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Matthew Miller & Joel Evans
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Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver

By | February 21, 2011, 3:01am PST

Summary: Voice quality on Verizon’s network is fantastic, whereas the data experience is subpar

Since the Verizon iPhone hit general availability, I’ve been hearing from friends who were previous iPhone users about the Verizon iPhone experience. As expected, it seems that universally most of the feedback I’ve been receiving matches with my previous article on the subject: voice quality is great, whereas data is subpar.

To the point above, a recent article on Wired even highlighted results from the Speedtest.net app, where the AT&T iPhone’s average download speed was 1,769 kbps, compared to Verizon’s, which clocked in at 848 Kbps. The upload speeds were equally divided, with AT&T’s iPhone coming in at 730 Kbps, and Verizon’s delivering at 506 Kbps. Before you discount these results, keep in mind that the results came from 43,000 AT&T iPhone and 14,000 Verizon iPhones, throughout the United States.

If you were already a Verizon customer, and simply upgraded to the iPhone experience, chances are you’re loving the new iPhone 4. However, if you were an AT&T user, the noticeable speed difference, coupled with the fact that you can’t use data and talk at the same time, may be enough to send you back to the Verizon store in search of a refund.

On the subject of simultaneous data and voice, it seems that Apple has designed a tolerable experience for the hand-off between data and voice in that if your iPhone is in a 3G area, incoming calls will interrupt your data, and your phone will ring. Unfortunately, if you’re on 2G (1xRTT), though, your call will go straight to voice mail.

So, how’s the voice quality on Verizon’s iPhone? One friend recently upgraded to Verizon from his iPhone after experiencing three dropped calls in a row. In his words, “it’s great to be able to make a phone call!” He also placed an order for a signal booster for his home, so apparently he’s now a Verizon convert.

Did you pick up a Verizon iPhone? Why or why not? Also, share if you switched from one on AT&T.

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Topics

Verizon Communications Inc., AT&T Corp., Kbps, Verizon iPhone, Smart Phones, Telecommunications, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Joel Evans

With more than a decade of mobile, Internet and wireless experience, Joel specializes in taking existing brands and technologies into the mobile and wireless space.

Disclosure

Joel Evans

Joel is a serial entrepreneur with his most recent business, CronkSoftware (cronksoftware.com), focusing on consulting and building games and applications for mobile devices. Joel has consulted for Microsoft’s Windows Mobile division and advises other companies on how to incorporate mobile into their existing brands and products. Joel purchases many of his devices and others are sent for review on a 30-day loaner basis and then returned to the supplier. If any devices are provided as “keeper” Joel will clearly disclose this in his reviews.

Biography

Joel Evans

With more than a decade of mobile, Internet and wireless experience, Joel specializes in taking existing brands, technologies and services into the mobile and wireless space. Joel is currently serving as the Managing Director of Cronk Software, Inc., a company he founded to offer full-service, end-to-end mobile strategy, design and development services.

Joel is the former founder and "Chief Geek" of Geek.com, a website praised by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and others as one of world's best sources of information for technology professionals and enthusiasts.

Joel also serves as a technology expert for a number of well-known publications and regularly advises corporations, analysts, journalists and bloggers on what the future of technology will bring. He brings decades of relationships with leading game publishers, online communities and publishers, along with both hardware and software product management and delivery expertise. Joel can be found online as "JoelGeek" and you can follow him on Twitter @JoelGeek.

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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
FAULKNE 13th Oct
Good day to confirm this comment I would appreciate T h e b e s t o f Z D N e t d e l i v e r e d your website very nice to everyone Yes, Oracle is the only one with shared-disk architecture, but that is there advantage. It means you can add or remove nodes and the database lives on. In a shared nothing architecture, if you lose a node, you lose the system. I'm sure Oracle appreciates EMC highlighting their advantage.I also desire to signal in your RSS feeds. Thank you as soon as once again and maintain up the great operate Awesome post! Thank you very much || thanks for nice content this is really benefit to me.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
boondoggle69 Updated - 21st Feb 2011
I had an at&t iPhone. I travel a lot, so most of the time, I couldn't get anything but their edge connection. I decided to try Verizon for their 30 day free trial. Five days later, I paid
the ETF at at&t, and I've been with Verizon
since. The map is true. Aside from that? I did
not like the iPhone, and I won't be buying the Verizon iPhone.
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It is funny that Joel never wrote about "supbar" data on **Android** phones
DeRSSS Updated - 21st Feb 2011
@boondoggle69: the data speed was/is exactly the same as for iPhone 4 but there was nothing from Joel about it except advertisement of Android phones on Verizon, how these are all-around "better" than iPhone (for AT&T at the time).
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
comhunter 21st Feb 2011
I have an AT&T iPhone and won't be switching anytime soon. I stay mainly in Florida and don't have problems with voice or data as a rule. I am glad there's finally another carrier, which will distribute the load and garner some much needed competition. I'm definitely glad I picked up the 3gs when I did, since I have the unlimited data plan and am not having to worry about tiers and caps with AT&T or being slowed down by Verizon for current or future months if I use too much.
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Voice quality is not the same as holding on to a call.
itguy08 21st Feb 2011
I had an iPhone and have a Droid X. Prior to discontinuing the iPhone I did some A/B tests among the phones. The AT&T Voice QUALITY was a hair better than the Verizon one when you are in 3G.

