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Should I stay with AT&T or move to Verizon?

B

brainwave89

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 7, 2006
476
8
I currently don't have a contract with AT&T for my iPhone. I have an unlimited data plan with them and based on where I live I will have better cell phone coverage with Verizon. My coverage is not horrible but Verizon would be better. I am trying to figure out the importance of having an unlimited data plan.

Currently I use very little data on my iPhone but what about the future? Will I benefit from it in the future?

Would you stick with AT&T based on having an unlimited data plan or move to Verizon for the better cell phone coverage?

Thanks for looking.
 
brainwave89 said:
I currently don't have a contract with AT&T for my iPhone. I have an unlimited data plan with them and based on where I live I will have better cell phone coverage with Verizon. I am trying to figure out the importance of having an unlimited data plan.

Currently I use very little data on my iPhone but what about the future? Will I benefit from in the future?

Would you stick with AT&T based on having an unlimited data plan or move to Verizon for the better cell phone coverage?

Thanks for looking.
Click to expand...

I say switch to Verizon. You obviously don't need unlimited data and going with a provider with better service will actually make a difference.
 
I was in the same boat as you. I was out of contract with AT&T, but I had grandfathered unlimited data. I decided to stay with AT&T. You never know when you might need the extra data & since neither Verizon or AT&T offer unlimited data anymore, I figured at some point I'd be kicking myself for giving it up.
 
If you have issues with dropped calls and ATT coverage then switch to Verizon. If ATT coverage is decent enough in your area stick with ATT to keep the unlimited data. Also, ATT has much faster data speeds so if you use Safari a lot or web based apps then Verizon will be slower.

Depends on whether data is important to you and ATT coverage in your area. Personally, I'm sticking with ATT for the data speeds. I drop a call every now and then but not often enough for me to really care.
 
At some point in the future we will all lose our unlimited plans. So go with the service that gives you more bang for your buck. I switched from AT&T to Verizon because of the amount of dropped calls my wife and I were experiencing. So far, Verizon has given us excellence coverage.

Just think about some of the things you'll sacrifice with the change. AT&T does have a faster 3G network but isn't as consistent as Verizon. With Verizon you can't talk and surf at the sometime unless you're on a wifi network. And Verizon tends to be the most expensive of all carriers.

Just way the pros and cons. I suggest buying the phone outright so you aren't tied to a contract.
 
If you decide to switch to Verizon you'll need to switch to Android. iPhone on Verizon (with their ridiculously slow 3G) is not a viable option nowadays.
 
lilo777 said:
If you decide to switch to Verizon you'll need to switch to Android. iPhone on Verizon (with their ridiculously slow 3G) is not a viable option nowadays.
Click to expand...

From experience I haven't had any slow downs with their network. I'm able to Sling with HQ and watch Netflix with no problems. I'm also able to stream music in HQ with no problems.
 
i was in the same boat as you. I'm grandfathered in for unlimited data and although I don't use over 2gb every month you just don't know. also I bought the 4S and renewed my contract because you'll have the fastest speeds on AT&T
 
Here is some more information in case you are thinking of switching to Verizon.

Verizon started throttling their top 5% heavy data users. The top 5% of users currently are defined as those who use more than 2GB of data per month. This only impacts 3G users. Users that are currently on the 4G (LTE) aren't impacted with this.

Just something to keep in mind.
 
djinn said:
Here is some more information in case you are thinking of switching to Verizon.

Verizon started throttling their top 5% heavy data users. The top 5% of users currently are defined as those who use more than 2GB of data per month. This only impacts 3G users. Users that are currently on the 4G (LTE) aren't impacted with this.

Just something to keep in mind.
Click to expand...

Bolded the important parts here... thats irrelevant because everyone on LTE is capped. So they have an incentive not to go over. However, let users have unlimited plans like the ones they had for 3G and watch Verizon cap the top 5%...

AT&T also doesn't throttle users unless you use more than 2GB per month... and new comers don't have to worry about it either because they know they'll be slapped for going over.

So in the end, your argument, is invalid.
 
djinn said:
From experience I haven't had any slow downs with their network. I'm able to Sling with HQ and watch Netflix with no problems. I'm also able to stream music in HQ with no problems.
Click to expand...

