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Verizon Expresses Confidence in Network Capacity as AT&T Preps for Competition
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In theory AT&T is supposed to have a faster 3G network, but in reality results are mixed depending on location, time of day, etc. You also have to consider that Verizon pretty much covers the entire US with 3G (EVDO Rev A). AT&T on the other hand still has a lot of 2G EDGE only coverage across the US. Verizon has a pretty robust plan to move to nationwide 4G LTE so the speed advantage that AT&T currently has will probably be gone within one to two years.
This is not a problem unique to AT&T. Verizon also has to manage the load on its network, ensuring enough connections to a tower, enough backhaul, etc., and they too are affected by location and time of day issues.
And it's not fair to compare what Verizon calls 3G to AT&T's 3G given that in some cases, AT&T EDGE is faster than Verizon 3G. Since the two carriers use different speed ranges when defining their 2G and 3G networks, you really can't say that Verizon's buildout is greater than AT&T's.
Finally, Verizon's plan to move to LTE is not "robust" as you describe it; it's mandatory. CDMA is end of life; even Qualcomm has already given up on it to pursue more-compatible GSM. Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future (read 2-3 years), Verizon will continue to rely on its CDMA network to handle all voice traffic, using the LTE network strictly for data. That forces future phones that wish to take advantage of their LTE network AND be able to make phone calls to use a chip and antenna design that will allow both to function simultaneously. Given that CDMA already uses up more battery power than GSM, the addition of a concurrent GSM connection means even WORSE battery life. Verizon has openly stated that LTE build out will take up to 2013, forcing phone manufacturers again to have to include CDMA capability in their phones (added cost and battery penalty) since you cannot be LTE-only, otherwise you'd have nothing to fall back on in areas where LTE is non-existent or where the signal is too weak.
I'm not defending AT&T, but certainly from a roadmap perspective and technology perspective, they are NOT losing the race. Verizon simply has no choice but to force an LTE migration. AT&T doesn't have to overcome that hurdle as it can continue to squeeze more life out of its 3G network with HSPA+ and HSUPA. And in situations where LTE is not available, AT&T users will still have a fast, usable network to fall back on.
First of all I always hear AT&T fans say that the AT&T EDGE network is as fast or faster then the Verizon EVDO Rev A (3G) network. Not true 99% of the time. I don't care which way you spin it the Verizon 3G network is generally much faster then the old AT&T EDGE network.
Secondly you criticize Verizon's CDMA voice network however I can promise you that the Verizon voice network is more reliable then AT&T's voice network. I could go and find customer satisfaction surveys that prove time and time again that Verizon has a much more reliable voice network. Why is call dropping still a big issue on AT&T, but basically a non-issue on Verizon? It has to be because AT&T uses superior voice technology right?
The reason why Verizon is transferring their data over to 4G LTE and leaving voice on 1xRTT is because LTE doesn't even have a voice standard yet. I would assume that we might be looking at VoIP over LTE when that change happens, but for now Verizon isn't messing with their voice network. Being able to make reliable phone calls when I need to is a very important feature.
No. EDGE's theoretical max on ATT is only about 230Kbps and averages far less. EVDO starts at around 300Kbps (the slowest I've personally seen is 500Kbps) and usually averages around 1 to 1.5Mbps.
Nothing unfortunate about it. Half the country still uses dumb phones; they don't need an LTE device. Moreover, there are tons of standalone devices (ATMs, meters, remote data collectors) that still use simple cell protocols. That's why AT&T will keep GSM around as well.
Yes, CDMA radios can use more power than TDMA. And GSM phones use WCDMA radios for their 3G... with an even higher clock rate, using even more battery.
Too many myths being repeated by non-engineers lately.