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Carrier Sprint is pathetic

Was in Midtown Atlanta yesterday, my girl's mom couldn't even get anything to load on her Sprint iPhone 4S. Webpages taking up to a minute just to render. I wish she had the Speedtest app installed so I could see the actual speeds. It looked like 56K dial-up speeds from 10yrs ago which is truly pathetic.

On my Verizon iPhone 5, LTE instant loading of everything. Hell even my girl's fake "4G" on T-Mobile was loading stuff pretty fast except inside the buildings (as usual).

People get what they pay for with those smaller carriers.
 
aliensporebomb said:
One thought too is that it seems that certain fiber providers/city inspectors are dragging their heels in getting LTE wired up - the nearest tower to my house had a bike path by a lake dug up and the fiber was installed last fall/winter. Then repaved.

Then the antennas and RRUs and cabinets were installed last February.

The tower went live about a week and a half ago.

Part of it is installations, permits, licenses, personnel, etc. Red tape.

I can point out a number of LTE installations that appear ready to go but are delayed for one reason or another.

There's one near my work that's had the gear onsite since last winter and the new cabinets are still just sitting out in the open waiting for someone to do something with them.

I've heard tell in that case it's a particular city inspector who has better things to do.
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That's interesting. It makes me wonder just who Sprint has managed to tick off. I say that because neither Verizon nor AT&T seem to suffer delays like this. Yet Sprint always seems to have a hell of a time with permitting and government red tape. Or at least when the vendors are working for Sprint it tends to be an issue.

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blockburner28 said:
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LTE in the New Orleans area. Its still spotty, but I enjoy it more then my 4s I had a few weeks ago. I can't really complain my bill is $134 with tax for two iphones unlimited data. I used 5 gigs in a 10 day period lol. Thats why 4g do to you. Also they gave me a total of $400 credit within the last month to stay and upgrade etc.
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Nice. The LTE symbol in the status bar is elusive and hard to find in the wild. :)

Hopefully Sprint gets to PHX before the end of 2020.
 
eyoungren said:
That's interesting. It makes me wonder just who Sprint has managed to tick off. I say that because neither Verizon nor AT&T seem to suffer delays like this. Yet Sprint always seems to have a hell of a time with permitting and government red tape. Or at least when the vendors are working for Sprint it tends to be an issue.

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Nice. The LTE symbol in the status bar is elusive and hard to find in the wild. :)

Hopefully Sprint gets to PHX before the end of 2020.
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LOL they will get it to you guys soon i bet
 
blockburner28 said:
Image
LTE in the New Orleans area. Its still spotty, but I enjoy it more then my 4s I had a few weeks ago. I can't really complain my bill is $134 with tax for two iphones unlimited data. I used 5 gigs in a 10 day period lol. Thats why 4g do to you. Also they gave me a total of $400 credit within the last month to stay and upgrade etc.
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How are you liking Ando?
 
My gf and I have 6 months left on our contract with Sprint and I am paying the ETF as soon as the new Iphone comes out and going with Verizon. The 3G speeds are comparable to Edge which is what I had before with T-mobile. What's the point in having unlimited data when it can't even stream a song properly? It's deceptive for them to even say we're getting 3G.

I want to leave them now but the new Iphone is right around the corner. Sadly our current phones will be worth less when we sell them but we don't really have a choice.

To anyone who's left one carrier and gone with another, whats the proper way to do this without losing my phone number? Do I have to sign up with a new carrier first or will Sprint give me a window in which I can transfer my number if I leave them first?

Also, is there any benefit to buying the phone from the Apple Store instead of the Verizon Store?
 
kuato said:
My gf and I have 6 months left on our contract with Sprint and I am paying the ETF as soon as the new Iphone comes out and going with Verizon. The 3G speeds are comparable to Edge which is what I had before with T-mobile. What's the point in having unlimited data when it can't even stream a song properly? It's deceptive for them to even say we're getting 3G.

I want to leave them now but the new Iphone is right around the corner. Sadly our current phones will be worth less when we sell them but we don't really have a choice.

To anyone who's left one carrier and gone with another, whats the proper way to do this without losing my phone number? Do I have to sign up with a new carrier first or will Sprint give me a window in which I can transfer my number if I leave them first?

Also, is there any benefit to buying the phone from the Apple Store instead of the Verizon Store?
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I left Verizon for Sprint because they are so bad with iPhones. Now I'm convinced CDMA sucks with iPhone. If you want real iPhone experience, go with AT&T or T-Mobile. I have no idea where you live but I'm in NYC and Verizon has horrible 4G LTE here in Manhattan. If you go to their website, you will see a lot of complaint about the iPhone.

The proper way to not lose your phone number is to first open the lines at Verizon and tell them you are porting from Sprint. That should do the trick. Once you get the new phones, try them out everywhere you go and do everything you would normally do for a week. If everything is fine and works well, keep the service. If its not fine, hurry and return the phones and port back to Sprint until you find another carrier to try.

