Sprint's Unlimited LTE + Iphone 5, Will it be worth it?

[Jay7872]

So i have been with Sprint since they swallowed up Nextel (previous Nextel customer) Never had an issue until i got my first iphone (4s) as soon as it became available. I somehow managed to survive a year with the 0.1 mbps download speeds and call failures before diving into AT&T with the iPhone 5 and absolutely loving it. The city is completely blanketed with both LTE and HSPA+ so how could i afford not to switch.While sprint did offer unlimited data, i never used it due to the extremely slow speed. Quite frankly i would rather use something i pay for (ATT 3GB data plan) than something i pay for and do not use (Sprint Unlimited data)


My question is, Knowing that sprint is rolling out their LTE and as of current it sits at unlimited Data, will it be worth it once its rolled out into more areas? say if sprint was to bring LTE to your town, would you consider jumping ship to enjoy unlimited LTE? I've seen youtube test speeds of LTE and they seem pretty reasonable (15-20 mbps) for a phone anyways. I read somewhere that sprint is using some sort of different MHz or something that reportedly wont allow them to be as fast as the other two (AT&T and Verizon) nor penetrate structures as efficiently ( dont quote me on this)

Users chirr in!

 

[tonyy]

I think it will be IMO. Sprint 3G in my area is actually pretty decent. Call quality is great for me.

I travel a lot and have been to Chicago, Atlanta, and Philadelphia the past couple of months and have been able to experience LTE. I was getting between 18-22 mbs consistently and it was great.

Obviously not the fastest but its plenty on a cell phone. Once Sprint gets their LTE network rolled out, it will be good. Unlimited LTE is gonna be sweet.

Satisfaction between users will vary however. Some people here will die if they don't get 30mbs+.

 

[KoukiFC3S]

I think it will be quite good.

I have my family on Sprint, and we pay $50 a line for unlimited.

 

[Jay7872]

Satisfaction between users will vary however. Some people here will die if they don't get 30mbs+.

This seems to be about right. People seem to compare LTE networks by speed. I think the real point in LTE is offering a much faster speed than what we currently have (3G). I highly doubt ANYONE needs 30MBPS + on their cell phone to achieve ANY particular task. even 10mbps down will be satisfactory. Who cares how fast speeds are if whatever your trying to load on your phone loads instantly and theres no buffering?

I just hope Sprint really utilizes their resources ( now they have soft bank) and really pulls through in terms of its network. I can almost see that they will eventually be imposing some sort of limit or something, as users will definitely be abusing their LTE unlimited.

My only problem with Sprint is that once their LTE rolls out, it wont be everywhere not for some time. As we all know their 3G is extremely slow. For the moment being, i would rather resort to AT&Ts HSPA+ network than resorting to Sprints 3G.

 

[WOLFITZ]

Hey guys just joined the forum and first post I have iphone 5 on sprint and I live in San Antonio Texas where LTE is. Now I must say when your in the "good" area it's awesome but it's a bit flaky to be honest I find myself switching off the LTE sometimes cause at my work it just sucks. As far as going to AT&T I though about it but for what I pay for unlimited everything I live it and will just wait for LTE to get better

 

[Jades]

I highly doubt ANYONE needs 30MBPS + on their cell phone to achieve ANY particular task. even 10mbps down will be satisfactory. Who cares how fast speeds are if whatever your trying to load on your phone loads instantly and theres no buffering?

You kind of answered your own question
For one - no buffering and instant page loading

Two, mobile data is the future and data usage is expected to climb by 5000% by 2015. I'm sure eventually we will find use for the 30+ Mbps especially on our tablets

Three, tethering is when the 30+ Mbps is going to come in handy. Back when I had a Verizon ipad I would tether like crazy and was even considering dropping my Internet connection at home for it

 

[bigjim83]

Sprint sucks the big one. Their 3g is terrible so I am not putting stock into their LTE being any better. I left sprint after two years of waiting on them to roll out their improved network. Never again sprint.

 

[tizzo]

I recently upgraded to iPhone 5 and live in an area with LTE. I would say it's worth it. Honestly, if LTE was not available in my area, I would have kept the 4s since LTE was the difference for me.

 

[2298754]

Sprint's LTE is only good if you are in that area and you can confirm coverage.
I've been reading tons of reports that LTE coverage in their "announced" areas has been pretty flakey and goes in and out.

Opposite of AT&T/VZW, who don't really lie about their LTE network.

If you travel alot, AT&T and VZW are better choices because their LTE is more expansive and not to mention, their 3G fallback isn't as slow as the dial-up like speeds on Sprint.