3G being killed

[Vladimir]

2 hours ago, Kirk W said:

I thought that this thread was about cell phones and cellular service? Does Starlink supply phone service?

I use it all the time with wi-fi calling.  Works well.  

I have NO CELL SERVICE at my second home.   So in that sense Starlink does provide phone service. 

It is the major reason I got the StarLink service.  I can drop the land line that I pay $50 a month for emergency use only.  You can also get a VOIP phone for it.

[durangodon]

2 hours ago, usbusin said:

We have a new cell tower going up in our neighborhood (going to be a pine tree).  Can anyone tell me if it is 4G or 5G?

Yes, it is.

[Dutch_12078]

3 hours ago, Kirk W said:

I thought that this thread was about cell phones and cellular service? Does Starlink supply phone service?

Not directly, but it's simple enough to add a VOIP app to most Internet connected devices and use them for voice calls. My post was simply clarifying agesilaus Starlink post...

[Barbaraok]

4 hours ago, Kirk W said:

I thought that this thread was about cell phones and cellular service? Does Starlink supply phone service?

Kirk, you do realize that a lot of us use cellular service for our MiFis, correct?  Lot of people don't 'talk' on their cell phones anymore, just text and then onto the net to watch movies, etc.   So Starlink is another option people might want to look at.  

[Kirk W]

34 minutes ago, Dutch_12078 said:

My post was simply clarifying agesilaus Starlink post...

I just went back through and had missed the referenced post.   😏 So are you saying that if you have your phone wifi enabled you can call from your cell phone via Starlink? I live in an area they don't cover so am not up on it at all. 

[Dutch_12078]

56 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

I just went back through and had missed the referenced post.   😏 So are you saying that if you have your phone wifi enabled you can call from your cell phone via Starlink? I live in an area they don't cover so am not up on it at all. 

Yes... Starlink or any other Internet provider. We have standalone hotspots, one with AT&T service and the other with Verizon service. Both our phones are with Verizon though. If we're in an area where AT&T has good cell service and Verizon does not, we can connect our phone WiFi to the AT&T hotspot and make voice calls. We even make calls from our laptops sometimes, using the free Google Voice service. Starlink is an Internet service provider, and can be used for the same purposes we use any other Internet service provider, whether it's by satellite, cable, cell, wireless, or POTS lines. 

Have you checked on Starlink availability lately? Their coverage is expanding with each launch.

[docj]

8 hours ago, Kirk W said:

And they do nothing to support smart phones, as far as I know.   😏

Right.  The previous comment that the Starlink ground stations form some kind of cellular system is simply incorrect.

[usbusin]

2 hours ago, durangodon said:

Yes, it is.

Yes, which 4G or 5G?

[Jaydrvr]

36 minutes ago, usbusin said:

Yes, which 4G or 5G?

I think the point is..... Both.. Jay

[docj]

6 hours ago, usbusin said:

We have a new cell tower going up in our neighborhood (going to be a pine tree).  Can anyone tell me if it is 4G or 5G?

You have to assume that any new tower these days will be a combination of 4G and 5G signals.

[usbusin]

I have done some research and have come to the conclusion that it is a 4G antennae.  The reason being that this is in a very rural area with property sizes from 80 to 3000 acres and more.  From what I have read, 5G has a range of 1500 feet.  Therefore I don't see how it would work here.  The 5G antennae look like round cylinders from what I can find out. 

I'm just hoping I can get cell phone coverage.  Now my signal strength is around -125 dbm.  Which is basically no coverage.  The new tower is 3/4 mile away and should just clear the hills to our home.

[docj]

54 minutes ago, usbusin said:

  From what I have read, 5G has a range of 1500 feet.  Therefore I don't see how it would work here. 

With all due respect, you are speaking about only one segment of the overall "space" of 5G service.  Yes, millimeter wave 5G has a very short range and is primarily suited for urban environments. 

But most of the 5G service that has already been introduced nationwide has NOT been millimeter wave 5G.  Most of the 5G we have today shares the frequency spectrum with the 4G system and has range that is similar to that of 4G.  

And most of the 5G focus over the next several years will be what is sometimes known as "sub 6 GHz 5G" which uses wavelengths shorter than 4G broadcasts but much, much longer than those used for millimeter wave 5G.

