Sprint? Wimax,LTE?
 

While back i asked Gten on another thread about this which he made clear to me but now im starting to see more post on how Sprint is gonna leave wimax and go with LTE others say Sprint is going to stick with Wimax that maybe in a couple years they will go with LTE

SO is sprint gonna stop using Wimax

1. Yes, NO?
2. If so when?
3. Why?
4.Whats gonna happen with the phones we have now that work on wimax?

They have phones that havent been released yet that are going to be released with Wimax i.e. Samsung Nexus S, Samsung Galaxy S2, Evo 3d etc...

Im planning on getting the Galaxy S2 but if sprint is going to change to LTE i dont want to purchase a brand new phone then 2 months later the network it runs on be turned off

TIA

Re: Sprint? Wimax,LTE?
 

so after many views at this post anyone have any input?

Re: Sprint? Wimax,LTE?
 

Since Sprint hasn't officially announced anything yet, everything you'll see on this topic is purely speculation.

If your looking for Speculation, I would like to think that whatever Sprint will be selling you today they will be supporting it for the very least the length of your existing contract with them. So if you bought an EVO 3D from them in June 2011, WiMax will be left on till June 2013. Now Sprint can always allow for early upgrades if you have a WiMax phone and they really want to terminate WiMax technology sooner.

It was my understanding though that WiMax and LTE can be on simultaneously, so Sprint could pick a date say June 1, 2015 when it will stop supporting WiMax and only support LTE. You also could use iDEN as an example, to get a feel what Sprint could wind up doing with WiMax--IF they choose to kill that network and move on.

Again all these thoughts are purely speculation which is probably why no one else wants to touch this topic, I'm just too stupid to leave well enough alone!

Re: Sprint? Wimax,LTE?
 

thanks for replying

When you say Stop supporting it does that automatically mean they will shut it down or will they treat it like they do the IDEN they still have it on but they dont do any support on it

I just dont want to purchase a phone were i get a suprised notification saying that the network my phone runs on is no longer going to be on making my phone in to a big media player only and drastically messing up the resale value

Re: Sprint? Wimax,LTE?
 

I think it is safe to assume that if they change to LTL, it won't be anytime soon. I wouls also assume Sprint will give perks to those with outdated devices (due to the switch) to get updated devices.

The also came to Terms with their 4G provider Clear, and they are constantly pushing for new 4G devices to their portfolio so you should be good for a while.

Just my opinion. Hope that helps.

Re: Sprint? Wimax,LTE?
 

From what people are saying..next gen wimax devices will have hybrid cjips that support both LTE and wimax...either way I see no reason to shut wimax off..

Let put it into perspective...Sprint runs wimax in 10mhz blocks of spectrum...x3 for heavy populace places...thats 30mhz spectrum in heavy areas for more quantity.

Now lets assume they double that for LTE and use 60mhz of spectrum total...that makes a total of 90 mhz used by running both..they still would have 60mhz unused spectrum...sprint has a HUGE 150mhz of spectrum in the 2.5mhz band...there is really zero reason for them to cut wimax off...

And if they do cut it off for whatever reason they will most likely offer a replacement phone for those effected...as stated..

Re: Sprint? Wimax,LTE?
 

Sprint made an announcement back in 2005 saying that they would keep iDEN running to at LEAST 2007, in December 2010 announcing that finally it's shutting it down in 2013 for good. That's some pretty good notice giving...

I got two thoughts of reasoning here, one don't forget about the 3G radio as well. If Sprint did turn off WiMax (4G) the other radio will still work. However, it would be a PR nightmare if Sprint screwed over that many people and just turned off WiMax before your hardware became obsolete, plus the lawsuits alone wouldn't be worth all that trouble. If and when I finally upgrade to a WiMax phone, I'll probably leave the 4G off most of the time as it kills the battery faster then 3G alone. If I'm stuck somewhere bored off my a$$, I might turn on the 4G radio here and there in certain circumstances.

The second school of thought is, if they did turn off 4G you should be able to get a significantly discounted phone of equal or lessor then the value you currently have. Just remember this though, pay attention to when Sprint stops selling 4G phones, not when they stop becoming available. I can see eBay or Craigslist selling the EVO 3D off contract for $49.99 new in box, the day before Sprint flips the WiMax switch off.

I'm betting the only way you're going to get burned is if LTE is SOOOO much better then WiMax and you are stuck with JUST WiMax until your next upgrade, whenever that is--"oh the humanity"!!! :)

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Thanks to all of you who replied ill remember tomorrow to hit the thanks button since I'm on mobile right now

I had completely forgotten about the 3g radio and that the phone works completely as it should without even having the 4g radio on
3g radio is on 98% of the time
4g I only turned it on here and there
Didn't even think about that at all as I'm typing the phone is using 3g so the phone would not become just a media player as I had stated earlier. Thanks again