Decision help

kclark said:

What is the data difference between 4g and LTE. Trying to decide between AT&T and Verizon.

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by data difference do you mean speeds?

kclark said:

Which is better? I was it the ATT store and the iPhone 4S had 4g and the 5 had LTE. Which is the better speed? And then which carrier is better for each speed?

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I can't speak for Verizon LTE, but with AT&T I usually get around 5mbps while in "4G" coverage and anywhere from 35-65mbps while in LTE coverage.

kclark said:

But is it better to have 4G service or LTE?

Verizon says is has the largest 4GLTE coverage and ATT says it has the largest 4G coverage.

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LTE is faster. AT&T's "4G" is really just 3G that's a little faster so they were allowed to put "4G" instead of "3G". And Verizon's LTE is faster on average AFAIK, but it really depends on where you live.

kclark said:

ATT has LTE too, right?

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Yeah they do but you need an iPhone 5 to take advantage of it. Same with Verizon.

kclark said:

That is what I currently have with sprint and what I want from either ATT or VZW.

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Yeah you'd need a 5 for LTE, but if you go with a 4S, AT&T will theoretically be the fastest because it is using better technology than Verizon. With LTE you honestly won't be able to tell that much of a difference speed-wise because they are both at a point that they are fast enough for everyday activity. You'd really have to decide based on price and LTE coverage in your area. Because if you get Verizon LTE and not AT&T LTE, Verizon will obviously be faster. Hope I didn't completely confuse you there.

4G is essentially HSPA+ which is an advance architecture of 3G. I had an iPhone 4S on AT&T and on Verizon. The AT&T iPhone was accessing AT&T's HSPA+ network. My average speeds in Ann Arbor, MI were in no way impressive for "4G".

HSPA+ suffers more from congested areas compared to LTE. LTE is superior than HSPA+. LTE is still being deployed by AT&T, so be aware that if you see the LTE indicator on your AT&T device, that there is still improvement to be done.

Verizon has always revisited previously deployed towers to enhance them and/or add another tower for their customers in certain areas.

taedouni said:

LTE is still being deployed by AT&T, so be aware that if you see the LTE indicator on your AT&T device, that there is still improvement to be done.

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My iPhone 5 is on AT&T LTE, my wife's is a company iPhone 5 on Verizon LTE. We are lucky to live in a very strong area for both carriers.

The speeds are within an amazing 3% to 5% of each other consistently. AT&T is notably the fastest.

It truly surprised me since until recently we both had AT&T.

kclark said:

As far as tethering goes, if I have my ipad going thru my iPhone 5 with AT&T, I can still talk on the phone, but not on Verizon, right?

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Right. You can't talk and surf the web on Verizon. AT&T allows you to do so. That was sort of a deal breaker for me because I'm the type of person who checks scores and stuff while talking.

kclark said:

Well...Good News. I pulled the trigger and I left Sprint tonight for AT&T. So far so GREAT with the new and much much faster service. I have 2 3G bars inside my house on my old i5, I have 4 LTE bars on my new i5.

As Phil says, "Happy, Happy, Happy".

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Hey Jack! Congrats on the new service and faster data.

AT&T has faster LTE on average while Verizon has LTE almost everywhere. Both are fast enough to do pretty much anything you need on a phone.