News: AT&T getting raw end of the deal in commercials

The link below to an article concerning coverage overload is proof their network is sluggish and questionable at times. If a system can't handle the load of their customers you end up with drop calls and poor connections.

This would make me hesitate to use at&t because i went through this with nextel many years ago, as they grew, their system could expand to supply demand which create many dead areas, and drop calls GALORE.

I think AT&T customers are the ones getting a BAD WRAP from AT&T, their coverage may be there... but is it good, is it strong, is there poor connections or bad coverage in respected areas that they cover. The things that stopped me from getting an iPhone at the time was... AT&T, no exchangeable battery capability, and no available insurance, i'm a strong advocate of APPLE products... except the iPhone

I'm sure some areas AT&T provides great service for people, but when usage becomes a problem or issue, it could only get worst as sales of smart-phones go up. AT&T customers only hope is for AT&T looses customers to reduce the demand on their system.
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AT&T considers incentives to curb heavy data usage | Wireless - CNET News

... iPhone users on average consume five to seven times more data per month than average wireless subscribers, according to analyst firm Sanford Bernstein. And all this usage is clogging the network, causing many iPhone users, especially in large cities such as New York and San Francisco, to experience dropped calls, slow 3G service, and issues connecting to the network at all.....

The argument is over data (3g) coverage though - not voice coverage...

Originally Posted by tavenger5

The argument is over data (3g) coverage though - not voice coverage...

Unfortunately, I don't think the good majority of users are going to understand the difference. I know people are becoming more tech saavy, but they just still aren't quite there yet. I think the only reason AT&T had to drop their suit was because Verizon was technically correct about the 3G coverage area.

Originally Posted by tavenger5

The argument is over data (3g) coverage though - not voice coverage...

Your right about it targeting 3g service in recent commercials, since the flavor of the month is smart-phones with past and present problems of the iPhone's 3g connections, √erizon is assaulting AT&T's Achilles heel.

Here are the SPECIFIC facts.

Today, before posting this thread, I visited 2 Verizon Wireless stores (direct ones) in my area and did the same to two AT&T corporate stores in my area. My son has an AT&T phone (since I basically let him choose which one he wanted and which carrier). He has the Apple iPhone 3G [S]. I have the LG enV Touch; however, my brother has the Moto Droid.

So I used the two devices (Droid and iPhone) to do my research. I visited both of the Stores (both in the same city) and spoke with them. Obviously when you speak directly to the company, you're going to get biased feedback.

Here was the response from one Verizon Wireless store when asked what they really felt about the two networks.

In Northern California and most of the west coast, I'd definitely choose Verizon Wireless. They provide adequate service with a dropped call rate of roughly 1.2%

I then requested to view my dropped calls and then calculated the specific percent that I get. I had less a dropped call rate of 1.4%.

AT&T was then asked the exact same question, here is their response:

AT&T provides nearly perfect coverage nationally. If you were to travel from California to the east coast on Highway 44, you'd have coverage the entire way with AT&T. I'm not sure exactly what the expected dropped call percentage is.

I then requested to view dropped calls on my sons account. He had nearly 27% dropped calls! Also, another funny fact is me and my son both traveled to Iowa on Highway 44 a month ago. His phone was unable to use data the entire route and was unable to place or receive calls in the town we stopped at. I had near perfect service on my enV touch.

Well, what about data? How good is the data with AT&T.

Here's Verizon's response:

Verizon Wireless has the largest 3G data network compared to any wireless carrier. It covers 98% of Verizon's entire coverage area (including extended network) and is more reliable than any other network's 3G. We've recently been restricted from adding more 3G coverage by the FCC due to the large availability of this service from Verizon Wireless. Our 3G speeds are faster than the average person's DSL connection

.

AT&T stated:

Our 3G network is constantly expanding. We offer both domestic and international 3G coverage. Our 3G network is definitely expanding (note he stated this twice). This town should have 3G pretty soon.

Well...guess what? We don't have 3G with AT&T (but do with Verizon) and we're a reasonably large town. So to continue the speed test I had to travel 2.5 hours (to the nearest 3G network for AT&T in Sacramento, CA) to continue a speed test. I had to go to Sacramento anyway...luckily. I was also lucky to talk my brother into letting me borrow his Droid.

Using Speedtest.net, this is what I found:

With full bars of EV-DO for Verizon 3G (rev. A), Verizon had download speeds of up to 5.6 MB/s...WOW. AT&T on the iPhone had download speeds of 3.2 MB/s. Verizon had download speeds of 1.32 MB/s and AT&T had download speeds of .98 MB/s.

Keep in mind that in Sacramento you are almost guaranteed to have the best service available. Verizon's first 3G network in California began in Sacramento. AT&T's began in a town nearby.

Also note that Verizon Wireless is only using the 3G map that AT&T makes available to the public. They didn't make no special map to make AT&T look bad. They only surfaced what AT&T already made available.

This is the map Verizon should have used (blue being 3G and orange being coverage without 3G). Dark orange is coverage AT&T owns and light orange is off network (free roaming) coverage.



Also be cautious of asking AT&T where 3G coverage exists. They'll try and convince you that EDGE is a form of 3G, but it really isn't. It's more of a 2.5G.

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Please note the above information is based on my location(s) and may be different from what you see or know...since wireless coverage varies from area to area.

AT&T brought this upon themself. They dont have great coverage and their phones suck. I had AT&T for a few weeks and I had so many dropped calls that I went back to Verizon! I can't wait until Verizon gets the iphone next year!

I've had ZERO problems with my iPhone. Sure, 3G coverage does slow down, but with the wide availability of Wi-fi connections, I find that I don't use 3G as much as I do the wi-fi. And simple phone calls have never been a problem.