Verizon's LTE Network to Reach Two-Thirds of U.S. Population This Week

[smithrh]

Question for anyone with some insight...

but is there any way it could be a TECHNICAL difference? It appears although

Actually, there are a whole slew of technical differences that absolutely will impact upload and download speeds:

* Antenna configuration (MIMO branches)
* QAM modulation level
* RF bandwidth (5 v 10 v 20 MHz)
* Max TX power on the base station (eNB)

Plus, not all equipment is created equal - some vendors have better throughput. So, if AT&T is using Vendor A while VzW is using Vendor B, there will be differences there as well.

Toss in the differences in the cell density - and the RF bands used - and pretty soon you're talking some pretty decent differences in user experience.

 

[AidenShaw]

Blame the Ipad, not Verizon

My problem is that when I activate LTE on my Verizon iPad it flies through the data. I can use a GB in a day or two without streaming music or video or anything like that. Just web surfing occasionally.
...
And so far I've had no luck as to determining why this is happening. I'm keeping daily tabs of use. It's almost like it starts buffering crap when LTE is activated. It's weird.

Have you removed the Flashback Trojan from your Ipad?

But seriously, something on the Ipad is chatting with the network - find out what and disable it. (And asking Verizon tech support about the problem might be a good place to start - if it's a common thing they might be able to tell you what Apple thingamabob to shut off.)

In other news AT&T announced they shutdown some LTE cell sites.

Heaven forbid that AT&T would get a reputation for having reasonable connectivity!

 

[Leonard1818]

Yeah turns out you have unlimited 3G data. As many VZ and ATT customers are discovering, transitioning to 4G LTE requires that you give up your lock-in and get on the price-per-byte treadmill.

They might not grandfather the unlimited data because it's moving from 3G to LTE and a non sim card iPhone to a sim card iPhone. They will most likely make everyone move to the LTE tiered plan. However, if they decide to let everyone keep the unlimited plan...

Do you mean 3 gb per month before being shifted to the EDGE network?

IF they let you keep said plan all it just means that you'll hit their speed caps even faster because that awesome faster service and 'unlimited' status will encourage you to use cell data. Cause if you look at the fine print the only 'unlimited' you really get is the amount of data not the speed you get it.

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OK, so:

1. Why wouldn't they let me keep my unlimited data? They are already doing so for Android 4G LTE users... what's so different about the handset? Heck, look at some of the android forums. These guys with grandfathered unlimited data are using 15-20 times the amount of data my wife and I use PER MONTH combined.

(quick source: http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon-htc-thunderbolt-forums/167177-unlimited-data.html There's more but I don't feel like looking it up right now)

2. If they were to NOT uphold their grandfather policy and force me to sign a tiered plan for my next phone I'd be pretty ticked and would politely ask them to go ahead and do so but make it retro-active and credit me back two years. See, I don't use much data. The only reason I'm hanging on to this unlimited plan is for future use. So, if in the future, I'm unable to use it... it's pointless and they should honor a retro-active tiered plan. I don't see why they wouldn't. This isn't Time Warner we're talking about. It's a big company, sure, but they've never done me wrong. (knocks on wood).

 

[dmunz]

IF they let you keep said plan all it just means that you'll hit their speed caps even faster because that awesome faster service and 'unlimited' status will encourage you to use cell data. Cause if you look at the fine print the only 'unlimited' you really get is the amount of data not the speed you get it.

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There was a long thread on one of the Androind forums about 4g LTE and throttling. Someone posted a link to the rules from the spectrum auction and they basically prohibited throttling based soley on data use volumes. I read federal regs for a living and this was pretty clear - they can't throttle just because a user is using a lot of data. They can for things like specific towers and network areas being taxed. But the individual users are protected.

I've been on the VZ plan since the Thunderbolt (have a Rezound now) and I'm waiting to see what happens with the next iPhone. My concern is that VZ will use Apple's rules to break the grandfathering. As an example, I have a pretty nice corporate discount but they will not apply it to an iPhone on a contract plan. VZ clams this is Apple's rule. Time will tell.

FWIW
DLM

 

[charlituna]

As an example, I have a pretty nice corporate discount but they will not apply it to an iPhone on a contract plan. VZ clams this is Apple's rule. Time will tell.

My company has had a discount with ATT both for corporate paid plans and personal ones and there was zero change when we switched to iPhones. So I question Verizon's claim that Apple put any kind of rule down on that. After all, why would they have a rule that only applies to one of their carriers and not the rest.

Perhaps by 'rule' Verizon means that Apple refused to cut the device price down so Verizon could keep their profit and still offer that whole 'new every two' discount but I doubt Apple cares about the plan pricing and discounts, the ETFs etc since that is all carrier issue stuff

 

[theLimit]

Yet they still can't get their network to reach that last mile to my town.

 

[macduke]

This is the core of the problem:

Since 2007, mobile data speeds have gone from 400Kbps EDGE to 12Mbps LTE. That's an increase of 3000%.

Meanwhile, monthly mobile data plan allowances have decreased by ∞%. Ok, so those plans were never really infinite, or unlimited. More like around 5GB. Even so, that's still a decrease of 40%.

Furthermore, data plan prices have gone from $20/mo up to $30, an increase of 50%.

So speeds have gone up 3000%, while data caps have decreased 40%, while prices have gone up 50%. All of this in only five years.

This is a problem.

If one were to extrapolate this data to 2017, this is what we would have:

Data speed: 360Mbps
Data cap: 1.8GB
Price: $45/mo

Sound ridiculous? Yes, but if you would have told me today's numbers while I was standing in line for the iPhone on June 29th, 2007, I might have said that you were crazy.

I apologize in advance if my math is off. I'm a designer/artist, not an accountant. But my point still stands. This is a problem.

 

[twarner776]

Yeah turns out you have unlimited 3G data. As many VZ and ATT customers are discovering, transitioning to 4G LTE requires that you give up your lock-in and get on the price-per-byte treadmill.

uh no...Verizon allows you to keep unlimited when switching to 4G LTE plans.

 

[Tiger8]

I see 5-12 Mbps download with only 1-2 bars..... 5 bars, 28-38 Mbps download 12-18 Mbps upload.

Cool screen name! Mr Quagmire! you're my idol!

 

[swordfish5736]

Not really trying to say one is faster than the other or anything, but seeing how many more devices run Verizon's LTE and how much longer Verizon has had their LTE network up, it would actually be quite sad if AT&T wasn't faster.

Also do you have unlimited LTE with AT&T? I've used 9 Gigs so far this month and still zero slow downs.

I was tempted to go with Verizon again this time(had iPad 2 with Verizon) My speeds are in the 20's when I have 1-2 bars but I've seen over 50 when I've got 3-4. Both networks are still very young so it will be interesting to see how both companies handle it as more people get LTE devices.

No unfortunately not. I went with a 3gb plan for my first month and have maybe 2gb left. I'm sure I'll need more when it's a month I'm travelling during though. Almost everywhere I go around here has wifi I use.