Spark 4G update 2014...

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418 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1202303 22-Dec-2014 19:09

I personally dont think they are anywhere near to overtaking their rivals outside of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Hamilton is a good example .....

based on 1800Mhz the frequency that most current 4G devices work on they have 2??? sites, I am not sure you can even call that a network!

vs voda and 2deg 25ish.... each

come on spark stop blowing hot air!

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer

andrewcnz

961 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1202401 23-Dec-2014 07:29

hyperman: I personally dont think they are anywhere near to overtaking their rivals outside of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Hamilton is a good example .....

based on 1800Mhz the frequency that most current 4G devices work on they have 2??? sites, I am not sure you can even call that a network!

vs voda and 2deg 25ish.... each

come on spark stop blowing hot air!

Must admit it looks like Tauranga has the same issue. The other networks have 4G 1800 and Spark has 4G 700. So how many Spark customers will see 4G at the Mount this year? Very few I would say. I would at least thought they would have had 4G 1800 in the main CBD/shopping areas.

http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/89645-added-spark-summer.html

Behodar

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#1202404 23-Dec-2014 07:44

It does depend on your area though; Whakatane has Spark 1800 but nothing from Voda/2D. There are probably other towns where the same is true, as well as where the reverse is true. You need to look at the network as a whole rather than doing it area by area.

coffeebaron

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#1202419 23-Dec-2014 08:05

Behodar: It does depend on your area though; Whakatane has Spark 1800 but nothing from Voda/2D. There are probably other towns where the same is true, as well as where the reverse is true. You need to look at the network as a whole rather than doing it area by area.

I fairly sure Vodafone have some 4G in Whakatane too.

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Behodar

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#1202420 23-Dec-2014 08:06

Ah. There's nothing on the coverage map (aside from a little spillover on the hillside) but I don't have a Vodafone SIM to test it.

Stan

929 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#1202423 23-Dec-2014 08:09

hyperman: I personally dont think they are anywhere near to overtaking their rivals outside of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Hamilton is a good example .....

based on 1800Mhz the frequency that most current 4G devices work on they have 2??? sites, I am not sure you can even call that a network!

vs voda and 2deg 25ish.... each

come on spark stop blowing hot air!

They have much better coverage in the waikato area if you have a band 28 phone the other 2 networks coverage is pathetic in comparison.

andrewcnz

961 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1202426 23-Dec-2014 08:13

Behodar: It does depend on your area though; Whakatane has Spark 1800 but nothing from Voda/2D. There are probably other towns where the same is true, as well as where the reverse is true. You need to look at the network as a whole rather than doing it area by area.

Vodafone have licences for two 1800 site's in Whakatane and one in Thornton so far. Things are moving on the 4G front.

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andrewcnz

961 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1202428 23-Dec-2014 08:18

Stan:
hyperman: I personally dont think they are anywhere near to overtaking their rivals outside of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Hamilton is a good example .....

based on 1800Mhz the frequency that most current 4G devices work on they have 2??? sites, I am not sure you can even call that a network!

vs voda and 2deg 25ish.... each

come on spark stop blowing hot air!

They have much better coverage in the waikato area if you have a band 28 phone the other 2 networks coverage is pathetic in comparison.

Would agree but I would at least thought having some 1800(Band 3) coverage in town centers to cater for existing customers. I note Vodafone have 700/1800 on many new sites.

surfisup1000

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#1202430 23-Dec-2014 08:23

Spark are waiting for 5g so that they can rollout 4g cheaply.

andrewcnz

961 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1202431 23-Dec-2014 08:27

Rotorua has 4G 1800 in the town/residential area's and 4G 700 in the sites in the surrounding areas. I would have thought Hamilton and Tauranga would have been done the same way.

Stan

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Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1202441 23-Dec-2014 08:51

I prefer the way spark has done there rollout to be honest, I get better indoor 4g coverage than my friends on Vodafone and 2 degrees.

Batman

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#1202554 23-Dec-2014 11:07

will Spark roll out band 28 in urban areas that already have 1800 (??) 4G?

thanks

need to know if i need i new phone

gajan

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#1202958 23-Dec-2014 22:28

joker97: will Spark roll out band 28 in urban areas that already have 1800 (??) 4G?

thanks

need to know if i need i new phone

Eventually we'll end up having 4G operating on most, if not all of our spectrum. L700 in urban deployments provides excellent coverage, with L1800/L2600 providing capacity. For now we are focussing on extending our 4G coverage into new areas - the team has been flat out on this.

Should you buy a new Phone? The adoption rate of Band28 in devices is far faster than we have seen with any previous band / technology requirement in the industry. So things will trickle down to all devices at various price points.

The other consideration with 'newer' 4G phones is the inclusion of Cat4 (150Mbps) vs. Cat3 (100Mbps) capability, with which all of the Spark 4G sites support the faster Cat4 - which does provide a speed enhancement.

My comments and remarks are not necessarily of my employer.

andrewcnz

961 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1202961 23-Dec-2014 22:37

Have not seen a flood of entry level 4G devices with LTE Band 28 yet. Maybe next Christmas...

coffeebaron

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#1203000 24-Dec-2014 07:39

joker97: will Spark roll out band 28 in urban areas that already have 1800 (??) 4G?

thanks

need to know if i need i new phone

Vodafone have a few sites already that are tri-carrier 700/1800/2600 in the city. These support CAT6 with carrier aggregation. I guess ultimately this will become the norm over time. There is even the possibility of LTE over 900Mhz, so a lot of possibilities to come :)

Rural IT and Broadband support.

Need help in Auckland, Waikato or BoP? Click my email button, or email me direct: [my user name] at geekzonemail dot com

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