Sprint 4G LTE finally in Cedar Rapids

[cyfanatic]

Wow, only took them three years longer than they said it would take. I even went through a two year contract with Sprint starting in 2010 in which they told me that 4G would be in CR by summer 2011. That contract expired a year before they finally got 4G in CR, and I gladly became a Verizon customer.

For those of you thinking switching to Sprint is worth it - don't do it. It truly sucks compared to Verizon. I would much rather pay $90/month for a smart phone that can actually live up to its capabilities on the network compared to $75 for a smart phone on Sprint that is almost worthless when you're not on wifi.

That might be and to each his own...but I have been a happy customer of Sprint for a long time! Few problems...although Sprint gave me a "mini" cell tower that connects to my internet (which is pretty cool) and my phone works awesome at home. And I don't use it at work so I really have to say that I enjoy saving the extra money that Sprint allows me to save...

 

[cyfanatic]

We live in a bedroom community of Cedar Rapids so while Sprint coverage did extend to our community it wasn't as strong at Sprint promised when we moved there...so they gave us this for free (they offered, I never asked):

Sprint AIRAVE Wireless In-Home Signal Booster for Voice & Data

 

[cytech]

4G in Cedar Rapids seems to be in testing still...I had 4G near the Westdale Mall area this morning on my way to work. The only area in Cedar Rapids that I have noticed that seems like 4G is always on is on the I380 area south half of the city.

They have turned on 3 more towers in CR since I last posted in this thread. One near Blairsferry and Lindale Dr,

One at Williams blvd and edgewood rd and rogers road and edgewood road.

They have also turned on towers in Iowa City, Waterloo, and the Quad Cities. It also appears most of 80 between IC and Des Moines is covered now.

Sprint is doing their upgrade differently than ATT and Tmobile. ATT and Tmobile are turning on a few towers in the heart of cities saying the market is on then moving on to the next city. This ignores most of the rural areas. They do have HSPA+ to fill in the gaps where they don't have LTE though.

While Sprint is taking the Verizon approach and upgrading every single tower when they go through an area. This is why Sprints 4G network now covers more area than ATT's. While ATT claims to cover more population. Though that claim is not really true.

 

[cyfanatic]

They have turned on 3 more towers in CR since I last posted in this thread. One near Blairsferry and Lindale Dr,

One at Williams blvd and edgewood rd and rogers road and edgewood road.

They have also turned on towers in Iowa City, Waterloo, and the Quad Cities. It also appears most of 80 between IC and Des Moines is covered now.

Sprint is doing their upgrade differently than ATT and Tmobile. ATT and Tmobile are turning on a few towers in the heart of cities saying the market is on then moving on to the next city. This ignores most of the rural areas. They do have HSPA+ to fill in the gaps where they don't have LTE though.

While Sprint is taking the Verizon approach and upgrading every single tower when they go through an area. This is why Sprints 4G network now covers more area than ATT's. While ATT claims to cover more population. Though that claim is not really true.

Don't know if you would know this...but how big of an area does one typical tower serve? How many towers for a company would be located in Cedar Rapids? I have always wondered how far a tower would reach when I see one out in the middle of nowhere.

 

[cytech]

I don't really know that, but it seems that in town here the towers are putting out a 2-3 mile radius. Once Sprint deploys 800 mhz data next year they will get more coverage out of the towers.

 

[aeroclone]

Don't know if you would know this...but how big of an area does one typical tower serve? How many towers for a company would be located in Cedar Rapids? I have always wondered how far a tower would reach when I see one out in the middle of nowhere.

The area covered by a tower can vary based on the type of tower, and then surrounding structures and geography. In an urban area, they may be 1 to 2 miles apart. They can be closer, but that would likely be more due to capacity issues than coverage. It looks like there are about 16 towers covering Cedar Rapids. In a rural area, like along the interstate, you may see towers farther apart, like around 8 to 10 miles, possibly more.

 

[jbhtexas]

If you are into this sort of thing, there is an android app called SignalCheck (pro and lite versions) that will give some nice additional info about the tower you are connected to.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blueline.signalcheck&hl=en

 

[cyfanatic]

If you are into this sort of thing, there is an android app called SignalCheck (pro and lite versions) that will give some nice additional info about the tower you are connected to.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blueline.signalcheck&hl=en

Cool...thanks!

 

[2020cy]

Sprint better get their crap together, tired of paying for a smart phone that is basicly worthless without WIFI.

 

[cytech]

Sprint better get their crap together, tired of paying for a smart phone that is basicly worthless without WIFI.

I was in the same place as you not that long ago, the upgrade has been nice. I look forward to the upcoming 800 Mhz and the 2500 Mhz additions to LTE. Over the next year or 2 to improve it even more.