Digicel LTE

[Nathan77791]

Just very curious, is this a sign that Digicel is going the route of Carrier aggregation I was having issues with Flow again. So I switched over to Digicel for good. Upon inserting my Sim Card, I started to use data at home. And decided to check the service mode for my phone. I got the regular H+ and Edge a lot. Anyway I started to pick up a idle LTE signal with LTE band 17 and another LTE signal with Band 4 both 10mhz. Is Digicel doing carrier aggregation here?. I wonder if brandysull could elaborate. I'm in Kingston 11 area South West ST Andrew.

[Brandysull]

Just very curious, is this a sign that Digicel is going the route of Carrier aggregation I was having issues with Flow again. So I switched over to Digicel for good. Upon inserting my Sim Card, I started to use data at home. And decided to check the service mode for my phone. I got the regular H+ and Edge a lot. Anyway I started to pick up a idle LTE signal with LTE band 17 and another LTE signal with Band 4 both 10mhz. Is Digicel doing carrier aggregation here?. I wonder if brandysull could elaborate. I'm in Kingston 11 area South West ST Andrew.
http://i.imgur.com/GD9YndN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/3JEbrIE.jpg

Your device isn’t indicating CA happening over both bands. Looking at the data and referencing with the current allotments available in Jamaica, they very well could be deploying Band 4 as well. There was a block (Block A) of AWS-1 left unsold. What I do not see is the Band’s EARFCN being reflected by your device. They could be adding it indeed but what is important to note is that while they may be able to offer comparable spectrum to their customers, Carrier aggregation has a large overhead which manifests in lower speeds that contiguous 20x20 spectrum like FLOW. Digicel is playing catch-up essentially but good on them. FLOW has little to fear... all they need to do is a little configuration of their network deployment over 850 MHz, Purchase some extra spectrum and they’ll easily have 45 MHz of spectrum which, coupled with efforts of 256QAM, would see them push 450 Mbit/s.

[Nathan77791]

Your device isn’t indicating CA happening over both bands. Looking at the data and referencing with the current allotments available in Jamaica, they very well could be deploying Band 4 as well. There was a block (Block A) of AWS-1 left unsold. What I do not see is the Band’s EARFCN being reflected by your device. They could be adding it indeed but what is important to note is that while they may be able to offer comparable spectrum to their customers, Carrier aggregation has a large overhead which manifests in lower speeds that contiguous 20x20 spectrum like FLOW. Digicel is playing catch-up essentially but good on them. FLOW has little to fear... all they need to do is a little configuration of their network deployment over 850 MHz, Purchase some extra spectrum and they’ll easily have 45 MHz of spectrum which, coupled with efforts of 256QAM, would see them push 450 Mbit/s.

OK, but why would Digicel deploy two different LTE bands without aggregating them. For faster speeds and capacity?, also even though my device detected the LTE signal. It didn't latch on or the data icon change. So I'm guessing the network is in the infancy stages of testing. If the band 4 10Mhz LTE isn't for 2CA, then would it make sense to just deploy two different bands. Rather than aggregating them both?. Could the additional band be for enhance services such as VoLTE and video calling?, Also if they implement 2CA would devices not compatible with both bands still get LTE connection?

[Brandysull]

OK, but why would Digicel deploy two different LTE bands without aggregating them. For faster speeds and capacity?, also even though my device detected the LTE signal. It didn't latch on or the data icon change. So I'm guessing the network is in the infancy stages of testing. If the band 4 10Mhz LTE isn't for 2CA, then would it make sense to just deploy two different bands. Rather than aggregating them both?. Could the additional band be for enhance services such as VoLTE and video calling?, Also if they implement 2CA would devices not compatible with both bands still get LTE connection?

