Virgin mobile going 4G WiMAX July 2012

[Churner]

Hopefully an extended battery will keep the phone running longer. Reading through the reviews, I'm getting the impression Wimax modems tend to drain battery relatively quickly. I've accepted that we won't be getting LTE-level speeds with Wimax, but it looks like I'll be keeping the Wimax radio turned off when I don't need internet.

Doesn't sound to me like WiMax is worth the battery life hit on any device. I had to jump through the hoops of rooting and using a power-management app on my 3G phone, just to get the battery to last through a single day's usage. I'm not eager to have an Internet capability that drains it even more than the 3G Internet does.

[vmobi]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/6.5.26955/27.1530; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 Version/11.10)

There wil be a new service menu that wil soon be introduced for Virgin Mobile. The plans will be Sprint's VM response to new competition from the other national carriers. Any previous price increases have been hidden with additional features (minutes, text, data). They might now just opt to reintroduce a completely new service menu and devices focusing entirely on 4G WiMax with no data limits while maintaining the 3G network's 2.5Gb speed limit (in fine print). Most of the current Sprint WiMax devices operate on both 3G and 4G networks. This can be prepaids equivalent to Sprint's required smartphone data add-on (fee).

[cookedgoose]

Clearwires coverage runs @2500Mhz and is not all that good. Check their website before breaking out the bubbly.

Now, this is certainly a good deal for all involved as it lets Sprint get in the game with some sort of 4G on prepaid, it allows Clearwire to make use of a dying (like IDEN) network and is good for those who live in a Wi-Max coverage area.

Clearwire was getting something like 5.00 per handset from Sprint. I'd be surprised if the was not some additional fee to use 4G.

Sent from my Infuse 4G

Yeah, I mentioned that a couple of posts back. That high spectrum won't be good for indoor use. It's so bad that Sprint's own website tells you whether Wimax connectivity is good only for outdoor use or good for outdoor and indoor use within specific areas.


I'm more so excited about the fact that this supports the possibility of the Evo 3D heading to VM.

[IsLand_BoY]

I agree, good move on Sprint's part (since they're moving to LTE) and perfect for marketing.

I activated a new line on the old SERO-P plan last year - and boy was I disappointed with WiMAX. Horrendous battery life + poor coverage = you're better off on 3G. However, WHEN there was WiMAX coverage, it worked decently well. It's obviously not going to be bleeding edge tech since it's on prepaid, but I still think it's nice to have the option regardless.

I'm sure they're going to charge a premium for "4G" - can't expect them not to. This isn't exactly a game changer but if they play their cards right, they can still make some money off selling WiMAX service.

The next two years should be interesting in the wireless world. Can't believe Sprint is launching LTE already. Verizon expects to have the largest 4G footprint by summer. T-Mo has the spectrum now (thanks AT&T!) to launch LTE. We'll see how it all turns out.

[Sweeped]

I'm happy it means no more arm6 phones.

[JDubTrey]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/6.5.26955/27.1530; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 Version/11.10)

There wil be a new service menu that wil soon be introduced for Virgin Mobile. The plans will be Sprint's VM response to new competition from the other national carriers. Any previous price increases have been hidden with additional features (minutes, text, data). They might now just opt to reintroduce a completely new service menu and devices focusing entirely on 4G WiMax with no data limits while maintaining the 3G network's 2.5Gb speed limit (in fine print). Most of the current Sprint WiMax devices operate on both 3G and 4G networks. This can be prepaids equivalent to Sprint's required smartphone data add-on (fee).

The success of this will be completely dependent on how they implement the pricing and future phone selection.

I tend to think many Boost and VM users would prefer a) a great 3g-only phone to b) a WiMax phone that incurs an extra surcharge each month. This is prepaid, and users are consciously making the choice to sacrifice a few extras to get a better rate. Sprint postpaid essentially used WiMax as a vehicle to raise prices for everyone 2 years ago. That won't fly on prepaid.

Of course, if they consistently offer high end phones that don't have a surcharge and/or make the 4g surcharge enticing (eg: $5 for WiMax plus 200 extra minutes) it might still go over well.

[cookedgoose]

I'm sure they're going to charge a premium for "4G" - can't expect them not to. This isn't exactly a game changer but if they play their cards right, they can still make some money off selling WiMAX service.

