LTE in Los Angeles

**ericizzy1** · 08-22-2012, 01:56 AM

can anyone report if they are getting LTE in los angeles and if yes in which areas>
thanks

**monkeyal** · 08-22-2012, 02:17 AM

Don't think there's any LTE switched on in LA yet. Check s4gru.com for the latest. Last I checked, there were two 4G LTE towers that had been completed (as of 8/12 or so). Looks like October rollout, maybe late September at the earliest.

**Jaimeg123prmt** · 08-22-2012, 03:46 AM

They better hurry, because I'm tired of my porn buffering.

**Capthowdyy** · 08-22-2012, 04:39 AM

I'm in L.A. & getting LTE everytime I turn on data. Southbay area.

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**Capthowdyy** · 08-22-2012, 11:54 PM

Originally Posted by ercsliberty

can anyone report if they are getting LTE in los angeles and if yes in which areas>
thanks

Have 4g LTE 20 min. S. Of downtown Los Angeles. And it is fast.

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**gameaddict8** · 08-23-2012, 12:23 AM

Originally Posted by Capthowdyy

Have 4g LTE 20 min. S. Of downtown Los Angeles. And it is fast.

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On sprint?

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**Capthowdyy** · 08-23-2012, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by gameaddict8

On sprint?

AT&T

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**gameaddict8** · 08-23-2012, 02:04 AM

Originally Posted by Capthowdyy

AT&T

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I got confused since this is a Sprint GS3 thread.

**Skunkape60** · 08-23-2012, 06:30 AM

People really need to pay attention to which forum they're posting in.

**Jaimeg123prmt** · 08-24-2012, 04:17 AM

On a serious note, how much faster is lte than 4g?

**boomerbubba** · 08-24-2012, 06:56 AM

Originally Posted by garcia_jx

On a serious note, how much faster is lte than 4g?

LTE is 4G. It is a different technology than Wimax 4G, which is what you are calling 4G

LTE speeds will vary widely with signal strength. Sprint advertises 6-8 Mbps with peak speeds of 25 Mbps when the network buildout is completed. At the outset in any area, coverage will be more spotty. What matters is not just peak speeds, but typical speeds over the coverage area. Sprint's ultimate goal is LTE 4G wherever 3G is available today.

**Almeuit** · 08-24-2012, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by Capthowdyy

AT&T

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This is a sprint forum... He isn't asking about other carriers lte lol

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**Jaimeg123prmt** · 08-24-2012, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by boomerbubba

LTE is 4G. It is a different technology than Wimax 4G, which is what you are calling 4G

LTE speeds will vary widely with signal strength. Sprint advertises 6-8 Mbps with peak speeds of 25 Mbps when the network buildout is completed. At the outset in any area, coverage will be more spotty. What matters is not just peak speeds, but typical speeds over the coverage area. Sprint's ultimate goal is LTE 4G wherever 3G is available today.

On the the s2 4g I get up to 12mbs, so I don't see a reason for lte. Plus, I heard it drains your battery. Unlike regular 4g, there is no option to turn it off unless you restart your phone.

**boomerbubba** · 08-24-2012, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by garcia_jx

On the the s2 4g I get up to 12mbs, so I don't see a reason for lte. Plus, I heard it drains your battery. Unlike regular 4g, there is no option to turn it off unless you restart your phone.

Except you don't get 12 Mbps or even 1 Mbps with Wimax where Wimax coverage does not exist. You only get 3G, and Wimax coverage is not being expanded at all. The Sprint LTE network project is architected to provide LTE eventually to just about any place that gets 3G today. It is not optimized for the highest peak speeds, but rather for moderately fast speeds delivered as consistently as possible over a larger coverage area.

If peak speeds for the sake of bragging rights in user forums are the most important thing to you, you would be better off with another carrier's LTE, not Wimax. Also, Wimax will be supported for a few years, but it will go away after 2015. But for real-world use by most people, most users running most mobile apps -- even video streaming -- really can't tell the difference between 6-8 Mbps and 12 Mbps.

As for what you have heard about LTE burning battery, I just don't believe that. I follow this LTE rollout stuff closely, and such a pattern just does not emerge in the testing reports.

**Jaimeg123prmt** · 08-26-2012, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by boomerbubba

If peak speeds for the sake of bragging rights in user forums are the most important thing to you, you would be better off with another carrier's LTE, not Wimax. Also, Wimax will be supported for a few years, but it will go away after 2015. But for real-world use by most people, most users running most mobile apps -- even video streaming -- really can't tell the difference between 6-8 Mbps and 12 Mbps.

Is not bragging rights. I am simply just pointing it out. I just do not want to go back to having my videos buffer every second. Honestly, I do an abundance amount of video streaming on my phone (from watching videos on ign, youtube, yahoo, tv links, and movie2k). It is pretty frustrating to try to watch a video and for it to buffer all the time or for the video to be unplayable.

**boomerbubba** · 08-26-2012, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by garcia_jx

Is not bragging rights. I am simply just pointing it out. I just do not want to go back to having my videos buffer every second. Honestly, I do an abundance amount of video streaming on my phone (from watching videos on ign, youtube, yahoo, tv links, and movie2k). It is pretty frustrating to try to watch a video and for it to buffer all the time or for the video to be unplayable.

I agree that video buffering is frustrating. I don't agree that you need at least 12 Mbps download to avoid buffering. A steady 2 Mbps should be sufficient for that. Your bad streaming experience was probably occurring on 3G service, and that can be pretty bad with Sprint's overburdened legacy 3G network. The 3G speeds should also improve, BTW, with the new network rebuild.

I also don't agree that 12 Mbps is the typical performance with Wimax. I get no Wimax service at home, and until recently I used my Epic 4G on Wimax at the office -- usually between 500 kbps and 4 Mbps.

**Almeuit** · 08-26-2012, 07:16 PM

Originally Posted by boomerbubba

I agree that video buffering is frustrating. I don't agree that you need at least 12 Mbps download to avoid buffering. A steady 2 Mbps should be sufficient for that. Your bad streaming experience was probably occurring on 3G service, and that can be pretty bad with Sprint's overburdened legacy 3G network. The 3G speeds should also improve, BTW, with the new network rebuild.

I also don't agree that 12 Mbps is the typical performance with Wimax. I get no Wimax service at home, and until recently I used my Epic 4G on Wimax at the office -- usually between 500 kbps and 4 Mbps.

I can say in Jacksonville FL either at home or the office I got avg. 8+ Mbit on wimax when I had my galaxy s2.

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**Jaimeg123prmt** · 08-26-2012, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by Almeuit

I can say in Jacksonville FL either at home or the office I got avg. 8+ Mbit on wimax when I had my galaxy s2.

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Same here. I live in the Los Angeles metro area--Bellflower to be exact. It's crazy, because my 3g is just plain awful (less than 1 mbs). My 4g, however, is super fast.