Quote:

The AT&T iPhone’s average download speed was 1,769 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 730 Kbps. By way of comparison, the Verizon iPhone’s average download speed was 848 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 506 Kbps.

The results come from 43,000 AT&T iPhones and 14,000 Verizon iPhones all over the United States.



730Kbps is not good enough for 21st century :p
 
lilo777 said:
Quote:

The AT&T iPhone’s average download speed was 1,769 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 730 Kbps. By way of comparison, the Verizon iPhone’s average download speed was 848 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 506 Kbps.

The results come from 43,000 AT&T iPhones and 14,000 Verizon iPhones all over the United States.



730Kbps is not good enough for 21st century :p
Click to expand...

Those are EDGE-like speeds... shame.
 
jav6454 said:
Bolded the important parts here... thats irrelevant because everyone on LTE is capped. So they have an incentive not to go over. However, let users have unlimited plans like the ones they had for 3G and watch Verizon cap the top 5%...

AT&T also doesn't throttle users unless you use more than 2GB per month... and new comers don't have to worry about it either because they know they'll be slapped for going over.

So in the end, your argument, is invalid.
Click to expand...

I'm just passing the info from whats in the data disclosure on Verizons website. Chill out...
 
lilo777 said:
If you decide to switch to Verizon you'll need to switch to Android. iPhone on Verizon (with their ridiculously slow 3G) is not a viable option nowadays.
Click to expand...

Don't listen to this person. I see them all over the internet spreading Android progaganda. I recognised the name straight away.
 
lilo777 said:
Well. Verizon has nothing to be ashamed of. They do have LTE with 30Mbps speeds. It's just iPhone does not have LTE.
Click to expand...

They do, their LTE doesn't matter in this case. So if they have 30Mb/s down (which they don't, they show 20Mb/s tops) it doesn't matter due to the fact that we are not talking about an LTE iPhone.
 
Last edited:
I'll agree with jav6454 concerning the LTE part. I wouldn't go LTE just for the speed. I tried that with the Thunderbolt and came back to the iPhone.

The OP should really look at coverage and pricing.
 
The only thing keeping me with AT&T when I upgrade to the 4S is the ability to use data while on the phone. This is something the other carriers don't allow or don't have the ability for. It's helped me out a number of times.
 
lilo777 said:
Quote:

The AT&T iPhone’s average download speed was 1,769 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 730 Kbps. By way of comparison, the Verizon iPhone’s average download speed was 848 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 506 Kbps.

The results come from 43,000 AT&T iPhones and 14,000 Verizon iPhones all over the United States.



730Kbps is not good enough for 21st century :p
Click to expand...

Did I forget to mention that I'm on dialup at home. Those Verizon Speeds are INSANE!
 
jav6454 said:
They do, their LTE doesn't matter in this case. So if they have 30Mb/s down (which they don't, they show 20Mb/s tops) it doesn't matter due to the fact that we are not talking about an LTE iPhone.
Click to expand...

htc-thunderbolt-4g-lte-speed-test.jpg


Link

----------
motty2307 said:
The only thing keeping me with AT&T when I upgrade to the 4S is the ability to use data while on the phone. This is something the other carriers don't allow or don't have the ability for. It's helped me out a number of times.
Click to expand...

All other carriers have this ability now just not with iPhone. Both LTE (Verizon) and WiMax (Sprint) provide for this use scenario.
 
Unless you are having major signal issues or your AT&T bill is higher than what Verizon would charge you, I'd say to stay with AT&T for the time being.

Verizon is somewhat more expensive ($30 for 2GB?) and their CDMA network isn't as fast as AT&Ts (though it makes a negligible difference).
 
I wouldn't worry too much about unlimited data. The amount you spend extra a month on it would be far greater than what you would pay in overages. Assuming if you do go over it won't be often.

That being said, if Verizon is that much better, I don't see why you wouldn't switch. Around here they both are about the same as far as reliability goes, but Verizon's 3G sucks. Verizon is also more expensive than AT&T, I would pay an extra $5/month for my plan on Verizon. It's not much, but for me I wouldn't gain anything by switching, so saving that $5/month is worth it.
 
Getting a particular phone just for its network speed is stupid unless you require hotspot, even then I'm not so sure.

#1 rule: go with the provider that has the best service in your area.
 
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