sprint is going “full-stop” with their WiMax interests. And T-Mobile, well, they’re pushing ahead with their sudo-”4G” HSPA+ network. AT&T has some LTE plans too, but they’re far and wide the late kid to the party.
Moving back on topic, residents of Philadelphia and Los Angeles can now surf their MetroPCS-provided waves at LTE speeds. The only small complication for users who might want to actually use said LTE network is that at this time, MetroPCS’ only LTE-capable device is a rather abysmal featurephone. Hopefully they work on that handset selection as their LTE market grows.
In other news: MetroPCS claims to have expanded their 3G network to over 90% of Americans. At the sheer scope and speed they seemed to have done this, an agreement with another friendly CDMA carrier seems like the only valid reasoning.
But hey, at the end of the day MetroPCS customers of more 3G and more LTE. Win-win, right?
- September 22, 2010 6:37 am
Verizon is currently boasting of having LTE live in “30 NFL cities” by years end. AT&T is equally as proud, though admittingly behind Verizon, have stated that they will have some form of LTE network go live mid-way through 2011. However, both Verizon and AT&T have already mentioned that they won’t have any LTE phones in consumers’ hands until 2011 is several months old. With that said, a “little guy” is beating the big guys to market in one big way — LTE hardware.
SprintPCS currently has an operational LTE network in Las Vegas, while Samsung is finally getting around to releasing that RCH-r900 they showed off many months back. In case you missed it, the r900 is a mobile beast. It packs literally every wireless spec you can think of inside it’s tiny body — CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. 0, LTE, AWS band 1700/2100MHz, WiFi, and GPS. The CDMA/LTE/T-Mo loving 1700MHz AWS band is a hot combination that I haven’t seen come on a US-bound phone yet. It should hint that the r900 will be a multi-carrier phone here in the States. (Well…we can hope.) Although, without LTE or any type of 4G tech dropping anytime soon on T-Mo, the luster is sort of lost as it’s “just another phone”…
4G seekers, today we are one step closer to pocketable 4G phones. The FCC has just passed the first such device through their hallowed walls. Operating on the MetroPCS 1700/1900 bands, the Samsung r900 will be the sole LTE handset on the market later this year *fingers crossed* and also feature WiFi and Bluetooth among other things. Unfortunately, for now there aren’t any other specs to wrap our heads around. But seeing as how it will be the first LTE handset, I’d wager that some other pretty high end features will ship standard as well. The sad part will be the wait, but a wait that will be oh so worth it…
- November 20, 2009 1:18 pm
Coming last place can get old after awhile. Perhaps that’s what’s fueling T-Mobile’s motivations to actively search for a new U.S. partner if reports from Reuters are to be believed. Currently ranked 4th out of the “Big 4″ US cellular providers (Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, & T-Mobile), T-Mobile has for some time now been trying to recoup lost ground and push itself ahead of it’s rivals. Part of pushing ahead is expanding the carriers rather weak coverage nationally speaking. Such adventures aren’t cheap mind you as the actual physical motions of adding towers and backhaul capacity are the most expensive upgrades carriers can make. If you’re thinking T-Mobile is looking to purchase another carrier and add to their coverage that quickly, you’ll be disappointed to know that’s not quite how it’s going down. They’re actually looking for another carrier to invest in their network with returns on investments the shining jewel of the partnership. So if T-Mobile really is trying to make new friends, where would they go?
A few possible options include AT&T (as they’re another GSM provider meaning minimal cross network issues), MetroPCS, and ClearWire. Chances of an AT&T partnership while easiest on paper are rather slim. The two largest GSM carriers collaborating has “anti-trust lawsuit” written all over it. Clearwire is…well…Clearwire. It’s pretty neutral. MetroPCS on the other hand while surprising because of their current adoption of CDMA technology isn’t that far from a T-Mo partnership. I mean, they use the 1700MHz band just like T-Mo uses for their 3G network. It is possible. But don’t forget, this isn’t exactly a “take over” partnership that T-Mobile seeks. They merely want someone else to finance a large sum of money now to rapidly build out their network.
Don’t expect anything to happen overnight though. Two unnamed Reuters sources who are familiar with the matter said that while they are anxious to expand the carriers coverage and form new partnerships, there isn’t a big rush and that they are “weighing all of their options”. Overnight success it is not. But further on down the road, T-Mobile could become quite the market dominator. Seem plausible?
Electronista > Reuters
