Any chance of 3G improvements in New York City? No probably not.

[deannnnn]

I sent an e-mail to AT&T expressing my anger toward their 3G service in NYC. Here's what I said, if anyone is interested:

Dear AT&T,

I have more of a complaint than a question. I had the original iPhone
last year, and when the new iPhone 3G came out, I was so excited because
Edge just wasn't cutting it for me... So I went to an Apple store in
Miami, got the iPhone 3G, and it was fantastic. Lightning fast speeds,
the ability to get calls while online, and all the other great things 3G
has to offer. I had been using my phone in the Fort Lauderdale / Miami
metro area of Florida. And everything worked great... But about a month
ago, I moved to New York City for college. I didn't think I'd have to
worry about 3G coverage in the biggest city in the country, but 3G is
HORRIBLE here. I loose my signal constantly, I get dropped calls just
about every single call I make, 3G speeds are SO slow... even if I have
5 bars. It's almost as slow as Edge! I was able to pull in 1.4Mbps in
Florida... I'm lucky if I can get 0.3Mbps here in NYC. I can't rely on
the service either, since most calls are dropped. On the other hand, if
I disable 3G on my iPhone, and strictly use Edge, everything works
great. No dropped calls, good coverage in and around buildings, no
problems whatsoever.... But why did I buy the iPhone 3G and why do I pay
$30 a month for 3G coverage if I can't even use it!?

I don't know why your network differs so much between Florida & New
York, but I would suggest taking whatever you did in Florida, and
implementing it here in New York... And it's not just me! Here is a link
to a thread with over 200 iPhone users complaining about the lack of
reliable 3G coverage in NYC.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/547409/

I live in the Union Square area (14th St & 4th Ave).
Thank you for your attention to this problem.

-Dean

Here was their response:

Dear Dean,

Thank you for taking the time to e-mail the new AT&T regarding a problem
with service in New York. I am happy to help you with your inquiry and I
apologize for any frustration this may have caused.

Dean, I understand your frustration. According to a coverage map of that
area there are at least 4 planned towers and several towers being under
contruction at this time. Because of the additional population in New
York City, versus Miami there is more of a chance of congestion issues
in that area as well.

Please also understand that the signal for wireless phones is, in
essence, a radio signal and can be affected by the same structures and
interference that would block a radio station signal. Please know that
network signal strength can depend on a variety of factors, including
weather, terrain, building structure interference, call demand and your
device. Because of the many factors that can affect cell phone signal
strength, we are not able to guarantee 100% coverage.

Thank you for being a part of the AT&T Family since 2004. Again, we
thank you for allowing us the opportunity to assist you with your
account. If we can be of further assistance, please contact us at http://www.att.com/wireless.
As always, thank you for choosing the new AT&T!

Sincerely,

Tina McKenzie
AT&T
Online Customer Care Professional

4 planned towers and "several" towers under construction doesn't make me too hopeful. =/

 

[BOSS10L]

This is one of the only *perks* upstate seems to have over the city. 3G reception up here is astounding. Of course, everything else, not so much....