gigahurtz
Premium
join:2001-10-20
Palm Coast, FL
clubs:
1 edit | No luck here
I've had bad experiences with 3G here in Florida (Orlando and Jacksonville area). I love the iPhone but not impressed with the network. |
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exocet_cm
In memory of dadkins
Premium
join:2003-03-23
New Orleans, LA
clubs:  |  Same in New Orleans
3G is great when I can get it, but most of the time my Blackberry 9000 reverts back to EDGE when I'm in downtown New Orleans. |
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amungus
Premium
join:2004-11-26
America
clubs:
| GSM
Is GSM to blame here, or something else? I'll admit, I'm not really a fan of GSM networks around here - have had several people's calls just drop for no apparent reason when they're using GSM phones; T-Mobile or AT&T. Even worse when on the edge of coverage, it seems far less reliable than CDMA, especially in "fringe" areas.
Never had an issue w/my CDMA phone, even at large events like Lollapalooza last year (sponsored by AT&T) - granted, Chicago is also 'home turf' to my carrier, U.S. Cellular  |
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dcdeadbeat
join:2008-10-07
Washington, DC
 ·Covad Communications
| slow network speeds are usually from the backhaul
One thing that most people don't realize is that cell phone towers are usually attached to a single 1.5Mbps T1 line. So even if your connection to the cell tower reads 3Mbps then you may be limited from the cell tower to the cell phone company's connection. And that's if you are the only one connecting to that cell tower.
This is the problem Sprint (Clear) is having with deploying WiMax. They can't get enough T1s to the cell towers where WiMax is deployed.
So the problem and probably the problem AT&T was having was not that their technology couldn't handle it, there is just a limit to the backhaul connections. Every cell phone provider faces this same problem. It will be a real challenge when trying to roll out LTE over the next few years. Coverage and rollout will be slow. |
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other23123
@sbcglobal.net
| Here you go
Really its ATT network and how it was designed..
On the back haul part, sprint is using a microwave back haul for all of those locations..
ATT Speed issue on the iphone is due to the iphone using limiting hardware, the GSM cheap will only go up to X |
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ATT 4 the lose
@rr.com
| Drive Test
I'm constantly surprised by how high ATT scores in some of the JD Power and Consumer Reports on network quality. It's obvious after hearing so many reports of network outages online and issues among my friends with their iphones that the ONLY reason they are still scoring well is due to perception.
A real world experience here: Last fall me and 3 friends were driving down to Texas from KC to watch the TCU/BYU football game. Half of us had Curves on Sprint and the other half had 3G iphones, and i also had an aircard through Sprint. The whole way my friends with iphones were barely pulling edge on the highway while we had full EVDO. I plugged in my card to my laptop and we were watching videos on hulu the whole way. And it's not like this is through major cities or anything. In between Dallas, OK City, Wichita and KC there is nothing there but yet we still had full EVDO. And even worse, at the football game down in Dallas my buddies couldn't make a call or send a text at all. The By the end of the trip it was just down right embarrassing. I know they've also had the same issue when they were at a conference in San Jose - dropped and blocked calls consistently throughout the trip.
I don't think ATT's network is crap everywhere but they definitely have major issues in key markets due to being overloaded. |
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Gilitar
join:2000-11-20
Mobile, AL
·AT&T Southeast
| Unimpressive
The only reasons I am with AT&T is the iPhone and the fact that I have so many friends with AT&T. Their 3G network is just plain awful. The only time I get good speeds is when everyone else is sleeping. I too have issues of dropping to edge frequently. I might very well give Sprint another chance in the next year if I can let go of my iPhone. |
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Hookem99
Deep In The Heart
join:2007-07-18
Pflugerville, TX
 ·ViaTalk
 ·AT&T U-Verse
 ·Suddenlink
·AT&T Southwest
| Always bad in Austin
Hello...this is not new news....
For most of us that live/work in Austin, we already know at&t sucks here. It's nothing new to us, just the folks that came into town for SXSW. 3g service in Austin is as elusive as Bigfoot!
At ACL Fest, at&t has portable towers set up, and service still sucked!
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Women think they are clever just because they can fake an orgasm for a relationship, whats the big deal a man can fake a whole relationship for an orgasm!!!! |
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rahlquist
Redeye
join:2001-10-30
Villa Rica, GA | Ditto Atlanta |
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tiger72
SexaT duorP
Premium
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO
clubs:
 ·T-Mobile US
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to Gilitar
Re: Unimpressive
said by Gilitar  :The only reasons I am with AT&T is the iPhone and the fact that I have so many friends with AT&T. Their 3G network is just plain awful. The only time I get good speeds is when everyone else is sleeping. I too have issues of dropping to edge frequently. I might very well give Sprint another chance in the next year if I can let go of my iPhone. There are a lot of people in your boat. ATT knows that as long as you're tethered to the iPhone, they can charge you out the ass for poor service, and you still won't go anywhere else.
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"What makes us omniscient? Have we a record of omniscience? ...If we can't persuade nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we'd better reexamine our reasoning."