The AT&T sounded bassy while the Verizon sounded a little tinny.

Now holding on to a call and not dropping is not voice quality. That's call quality.
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i remember...
banned from zdnet 21st Feb 2011
... all the pundits bashing att and apple and never mentioned the sub par data experience for smartphones on verizon. every android handset had these problems on verizon. now the iphone is on the verizon network and they make a big deal about it. seems that verizon isn't the superior carrier the apple haters all the time claimed it to be.
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ZDNet was hyping Andoid Verizon phones 24/7, but when it's Apple it's *bad*
DeRSSS Updated - 21st Feb 2011
@banned from zdnet: -- though data speed was/is the same. Nothing about "supbar" speed was mentioned in blog entries of oh-so-perfect Andoid phones.

So you are right; religious approach from ZDNet bloggers is obvious.
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Okay, but:
pfyearwood 21st Feb 2011
@denisrs Only two providers were given Royal Grants to sell iPhones and everyone, including ATT and Vorizon sells Android phones. If a user does not like the way an Android phone works on his/her system, they have the option to change or look for a better deal. iPhone users have no choice but to use either Frick or Frack. And nobody can change until their 2 year contract expires without paying a penalty.

Love my Tracfone. Don't have to make another payment, unless I use all my minutes, for another 227 days. And I can change my phone or my provider at anytime, no penalty.
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Not true. It's called the i-"phone" not the i-"data device"
John Zern 21st Feb 2011
@banned from zdnet
First and foremost it has to be able to make a reliable call, a complaint many AT&T users voiced it couldn't do all that great.

I don't check my email every 5 minutes, so if it takes 10 minutes to downlaoad my email as opposed to 7 minutes, so be it.

I'll never notice.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
Narg 22nd Feb 2011
@John Zern You don't need a Smartphone then. And you need to remove your opinion because it doesn't apply to these posts.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
sashamart Updated - 27th Sep
@banned from zdnet If you were already a Verizon customer, plumber santa rosa and simply upgraded to the iPhone experience, chances are youre loving the new iPhone 4. However, if you were an AT&T user, the noticeable speed difference, coupled with the fact that you cant use data and talk at the same time, may be enough to send you back to the Verizon store in search of a refund.

On the subject of simultaneous data and voice, it seems that Apple has designed a tolerable experience for the hand-off between data and voice in that if your iPhone is in a 3G area, incoming calls will interrupt your data, and your phone will ring. Unfortunately, if youre on 2G (1xRTT), though, your call will sacramento bankruptcy attorney go straight to voice mail.
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I have a Verizon Wireless Internet Radio (USB dongle)
jacarter3 21st Feb 2011
I have noticed that the data rates I could get have eroded steadily but most steeply since the iPhone was released for Verizon. It's my expectation that data rates for all smart phone carriers will continue to diminish as more users connect and demand more bandwidth.
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The only reason this is news is because the tech
fr_gough 21st Feb 2011
press DELIBERATELY spiked Verizon's sub-par data technology in their jihad against AT&T.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
rhonin 21st Feb 2011
For me I had too many billing surprises from Verizon so I switched to ATT and have been happy ever since.
I do a lot of traveling coast to coast and seldom have an issue.
That said, I do use my Android phone more for business as it handles calls and work stuff better than my iphone, but I enjoy both.

On ATT with an i4 and a Nexus One.....
Getting the Atrix soon (yes, I have the ATT 4G in my area).
happy
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Too little too late, 4G LTE Androids will make data a non-issue
don@... Updated - 21st Feb 2011
I too was on AT&T for years and switched to Verizon a few years back so I could make calls from within my home and avoid dropped calls. And that is exactly what happened. When calling from home, most folks assume I am on a land-line. Don't think I have ever dropped a call since.

