Sprint Touts Unlimited Data in New iPhone Ad

[bacaramac]

I don't understand the complaining about Sprint Data Speeds. Here in Phx, AZ I get signal ALL the time vs. AT&T always struggling. Yes my data may not be as fast as AT&T, but it works when I need it. I was up in Paradise Valley and was hitting 2Mbps down. Yes, I was surprised at speed, but I will take it.

EDIT: Honestly I never hit data cap so unlimited doesn't matter to me, but I was more worried about cost of plan, usability of service and getting off AT&T which never had signal at my work.

 

[habe]

Sprint Data speeds suck in all but a few places.

I have a Evo 4G (0G actually) on the Sprint network. When the EVO came out in June '10, I routinely got 1.5Mbs download speeds on 3G. I feel really lucky when I get 150Kbs d/l now. Most often, my d/l speeds are sub 100K.

4G never made it to my area and never will. Sprint will start rolling out their new super-dooper LTE system next year to all the places that already have 4G so, maybe our speeds around here will get boosted up sometime in the next decade (as long as Sprint doesn't roll out an even newer system...).

 

[Antares]

I don't have the iPhone yet on Sprint (waiting until iPhone 5)...but I do have an Android phone on Sprint. Sprint coverage is excellent. I get good to great reception all over the country (with few weak spots). Though I wouldn’t call the actual network speed awesome, its not bad by any means.

 

[Norkusa]

On average I get about 0.10Mpbs from Sprint 3G when I'm on the road with my 4S. Web pages take 30-60 seconds to load. Can't even use Siri half the time because it cannot connect. And forget trying to use maps too.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have gone with anyone except Sprint. What good is unlimited data when you can't even use it?

 

[Mad-B-One]

I love the constant sprint bashing. Coverage and speeds are all subjective depending on where you live. So to say the service as a whole is crappy is not really fair.

The only problem with this is that OVERALL, Sprint IS the service with the lowest DL/UL speed, the most dropped calls, etc. Yes, you are right it depends on where you live, but if you compare the totals, Sprint has the worst service. Where I live, definitely. Even U.S. Cellular and T-Mobile are better. Not true for your area of course but the statistics and the amount of people complaining gravitates towards Sprint having more trouble providing adequate service to their customers than their competitors for the iPhone.

 

[FaustsHausUK]

For those ragging on Sprint... I would rather have unlimited, slow data than theoretically fast, capped data that I can barely ever access. AT&T is spotty at best on my commute to work, with Sprint I get signal almost the entire way.

 

[goodcow]

AT&T had no coverage where I work, so I dumped them for Verizon on the last day they were offering unlimited data. Had I known Sprint was getting the iPhone, I probably would've waited, as Verizon keeps throttling me. I do use 10GB+ a month though.

Meanwhile AT&T doesn't seem to throttle on the grandfathered unlimited iPad plans, possibly because they're too inept to know how to.

 

[wiz329]

Why does anyone care about a new commercial?

 

[buckers]

I still think it's deceitful for companies to say their phones have "unlimited" data when they do in fact have a limit (e.g. many contracts in the UK). If your data is capped at 2GB a month, it is not unlimited; yes, it's a high limit, but 2GB is still a limit, and misleads the typical customer.

I took from that advert that iPhones on Sprint have no caps at all, but that won't stop rivals saying that their contracts also come with unlimited data, when they do in fact do have caps in place.

 

[Mad-B-One]

For those ragging on Sprint... I would rather have unlimited, slow data than theoretically fast, capped data that I can barely ever access. AT&T is spotty at best on my commute to work, with Sprint I get signal almost the entire way.

True. But don't forget that there are thousands of us out there who signed up with AT&T and Verizon before they tiered their plans. My iPad costs $29.99/month unlimited and my Verizon iPhone (LTE) is also unlimited on data thanks to early adoption. Both didn't start over night with their plans and I see it as a way from them to keep their customers loyal - "If you change to a service that actually has fast internet, you will loose unlimited data!"
Yet again - in your area, Sprint might be fast enough and available, but here, Edge on T-Mobile is even faster... So, why would someone switch here if practically, with the speed provided you wouldn't hit the 2GB?

 

[Hastings101]

A bad buffet is still bad even if you're free to eat as much as you want.

It doesn't matter how good a buffet is if it's not available in your area.

Yes that's directed at YOU AT&T

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

Switched to Sprint from ATT a year ago. My signal and service in the Greater Los Angeles Area has been great, including WiMax. I was just in the Hospital for 2 weeks and used my WiMax Hotspot and got great speed and coverage.

On average I get about 0.10Mpbs from Sprint 3G when I'm on the road with my 4S. Web pages take 30-60 seconds to load. Can't even use Siri half the time because it cannot connect. And forget trying to use maps too.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have gone with anyone except Sprint. What good is unlimited data when you can't even use it?

Had it crossed your mind its the iPhone and not Sprints fault? My EVO 4G does fine on 3G and 4G just has the worst battery life ever.

 

[djuzi05]

People keep comparing speeds in their area. Yes any network can be the fastest in YOUR area BUT comparing a national average AT&T is the fastest, just face it.

