What is the best national carrier?

[eyoungren]

Sprint.... uhm... Yeah, I don't know if they're best at anything these days, to be honest. Hype, maybe? Even with their improvements, it's all been largely catchup. And their CDMA network continues to be a liability. At least Verizon can claim their legacy CDMA network covers everywhere for best voice coverage.

I heard today an interesting fact that helps fill in some of the blanks in this whole jigsaw puzzle of stupidity that Sprint's been about since late 2007.

Essentially, it's all Gary Forsee's fault. Around that time T-Mobile and the other carriers start building out or preparing for new networks. For T-Mobile that mean laying in dark fiber. One of the reasons their network has expanded so quickly.

Forsee decided to spend NO CAPEX on backhaul at exactly the same time that smartphones became popular. So, when Dan Hesse get's in he's got a legacy network that is falling apart because everything is still hooked up to copper T-1 lines. Then you have the whole WiMax debacle, which is not Hesse's fault because the FCC says use the frequencies or lose the licenses. With nothing ready to go, WiMax was the only choice. Once Sprint finally gets around to the whole Network Vision rip and replace, Forsee's limited vision is biting Sprint in the ass again because there is no fiber backhaul to hook up to.

Add in the whole business of just in time delivery of backhaul (that wasn't) and contractors with no penalties for being late and no rewards for being early and you get the mess that Sprint is only now digging itself out of.

Of course the average customer knows none of this and they don't care. Their shiny new LTE capable phone is sitting on 3G and they are getting 0.25kbps down. They are pissed and I think rightly so.

Gary Forsee pretty much ruined Sprint.

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Agreed on Sprint. People go to Sprint for the price, but everyone I know on it immediately regret the horrible data speeds.

Sprint and Verizon also use CDMA, which sucks.

I think as has been said, it depends on the area.

I've seen some excellent speeds from people in markets where Sprint has really done their job. The problem is that right now there are fewer of those good markets then the bad markets.

As to CDMA, we are essentially speaking of 3G here. LTE is GSM and both Verizon and Sprint are using LTE. Yes, they drop down to 3G sometimes (alot) but going forward 3G (and thus CDMA) will be less and less used by Sprint and Verizon.

 

[AustinIllini]

Coverage is the big issue with AT&T. If you don't travel alot or stay within bigger cites, then AT&T would seem fine. But as soon as you venture off the main highway or drive long distances between major cities, you immediately see how Verizon is better in terms of coverage.

I am not talking about slower speeds, I am talking about no signal (AT&T) vs a 4g signal (Verizon).

I concede this, but still I feel like my customer service experience with AT&T runs circles around the service I had with VZW.

 

[C DM]

Wouldn't the best carrier be the one that actually works well for the places you typically need it and even other places where you might be and might need it (along with the plans and prices that seem reasonable to you)--meaning it's pretty much different for different people in different locations under different circumstances?

 

[Newtons Apple]

They are but this is an iPhone site and the vast majority of iPhone users are still on AT&T from the days of iPhone exclusivity.

Now that makes sense!

Thanks Sir!

 

[2298754]

AT&T and VZW are the only two carriers that deserve to be in this conversation. That being said, it can vary a lot between the two. Try them both out and see what is superior for you.

For example, I was in NYC this past weekend and it has always been a VZW stronghold. My friend has a 5S on VZW and there were many places in Brooklyn and Queens where his phone was camping on 1x and 3G, whereas my AT&T phone had LTE and was working fine.

 

[rugmankc]

AT&T and VZW are the only two carriers that deserve to be in this conversation. That being said, it can vary a lot between the two. Try them both out and see what is superior for you.

For example, I was in NYC this past weekend and it has always been a VZW stronghold. My friend has a 5S on VZW and there were many places in Brooklyn and Queens where his phone was camping on 1x and 3G, whereas my AT&T phone had LTE and was working fine.

All true, and now that I have VoLTE with ATT, very happy.

I have no signal issues where I use it and travel to--

 

[2298754]

All true, and now that I have VoLTE with ATT, very happy.



I have no signal issues where I use it and travel to--

VoLTE is great with AT&T so far. I kept an hour long conversation with AppleCare while driving out of a VoLTE area. It was seamless.

 

[rugmankc]

Yes, btwn the iphone audio quality and ATT very happy with all sound--

 

[ron7624]

ATT for me. I've had em forever. Close relatives have verizon and it rocks in remote better than ATT but I don't hang in remote areas. They do. Use what suits you best. I like being able to look up movie times etc while talking on the phone.

 

[puma1552]

AT&T just flat out isn't worth the price. Verizon has better coverage and service anyway, and cheaper at that.