While my Blackberry Tour is a great phone and PDA, I would have purchased an iPhone years ago had they been available on Verizon. But now that Android models are coming of age, I will choose one of those for my next phone. Having used Verizon's 4G LTE network all over Atlanta including way out in the suburbs as speeds that exceed my home cable connection, data speed will no longer be a question until AT&T can catch up. Let's just say I don't look for "free WiFi" signs anymore. Apple had their chance but waited too long to make friends with AT&T. For me, they waited too long. With Apple's release rate, it will be quite a while before they offer a 4G phone on Verizon so Android, here I come.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
Narg 22nd Feb 2011
@don@... AT&T will have LTE about 6 to 12 months after Verizon. AND, with better technology and a better radio spectrum so that when AT&T LTE is the rule the dropped calls issues will soon be a Verizon problem and not AT&T.
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LTE is LTE and both carriers using 700MHz spectrum
otaddy 22nd Feb 2011
@Narg Sorry, but your facts are erroneous.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
kevin.nichols@... 22nd Feb 2011
the AT&T LTE is the same as the current Verizon LTE network. This link is an article on how they are the same.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/03/19/urnidgns852573c400693880002576ea00771eb-idUS9365863220100319?pageNumber=1
AT&T will expand to other radio spectrums in the future. Verizon will be going to LTE Advanced starting in 2012, which is the true 4g network, before they modified the standard to allow the current technologies to be called 4g when they did not meet the specifications.
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No Verizon for me
jwillum Updated - 21st Feb 2011
I have never experienced major problems with dropped calls with AT&T and my iPhone. However, Verizon would not work for me as I would have to wander around my house with the phone held high trying to get 1 bar.
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My iPhone never drops a call
Ron Burgundey 21st Feb 2011
All my friends with Verizon iPhones do have trouble making calls, no matter where we are at.

This is just another slam story against Apple.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
statuskwo5 21st Feb 2011
@Ron Burgundey You mean AT&T?
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
Narg 22nd Feb 2011
@statuskwo5 No he means Verizon. The Verizon iPhones are the one's not able to place a call no matter where they are.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
Ron Burgundy 21st Feb 2011
@Ron Burgundey

Hey

Cyberslammer3
Trickytom3
Sonofasailor
Ron Bergundy
Ron Bergundey

You're a lame piece of crap, and the fact ZDNet can't stop you losers from stalking proves this site is pure garbage.

Ratting out the fakers.
0 Votes
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And yet did you not start your membership as Cyberslammer
Mister Spock 21st Feb 2011
@Ron Burgundy
and after being removed from these boards for your constant trolling, rejoined as Cyberslammer2, so as to continue that which had you removed?
plain
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Hey, Ron - er, I mean Cyberlsammer2,
SonofaSailor 21st Feb 2011
@Ron Burgundy

Speaking of being a lame piece of crap, and stalking people...do the names:

Sonofasailorsdad and Sonofasai1or mean anything to you?

they should, they were a few of the usernames you said "you and your office created to go around trolling and stalking people on these boards with"

Whatever happened to Cyberslammer2? did he finally get tired of being made to look like an idiot? and what of your coworkers? did they grow tired of your incessant, childish behavior?

You = EPIC FAIL.

Mister Spock, FTW!
  • Flagged
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Data speed is being overhyped, while coverage maps continue to suck
ArtInvent 21st Feb 2011
Sorry, but it's a phone. Why do you need extraordinary data speeds? What I need is a phone that makes calls when I'm out, and maybe some map data on trips, but moreover ALWAYS or nearly always has a decent signal strenth. The VZ network seems to keep up pretty well for that. Moreover, I can make calls without dropping. Every single person I've known with an iPhone on ATT drops calls around the LA area and central Calif.

Not to say that VZ is that great. It's just the least bad of a whole lot of bad. Where I am (15 min from downtown LA, I can get a VZ signal okay, ATT is iffy, Sprint and TMO are practically nonexistent. What I would really like to see is a TRULY solid 3G penetration. I mean, these carriers can't even blanket an urban area like LA dependably with one 3G band, yet they are abandoning the the3G buildout for 4G, which I am quite sure will have equally dismal penetration maps, if history is any guide, until they decide to switch whole hog to 5g. This seems to bode for the situation where we will get ever faster speeds but signal access will never really improve and may in fact get worse.
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No, it's not just a phone. If all people wanted was a phone
fr_gough 21st Feb 2011
they'd grab some Nokia or motorola basic model that came free with their contract. They want a phone that lets them do the internet. That's why they bought an iPhone/Android in the first place. So just kill this stupid myth that the only thing that counts is making a call. It just makes you look like a fool every time you utter it.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
Narg 22nd Feb 2011
@ArtInvent I used to be that stupid too. A real Smartphone with a Real user makes all the difference in the World. Get with it.
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Did you average in all the 0 kbps's from AT&T
spark555 21st Feb 2011
Yes, when you can GET a signal, AT&T's network can be faster.

