Carrier Straight talk LTE on AT&T or T-Mobile MNVO?

[chanman]

I am currently using an iphone 5 on straight talk's byod with an ATT compatible sim. Currently, the highest speed you can get with this is "4G" meaning HSPA+. download speeds average 1.5-6mb/s. (I live in an LTE city). Does anybody know when LTE for straight talk will be available? Anybody on straight talk tmobile sim that gets LTE on it? My guess if they were to enable LTE would be next summer, of which ATT plans to cover 300 million americans (99%) of the population with LTE.

**update 5-30-2013** I also want to point out the fact that Sprint lets prepaid carriers such as virgin mobile and cricket use its LTE network. just a thought**

 

[617aircav]

No Lte.

 

[paulbennett95]

MVNOs generally only get leftover HSPA bandwidth while LTE is reserved for people with big name carrier plans. The big 4 sell their extra HSPA bandwidth because most people on the main carriers plans use LTE and the extra HSPA would go to waste.
Yay optimization.

So no, you won't be getting LTE.

 

[osofast240sx]

MVNOs generally only get leftover HSPA bandwidth while LTE is reserved for people with big name carrier plans. The big 4 sell their extra HSPA bandwidth because most people on the main carriers plans use LTE and the extra HSPA would go to waste.
Yay optimization.

So no, you won't be getting LTE.

it does not work like that.

 

[paulbennett95]

it does not work like that.

I'm pretty certain it does, but please provide an alternate explanation?

 

[PsstGreek]

I'm pretty certain it does, but please provide an alternate explanation?

MetroPCS?

 

[osofast240sx]

I'm pretty certain it does, but please provide an alternate explanation?

Regulators forced carriers to offer wholesale access to their network, so mnvo's would create more competition

 

[ross1998]

Regulators forced carriers to offer wholesale access to their network, so mnvo's would create more competition

Not true, atnt doesn't let straight talk use its LTE network

 

[paulbennett95]

Regulators forced carriers to offer wholesale access to their network, so mnvo's would create more competition

That's what I said, you're just saying that regulators forced them to do it rather than the carriers doing it through their own will
Wholesale anything is usually leftover stuff that isn't sold to/used by big companies, in my experience.

 

[osofast240sx]

That's what I said, you're just saying that regulators forced them to do it rather than the carriers doing it through their own will
Wholesale anything is usually leftover stuff that isn't sold to/used by big companies, in my experience.

HSPA/HSPA+ is not leftover network. Most customers are not on LTE, the mnvo's will gain access to LTE to stay competitive. The only way for the carriers to fight back is with their prepaid brand.

 

[paulbennett95]

HSPA/HSPA+ is not leftover network. Most customers are not on LTE, the mnvo's will gain access to LTE to stay competitive. The only way for the carriers to fight back is with their prepaid brand.

If it wasn't leftover, then there would be no bandwidth "left over" for the MVNO customers to use.
Leftover means that its not being used (if it WAS used it wouldn't be left), and if it's not leftover, then there's none to be used by the MVNO customers. Get it?

 

[EstaVidaLoca]

I'm pretty certain it does, but please provide an alternate explanation?

MetroPCS?

MetroPCS was never a MNVO. They had their own towers and network before the merger.

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

MetroPCS was never a MNVO. They had their own towers and network before the merger.

Actually they were a mini-Sprint. Metro PCS technically had their own towers in a select few markets, but outside of that you'd be roaming on a partner network which generally gave you access to calling and basic messaging with little to no data support.

 

[EstaVidaLoca]

Actually they were a mini-Sprint. Metro PCS technically had their own towers in a select few markets, but outside of that you'd be roaming on a partner network which generally gave you access to calling and basic messaging with little to no data support.

A roaming agreement doesn't make them a MNVO. They were a regional carrier nothing more nothing less. I remember when you couldn't leave town with a Metro phone and they didn't even have 3G service until 2009.

 

[Baggio]

If it wasn't leftover, then there would be no bandwidth "left over" for the MVNO customers to use.
Leftover means that its not being used (if it WAS used it wouldn't be left), and if it's not leftover, then there's none to be used by the MVNO customers. Get it?