Usually, the lower band gets priority for VoLTE i.e., Band 17 would be the band that would bear the burden of VoLTE mostly. Aggregating Band 17 and Band 4 would give them 10+10 of CA_4A_17A, making Band 17 the PCC (Primary Component Carrier) in most instances and the Band 4 as the other component carrier. As to how Digicel plans to spread this network with Band 4 remains to be seen. They can opt to not aggregate the 2 Bands if they choose to, CA is something that has to be explicitly enabled software-wise back in the core network, not just RAN. I know FLOW's core network is built with that in mind, having recently turned up up-to-date backend equipment to beef up the added network stress they're about to undertake... Digicel is usually mum on these things however. Irrespective, both Bands will be available to the public for their use. What I hope to see is for either FLOW or Digicel to start using higher-order moulation schemes like 256QAM (which I'm more inclined to think we'd be seeing from FLOW in Kingston). That instant 33% boost in capacity along with 4x4 MIMO (which doubles max throughput) will see them pushing towards 5G tech and would benefit the end user, especially those with devices like iPhone 8 & X, Galaxy S8 & S9, Recent LG Devices and other potent high-end devices.

[Brandysull]

The Digicel LIT roadshow was in Ocho Rios today! Anyone now getting Digicel LTE that wasn't getting it before? Their Ad says that they're in 11 parishes islandwide and I'm keen on seeing how well they're faring after launching.

[khat17]

Digicel LTE is still very slow in comparison. FLOW LTE from doing speed tests gives me an average of 60Mbps down and varying speeds up. Digicel gives an average of 20Mbps down and 2Mbps up. My highest speed on record in the SpeedTest app for FLOW has been 99.7Mb down and 43.7Mb up. The average of 60Mb is an average - the lowest I can recall getting is about 40Mb down and 10Mb up.

When driving Digicel drops a lot more where data is concerned. FLOW is far more consistent. Digicel doesn't do badly once you get into or close to a town area, but outside of the town you may even get 2G.

[Brandysull]

Digicel LTE is still very slow in comparison. FLOW LTE from doing speed tests gives me an average of 60Mbps down and varying speeds up. Digicel gives an average of 20Mbps down and 2Mbps up. My highest speed on record in the SpeedTest app for FLOW has been 99.7Mb down and 43.7Mb up. The average of 60Mb is an average - the lowest I can recall getting is about 40Mb down and 10Mb up.

When driving Digicel drops a lot more where data is concerned. FLOW is far more consistent. Digicel doesn't do badly once you get into or close to a town area, but outside of the town you may even get 2G.

Sigh, I really do want Digicel to actually compete with FLOW... If Digicel had done their due diligence, maybe they'd have had a truly 2018-worthy network. Everywhere I go, FLOW is pushing a minimum of 50 Mbit/s; streaming unhindered; literally anything you can do at home on broadband, you can do on data (save for gaming & other latency sensitive applications).

[Brandysull]

Got some unsettling news about Digicel... in relation to not just the LTE upgrade & ZTE but also the recent news of the tower sell out in addition to news of a 10% dip in earnings despite a 68k rise in subscribers in Jamaica. Investors aren't happy at all... What HAPPENED to the Digicel of yesteryear?

[Nathan77791]

Got some unsettling news about Digicel... in relation to not just the LTE upgrade & ZTE but also the recent news of the tower sell out in addition to news of a 10% dip in earnings despite a 68k rise in subscribers in Jamaica. Investors aren't happy at all... What HAPPENED to the Digicel of yesteryear?

What's the unsettling news about LTE from Digicel?. They have earned more subscribers, something Flow is struggling to do. Flow actually lost 12,000+ subscribers. So I think they need to do way more to rid the old ways of C&W/Lime from the minds of Jamaica. Despite Digicels woes, people in the majority still prefer to use them over Flow.

[Brandysull]

What's the unsettling news about LTE from Digicel?. They have earned more subscribers, something Flow is struggling to do. Flow actually lost 12,000+ subscribers. So I think they need to do way more to rid the old ways of C&W/Lime from the minds of Jamaica. Despite Digicels woes, people in the majority still prefer to use them over Flow.

FLOW lost wireline subs, not mobile; they had a net-adds over mobile. Digicel has its die hards yes, but what's proving difficult is that they aren't generating as much revenue as FLOW's are. Alas it's not that of which constitutes Digicel's woes, it is debt and soon-due debt obligations