But lots of times, your datarate (and call rate) on AT&T is zero. Did those 0's get averaged into the speed numbers?
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Sticking With AT&T
Ktroje 21st Feb 2011
I use data more than I call, so a faster broadband connection means more to me than being able to hold a 3 hour phone conversation (which I do anyway, thank you AT&T).

What has me fired up is the blatant double standards. Like a few other commenters noticed, where is this "negative" among any of the other SACRED Verizon phones mentioned? Why aren't any of the Android phones on AT&T given praise for better data speeds than their Verizon equivalent? Nope, it's just the iPhone. ONLY the iPhone.

What makes this even MORE moronic is that we all knew about this, years ago, and was ablaze in the days/weeks after the official announcement. In summary;

"If the iPhone ever comes to Verizon, we can expect slower mobile data speeds, due to the difference in GSM/CDMA network hardware."

Well, here we are, iPhone 4 on AT&T and Verizon, and look at that! Someone has to belittle the iPhone because Verizon can't deliver the data speeds of AT&T (speaking strictly over 3G, for all the idiots who'll try and quote LTE speeds as though they're relevant).

And even this summer, you'll all compare oranges to Apples (yes, same old bad pun) saying your Verizon iPhone 5 is SOOO much better than the AT&T iPhone 5, comparing Verizon's "true" 4G LTE network to AT&T's falsely-named "4G" (3.5G) HSPA+ network. BUT THAT'LL BE FAIR TO ZDNET because Verizon always comes out on top of AT&T, however they have to contort the facts.
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Sprint is awesome...
condelirios 21st Feb 2011
Very Very Fast 4G data on my EVO! happy Now... if only it had more battery!
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
Narg 22nd Feb 2011
@condelirios Slower than AT&T 3G though. But you wouldn't know unless you did the tests too...
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
xxris 21st Feb 2011
what are your top 10 iPhone apps.
Please leave a comment at below link:
http://vs-technologyhub.blogspot.com/2011/02/best-10-iphone-apps.html
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Not me, but my Sister
Narg Updated - 22nd Feb 2011
I'm a long time AT&T user, never been upset with their service to speak of. My sister works for Verizon though, so she jumped on the iPhone 4 when it hit the Verizon shelves. We too see the data differences. But not always, as it turns out data in her house is better on her Verizon phone than it is on my AT&T. Though we've known about tower issues with AT&T around her house for years. Everywhere else though my AT&T iPhone is much better in all aspects. Even voice. She has had a few dropped calls with her Verizon iPhone already. And seeing real info gathered on dropped calls where Verizon is only about 1/2% better, I just DO NOT BUY the Verizon makes better calls B.S. Sound quality is identical between her iPhone and mine too. So in the end, this whole Verizon is better stuff is a bunch of bull. Plain and simple. Sure it might be better in one home over another, but in the end it's all a wash. Even the Verizon customer stated in the article needed a "Signal Booster" for goodness sakes!

I'll stick with AT&T. They've been good for me for many years, and continue to give me the service I need.
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Do you work for ATT?
otaddy 22nd Feb 2011
@Narg You are quite the cheerleader for ATT.

The fact is, all the carriers have varying coverage depending on your location. ATT is no different than any of the other big carriers.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
nbkz81f 4th Mar 2011
I have my first iPhone and had to go with Verizon. ATT only has roming in my area for both voice and data. I had an Android phone with a different carrier and I am happy with my iPhone. It doesn't hang like the android and the battery is better. As for the speed I can't judge that. I do know it seems better on the Verizon network than on wifi.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
AdanaLy Updated - 1st Sep
ggfgggfNow, if the daughter had her contacts stored in her Mac's Address Book or on the MobileMe cloud, there's just no need for her to reenter those manually and I strongly doubt that the Genius employee would have suggested it. Thankfully the iPhone/iTunes sync features give this extra level of redundancy, but you have those sync features turned on, and you have plug your phone into your computer once in a while.
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
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RE: Where Verizon's iPhone doesn't deliver
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