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Is it really worth it to switch to Verizon at this point?

B

benguild

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 29, 2003
827
39
So, I have Verizon on my LTE iPad.
For me, this was a no brainer since they had better LTE coverage/speeds here in San Francisco, and if I was out of an LTE area I could pop my AT&T SIM into it and it would still work if I really wanted.

However, for the iPhone 5, I'm a bit torn.

I use simultaneous calling and data *all the time*. Verizon has better coverage, so for dropped calls I'm in favor of switching at this point based on how awesome the LTE has been on my iPad.

And yet, I'm just not sure. I don't really use my LTE iPad outside of San Francisco all that often, but I do use my phone a lot. And if I'm outside of LTE range, I won't have calling and data simultaneously nor will I have the faster data speeds of AT&T's HSPA+ network.

What is worth it? The pricing is about the same, but Verizon offers free tethering on their data share so I can potentially get rid of my iPad's data plan afterward.
 
The AT&T Mobile Share plans (which are concurrently offered with their prior plans, as opposed to Verizon's grandfathering of old plans) do let you use your data for tethering, just as Verizon's Share Everything plans.

Though personally, coverage and decent speed is more important than absolute best speed, so Verizon usually wins over AT&T (plus they get higher JD Power and Consumer Reports ratings for customer service).
 
Just an FYI for those that don't know: Verizon's LTE coverage trumps AT&T's HSPA+ coverage. Keep that in mind as it is a big deciding factor and many people seem to not know about it.
 
If you're on Verizon and in an LTE covered area you can use data and voice at the same time. It won't work on 3G though.
 
b166er said:
If you're on Verizon and in an LTE covered area you can use data and voice at the same time. It won't work on 3G though.
Click to expand...

Right. What I'm kind of wondering is if Verizon's LTE coverage is sufficient enough at this point to warrant a switch. AT&T's 3G network is arguably much better than Verizon's for data speeds.
 
smash said:
Right. What I'm kind of wondering is if Verizon's LTE coverage is sufficient enough at this point to warrant a switch. AT&T's 3G network is arguably much better than Verizon's for data speeds.
Click to expand...

Verizon has a much larger LTE market, pretty much any major city is covered by them. AT&T's LTE network is supposedly going to be in a lot of major cities by the end of 2013 - and from what I hear they're being really aggressive (for obvious reasons).

If you want to hit the ground running, Verizon would probably be the best bet, and then reevaluate AT&T in 2 years when your contract is up and the two markets are more comparable.
 
jav6454 said:
The most absurd and false statement on this board so far.
Click to expand...

It actually is not. GigaOM did an article comparing LTE on all of the major carriers along with throwing HSPA+ in the mix and found that Verizon's LTE network trumps AT&T's HSPA+ network in terms of coverage. It is not widely known. Let me go find the article and I'll post it for you; it's a very good read.

Edit: Here's the link http://gigaom.com/2012/04/14/solving-the-lte-puzzle-comparing-lte-performance/
 
SR71 said:
It actually is not. GigaOM did an article comparing LTE on all of the major carriers along with throwing HSPA+ in the mix and found that Verizon's LTE network trumps AT&T's HSPA+ network in terms of coverage. It is not widely known. Let me go find the article and I'll post it for you; it's a very good read.

Edit: Here's the link http://gigaom.com/2012/04/14/solving-the-lte-puzzle-comparing-lte-performance/
Click to expand...

That article barely even talks about HSPA+....it was a comparison of LTE networks.....
 
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