How embarrassing on Verizon NYC

[Jades]

Midtown Manhattan. Most expensive carrier but we only get half the service working (voice). This has been going on since way before the hurricane. Verizon has me by the balls because I have an unlimited data plan

These were all done today in the same area
I don't understand how AT&T was ranked the worst network

 

[BigMcGuire]

Often wondered that myself - I think it has less dead zones... but that said, I've always had AT&T people beat me in the 3g days.

With LTE I get 12mbps down in northern Los Angeles but 45mbps down here in Victorville, CA.

 

[tymaster50]

congestion? Because you're the only Verizon user in NYC.

 

[HankHowdy]

Often wondered that myself - I think it has less dead zones... but that said, I've always had AT&T people beat me in the 3g days.

With LTE I get 12mbps down in northern Los Angeles but 45mbps down here in Victorville, CA.

Is that verizon? On my thunderbolt I was getting 10mbps in Victorville and Lancaster.

 

[NewAnger]

After one year of using Verizon on my 4S, I have cancelled my service due to having no 3G and dropped calls where I live.

I could never cancel my AT&T line due to this because I needed a working phone when I am home. I never used my upgrade which is still using my 3GS so I will wait to see what comes next before using the upgrade. It was eligible since last May.

 

[swiftbmx]

Near Bryant Park, it's even worse. My building pretty much gets zero service. I'm less than 2 feet from a window so I know its a dead zone. Unfortunately Verizon has quite a few. i canceled Verizon 2 weeks ago and switched to AT&T.

 

[macher]

Are they upgrading towers? I thought VZW was pretty decent in NYC?

Or is it possible that VZW is beginning to experience network overload like AT&T did in the past that gave them a bad rep?

 

[AppleFanatic10]

congestion? Because you're the only Verizon user in NYC.

That's what I was thinking. It's probably because a lot of people are on the Verizon network. I can't think of another reason why your LTE would be so slow.

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Is that verizon? On my thunderbolt I was getting 10mbps in Victorville and Lancaster.

I live in the Lancaster area. How is LTE? I just ordered my iPhone 5 (upgraded from the 4).

 

[Jades]

Congestion ok but starting at 9am? That's crazy that just shows how little bandwidth they have on this node. If AT&T had the same results, I'd be ok with it. But if I'm teased by an AT&T phone that doesn't have any issues at all, this is a big shame.
The most expensive carrier should not have issues like this

 

[macher]

Congestion ok but starting at 9am? That's crazy that just shows how little bandwidth they have on this node. If AT&T had the same results, I'd be ok with it. But if I'm teased by an AT&T phone that doesn't have any issues at all, this is a big shame.
The most expensive carrier should not have issues like this

I'd really make sure VZW isn't upgrading towers and call to see if they are issues that are being worked on.

I find it hard to think that it's due to congestion.

I'm not a VZW fanboy. In fact I have an AT&T family plan and a single VZW line. I'm in the Philly market and I've seen VZW LTE decline to advertised speeds of 5-12 Mbps down. I'm not complaining.

I find it hard to think that the issue isn't other than they are upgrading, or fixing the issue. VZW reputation is at stake as being the nations top LTE carrier. It would be bad pr if they have issues they can't fix in NYC. They'll become like AT&T having a bad rep because of the same thing.

 

[mantan]

Are they upgrading towers? I thought VZW was pretty decent in NYC?

Or is it possible that VZW is beginning to experience network overload like AT&T did in the past that gave them a bad rep?

On one hand I could see network overload being an issue. But VZW had the opportunity to build out their LTE network and prepare for the release of the iPhone on their network. (Unlike AT&T who was literally trying to build out on the fly while meeting mushrooming demand when they were an exclusive carrier.)

I'm sure building for the most densely populated area in the country is a challenge. But as AT&T found out, your reputation is often portrayed by your service in those areas. AT&T had lightning fast coverage in 99% of the areas they serviced...but since they didn't keep up in NYC and SF, their reputation was a lot worse than they deserved.

 

[takeshi74]

I don't understand how AT&T was ranked the worst network

Should be pretty obvious. They're not ranked based solely on your experiences. No trend is defined by a single data point for that matter. In any case, the rankings are pointless anyway. Coverage varies by market and even within markets. As always, use whatever carrier meets your specific coverage needs.

The most expensive carrier should not have issues like this

Price is just price on any topic. Again, shop based on coverage where you need it instead of just assuming that price means others things.

 

[NewAnger]

Should be pretty obvious. They're not ranked based solely on your experiences. No trend is defined by a single data point for that matter. In any case, the rankings are pointless anyway. Coverage varies by market and even within markets. As always, use whatever carrier meets your specific coverage needs.

And unfortunately, you do not know how a carrier will be without trying them by buying a phone.

