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Does your 4G AT&T indicate when in LTE coverage?

A

aka777

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 13, 2012
865
428
Can anyone confirm that the AT&T model illustrates that they are in LTE mode?
 
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itsjared said:
I'm on mine right now and I live in Dallas (LTE central for AT&T). Nothing to indicate I'm on LTE.

Of course I have AT&T.
Click to expand...

You're kidding me. Tell me these idiots didn't have Apple merge HSPA+ with LTE under the same 4G indicator.

VZ model it is then.
 
clborden said:
Well, my Verizon model shows LTE now, and when I switch it back off, it goes to 3G. Hope it helps.
Click to expand...

Yep thanks. So the VZ definitely indicates when on LTE, while the AT&T does not seem to.
 
Anyone with a AT&T 4G device out there in an LTE covered city?
 
I have both here in Houston. Verizon is showing LTE, speeds are decent 8/2. AT&T is only showing a 4G icon, pulling speeds of 3/1. Sounds like my ATT is still on HSPA+ and not LTE.
 
I'm in Boston, we've got LTE. My iPad said 4G initially, but after a second or two, it says LTE in the status bar. The AT&T iPad does indeed differentiate between HSPA+ and LTE.
 

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Ah okay, very good.

I was just wondering, considering AT&T has a knack for pulling tricks like this off.
 
SHIFTLife said:
I'm in Boston, we've got LTE. My iPad said 4G initially, but after a second or two, it says LTE in the status bar. The AT&T iPad does indeed differentiate between HSPA+ and LTE.
Click to expand...

Retested. AT&T definitely showing LTE. Here in a low signal area....
Houston, TX
Verizon 8/3
AT&T 9/9
 
After I migrated unlimited AT&T 3G pre-paid iPad monthly data to the new iPad (3rd generation March 2012), only 4G showed. I called AT&T iPad support to confirm that the plan was now LTE and the appropriate IMEI/ICCID were registered; the idiots there said that the 4G indicator means LTE (which is wrong). I decided to restart iPad, and after, LTE appeared. Maybe I'm in a poor coverage area (of San Francisco), but now LTE shows all of the time.
 
ZBoater said:
Tricks like what? :confused:
Click to expand...

Calling HSPA+ "4G."

In the end, I think it's counterproductive. People in Midtown Manhattan sees the 4G indicator, experience the slow download speeds (1Mbps, if that), and wonder what's so great about "4G."

They are starting to advertise "4G LTE" here and how great it is, but to me that makes it even more confusing.
 
KPOM said:
Calling HSPA+ "4G."

In the end, I think it's counterproductive. People in Midtown Manhattan sees the 4G indicator, experience the slow download speeds (1Mbps, if that), and wonder what's so great about "4G."

They are starting to advertise "4G LTE" here and how great it is, but to me that makes it even more confusing.
Click to expand...

So, the standards organization says it's ok to call HSPA+ "4G" and that somehow is a trick by AT&T?

http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2010/48.aspx

"As the most advanced technologies currently defined for global wireless mobile broadband communications, IMT-Advanced is considered as '4G,' although it is recognized that this term, while undefined, may also be applied to the forerunners of these technologies, LTE and WiMAX, and to other evolved 3G technologies providing a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed," the standards body said. (December 2011)
 
ZBoater said:
So, the standards organization says it's ok to call HSPA+ "4G" and that somehow is a trick by AT&T?
Click to expand...

They changed the rules only after petitioning by T-Mobile, which lacked LTE. Anyway, in Europe HSPA+ is called 3G, because that's the underlying technology. Witness the whole debate about the "4G" status in Europe last week. While I think Apple was in the clear, they did modify their websites.

There's a substantial difference between LTE and HSPA+. The surface-to-air interface is entirely different (as different as GSM/EDGE was to UMTS/HSPA). That, to me, is a much better place to divide "3G" from "4G." The practice in the EU makes more sense. Yes, theoretically some HSPA+ protocols are capable of similar download speeds, but that was also the case with EDGE vs. early implementations of UMTS.

Anyway, it's interesting that when the iPhone 4S first came out, it called the HSPA+ network 3G, but then with the latest update decided to magically rebrand it 4G. That was at AT&T's bidding, and I don't like it.
 
You need to use the new sim, not just put the old sim in the new iPad. Go to settings, cellular usage, log in, follow the steps to migrate the account to 4G.

iPad 2 old sim only shows "4G" rather than "LTE".
 
My ATT iPad is showing 4G only when I turn off wifi. I'm in the South Bay Area by Cupertino, and ATT's "map" (rolleyes) shows that this area is deeply blanketed in LTE.

Is it because I haven't bought a data plan? Or, whether you have bought a data plan or not it should show LTE?

If I can't get LTE in Silicon Valley, it's yet another reason to go Verizon....
 
If you haven't signed up for data via AT&T, most times it will show 4G because LTE is reserved for paying customers.
 
whtrbt7 said:
If you haven't signed up for data via AT&T, most times it will show 4G because LTE is reserved for paying customers.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification. That makes a difference whther to keep this ATT iPad or not.

Can those of you who see LTE on your ATT iPads confirm that you paid for a data plan vs. seeing LTE without a plan?

[edit] Just saw this other thread that confirms LTE appearing after purchase of a plan:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1343136/
 
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