In Manhattan I had Sprints poor 3G speeds on Verizon LTE. If you don't believe me, go check out their forums. Good luck and hope it works out for you.
 
kuato said:
My gf and I have 6 months left on our contract with Sprint and I am paying the ETF as soon as the new Iphone comes out and going with Verizon. The 3G speeds are comparable to Edge which is what I had before with T-mobile. What's the point in having unlimited data when it can't even stream a song properly? It's deceptive for them to even say we're getting 3G.

I want to leave them now but the new Iphone is right around the corner. Sadly our current phones will be worth less when we sell them but we don't really have a choice.

To anyone who's left one carrier and gone with another, whats the proper way to do this without losing my phone number? Do I have to sign up with a new carrier first or will Sprint give me a window in which I can transfer my number if I leave them first?

Also, is there any benefit to buying the phone from the Apple Store instead of the Verizon Store?
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Heres what I did when I moved from Sprint to Verizon. I went to best buy and traded my iphone 4s 64 gb Sprint in for a Verizon 64 gb iphone...I put another phone on my Sprint account and kept the line opened. I did that because I wanted to make sure Verizon worked for me. I used my Verizon phone with a new number...for 3 days and when I was sure I ported my number. It took 15 mins and I started the process online thru the Verizon online portal....easy as pie. Once the line was ported...Sprint closed the account.
 
I live in the Seattle-Tacoma area. I'm not entirely sure who is a better carrier in my area. A friend has a 4s on Verizon so I'm unable to test the 4G speeds but I do know she has good service. I figured Verizon would be the best because its LTE network is so much more vast. I get the impression that at&t has faster speeds but verizon has more coverage. I think I'd sacrifice a little speed for constant coverage. One of my biggest gripes with Sprint is that half the time I can't even stream anything because there is no coverage.
 
kuato said:
My gf and I have 6 months left on our contract with Sprint and I am paying the ETF as soon as the new Iphone comes out and going with Verizon. The 3G speeds are comparable to Edge which is what I had before with T-mobile. What's the point in having unlimited data when it can't even stream a song properly? It's deceptive for them to even say we're getting 3G.

I want to leave them now but the new Iphone is right around the corner. Sadly our current phones will be worth less when we sell them but we don't really have a choice.

To anyone who's left one carrier and gone with another, whats the proper way to do this without losing my phone number? Do I have to sign up with a new carrier first or will Sprint give me a window in which I can transfer my number if I leave them first?

Also, is there any benefit to buying the phone from the Apple Store instead of the Verizon Store?
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What kind of phones do you have? Have you talked to Sprint about waiving the ETF?

I live in an area completely unsupported by Sprint and my other 3 phones live where data is unusable, but shown as great 3G coverage. Sprint said they would waive my ETFs but I would have to send my phones back. For 2 lines that would be the best bet. The other two I'd have to check eBay for what they're selling for.

For the last 6 months of your contract I think the ETF stays at $100. Maybe it's the last 4 months. Either way, you may be able to either send them back or sell them to cover your ETFs.
 
davidg4781 said:
What kind of phones do you have? Have you talked to Sprint about waiving the ETF?

I live in an area completely unsupported by Sprint and my other 3 phones live where data is unusable, but shown as great 3G coverage. Sprint said they would waive my ETFs but I would have to send my phones back. For 2 lines that would be the best bet. The other two I'd have to check eBay for what they're selling for.

For the last 6 months of your contract I think the ETF stays at $100. Maybe it's the last 4 months. Either way, you may be able to either send them back or sell them to cover your ETFs.
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We both have an iPhone 4S. I haven't talked to Sprint yet only because I want to wait for the new iPhone to come out before I leave for another carrier. I know it will be $100 per line. I'm thinking I can get at least that for both phones on craigslist so I'll probably do that. I also think I read that verizon will buy the phones as well. So the good news is that the phones will cover the ETF, bad news is I have to wait for the next iPhone so the 4S value will go down. By how much.. I don't know.
 
kuato said:
We both have an iPhone 4S. I haven't talked to Sprint yet only because I want to wait for the new iPhone to come out before I leave for another carrier. I know it will be $100 per line. I'm thinking I can get at least that for both phones on craigslist so I'll probably do that. I also think I read that verizon will buy the phones as well. So the good news is that the phones will cover the ETF, bad news is I have to wait for the next iPhone so the 4S value will go down. By how much.. I don't know.
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I was planning on leaving Sprint now and purchasing either a 4 or 3GS to use on AT&T until the next iPhone launched and I'd use my "upgrade" then. That's another choice you can do and you'd be able to sell it now for more.

Maybe a friend has an old iPhone laying around or something. Doing this will also give you a backup phone, if you like having one around.

The main reason I'm waiting now is my brother wants to wait until the next version of the Note comes out. I'm alright waiting till then as it'll be closer to the next iPhone and the ETFs will be a little less.
 