Glad we switched, saved $30 a month for two phones for identical plans with better service. The AT&T bill just kept creeping up X cents every month too until it was a few bucks higher than when we started. Taxes this, fees that, but that hasn't happened at all on Verizon.

 

[SeilerBird]

None of the above. I use Straight Talk, $45 per month for unlimited everything.

 

[est1738]

I had AT&T for about 5-6 years and it honestly just became to expensive. However it used to be the only option where I lived. Now Tmobile finally stepped their game up and deployed coverage and better data (LTE) in my area, and surrounding areas where I will be traveling to.

I might have taken a hit in data speeds. AT&T upper 20's down and 15-20s up and Tmobile Upper Teens down and mid to upper teens up.

However my bill was almost cut in half and Now I have unlimited data. Not so useful when I am home because I have great wifi, but when I am at work, traveling I don't have to worry about how much data Im using.

 

[coldjeanzzz]

Verizon and AT&T will be the best carrier nationwide for signal, due to their 700/850mhz licenses. T-Mobile (coverage permitting) usually has the best data speeds due to their high capacity towers. Sprint is just pathetic in every single way. I don't know if anyone calls them a nationwide network anymore.

Rogers in Canada is very good, too, since they use the exact same frequencies as AT&T and have about 1/3 less customers.

I use AT&T and while their signal is excellent, LTE speeds crawl. I almost always shut LTE off on my iPhone 5.

Sprint is usually at the top for voice and texting. People really need to stop spreading non-sense and actually do some research instead of regurgitating the same garbage over and over thinking it's funny

 

[MattMJB0188]

Sprint is usually at the top for voice and texting. People really need to stop spreading non-sense and actually do some research instead of regurgitating the same garbage over and over thinking it's funny

Now you've lost all credibility trying to defend Sprint. The few of you on this forum really need to leave already. Sprint is pure garbage even I markets where they're not. Yeah you get the point. Now stop trying to defend Sprint. You just look bad.

 

[gabo864]

Now you've lost all credibility trying to defend Sprint. The few of you on this forum really need to leave already. Sprint is pure garbage even I markets where they're not. Yeah you get the point. Now stop trying to defend Sprint. You just look bad.

I do agree Sprint sucks, but I think it depends on where you live, for instance I live in Georgia and Sprint is a big market in Atlanta, big competition for Verizon and At&t because they offer pretty good coverage in that area, but if you travel a lot, I would never recommend it because their service sucks out of big cities, I live in a small town 2 hours away from Atlanta and Sprint sucks big time here, if you get on the highway with sprint you will probably drop calls, this is something that barely ever happens with Verizon or at&t. I also work at Best Buy mobile and the top Carrier by the amount of customers is Verizon (at least in my Area) most sprint customers complain about their bad service and customer service. I also deal with customer service a lot with all three carriers since we, at best buy, are a third party store for all three carriers and I have to say I love when I have Verizon Customers because if I have to call Verizon dealer support or customer service, they offer a way better experience than Sprint does!

 

[AllieNeko]

O2

Given the title of the poll is "which is the best US carrier", I don't know why you would respond O2.

Plus, O2 is awful due to pricing. Unlimited data on 3 is where it is at. O2's coverage is a wee bit better thanks to UMTS900 if you have a supported phone (if not, 3 has far better coverage), but not nearly enough to actually matter.

 

[macher]

Honestly I can't stand all these speed test fanatics. Does your iPhone 'work' in the places you most frequent without doing any speed tests?

We have a 4 line family plan each line has grandfathered unlimited data. We are in the Philly metro. My iPhone 6 works were ever I go in the area. Does it seem slower in some areas? Yes if I want to notice it but it still works. I hear people complaining that AT&T network is slipping. This is based on the speed test fanatics. What's important to me is whether or not my iPhone can work when I need it to work and it does. That's all that counts for me. You can have all the speed test competition you want.

 

[eyoungren]

Now you've lost all credibility trying to defend Sprint. The few of you on this forum really need to leave already. Sprint is pure garbage even I markets where they're not. Yeah you get the point. Now stop trying to defend Sprint. You just look bad.

Hey Matt, Sprint in your Cheerios!

JK!!!!

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Honestly I can't stand all these speed test fanatics. Does your iPhone 'work' in the places you most frequent without doing any speed tests?

We have a 4 line family plan each line has grandfathered unlimited data. We are in the Philly metro. My iPhone 6 works were ever I go in the area. Does it seem slower in some areas? Yes if I want to notice it but it still works. I hear people complaining that AT&T network is slipping. This is based on the speed test fanatics. What's important to me is whether or not my iPhone can work when I need it to work and it does. That's all that counts for me. You can have all the speed test competition you want.