The bottom line is that it is impossible to know what capabilities a tower has just on the basis of where it is physically located.  As I said previously, I seriously doubt that anyone would erect a new tower these days without giving it the capability of broadcasting a 5G signal of one form or another.

[usbusin]

So they use antenna that are or look like 4G antenna? So what type of cell phone will be required to use this "sub 6 GHz 5G"?  Must it be 5G or will a 4G phone work?

[Kirk W]

8 hours ago, usbusin said:

So they use antenna that are or look like 4G antenna? So what type of cell phone will be required to use this "sub 6 GHz 5G"?  Must it be 5G or will a 4G phone work?

There isn't just a single design of antenna nor a single frequency. If you look at the images in this link you can see that there are many different appearing antennas. Reasons range from as simple as different manufacturing companies, different cellular carriers, and such to the use of different types of antenna for different physical locations. We are also a long way from making everything 5G. Most experts say that 4G will be common for at least another decade and none of this is immediate but takes years to completely change. Here are 2 articles that my help to understand what is happening with cellular services. 

2G, 3G, 4G LTE Network Shutdown Updates

Network services 1G,2G,3G,4G Services

[docj]

10 hours ago, usbusin said:

So what type of cell phone will be required to use this "sub 6 GHz 5G"?  Must it be 5G or will a 4G phone work?

I believe the sub 6 GHz band will be exclusively 5G.  Some of today's newer phones are being equipped to receive "sub 6" signals.  I believe my Pixel 6 Pro can.

[usbusin]

Thank you, docj, you have been most helpful with your explanations and knowledge.

[Lou Schneider]

16 hours ago, usbusin said:

So they use antenna that are or look like 4G antenna? So what type of cell phone will be required to use this "sub 6 GHz 5G"?  Must it be 5G or will a 4G phone work?

Antennas are frequency dependent, the type of signal they transmit/recieve is determined by the equipment inside the building.   So a "sub 6 GHz" 5G antenna is identical to a "sub 6 GHz" 4G antenna or a "sub 6 GHz" 3G antenna.

The current 5G expansion is by re-purposing 3G spectrum, that is shutting down 3G and using it's spectrum space for 5G.  So they're just replacing equipment inside the building, not necessarily changing out the antennas.

Later on the companies will increase their 5G capacity as needed by sub-dividing existing cells into smaller and smaller cells.   Each cell can support a given number of users, so by making each cell smaller they can support more users in any given area.  Expect to see millimeter wave 5G cells in places like crowded city centers or even in individual buildings where it's short range is an advantage, not a disadvantage.

This cellular shrinkage has been done before.   The original cell phone implementation used mountaintop sites to cover entire cities with a single cell, later as the number of users grew the antennas were moved closer to ground level so each cell served fewer people within a smaller area.  When I was working in radio several of our mountaintop FM transmitter sites were in very nice buildings and towers that were erected and then abandoned by the cell companies as they added multiple cells instead of covering everything with a single cell.

Edited February 8, 2022 by Lou Schneider

[Kirk W]

What nobody has mentioned, that could be helpful to at least some people is to define the G in 2G, 3G, 4G, and now 5G. The term has nothing to do with the technical aspects of each as the letter G simply means generation. The new rollout is the fifth generation of cellular service. 

[sandsys]

3 hours ago, Kirk W said:

What nobody has mentioned, that could be helpful to at least some people is to define the G in 2G, 3G, 4G, and now 5G. The term has nothing to do with the technical aspects of each as the letter G simply means generation. The new rollout is the fifth generation of cellular service. 

Thanks, Kirk. That's helpful to know for a non technical person like me.

Linda

[Pappy Yokum]

On 2/7/2022 at 6:31 PM, usbusin said:

 

I'm just hoping I can get cell phone coverage.  Now my signal strength is around -125 dbm.  Which is basically no coverage.  The new tower is 3/4 mile away and should just clear the hills to our home.

Rather than how the tower "looks" - see if you can determine who "it belongs to".

Visit the closest major carrier stores - and ask!

Also, usually you have a grace period to cancel your service with the carrier (ask).  if so, sign up & give it a try.  Ditto the "new" phone you may want/need.

I have done that in the past with no ($) penalty.

😉

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2022 by Pappy Yokum