How much faster is AT&T in reality?

[eekcat]

It looks like AT&T, with HSPA+ can offer up to 14.4mbps in theory, while EVDO Rev.A is around 3mbps... and certainly, coverage and performance will vary with every location, but has anyone had any experiences with HSPA+ on AT&T and what real-world speeds it will offer?

I'm currently on AT&T, and though I've never really felt that the data was ever slow, I sure hate their coverage, and wouldn't mind switching over to Verizon if it isn't a severe step down from AT&T's "new" speeds. (and I can count on one hand the number of times I've "needed" to surf and speak at the same time)

 

[paulold]

For me, it simply comes down to this: If you have no signal, increased download speeds mean nothing to you. I am tired of not having a signal in many locations in my normal day to day life - in my kitchen, in the parking garage, in the interior of my building at work, at the club, etc. AT&T's signal simply doesn't penetrate buildings as well as Verizon's.

So for me, I am switching to Verizon to improve the strength of my signal. I want to be able to use the internet more often and in more places more than I want faster downloads. And I'm sure WiFi downloads will still be faster.

As for voice and data at the same time, I hesitated about switching to Verizon when the Verizon iPhone came out for that reason. I wasn't sure if I would miss that feature. But months have passed and I can't really recall when I have had to use it. Plus, my poor signal strength has made my phone calls horrible - I drop calls almost every time and God forbid I have an emergency somewhere my AT&T signal can't reach. That was just never an issue back when I had a Verizon phone, way back when. I've hated AT&T and I can't wait to switch.

 

[shadrap]

Theoretically speaking.

My Verizon iPhone has a ping of around 200. AT&T in my area has an average ping of 350.

If my Verizon is pulling down 2mbps and your AT&T iPhone is pulling down 7mbps they are going to open web pages about the same speed.

In most cases ping means more than Mbps.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Theoretically, of course, AT&T can be much faster. However AT&T and Verizon both have good & bad coverage areas, so you have to take that into account.

I just ran a speedtest.net on my iPhone 4 (AT&T) and on my Verizon 3G USB modem with my laptop, here are the numbers:

AT&T: Ping 164ms, Download 2.79Mbps, Upload 1.01Mbps

Verizon: Ping 265ms, Download 1.31Mbps, Upload 0.67Mbps

Clearly AT&T has much better data speeds here (rural Ozarks, NW Arkansas)... but that may not be the case where you live.

 

[mpossoff]

Theoretically speaking.

My Verizon iPhone has a ping of around 200. AT&T in my area has an average ping of 350.

If my Verizon is pulling down 2mbps and your AT&T iPhone is pulling down 7mbps they are going to open web pages about the same speed.

In most cases ping means more than Mbps.

AT&T is enhancing regions. I used to get pings in the low/mid 200's. Now I get pings in very low 100's. Add the 115-125 pings and 3 down it kills VZW in my region. This has been in the last 7 months when AT&T said they were enhancing the network in my region.

There is no doubt that AT&T has been enhancing around the country.

Check to see when AT&T is enhancing your area.

Add this to the speeds with HSPDA and the iPhone 4S is going to rock.