That's going to be a problem for me. If I have to lose my old contract and sign up for a $35/month plan to get Wimax with no additional fees, I'm gone. If they're going to charge $5-10/month on top of my $25 plan or require I pay $5-10/month extra on top of a $35/month plan, then it looks like Straight Talk may be more than just an alternative.

[BadCredit1]

That's going to be a problem for me. If I have to lose my old contract and sign up for a $35/month plan to get Wimax with no additional fees, I'm gone. If they're going to charge $5-10/month on top of my $25 plan or require I pay $5-10/month extra on top of a $35/month plan, then it looks like Straight Talk may be more than just an alternative.

Agreed. I don't know much about wimax, but the way people are talking about it, it's clearly not worth extra money.

Sent from my VM670 using HowardForums

[cookedgoose]

Agreed. I don't know much about wimax, but the way people are talking about it, it's clearly not worth extra money.

Sent from my VM670 using HowardForums

Yep. Both $25/month and $35/month customers especially here on HOFO will find additional additional fees problematic.


We here on HOFO are more aware of our options so $45/month with Straight Talk will only look all the more attractive. Now before someone replies and asks me "What about ST's freedom to kick you off if you use too much data?" do note the chances of that happening aren't really established. So we really can't say whether it's for sure ST would do that if we used more than 5gb a month.


Also, this willingness to seek alternatives will only increase once people see how unstable and slow Wimax can be in many areas. As I mentioned, Wimax is best when you're standing still and outside your building. Those wishing to do light tethering while in coffeeshops or at home could see this as a problem.

[vmobi]

The success of this will be completely dependent on how they implement the pricing and future phone selection.

I tend to think many Boost and VM users would prefer a) a great 3g-only phone to b) a WiMax phone that incurs an extra surcharge each month. This is prepaid, and users are consciously making the choice to sacrifice a few extras to get a better rate. Sprint postpaid essentially used WiMax as a vehicle to raise prices for everyone 2 years ago. That won't fly on prepaid.

Of course, if they consistently offer high end phones that don't have a surcharge and/or make the 4g surcharge enticing (eg: $5 for WiMax plus 200 extra minutes) it might still go over well.

I agree, prepaid users do prefer great phones, that is why so many are opting for high end devices on competing carriers. A really great 3G Sprint phone is one that includes a 4G WiMax radio. I hope VM continues to offfer the $55 Unlimited service option once the new plans are introduced. Even @ $60 for Unlimited Everything Service it is still a bargain for No Contract wireless service.

It seems that the carriers want to transition all subscribers onto 4G service. This Sprint WiMax prepaid initiative might be an indication that Sprint is ahead of schedule with their LTE service. Maybe a Sprint Prepaid LTE device will be available as early as 2013.

Sent from my HTC_A510c using HowardForums

[brachiopoid]

WiMax does not cover my areas, or where I frequently travel, so would not be interested in it at all.

[JDubTrey]

A really great 3G Sprint phone is one that includes a 4G WiMax radio.

Sent from my HTC_A510c using HowardForums

Yep, so in order to satisfy this, they could get a CDMA phone that wasn't on Sprint. They did this with the Wildfire S (I don't think that is on Sprint) and they could do it with the US Cell SGS II or Motorola Electrify (though that would be awkward since Sprint essentially has WiMax versions of both).

Of course, a Sprint Marquee would be 3g only (but some might not consider it an upgrade to the Triumph).

I just don't want to pay more per month to have a better phone. I'll buy the handset as a one time purchase, but after that let me use the same service I've always had. I won't be using WiMax that often anyway.

[rocke86]

The story just went live on Engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/22/v...oost-to-go-4g/

Nothing new they source technobuffalo which sources our "good friends" at pocketnow

[Scottish Skyedance]

Wirelessly posted (HTC Nexus One: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10_5_7; en-us) AppleWebKit/530.17 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Safari/530.17 Skyfire/2.0)

Now an interesting question comes up: Will 100% unlimited available with WiMax?

[GTwannabe]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (Android; Opera Mini/6.5.27452/27.1530; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 Version/11.10)

I'm wondering if I can keep my $25 plan and get a wimax phone... like the rumored evo 3D.

If I can't... then I'm not gonna be happy.

I use clear as my home provider, 4G wimax... and it's great.

If they're smart, they'll create a new "Beyond Talk 4G" plan and require it for 4G phones, rather than just a $5/month tack-on charge.