-United States Secretary of Defense (1961-1968) Robert S. McNamara |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| reply to dcdeadbeat
Re: slow network speeds are usually from the backhaul
said by dcdeadbeat :One thing that most people don't realize is that cell phone towers are usually attached to a single 1.5Mbps T1 line. So even if your connection to the cell tower reads 3Mbps then you may be limited from the cell tower to the cell phone company's connection. And that's if you are the only one connecting to that cell tower. This is the problem Sprint (Clear) is having with deploying WiMax. They can't get enough T1s to the cell towers where WiMax is deployed. So the problem and probably the problem AT&T was having was not that their technology couldn't handle it, there is just a limit to the backhaul connections. Every cell phone provider faces this same problem. It will be a real challenge when trying to roll out LTE over the next few years. Coverage and rollout will be slow. Why is this only a problem for AT&T and not Sprint, Verizon, Alltel or any other CDMA carrier? Why? Because that's not the problem. The problem is GSM. |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
1 edit | reply to gigahurtz
Re: No luck here
said by gigahurtz :I've had bad experiences with 3G here in Florida (Orlando and Jacksonville area). I love the iPhone but not impressed with the network. You and me both. I'm in North Carolina - with 5 bars of 3G service - and I drop calls like hot potatoes. I have only had my AT&T service for a few months, yet I never had this problem in over 6 years with Verizon/Sprint or Nextel ... even with a lower signal.
At first, I thought it may have been the iPhone, but I have an old LG GSM phone and even when I swap the SIM, I still drop calls or simply can't make them for a few hours. We have 2 iPhones in my house and they both experience the same issues, even if one of us is a block up the street at the store ... we still drop calls like crazy.
Luckily, the service is $100 or so cheaper than Verizon. |
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itguy05
join:2005-06-17
Camp Hill, PA | AT&T is fine
No issues in Central PA, S. Jersey and North Jersey.
AT&T works and has worked excellent. Much better than the "NOTwork". |
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Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| reply to tiger72
Re: Unimpressive
said by tiger72 :said by Gilitar :The only reasons I am with AT&T is the iPhone and the fact that I have so many friends with AT&T. Their 3G network is just plain awful. The only time I get good speeds is when everyone else is sleeping. I too have issues of dropping to edge frequently. I might very well give Sprint another chance in the next year if I can let go of my iPhone. There are a lot of people in your boat. ATT knows that as long as you're tethered to the iPhone, they can charge you out the ass for poor service, and you still won't go anywhere else. If by "out the ass" you mean 30%-40% less than a comparable Verizon plan, then I would agree. |
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fancydancer
Perception is reality
Premium
join:2002-08-28
Springfield, IL
clubs:
·Comcast
·Insight Communicat..
| Not impressed either
Our company recently switched from Sprint to AT&T. We all got Iphones. The 3G speeds and latency are downright terrible compared to Sprint. With AT&T, I have never had pings less than 500ms and 2000ms has been the norm. We only have had ATT for 2 weeks but so far their network leaves a lot to be desired. And I won't even start on voice quality. 
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Thank you for keeping this a work-free environment! |
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Hookem99
Deep In The Heart
join:2007-07-18
Pflugerville, TX
·ViaTalk
·AT&T U-Verse
·Suddenlink
·AT&T Southwest
| reply to tiger72
Re: Unimpressive
said by tiger72 : There are a lot of people in your boat. ATT knows that as long as you're tethered to the iPhone, they can charge you out the ass for poor service, and you still won't go anywhere else. You are exactly right.....and it sucks! Is it 2010 yet??
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Women think they are clever just because they can fake an orgasm for a relationship, whats the big deal a man can fake a whole relationship for an orgasm!!!! |
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pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | reply to amungus
Re: GSM
Wasn't AT&T's 3G network some sort of hack of CDMA?
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Blagojevich / Madoff 2012! |
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wifi4milez
Big Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY
·Verizon FIOS
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·RoadRunner Cable
·BroadVoice
| reply to dcdeadbeat
Re: slow network speeds are usually from the backhaul
said by dcdeadbeat :One thing that most people don't realize is that cell phone towers are usually attached to a single 1.5Mbps T1 line. Yes and no. I can tell you from personal experience that the mobile operators are no longer purchasing T1's to the towers whenever possible. They are all now using Ethernet due to its scalability regarding how much bandwidth each site can get. Of course, there are plenty of towers that still get T1's although that will change as time goes on.
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When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.
-Ronald Reagan-
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RR Conductor
RailRoadDude
Premium
join:2002-04-02
Redwood Valley, CA
·Comcast
| reply to amungus
Re: GSM
said by amungus :Is GSM to blame here, or something else? I'll admit, I'm not really a fan of GSM networks around here - have had several people's calls just drop for no apparent reason when they're using GSM phones; T-Mobile or AT&T. Even worse when on the edge of coverage, it seems far less reliable than CDMA, especially in "fringe" areas. Never had an issue w/my CDMA phone, even at large events like Lollapalooza last year (sponsored by AT&T) - granted, Chicago is also 'home turf' to my carrier, U.S. Cellular You're not too far off on the distance thing, GSM has a 22 mile hard limit on signal, but CDMA has no such limit and can travel further, people have reported getting CDMA at 30 miles+. |
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tiger72
SexaT duorP
Premium
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO
clubs:
·T-Mobile US
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to Matt
Re: Unimpressive
said by Matt :said by tiger72 :said by Gilitar :The only reasons I am with AT&T is the iPhone and the fact that I have so many friends with AT&T. Their 3G network is just plain awful. The only time I get good speeds is when everyone else is sleeping. I too have issues of dropping to edge frequently. I might very well give Sprint another chance in the next year if I can let go of my iPhone. There are a lot of people in your boat. ATT knows that as long as you're tethered to the iPhone, they can charge you out the ass for poor service, and you still won't go anywhere else. If by "out the ass" you mean 30%-40% less than a comparable Verizon plan, then I would agree. And yet more expensive than every other carrier - including TMO (better quality GSM/3g network) and Sprint (larger 3g network). Or is VZW the only wireless provider other than ATT now?
--
"What makes us omniscient? Have we a record of omniscience? ...If we can't persuade nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we'd better reexamine our reasoning."
-United States Secretary of Defense (1961-1968) Robert S. McNamara |
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