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“Issues” that T-Mobile faces with the expansion of cellular broadband are not likely to be attributed to the converged core alone or primarily. The converged core will provide a more unified traffic management approach and ultimately lead to greater efficiency. The IPv6 network has been in operation for quite some time and combination of IPv4 and IPv6 services delivery model is driven by multiple market factors. There are going to be growing pains as they push for greater innovation in delivery systems. The converged core is driven by Cisco solutions and it is hard to deny their presence in the industry as a leader in network technology. The home internet service delivery has more vulnerability at the edge than in the core as the systems deployed at the edge do not share the same lineage or pedigre as the core systems. There are many parts to the solution which can lead to more inconsistency. The best example of that is the fact that currently there are 4 different edge delivery platforms. The 4G LTE gateway, the Nokia 5G, the Arcadyan 5G gateway, and now the Sagemcon 5G gateway. Are they enterprise grade appliances? I think not. The price point for these modem/routers does not compare to the more capable and reliable enterprise equipment. Is there a solution for that? Sure you bet. Do the average consumers want to pay for that solution? Obviously not as we are flocking to the solution that offers a price point that we can tolerate better. It might be nice to have a stronger modem/router appliance at the edge but it would come with additional cost. Many users with knowledge of how to build their own local network add mesh solutions or routers to the current gateways at a significant additional cost. That does make the experience with the solution more satisfying in many respects but it still does not address the weak links which are the stability of the cellular connection and the inconsistent hardware and software quality. How about an option to upgrade from the basic meh… gateway to a more robust offering for a modest price sort of like phone offerings. Pay for the privledge up front or over an agreed to period of time. If it improves the customer satisfaction and the company image as a real strong contender in the space it would be a win both for customers and the money making machine. We might want to look for a simple solution to “issues” but often like Shrek they have layers. It feels like they have taken side steps with the current gateway offerings. None of the three 5G gateways actually stands out as a clear winner. If you do the same thing you have to expect the same results. Sometimes we have to get out of our box and put more thought and effort into a new solution. I believe their use of the converged cloud is going in that direction. Looking forward with a different approach to improve. Now maybe they will consider the edge offerings as three side steps with similar outcomes does not equate to moving forward. The goal is to build a subscriber base and keep them. Maybe it would be a good promotional offer to loyal customers after a year to offer a more classy 5G router/modem with more features, a proper management interface with a web GUI solution and an improved setup where a user can connect to the gateway and it runs an onboard setup script that presents the user with questions to get the desired parameters to get started vs having to fight with a flakey mobile application only for management. That would be an incentive to users to commit to the solution and both the provider and the subscriber are winners. People like options. The BETA period should be over and done with. With the subscriber base already established creative ways to improve and make a little more money should be in the plan. T-Mobile has always been challenging the competition for cellular delivery. Do it with class and style. It is time to stop being the junk yard dog and be the show dog. 


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