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AT&T 3G network upgrades degrades 2G performance

J

jc1350

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 4, 2008
607
39
According to the article at http://www.ofb.biz/safari/article/512.html AT&T is tuning its 3G upgraded areas in a way to enhance 3G performance at the cost of degrading 2G performance.

It may be a coincidence, but the last few months I've noticed that my 1st gen iPhone only gets on average 2 bars at my home when I used to have 4 with spikes to 5.
 
jc1350 said:
According to the article at http://www.ofb.biz/safari/article/512.html AT&T is tuning its 3G upgraded areas in a way to enhance 3G performance at the cost of degrading 2G performance.

It may be a coincidence, but the last few months I've noticed that my 1st gen iPhone only gets on average 2 bars at my home when I used to have 4 with spikes to 5.
Click to expand...


This is a serious situation for my wife and me. I purchased a new 3G this summer and she is using the 2G. I should say attempting to use the 2G. While I was using the phone there was always plenty of bars. Now she is seeing mostly Zero bars. I have been telling her that something like this must have happened. I mistakenly thought they had turned done the phone's radio power during the last update. I hadn't thought about the conversion of the network. We are contemplating whether to drop AT&T or ask for some kind of compensation towards a 3G phone for her. This is a major issue for AT&T and Apple. A company can't sell a $400 phone, which by the way (IMHO) is better than the 3G, then make it EOL 12 months later.

Apple and AT&T need to step up to the plate on this one.
 
aviddk said:
This is a serious situation for my wife and me. I purchased a new 3G this summer and she is using the 2G. I should say attempting to use the 2G. While I was using the phone there was always plenty of bars. Now she is seeing mostly Zero bars. I have been telling her that something like this must have happened. I mistakenly thought they had turned done the phone's radio power during the last update. I hadn't thought about the conversion of the network. We are contemplating whether to drop AT&T or ask for some kind of compensation towards a 3G phone for her. This is a major issue for AT&T and Apple. A company can't sell a $400 phone, which by the way (IMHO) is better than the 3G, then make it EOL 12 months later.

Apple and AT&T need to step up to the plate on this one.
Click to expand...

Apple doesn't need to do anything but try to convince at&t otherwise. Outside of that they can't do anything.

at&t is going to face the wrath because of this decision. They should be expecting lawsuits and numerous people dropping their contracts and service because of this. There's really no reason to be doing this because LTE is going to be up and running in some form in a year or two at the most. Redundant systems are necessary - you think at&t would know that after Sunday's fiasco. If they were to maintain a much stronger EDGE network, boost their 3G to an acceptable level and then focus on LTE for the long run...they would be set.
 
is there a way to determine on the phone which frequency its using 850 or 1900?
 
Holy crap, so this is what it is.
I live in Chicago and over the last 2 months my Edge went from 4/5 in house to GONE. Its only 3G or GPRS now. I have logged 4 tickets, which get closed within 48 hours and nothing is resolved. Now it makes sense. Problem is that I can't get a reliable 3G signal even after these changes so I basically have the best GPRS phone on the market.
 
Luckily I have an iPhone 3G and my 3G coverage is pretty decent right now. I would love to get more 3G bars inside at work though. It sucks that my other 2 1st gen iPhones are going to be pretty useless now :(
 
Depending on your area you could always unlock and try your luck with t-mobile. At the very least you will get a break on your monthly bill.
 
It may be a coincidence, but the last few months I've noticed that my 1st gen iPhone only gets on average 2 bars at my home when I used to have 4 with spikes to 5.
Click to expand...
[/I][/I]

I still have 5 bars in Dallas. If your effected take a copy of that to the AT&T store, ask for a manager, and ask he wave the etf. I would go when it's busy and be really loud.
 
aerospace said:
[/I][/I]

I still have 5 bars in Dallas. If your effected take a copy of that to the AT&T store, ask for a manager, and ask he wave the etf. I would go when it's busy and be really loud.
Click to expand...

LOL - that's exactly how I like to conduct business - the louder the better. ;)

The contract on my 2G phone isn't up till Sept '09 - I'd be sorely tempted to switch to T-Mobile
on my JB iPhone if this is really happening. I'd lose the Visual Voicemail, but I think I could cope...
 
shk718 said:
is there a way to determine on the phone which frequency its using 850 or 1900?
Click to expand...

if you go to Wireless Advisor and type in your zip code, it shows the carriers in your area and the frequency they use in your area.

I'm not sure if there's a way to determine on the phone which frequency it uses though.
 
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