I see both sides of the speed test thing.

At a certain point it no longer matters. 75+mbps is not going to load Facebook faster, make texting faster or help you compose an email faster.

On the other hand there's got to be some sort of standard to measure things by. I cannot stream internet radio or Google Play when my speed tests tell me I am getting less than 0.5mbps down on Sprint's 3G network. Technically, it's still not even doable at 2mbps, which is 3G on Sprint on a damn good day (extremely rare).

So, the cutoff for me is between 3mbps and 6mbps on LTE. That's doable for everything I need. But I don't know if I am in an area where I am getting that unless I do a speed test.

Finally, for those who do not know – Sprint only promised 3-6mbps on LTE when Network Vision was complete. If you aren't getting anything faster than that on Spark, Sprint won't help you because that was their target.

 

[JakeT85]

I have both at&t and Verizon for different reasons. For the record, I am in the Midwest and travel all the backroads for work, etc. primarily in Illinois. I also travel a couple of times a year for work/vacation to different locations around the country.

at&t:
-Denser cell grid makes for a more consistent signal in cities and ability to maintain a constant data experience (though it may not be the fastest because their spectrum is all over the place)
-Better customer service
-HSPA+ to fall back on, though it is getting to the point that this doesn't matter
-More reliable VOLTE in markets that have launched
-Take the time to get a roll-out right the first time instead of rushing things

Verizon:
-Better spectrum holdings making for what should be a faster signal (though their grid being so sparse sometimes makes this not the case)
-Better network engineering for rural coverage (tower placement, secondary technology:CDMA, etc.) usually can make a call/text/get data in more places than I can with my at&t line in the boonies
-Typically the market leader with rolling out network upgrades

T-mobile has too much edge coverage here for me to consider right now, hopefully this will change this year. Sprint was my carrier about 5 years ago and the service was so TERRIBLE on the data and customer service side of things that it would take years for them to change my perception of them.

Just my .02 for my area

 

[solodogg]

I see both sides of the speed test thing.

At a certain point it no longer matters. 75+mbps is not going to load Facebook faster, make texting faster or help you compose an email faster.

On the other hand there's got to be some sort of standard to measure things by. I cannot stream internet radio or Google Play when my speed tests tell me I am getting less than 0.5mbps down on Sprint's 3G network. Technically, it's still not even doable at 2mbps, which is 3G on Sprint on a damn good day (extremely rare).

So, the cutoff for me is between 3mbps and 6mbps on LTE. That's doable for everything I need. But I don't know if I am in an area where I am getting that unless I do a speed test.

I agree with this 100%. I have the speed test app on my phone simply to be able to identify if I'm having an issue with the service I'm attempting to connect to, or the carrier. 95% of the time, it's the carrier i'm having issues with, not the service. Every once in a while, Facebook will lag a bit, and I'll get a decent speed test.

I have also found that anything below 3mb causes buffering on iTunes radio, and even 240p YouTube videos. ideally, i'd like to see 5mb sustained, but we all know this isn't possible. In my home market, I can't even see 2mb sustained with AT&T LTE, most of the time I'm well below 1mb.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I have used att for many years ,10years at least,always had great customer service,and great coverage,so I know most people disagree,but its always worked for me.

I haven't had any problems with at&t either.

 

[sjinsjca]

It was a thing for a while to hate on AT&T after their network was brought to its knees in the early days of the iPhone, but personally I've had no problems with them. Verizon still has better coverage in the boonies in the US, but there's one major Silicon Valley area where my Verizon-equipped colleagues get no bars at all and have to tether to my AT&T iPhone for data. So each provider has its strengths and weaknesses.

One reason I originally went to AT&T over Verizon was its superior international roaming offering at the time. That's less an issue nowadays with the iPhone's ability to support multiple networks.

AT&T customer service has been excellent in my case. No complaints at all, after many many years with them, dating back to when they were Cellular One, then Cingular. My impression is that they appreciate my business.

There's an additional big reason I've stuck with AT&T: The ability to have access to data and voice simultaneously. Verizon still can't do that, IIRC. It's a deal-killer for me and my usage.

 

[ChinaRye]

I love T-Mobile since they are a great value. But I live in a major city so coverage is not an issue for me.

 

[nox5]

At&t

 

[gretafour]

T-mobile is the best bang for your buck. They are rolling out 700mhz spectrum this year to address their historically poor indoor reception. LTE is expanding VERY quickly and it's fast fast fast.

I pay $30/mo for 5GB, unlimited text, 100minutes (which can be topped up). Unbeatable as far as I know.