"In all, Metrico performed 21,000 Web page downloads nationwide with the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 over the networks of the nation's largest three carriers. Metrico also ran more than 8,000 data download and upload tests and generated about 6,000 voice calls with recorded human voices. The tests were performed in a certified lab as well as several locations in five unnamed cities that Metrico called "representative of [network] conditions nationwide."

That doesn't mean AT&T is the best option for you, that all depends on your area. But if we're going to speak generally here, Sprint has the slowest speeds on an unlimited network.

I live in Houston, and comparing to my buddies' phones my AT&T iPhone has the fastest data speeds (comparing 3G of course)

 

[Mad-B-One]

I still think it's deceitful for companies to say their phones have "unlimited" data when they do in fact have a limit (e.g. many contracts in the UK). If your data is capped at 2GB a month, it is not unlimited; yes, it's a high limit, but 2GB is still a limit, and misleads the typical customer.

I took from that advert that iPhones on Sprint have no caps at all, but that won't stop rivals saying that their contracts also come with unlimited data, when they do in fact do have caps in place.

UK =/= US.

In the US, the plans are not called "unlimited" when they are capped at 2GB. They are called Tiered Plans. The "throttling" is for people who grandfathered into unlimited plans before AT&T and Verizon started to limit from 2GB up to 5GB. You automatically pay another GB when you overstep the limit of your plan. How the advertisement and plan details are working in the UK might be different but that was not subject of the discussion here. As an example, T-Mobile USA has a totally different plan structure than T-Mobile Deutschland: MyFavs in Germany was different that in the USA. Found out by accident when I visited Germany and read what they mean by it.

 

[Wicked1]

You may have Unlimited Data Service, however having Limited places to use all that data at speeds that are the worst in the USA is just not right.

Unlimited everything for $99 bucks a month, if you can get service and even if the data speeds are decent? Naaa I will stick with AT&T, great services, speeds and surf and talk at the same time.

 

[Norkusa]

Had it crossed your mind its the iPhone and not Sprints fault? My EVO 4G does fine on 3G and 4G just has the worst battery life ever.

It's not the iPhone's fault. Apple does not provide my 3G service. Sprints does and this is their problem. I don't understand why people keep making excuses for them.

Wifi on my 4S works great. 3G speeds are 10x faster in early morning (2am - 5am) but I'm never up that early. Used Speedtest when I was in a small town 60 miles away from me recently and I was getting +2Mbps. If this is a Sprint problem, why is my 3G working great in low usage areas & times? My 4S should be giving me problems around the clock, regardless of location, if this was an issue with my iPhone.

This is a Sprint problem.

 

[NoExpectations]

Unlimited with the slowest speeds.

Image

Exactly.

Analogy: You can have all the free water from the ocean...it's unlimited...but here's your straw.

 

[Hastings101]

exactly.

Analogy: You can have all the free water from the ocean...it's unlimited...but here's your straw.

don't try to drink up the ocean, you'll die!!!

 

[NoExpectations]

don't try to drink up the ocean, you'll die!!!

Good point. Let me change that to Lake Michigan. Wait, you still might die (pollution)

 

[JoeiiApple]

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With data speeds that slow, and the most dropped calls, they'd better have unlimited (non-throttled) data. I'm w/ at&t and I'm grandfathered into unlimited, so I'm good...

 

[Winter Charm]

In my area, Sprint performs quite well. AT&T not so much. But verizon is also really really good in this area...

I just went with sprint because I know I will want/need that data...

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

It's not the iPhone's fault. Apple does not provide my 3G service. Sprints does and this is their problem. I don't understand why people keep making excuses for them.

Wifi on my 4S works great. 3G speeds are 10x faster in early morning (2am - 5am) but I'm never up that early. Used Speedtest when I was in a small town 60 miles away from me recently and I was getting +2Mbps. If this is a Sprint problem, why is my 3G working great in low usage areas & times? My 4S should be giving me problems around the clock, regardless of location, if this was an issue with my iPhone.

This is a Sprint problem.

Try doing some realistic tests before blaming Sprint. Have a Sprint iPhone and another random Sprint Smartphone in the same area and test it. You are going solely based on your experience. Like many have said here. Sprint isn't as bad as people are making it based on where you live. In LA its flawless.

 

[flindet]

If I have to pay the same as someone who has no issues with the network, then I would expect to get the same quality they do.

This is a fine point. Especially when their actual coverage fails to reasonably match their advertised coverage maps. Thank you.

 

[realmike15]

I hope they continue to support the unlimited data option, and I hope AT&T and Verizon lose business because of it. Also, I hope their cheaper rates affect AT&T and Verizon's business.

There's absolutely no reason why people should be paying $90/month for the smallest minutes plan available and unlimited data.

 

[tremlock]

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I switched from AT&T to Sprint for the unlimited data and the lower price. With AT&T I was dropping frequently and data wouldn't always connect. I'm in south Florida and have good coverage with Sprint (4-5 bars) and data has been decent as I can stream audio and web pages load fairly quick.