How is it leftover bandwidth?

Do you realize that anyone who has LTE phone on ATT will use that same HSPA+ network when they make calls and if they are surfing and talking their use the data portion of HSPA+ as well? LTE is data only on ATT.

 

[chanman]

MVNOs generally only get leftover HSPA bandwidth while LTE is reserved for people with big name carrier plans. The big 4 sell their extra HSPA bandwidth because most people on the main carriers plans use LTE and the extra HSPA would go to waste.
Yay optimization.

So no, you won't be getting LTE.

My theory is that since sprint lets virgin mobile and cricket use their LTE networks for prepaid, maybe ATT or Verizon might lease their LTE bands to other carriers. With Verizon completing their first LTE nationwide network this summer and their second network next summer, in 5-6 years, LTE will be a thing of the past, like 3g.

 

[Apple Trees]

Bottom line: You're not getting quality LTE unless you pay for it. Sprint LTE is a joke just like their 3G. It can barely keep up with some of the T-Mobile and AT&T "4G" HSPA+ speedtests I've seen people posting here. If you want LTE, go to Verizon and pay for it.

 

[2298754]

TMo is letting MNVOs use their LTE and HSPA+ networks. Probably because they don't care and they need the extra money. Same with Sprint.

It doesn't look like AT&T will. Why should they let some 3rd party prepaid service take bandwidth away from their loyal customers? AT&T is letting their GoPhone customers use LTE, but again, it's an AT&T-owned prepaid service.

 

[ross1998]

TMo is letting MNVOs use their LTE and HSPA+ networks. Probably because they don't care and they need the extra money. Same with Sprint.

It doesn't look like AT&T will. Why should they let some 3rd party prepaid service take bandwidth away from their loyal customers? AT&T is letting their GoPhone customers use LTE, but again, it's an AT&T-owned prepaid service.

Tmobile let's their mnvo's use their network because tmobile network isn't really crowded with people plus they have great back haul. I really don't know why sprint is letting ots mnvo's use its network since its obviously over crowded and sprint back haul sucks

 

[osofast240sx]

Tmobile let's their mnvo's use their network because tmobile network isn't really crowded with people plus they have great back haul. I really don't know why sprint is letting ots mnvo's use its network since its obviously over crowded and sprint back haul sucks

The carriers have to sell network access at a fair wholesale market value. This includes LTE. This is regulation but they are allowed to compete with mnvo's with a prepaid service.

 

[kevink2]

ATT required a new SIM card to enable LTE even for their existing post paid customers. Isn't it possible that it would also be required in the future for MVNO customers? Making it difficult for customers of ST, for instance, to get LTE support.

 

[aristobrat]

The carriers have to sell network access at a fair wholesale market value. This includes LTE. This is regulation but they are allowed to compete with mnvo's with a prepaid service.

So if they're able to buy it, why aren't the majority of MVNOs offering LTE service?

Is it that the "fair wholesale market value" of LTE is too expensive for them to offer?

 

[shenan1982]

Clearly they're offering it on someone, because their SGS III clearly states 4G LTE on both the white and black versions.

http://www.shopstraighttalk.com/bpd...ction=view&productVariantExtensionId=22665771

The iPhone doesn't show LTE... but it clearly says it on the SGSIII product brief and the details when you open it. Would be interested to hear someone's experience who bought the ST version of the SGSIII.

 

[TheProFTW]

Clearly they're offering it on someone, because their SGS III clearly states 4G LTE on both the white and black versions.

http://www.shopstraighttalk.com/bpd...ction=view&productVariantExtensionId=22665771

The iPhone doesn't show LTE... but it clearly says it on the SGSIII product brief and the details when you open it. Would be interested to hear someone's experience who bought the ST version of the SGSIII.

I'm guessing that's for the T-Mobile sims, not the AT&T ones.

 

[shenan1982]

I'm guessing that's for the T-Mobile sims, not the AT&T ones.

I dug deeper, ATT and TMO are HSPA+, Sprint is LTE on the GSIII.... so basically pointless until Sprint actually builds out a DECENT LTE network. By then the next technology revision will be available for ATT and TMO