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AT&T LTE in CHICAGO: BEWARE!!!
- Thread starter MattMJB0188
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No... this is when LTE first came out. LTE is old now, I had when it was brand new and it was fine. There are no LTE concerns in this city. The only concerns now should be all of these damn iPhones on the LTE networks in general that will slow it down. Still fast though I guess.
The spectrum means everything. There's a reason why a lot of people on macrumors switched their AT&T LTE iPad for the Verizon one. They kept complaining about how about their speeds were in Los Angeles (10Mhz). You can YouTube videos comparing Verizon's congested LTE network vs AT&Ts barely used LTE network in Los Angeles.
Former AT&T customer here. Not sure about their LTE coverage as the 5 will be my first device with LTE, but their regular coverage is abysmal in downtown Chicago. Dropped calls, dead zones, and data is ridiculously, almost hair-pullingly slow. I mean, unable to send a text, unable to pull a 250kb word document - just bad all around. Their customer service has been pretty good and understanding (they even provided me with one of those home hotspot booster thingies), but I had to make the switch to Verizon.
Anecdotally, all friends on Verizon in Chicago area have great LTE. We'll see how the networks are doing on Friday around 4:00 p.m. CST.
Anecdotally, all friends on Verizon in Chicago area have great LTE. We'll see how the networks are doing on Friday around 4:00 p.m. CST.
Yeah but most of us have been with AT&T forever. A lot of us don't want to give up our unlimited data plans for Verizon's mobile share data plans.
If I went to Verizon I'd have to pay $110/mo before taxes and that only gets me 4GB. With AT&T I get the same plus unlimited data (5GB) for only $80/mo with my discounts.
Never will I go to Verizon. Though I will add, they do have more consistent service than AT&T.
I thought hard about that (had unlimited data too), and then I looked at my usage over the past few years. 2GB, 3GB, 2.5GB - rarely did I get close to 4GB. And wi-fi has only become more ubiquitous lately.
AT&T can throttle unlimited data plan owners at any time, and I fully expect them to in the coming months. AT&T has demonstrated antipathy towards concepts like net neutrality, and seems to be more interested in getting customers than building and updating the infrastructure to support those customers. I'd rather pay a premium ($20 or $30) for better service and have a reliable phone than hang on to the mere theory of "unlimited," which is sadly becoming more and more scarce.
Yes, but Verizon really treats its Unlimited Data customers like crap. Not only do they throttle, but they make them pay full price of the phone in order to keep the plan. Only good thing is the throttle doesn't last, and techincially right now they don't do it on LTE.
Those who did pay full price for their phone will enjoy truly unlimited LTE on Verizon.
I have to say, 10MHz or 20MHz, the LTE in Chicago is still going to be much faster than the 4S and below.
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I've gotten 30 mb down on my iPad in Downers Grove and Oakbrook, IL
No problems here!
I believe it was one of the reasons they wanted to buy T-Mobile (as they have lots of spectrum and nobody using it). AT&T is still running 2G networks in Chicago and lacks the spectrum space for another LTE channel.
It's completely ridiculous. I don't know if AT&T has numbers that they claim for speeds, but Verizon claims 5-12mbps. And you're complaining that you ONLY get 24mbps, and to BEWARE of AT&T because YOU aren't getting ridiculously high speeds? I can barely pull 24mbps at HOME, and I have a pretty decent cable connection.
I was considering just switching off of my family plan on ATT and switching to Verizon (just to become a little more independent and seemingly what I thought was a better carrier in the area)
I live in the west burbs of Chicago - I know the price isn't great but would you recommend the switch from AT&T to Verizon for a single user?
I live in the west burbs of Chicago - I know the price isn't great but would you recommend the switch from AT&T to Verizon for a single user?
AT&T just isn't reliable in Chicago, might LTE be different who knows. Here is an old post of mine from last year about what happened to me when I actually needed to use my at&t phone for an emergency and couldn't. Been with Verizon ever since and will gladly pay more money for reliable service and peace of mind.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1268647/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1268647/
That was from 2011. I was just in Chicago two weekends on an epic bike trip riding all over the city and I didn't have any problems....even with the Bears/Colts game going on that day. I was also there memorial day weekend 2011 and they were fine other than in Chinatown, in which since i know they've launched 2 new cell sites in that area.
AT&T "service" in and around Chicago is truly horrific.
It's not just downtown or the city, it's out in the burbs too.
Issues since before the iPhone even existed are still there today.
Thankfully, I'm in my last days of being an AT&T customer^H^H^H^H^H victim.
It's not just downtown or the city, it's out in the burbs too.
Issues since before the iPhone even existed are still there today.
Thankfully, I'm in my last days of being an AT&T customer^H^H^H^H^H victim.
My LTE speed test
The the allocation of spectrum (10MHz or the 20MHz) doesn't give you higher speeds, all it does is that gives the provider the ability for more simultaneous connects, the actual speed depends on the backbone of the network (the fiber connection to the cell tower) and the congestion of the area that the tower services - if the cell tower has a fiber connection with less speed and it is crowded with LTE iPhone 5s downloading things you will get slower results in your speed test, also don't forget that the connection is shared, just like your cable modem - more people less speed.
I live in Naples FL and here we have less LTE devices on the ATT network, so I'm getting speeds of 45-50Mb download and 15-20Mb upload.
The the allocation of spectrum (10MHz or the 20MHz) doesn't give you higher speeds, all it does is that gives the provider the ability for more simultaneous connects, the actual speed depends on the backbone of the network (the fiber connection to the cell tower) and the congestion of the area that the tower services - if the cell tower has a fiber connection with less speed and it is crowded with LTE iPhone 5s downloading things you will get slower results in your speed test, also don't forget that the connection is shared, just like your cable modem - more people less speed.
I live in Naples FL and here we have less LTE devices on the ATT network, so I'm getting speeds of 45-50Mb download and 15-20Mb upload.
Attachments
Wow so much wrong information.
With 5x5Mhz channels, AT&T in Chicago can deliver 37mbps per cell site sector. That means if you're by yourself in front of the cell tower, and no one else is connected on LTE air interface, You'll get up to 37mbps under the perfect weather conditions. NOw imagine hundreds of people on that same cell site...
With 10x10Mhz channels, Verizon nationwide delivers 73mbps per cell site sector. So you can actually achieve close to those speeds done it myself.
Here is Verizon LTE from last Christmas:
That's the real world achievable speed on 10x10Mhz channels using current Category 3 user equipment.
In Germany for instance, by using 20x20Mhz channels on Deutche Telekom, in theory the maximum speeds are 150mbps, BUT Category 3 user equipment is maxing out at 100mbps so at that point your hardware (phone) is the limiting factor.
Hope this helps.
With 5x5Mhz channels, AT&T in Chicago can deliver 37mbps per cell site sector. That means if you're by yourself in front of the cell tower, and no one else is connected on LTE air interface, You'll get up to 37mbps under the perfect weather conditions. NOw imagine hundreds of people on that same cell site...
With 10x10Mhz channels, Verizon nationwide delivers 73mbps per cell site sector. So you can actually achieve close to those speeds done it myself.
Here is Verizon LTE from last Christmas:
That's the real world achievable speed on 10x10Mhz channels using current Category 3 user equipment.
In Germany for instance, by using 20x20Mhz channels on Deutche Telekom, in theory the maximum speeds are 150mbps, BUT Category 3 user equipment is maxing out at 100mbps so at that point your hardware (phone) is the limiting factor.
Hope this helps.