Seeking info about sprint wireless broadband services

I currently use nextel's packet stream gold service... connection
speed is equivalent to slow dialup (14.4 kbps), but price is
reasonable ($55/mo unlimited use). My contract is about up and i'm
considering alternatives ... how is sprint's broadband wireless? ( I
understand its $80/mo unlimited in my area. What sort of download
speeds are you getting with it? Is latency or dropped packets a
significant problem? other pro/con's to it? Can it be bundled with
voice for any significant savings? I use cingular 1000 anytime w/
rollover for $40/mo and that contract is also about over.

Thanks in advance for any useful replies.

So Calif user.

> I currently use nextel's packet stream gold service... connection
> speed is equivalent to slow dialup (14.4 kbps), but price is
> reasonable ($55/mo unlimited use). My contract is about up and i'm
> considering alternatives ... how is sprint's broadband wireless? ( I
> understand its $80/mo unlimited in my area. What sort of download
> speeds are you getting with it? Is latency or dropped packets a
> significant problem? other pro/con's to it? Can it be bundled with
> voice for any significant savings? I use cingular 1000 anytime w/
> rollover for $40/mo and that contract is also about over.
>
> Thanks in advance for any useful replies.
>
> So Calif user.rr

I use it extensively around Florida, very good coverage here. Speeds are
variable depending on where you are, it seems some areas support a higher
speed connection than others. Around Orlando, for example, I have
downloaded files off the corporate server and have seen transfer rates of
8-11 kbytes/sec, call if 88kbs of you like. In other areas, transfer rates
are closer closer to dialup, again as measured via FTP.

I wouldn't recommend any such thing. Sprint started up its Ion service, and
then pulled the plug, leaving thousands of customers holding the bag.

"CAT0NHAT" <cat0nhat@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20031031170737.07536.00000081@mb-m19.aol.com...
> I wouldn't recommend any such thing. Sprint started up its Ion service,
and
> then pulled the plug, leaving thousands of customers holding the bag.

Holding what bag Phillipe? Were the customers out any $$$?

Maybe SPCS stopped offering ION as it wasn't all that wanted in the market?

Bob

There usirsclt@earthlink.net goes, shamelessly apologizing for Sprint.


>> I wouldn't recommend any such thing. Sprint
>> started up its Ion service, and
>> then pulled the plug, leaving thousands of
>> customers holding the bag.

> Holding what bag Phillipe?
> Were the customers out any $$$?


absolutely. hardware costs, and then lack of service, dsl is not replaced
overnight. Check it out in Google.
Might be nice if you knew about Ion before you started apologizing for Sprint
(not SprintPCS)


================

From someone luckier than others at it was cancelled ahead of time:

Dear Sprint ION Customer:

You are currently scheduled for Sprint ION installation. We regret to inform
you that we are canceling your installation. The current environment now makes
it prohibitive for Sprint to continue to deliver Sprint ION services;
therefore, Sprint has sought approval from the federal and state regulators to
discontinue offering Sprint ION service, and plans to do so immediately upon
obtaining that approval.

We will continue to provide high speed data and long distance service; however,
we will no longer be able to provide local service to your business.

Over the next two weeks, we will provide you with pertinent information about
your service and migration options. Our intention is to make your transition
process as easy as possible. Our future communications will answer any
questions you may have. In the meantime, we suggest that you plan to continue
with your current local service provider. We hope to have the opportunity to
continue to serve your high speed data and long distance needs and will be
providing you with details of our very competitive plans, which will still be
offered to all customers.

If you would like to speak with one of our customer care representatives,
please call 1-8-SPRINT-ION (1-877-746-8466).

We appreciate your business and look forward to continuing to serve your high
speed data and long-distance needs.

"DSL GURU" <dslguru@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20031101091524.16137.00000043@mb-m29.aol.com...
> There usirsclt@earthlink.net goes, shamelessly apologizing for Sprint.
>
>
> >> I wouldn't recommend any such thing. Sprint
> >> started up its Ion service, and
> >> then pulled the plug, leaving thousands of
> >> customers holding the bag.
>
> > Holding what bag Phillipe?
> > Were the customers out any $$$?
>
>
> absolutely. hardware costs, and then lack of service, dsl is not replaced
> overnight. Check it out in Google.
> Might be nice if you knew about Ion before you started apologizing for
Sprint
> (not SprintPCS)
>
I wasn't apologizing for Sprint. I asked some questions. I was looking into
going with the ION program, but it was cancelled a month or two before
service was set to start in Charlotte.

As to hardware costs, what hardware costs? I don't remember any requirement
to purchase any hardware in the promotion. In doing a google seach on
Sprint, ION and complaints, I didn't see where anyone was complaining about
hardware costs.

Bob

>
> ================
>
> From someone luckier than others at it was cancelled ahead of time:
>
> Dear Sprint ION Customer:
>
> You are currently scheduled for Sprint ION installation. We regret to
inform
> you that we are canceling your installation. The current environment now
makes
> it prohibitive for Sprint to continue to deliver Sprint ION services;
> therefore, Sprint has sought approval from the federal and state
regulators to
> discontinue offering Sprint ION service, and plans to do so immediately
upon
> obtaining that approval.
>
> We will continue to provide high speed data and long distance service;
however,
> we will no longer be able to provide local service to your business.
>
> Over the next two weeks, we will provide you with pertinent information
about
> your service and migration options. Our intention is to make your
transition
> process as easy as possible. Our future communications will answer any
> questions you may have. In the meantime, we suggest that you plan to
continue
> with your current local service provider. We hope to have the opportunity
to
> continue to serve your high speed data and long distance needs and will
be
> providing you with details of our very competitive plans, which will still
be
> offered to all customers.
>
> If you would like to speak with one of our customer care representatives,
> please call 1-8-SPRINT-ION (1-877-746-8466).
>
> We appreciate your business and look forward to continuing to serve your
high
> speed data and long-distance needs.
>

I would like to set the record straight on what customers (at least
those of us in the Chicago area) were left holding.

I had ION from July 2001 until they pulled the plug (January 2002 if I
recall). When they launched in the Chicago metro area they had a nice
deal - no equipment fee and 2 months free service. I had the service a
total of 6 or seven months and knew during the last 2 months that it was
going away. There was plenty of time for me to contact Covad and get set
up for their service. In addition, I was given a $400 from Sprint as a
way of helping to offset the cost of switching to another service. This
turned out to be more than necessary as Covad did a free install and
their DSL box was around $200 or so. The only downside was that I only
had a 1.5MB/s speed with Covad versus the 3MB/s speed ION had provided.

No, why did you even mention ION when the original poster inquired about
Sprint's wireless broadband service, which I took to mean "Vision"?


-david

Replace spam with david in the email address if you want to send email
to me personally.


CAT0NHAT wrote:
> I wouldn't recommend any such thing. Sprint started up its Ion service, and
> then pulled the plug, leaving thousands of customers holding the bag.

"David Gunter" <spam@davidgunter.com> wrote in message
news:MYmdnbXPN_WbmDiiRVn-ug@giganews.com...
<snipped>

> No, why did you even mention ION when the original poster inquired about
> Sprint's wireless broadband service, which I took to mean "Vision"?
>
>
> -david

Because that's Phillipe's MO. To obfuscate, to confuse, to misquote, and to
complain ...

Bob
>
>
> CAT0NHAT wrote:
> > I wouldn't recommend any such thing. Sprint started up its Ion service,
and
> > then pulled the plug, leaving thousands of customers holding the bag.
>