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Why choose AT&T 4G vs Verizon?

magbarn said:
I guess maybe for urban areas AT&T is likely better as they should already have 4g. Unfortunately for many of us suburbanites and rural areas, verizon has been much quicker to switch over to LTE.
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This.

In my area, AT&T offers high-end 3G service (they call it 4G) that gives me about 3.5 mbps. Sometimes a bit higher.

VZW offers nearly ubiquitous 4G LTE service (10-25 mbps). 3G is about 1.5-2.0 mbps when 4G isn't available.

I was able to just move my "mobile hotspot" that I've had for a while now over to my iPad, thus not requiring any additional data charges each month. I do prefer the customer service experience of AT&T, but VZW has a larger high-speed footprint overall, and more importantly, VZW has LTE in a lot of mid-sized cities (75,000-200,000 people) that AT&T does not.

My next iPad could just as likely be an AT&T one. We'll see.
 
I am in Fort Worth and we have great AT&T 4G LTE coverage in the DFW area -- that is why I went with the AT&T version, because the AT&T network in our area is superior to Verizon. If I lived in a rural area or out in the county, or in another city (non-DFW metroplex), I may have chosen the Verizon model. I have only owned AT&T phones my whole life too, so I sort of have a bias towards choosing AT&T as well.
 
WardC said:
I am in Fort Worth and we have great AT&T 4G LTE coverage in the DFW area -- that is why I went with the AT&T version, because the AT&T network in our area is superior to Verizon. If I lived in a rural area or out in the county, or in another city (non-DFW metroplex), I may have chosen the Verizon model. I have only owned AT&T phones my whole life too, so I sort of have a bias towards choosing AT&T as well.
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What kind of speeds are you getting in DFW?
 
I was considering to switch to AT&T bc of the (current) fast speeds and HSPA+, but I'm rethinking this bc AT&T iPhone 4 service is really horrible for me.

I just tested my iPad vzw on 3G and I'm able to surf with 3 bars fine. Howevewer, in this same location, my iPhone has 5 bars 3G and I can't even load a page! So frustrating to see 5 bars and get crap! .....

I guess it depends on location but still.. At the moment vzw 3G is acceptable.

Note: I intentionally turned off lte to test vzw 3G.

Btw, I'm writing this on the bus in Atlanta.
 
AT&T in my area has gotten pretty bad. In fact, I am on my way to an Apple store to exchange my AT&T 32GB for a Verizon one. The service has been not good for quite awhile, but horrible the last 5 days. If HSPA+ was better, I wouldn't be exchanging my iPad and waiting for AT&T to roll out LTE in my area. But it's not, so I am switching. I hope I don't regret it.
 
The nearest LTE (AT&T or Verizon) to me is about 50 miles away. I went with AT&T because I do get HSPA+ in my rural neighborhood. Roughly 5mb down and 2mb up is very acceptable and MUCH better than I could expect with Verizon 3G.
 
If you go off of AT&T's LTE, then you will still have high HSPA+ speeds :)
 
yeah said:
If you go off of AT&T's LTE, then you will still have high HSPA+ speeds :)
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that HSPA+ is only available in some areas. Perhaps more areas than LTE, but you should not assume that you will get HSPA+ anywhere you cannot get LTE.

At least it sounds that you are implying that you will.
 
anthrovisual said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that HSPA+ is only available in some areas. Perhaps more areas than LTE, but you should not assume that you will get HSPA+ anywhere you cannot get LTE.

At least it sounds that you are implying that you will.
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AT&T only has LTE in the largest cities in the US. AT&T gives the largest cities all the new tech so more than likely the have HSPA.
 
anthrovisual said:
correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe that hspa+ is only available in some areas. Perhaps more areas than lte, but you should not assume that you will get hspa+ anywhere you cannot get lte.

At least it sounds that you are implying that you will.
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AT-T-4G-LTE-map-.png
 
sydia21 said:
Just because I can I guess. I've had a HORRIBLE experience with Verizon in the past and just will never give them anymore of my business. I'm in DC and AT&T has ample coverage for me here and most places I travel for work.

AT&T customer service- business care has been great to me the 6 years I've been with them so that's why I went with AT&T. No issues with coverage and I get more for my $30.00 plan.
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This. It's the same in San Diego. Great AT&T coverage here and amazing LTE speeds. :D
 
Would it be possible to switch my grandfathered unlimited plan currently on my iPhone to my AT&T iPad?
 
I have AT&T service on my factory unlocked iPhone 4S and HSPA+ is pretty fast so I went with the AT&T for my iPad as well. When they do get LTE in my area at least I will still be able to fall back to HSPA+ in the areas that don't have LTE coverage.
 
blkonblk17 said:
Would it be possible to switch my grandfathered unlimited plan currently on my iPhone to my AT&T iPad?
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Unfortunately, no. The iPhone data plan and iPad data plans are two separate things and AT&T will not transfer them from one plan to the other.
 
Unless you have a unlimited plan..... No reason for that!!! VZW Seems to be a little more on the customer side..... Can't wait till lte iPhone on VZW.... I'm out..

My iPad is on VZW. :cool:
 
Why? Because you get ridiculously fast LTE speeds! I'm consistently getting between 35-50 Mbps Down and 15-20 Up here in New York. :D

If you are in a location where AT&T supports LTE it's amazing. If you are a heavy traveler, Verizon might be the better choice. However, AT&T rolls back to HSPA+ if LTE goes down or is not available and it's still very fast.
 
not sure which version to get...i live near nyc so lte is strong for both at&t and vz. i already have at&t iphone 4 with unlimited data. i travel maybe 2-3 times a year abroad to caribbean, europe, or asian pacific. which do you think would be best? i would only probably use 4G when abroad or domestically if no wifi was around (ie road trip, driving, etc)

what carrier would make more sense?

thanks for the help!
 
darkknight11 said:
not sure which version to get...i live near nyc so lte is strong for both at&t and vz. i already have at&t iphone 4 with unlimited data. i travel maybe 2-3 times a year abroad to caribbean, europe, or asian pacific. which do you think would be best? i would only probably use 4G when abroad or domestically if no wifi was around (ie road trip, driving, etc)

what carrier would make more sense?

thanks for the help!
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i was debating this too..

from what i've been reading, both AT&T and Verizon work internationally but only on 3G. The 4G bands are different so it's not supported internationally.

speeds really vary depending on location and it's really a tossup on which to pick. both have great download and upload speeds. you should choose based on coverage area of the places you frequent most.

both have their pros and cons... AT&T you get LTE and HSPA+, but with Verizon you only get LTE and slower 3G speeds (this shouldn't matter as long as you're within the LTE coverage area)

With Verizon you can opt for a lower 1GB plan for $20 or 2GB for $30 with Hotspot, whereas AT&T you can get the "wtf" plan of 250MB for $15 or 3GB for $30 and no Hotspot.

Just depends on your needs and ultimately coverage.

I chose Verizon bc I have an AT&T iphone 4 and I hate the service. It's so spotty and inconsistent... AT&T can't even provide adequate 3G coverage where I'm at. -_-

you're not going to find a real, clear, or definite answer on this matter.

btw, I'm in Atlanta. good luck
 
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