Mobile Shane
So I wanted to take a little bit here and talk a little bit about mobile. I know that mobile can mean a lot, and there are many accepted definitions of mobile. So let me give you mine in this context. Mobile, for me, means wireless. Usually, this is related to cellular networks. I know we all have a thing, and the connection between your phone and the cell site (cell tower) is my thing. That connection saved my life and keeps me sane. So I have a vested interest in keeping it good.
So what do I do? My life's work is connecting people to what they love. Right now, I'm in IT, helping folks build better relationships with technology. But I'm diving feet-first into mobile networks and testing new things in my free time. Right now, I'm testing Dish Wireless's new 5G network. Dish reminds me of the early LTE and 5G days. Hunting for a 5G signal to run a speed test and trying to map the network on cellmapper (an opensource crowdsourced coverage map)
I've taken a particular interest in Dish because it owns Boost Mobile - a low-cost carrier in the U.S. I once had a phone on Virgin Mobile USA, which was also a part of the Sprint Prepaid Group before T-Mobile acquired Sprint and had to sell off some of their prepaid offerings. But it also connects folks in lower-income communities, which makes it extra special to me.
Growing up poor, we didn't always have broadband, and sometimes my phone was my broadband; there was a spot in my room where I could get one bar of Virgin Mobile (Sprint) WiMAX, which would give me 10-15Mbps down, and I could watch youtube videos! That connection between the cell tower and the phone has given my mom unprecedented mobility as someone with a disability. Now I regularly carry 3 phones, and people often ask me if I'm insane, and I 100% have a couple screws loose. But I know I'll always be mobile.
Tootles for now, Shane