AT&T service in Manhattan has been a real problem for me and I've thought seriously about switching to Verizon. However, I was concerned Verizon's LTE has many users already and would be saturated. Testing by some publication like PC Magazine seemed to hint that would be an issue - its last survey says Verizon's LTE average download in NYC was 6.51 mbps versus AT&T's 16.03. On the other hand, Verizon's average upload was twice as fast as AT&T's (6.39 vs. 3.46). Pretty big gaps on both sides. The consensus seemed to be Verizon was slower but more consistent. I want reliability as much as anyone else but really didn't want to take such a big hit in speed.
Yesterday, I got both an AT&T and Verizon iPhone 5 to see how they compare where I work and live. I've been running speedtests as I travel around Manhattan. It was mostly done as far west as 57th and 11th Avenue to the far east as 43rd and Third Avenue with various spots in between. Although the results below are all from Saturday, September 22, I also did a bunch of test yesterday during business hours around Grand Central and the results weren't that different. Here are the results:
AT&T LTE:
![att01_copy_zpsd9b88959.jpg]()
Verizon LTE:
![veriizon02_copy_zpsbb96c4a6.jpg]()
Three things:
1) AT&T had faster upload more consistently than Verizon. It's not that Verizon didn't have upload as fast - it did but overall, I'd say AT&T was fast more often. That's different from PC Mag's testing. I wouldn't put too much weight on those slow Verizon uploads. They were anomalies. Verizon uploads were much more frequently in the 10+ range like the top two results.
2) Verizon download is much faster than expected. Also different from PC Magazine. Verizon traded blows with AT&T. Although AT&T had the fastest download I saw, Verizon had plenty of downloads in the 20s range, though they're not shown in the screenshot above.
3) Indoor reception seems about the same which is a HUGE improvement for AT&T. At work on 43rd and Third Avenue, AT&T LTE works at my desk where my AT&T iPhone 4 is completely unusable. Verizon LTE is as good as the AT&T LTE, if not better. At home, on the far west side of midtown, AT&T LTE holds it signal better inside than Verizon, which has a little more trouble staying locked into LTE in my apartment and hallways. I think this is entirely dependent on where you are - I think AT&T cell coverage is more dense where i live but where you are, Verizon may be more dense and building penetration better. I don't think it reflects any inherent superiority.
Overall, I am pleasantly surprised that Verizon LTE has held up so well though it has many more LTE users. I also give props to AT&T - its LTE service is fast and usable in time and areas where its 3G service fails. AT&T is wicked fast in the areas of Manhattan I was, even during business hours in midtown which was/is a huge weakness for its 3G service. Now which to pick? Hmmm.....
Yesterday, I got both an AT&T and Verizon iPhone 5 to see how they compare where I work and live. I've been running speedtests as I travel around Manhattan. It was mostly done as far west as 57th and 11th Avenue to the far east as 43rd and Third Avenue with various spots in between. Although the results below are all from Saturday, September 22, I also did a bunch of test yesterday during business hours around Grand Central and the results weren't that different. Here are the results:
AT&T LTE:
Verizon LTE:
Three things:
1) AT&T had faster upload more consistently than Verizon. It's not that Verizon didn't have upload as fast - it did but overall, I'd say AT&T was fast more often. That's different from PC Mag's testing. I wouldn't put too much weight on those slow Verizon uploads. They were anomalies. Verizon uploads were much more frequently in the 10+ range like the top two results.
2) Verizon download is much faster than expected. Also different from PC Magazine. Verizon traded blows with AT&T. Although AT&T had the fastest download I saw, Verizon had plenty of downloads in the 20s range, though they're not shown in the screenshot above.
3) Indoor reception seems about the same which is a HUGE improvement for AT&T. At work on 43rd and Third Avenue, AT&T LTE works at my desk where my AT&T iPhone 4 is completely unusable. Verizon LTE is as good as the AT&T LTE, if not better. At home, on the far west side of midtown, AT&T LTE holds it signal better inside than Verizon, which has a little more trouble staying locked into LTE in my apartment and hallways. I think this is entirely dependent on where you are - I think AT&T cell coverage is more dense where i live but where you are, Verizon may be more dense and building penetration better. I don't think it reflects any inherent superiority.
Overall, I am pleasantly surprised that Verizon LTE has held up so well though it has many more LTE users. I also give props to AT&T - its LTE service is fast and usable in time and areas where its 3G service fails. AT&T is wicked fast in the areas of Manhattan I was, even during business hours in midtown which was/is a huge weakness for its 3G service. Now which to pick? Hmmm.....
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having switched from Att LTE its very disappointing.