Just because people say they like Verizon doesn't mean they are the best for your individual needs. AT&T has always been solid in my area and the customer service, top notch.

 

[JSalig]

I'd be happy to get some of those speeds in downtown DC. I can barely get above 1mb on weekdays. On weekends? Over 15mb easily. I have unlimited data but these days it hasn't been worth a damn.

 

[macking104]

Instead of whining on a non telecommunication specific website, hope you have contacted the carrier by phone (800) 922-0204, email, or in writing about the poor coverage in your area. That way, they can possibly send a tech to analyze the situation and maybe add or modify/ fix equipment so that higher quality service is possible by all subscribers....

 

[tymaster50]

what major carrier in NYC isn't congested? In NYC there is more than 1 million people, considering Verizon is the top US carrier that means if there are 34 towers around that just about all of them will be severely congested.

 

[Bruins Fan]

what major carrier in NYC isn't congested? In NYC there is more than 1 million people, considering Verizon is the top US carrier that means if there are 34 towers around that just about all of them will be severely congested.

Try more like north of 8 million people! Manhattan alone is like 1.6 million.

 

[tymaster50]

Try more like north of 8 million people! Manhattan alone is like 1.6 million.

ah yeah I keep forgetting that all the boroughs are actually NYC. Which is a shame because I visited NYC like 5 times this summer.

 

[Jades]

Instead of whining on a non telecommunication specific website, hope you have contacted the carrier by phone (800) 922-0204, email, or in writing about the poor coverage in your area. That way, they can possibly send a tech to analyze the situation and maybe add or modify/ fix equipment so that higher quality service is possible by all subscribers....

I did. They refuse to fix, blaming "possible interference" which makes no sense when I'm on ground level and literally have line of sight to the cell site

Lastly, the problem here is not just in this area. It is most places I go within NYC that the data service is very inconsistent. I'm not the only one complaining
Check this out

https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/907090
http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...n-Midtown-Manhattan-Is-This-Normal?p=15006589

The only thing holding me back is the unlimited data plan

If this were an issue on T-Mobile or Sprint, I'd say "ok". But I deserve to set high expectations on the "king of all carriers", especially when the 3 other carriers in my location do not experience this issue at all

 

[Jades]

This is in a totally different neighborhood

 

[macher]

This is in a totally different neighborhood

Those Verizon speeds are good. Verizon advertised speeds are 5-12 Mbps.

When VZW LTE first hit Philly I was getting VERY high speeds like 25+ Mbps all the time in peak times.Now since about a year my speeds are between 5-12 Mbps average in peak times. VERY rare I can get over 12 Mbps unless it's off peak times.

I have 1 VZW line and have an AT&T family plan. Since AT&T LTE is newer in Philly I except the same thing to happen. I get much higher AT&T LTE speeds than VZW. But that will change.

What I like about AT&T better than VZW is when AT&T isn't able to get an LTE connection it falls back to HSPA+. With VZW when it falls back to 3G their 3G is horrendous. Although AT&T HSPA+ is congested it's much better than VZW HSPA+. I would have liked AT&T to have built a rock solid HSPA+ first before going on the LTE bandwagon because it has potential. On my AT&T iPhone 5 I have LTE turned off most of the time because HSPA+ is good enough for me and it saves battery life.

My experience is that VZW LTE network is more thin than AT&T meaning I fallback to 3G a lot more than I fallback with AT&T. I'm told it's because AT&T has more towers. I can be in a VZW LTE area but like I said it's thin, my iPhone 5 switches from LTE to 3G a lot more than AT&T switching from LTE to HSPA+.

In the city of Philly I would say VZW and AT&T are equal with each having their own issues. If you go by real life comparison without speed tests they both seem the same but I'll give AT&T an edge because their LTE seems snappier but not significantly.

 

[Jades]

I'm told it's because AT&T has more towers. I can be in a VZW LTE area but like I said it's thin, my iPhone 5 switches from LTE to 3G a lot more than AT&T switching from LTE to HSPA+.

This is the sad part. It should be the other way around lol. Verizon should have the better coverage because that's what they're known for, but as soon as you step indoors you loose the LTE connection meanwhile AT&T maintains 4-5 bars consistently

Wish I had AT&T unlimited data instead

 

[SilentLoner]

Chicago, verizon is better than AT&T on both 3G and LTE.

 

[macher]

This is the sad part. It should be the other way around lol. Verizon should have the better coverage because that's what they're known for, but as soon as you step indoors you loose the LTE connection meanwhile AT&T maintains 4-5 bars consistently

Wish I had AT&T unlimited data instead

Like I said I have 1 unlimited VZW line and an AT&T family plan each line having unlimited data.

There are some advantages to VZW that I wish AT&T had. The first big advantage for me is the unlimited mobile hotspot with VZW at $30/month. The second is I can use my VZW iPhone 5 sim in my iPad and use the sim on my iPad for unlimited data. The third is at this time VZW doesn't throttle 4G devices, but I think it's inevitable that VZW will start to network optimize as they state on their site.

