What is Sprint's "Network Vision" ??
Sprint Newsroom | Sprint Network Vision Information Center
Network Vision, originally announced in December 2010, is Sprint?s plan to consolidate multiple network technologies into one seamless network with the goal of increasing efficiency and enhancing network coverage, call quality and data speeds for customers across the United States.
On Oct. 7, 2011, Sprint announced its plans to accelerate deployment of Network Vision and its plans to roll out 4G LTE on its 1.9 GHz licensed spectrum. Sprint expects the rapid deployment to reach 250 million people by the end of 2013.
Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO
?Our progress deploying Network Vision enables Sprint to extend and evolve our 4G leadership and to improve the experience for 3G customers. Our next-generation network and cutting-edge device lineup, combined with the industry?s best pricing plans, give Sprint customers the best experience in wireless.?
Current vs. New cell site
Today, Sprint uses separate equipment to deploy services on 800 MHz and 1.9 GHz spectrum. Through Network Vision Sprint will install new network equipment and software that brings together multiple spectrum bands, or airwaves, on a single, multimode base station. The new equipment makes it easy to accommodate additional spectrum bands.
With Network Vision, Sprint will make substantial changes to the cell sites that power its wireless network. The top image shows Sprint?s existing base stations, which require single, refrigerator-sized cabinets for each technology. Large black coaxial cables must run from each cabinet to the top of the cell tower, which has an inherent loss of signal. The Network Vision multi-mode base station will require less space. Other advantages will include the ability for Sprint to use spectrum bands on multiple technologies, replacing coaxial cables with fiber that is not affected by signal loss and improved remote radio heads that replace existing less efficient radios.
Multi-mode technology
The implementation of multimode technology throughout the Sprint network will:
? Enhance service
? Create network flexibility
? Reduce operating costs
? Improve environmental sustainability
? Berge Ayvazian, Senior Consultant, Heavy Reading
?This is a very bold move. Sprint was first with an all-digital wireless network; the first to upgrade to EVDO; and more recently, the first to broadly offer 4G services. Sprint is once again first to deploy a common converged mobile network that will strengthen its 3G services; enhance its 4G technology options; and continue delivering the industry?s leading push-to-talk offering.? -- December, 2010
Network Vision Progress: Sprint and its Network Vision partners, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Samsung are executing detailed deployment plans, with deployment of 22,000 cell sites currently underway and many technical milestones achieved.
Roll-out of LTE on 1.9 GHz spectrum: Sprint will extend its 4G leadership position in the U.S. by adding LTE technology to enhance its current 4G offerings, with plans to launch LTE on its existing 1.9 GHz spectrum by mid-year of 2012. Sprint expects its 4G coverage footprint to cover 250 million people when the build-out is completed by the end of 2013.
Sprint Direct Connect: On October 2, Sprint launched Sprint Direct Connect, the next generation of push-to-talk service with broadband data capabilities. Operating on the CDMA network, we expect Sprint Direct Connect to give customers 3x greater coverage?from 900,000 square miles to approximately 2.7 million - a broader lineup of devices including smartphones, and all the benefits associated with broadband capabilities.
3G Network Improvement: Sprint expects a significant improvement in customers? 3G network experience, including expanded coverage, improved network reliability, better voice quality, and faster 3G data speeds. Based on forecasts of data demand, Sprint is confident its 3G network will meet customers? growing data demands.
Financial benefit to Sprint
? Sprint expects the Network Vision plan to bring financial benefit to the company.
? This is to come from reducing operating costs and also by avoiding future expenses as wireless data traffic continues to grow.
? The total estimated incremental cost of the Network Vision program over the deployment period is between $4 billion and $5 billion.
? Sprint estimates the total net financial benefit over a seven-year period will be between $10 billion and $11 billion.
? Cost savings are expected to come from capital efficiencies, reducing energy costs, lowering roaming expenses, backhaul savings and the eventual reduction in the total number of cell sites.
EV-DO Advanced, while offering operators a way to improve network performance via a software upgrade, doesn't address peak download speeds. It does, however, improve overall network capacity and latency through techniques such as load balancing, adaptive frequency reuse and single-carrier multilink. Moreover, the upgrade is compatible with existing Rev. A devices.
1X Advanced builds on 1X technology and adds techniques such as BTS interference cancellation, radio link enhancements and others to provide boosts to performance including up to a 4x increase in voice capacity and up to a 70% increase in coverage.
Sprint -- LTE-Advanced, FD-LTE + TD-LTE, VoLTE, HD Voice
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkOIQT3-J8g[/YT]
Uploaded by ConvergeDigest on
Oct 31, 2011
Iyad Tarazi, Sprint's VP of Network Development and Engineering, discusses the company's Network Vision, including:
* Phase 1 of the LTE rollout now and into 2012
* Phase 2 with LTE-Advanced, including 4x4 MIMO, in 2013
* Extending the Clearwire partnership by running FD-LTE alongside TD-LTE using dual mode devices
* Voice over LTE and the HD voice over the CDMA network