I never thought about doing that. We both still have iphone 3G's that work on at&t. We could drop Sprint now and get on at&t with phones we already own and we won't have to sign a 2 year contract? and then when the new iphone comes out we sign one and get the phone for the subsidized price?
 
kuato said:
I never thought about doing that. We both still have iphone 3G's that work on at&t. We could drop Sprint now and get on at&t with phones we already own and we won't have to sign a 2 year contract? and then when the new iphone comes out we sign one and get the phone for the subsidized price?
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Correct-a-mundo.
 
She thinks Verizon has a superior network where we live. I looked at the LTE coverage maps for both carriers and they seemed identical in our area. The voice coverage looked better on Verizon. The maps are probably complete bs though. I'm indifferent at this point I just want off sprint.
 
kuato said:
She thinks Verizon has a superior network where we live. I looked at the LTE coverage maps for both carriers and they seemed identical in our area. The voice coverage looked better on Verizon. The maps are probably complete bs though. I'm indifferent at this point I just want off sprint.
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With verzion the network can get congested at times. You cannot talk and surf the web at the same time. Verzion does not have HD voice. T-Mobile is a good option in NYC.
 
osofast240sx said:
With verzion the network can get congested at times. You cannot talk and surf the web at the same time. Verzion does not have HD voice. T-Mobile is a good option in NYC.
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You can talk and surf on VZW, but it has to be a newer Android phone. IPhone doesn't support it.
 
kuato said:
I live in the Seattle-Tacoma area. I'm not entirely sure who is a better carrier in my area. A friend has a 4s on Verizon so I'm unable to test the 4G speeds but I do know she has good service. I figured Verizon would be the best because its LTE network is so much more vast. I get the impression that at&t has faster speeds but verizon has more coverage. I think I'd sacrifice a little speed for constant coverage. One of my biggest gripes with Sprint is that half the time I can't even stream anything because there is no coverage.
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Seattle-Tacoma area has LTE in some parts on Sprint. That is according to Sensorly.com. Because you have 4S, you won't be able to use it. If data is the only issues you have with Sprint and you are fine with everything else, I suggest you not pay the etf and ask to see if you can upgrade to the newer phone to check out. If even with LTE available you still hate Sprint, then you can go to Verizon. But as I mentioned before, make sure to fully test out the service for a week and cancel when you have even the smallest issues. Trust me, that small issue will be annoying during that 2 years of limited data and high bill.
 
keitarou said:
Seattle-Tacoma area has LTE in some parts on Sprint. That is according to Sensorly.com. Because you have 4S, you won't be able to use it. If data is the only issues you have with Sprint and you are fine with everything else, I suggest you not pay the etf and ask to see if you can upgrade to the newer phone to check out. If even with LTE available you still hate Sprint, then you can go to Verizon. But as I mentioned before, make sure to fully test out the service for a week and cancel when you have even the smallest issues. Trust me, that small issue will be annoying during that 2 years of limited data and high bill.
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Even if Sprint's LTE is rolled out in my area I will be changing carriers. If I'm ever in a place that has no LTE then I'm stuck using their worthless 3G. Last week I drove across the state and couldn't stream music anywhere. I'm talking Seattle to Spokane.
 
Here is my question. I have Verizon and in wanting to switch to save some money. I was looking at Sprint and T-Mobile. T-Mobile is showing 2g only in most areas where I live. So I have to believe that data speeds will be horrible here. I've heard good things from friends who have Sprint around here. So would T-Mobiles 2g be better than Sprints CrapG? I may just have to go the the corporate stores and get a feel for them individually.
 
moneymike0284 said:
Here is my question. I have Verizon and in wanting to switch to save some money. I was looking at Sprint and T-Mobile. T-Mobile is showing 2g only in most areas where I live. So I have to believe that data speeds will be horrible here. I've heard good things from friends who have Sprint around here. So would T-Mobiles 2g be better than Sprints CrapG? I may just have to go the the corporate stores and get a feel for them individually.
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I would go check them out at the stores but your friends are also good indicator to the service you can expect. If you have EDGE only in most area for T-Mobile, you are better off at Sprint. But it never hurts to take a look at MNVO's that use AT&T or Verizon's networks as well. And that will save you the most money.
 
moneymike0284 said:
Here is my question. I have Verizon and in wanting to switch to save some money. I was looking at Sprint and T-Mobile. T-Mobile is showing 2g only in most areas where I live. So I have to believe that data speeds will be horrible here. I've heard good things from friends who have Sprint around here. So would T-Mobiles 2g be better than Sprints CrapG? I may just have to go the the corporate stores and get a feel for them individually.
Click to expand...

In your case Sprint is a better option than T-Mobile. In a lot of areas Sprint 3G speeds are comparable to T-Mobile 2G but you do have the possibility of seeing speeds around 1mbps with Sprint 3G. Not the case if you're on T-Mobile Edge.
 
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