The advantages with AT&T is I was able to keep unlimited data and upgrade at subsidized pricing. I upgraded 2 of our lines to iPhone 5's and the cost to upgrade 2 lines was $400'ish. If I was to do this with VZW and wanted to keep unlimited data on the 2 lines the cost would have been $1400'ish. Big difference between $400'ish and $1400'ish to keep unlimited data.

Yes AT&T throttles LTE data when you reach 5GB until the billing cycle ends. It's important to note that when you get throttled on LTE the speeds are NOT reduced to EDGE speeds. They are reduced to 500'ish Mbps down and up and you still get low pings. For normal everyday applications 500'ish Mbps up and down with low pings under 100 works great. But you can notice a difference when watching Netflix as an example. Netflix is still watchable on throttled AT&T LTE @ 500'ish Mbps down and up with under 100 pings but the quality of watching Netflix on I throttled speeds is better.

AT&T in the last 2 years has really gotten things together. Prior to 2 years ago another story. Being an AT&T customer prior to 2 years ago(for 10 years) I can see almost a complete turnaround in how they are actively fixing issues that once gave them a bad rep. Yes they still have issues.

The biggest thing I don't like about AT&T is their throttling policy. Like I said it isn't that bad.

It's area dependent and even within an area dependent.

I prefer VZW more because of the advantages from above.

Unlimited VZW is great to have along with the ability of unlimited mobile hotspot and the ability to take my iPhone sim and use it on my iPad. VZW let's you do this I think because they can't legally stop you(FCC).

BUT I'm not confident that VZW unlimited data is here to stay.

As far as voice I hear that AT&T isn't good in NYC but VZW voice is pretty good, is that true?

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Chicago, verizon is better than AT&T on both 3G and LTE.

How much better? In Philly AT&T LTE is better than VZW LTE but not significantly better to make me switch.

 

[Jades]

Like I said I have 1 unlimited VZW line and an AT&T family plan each line having unlimited data.

There are some advantages to VZW that I wish AT&T had. The first big advantage for me is the unlimited mobile hotspot with VZW at $30/month. The second is I can use my VZW iPhone 5 sim in my iPad and use the sim on my iPad for unlimited data. The third is at this time VZW doesn't throttle 4G devices, but I think it's inevitable that VZW will start to network optimize as they state on their site.

The advantages with AT&T is I was able to keep unlimited data and upgrade at subsidized pricing. I upgraded 2 of our lines to iPhone 5's and the cost to upgrade 2 lines was $400'ish. If I was to do this with VZW and wanted to keep unlimited data on the 2 lines the cost would have been $1400'ish. Big difference between $400'ish and $1400'ish to keep unlimited data.

Yes AT&T throttles LTE data when you reach 5GB until the billing cycle ends. It's important to note that when you get throttled on LTE the speeds are NOT reduced to EDGE speeds. They are reduced to 500'ish Mbps down and up and you still get low pings. For normal everyday applications 500'ish Mbps up and down with low pings under 100 works great. But you can notice a difference when watching Netflix as an example. Netflix is still watchable on throttled AT&T LTE @ 500'ish Mbps down and up with under 100 pings but the quality of watching Netflix on I throttled speeds is better.

AT&T in the last 2 years has really gotten things together. Prior to 2 years ago another story. Being an AT&T customer prior to 2 years ago(for 10 years) I can see almost a complete turnaround in how they are actively fixing issues that once gave them a bad rep. Yes they still have issues.

The biggest thing I don't like about AT&T is their throttling policy. Like I said it isn't that bad.

It's area dependent and even within an area dependent.

I prefer VZW more because of the advantages from above.

Unlimited VZW is great to have along with the ability of unlimited mobile hotspot and the ability to take my iPhone sim and use it on my iPad. VZW let's you do this I think because they can't legally stop you(FCC).

BUT I'm not confident that VZW unlimited data is here to stay.

As far as voice I hear that AT&T isn't good in NYC but VZW voice is pretty good, is that true?

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How much better? In Philly AT&T LTE is better than VZW LTE but not significantly better to make me switch.

Nothing beats Verizon for voice. But as we know, data is the future and voice is declining rapidly. Technically if I wanted to, I can load up an app that uses LTE for voice and start making calls. But since indoor coverage is nonexistent with Verizon, I can't

As far as the throttling and sim swap policy, yeah you have a point. I also look at it in a way of, how often will I actually be doing this?

Allowing loyal customers to upgrade and keep their plan is another plus. I don't see that staying in effect much longer though. Both these companies like to copy each other.

I just hope Verizon doesn't run to deploy Voice over LTE anytime soon with the existing coverage gaps. If they do, oh boy.