

AT&T might just have the best 3G network in the US - cwan
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/02/23/surprise-att-might-just-have-the-best-3g-network-in-the-us/

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marshally
My anecdotal evidence is that in Dallas my AT&T iPhone drops about 50% of all
calls I make that last longer than 5 minutes.

I am weary of AT&T's recent marketing barrage that boasts of impressive
download speeds.

Seriously. When was the last time you heard anyone complain about downloads
taking too long on AT&T? Even the above referenced study defines 'reliability'
as 'the likelihood that a user can connect to the Internet at a reasonable
speed.'

Like I give a crap.

AT&T's plain and simple problem is call reliability. Not download speeds. Not
the ability to make or sustain a broadband connection.

It's there miserably voice service that has me contemplating to leave my
beloved iPhone behind and run to pick up a Palm Pre on Verizon. For the
record, I think the Palm Pre is an inferior phone. But I'd like to be able to
make phone calls with some confidence that they will be completed.

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gojomo
AT&T San Francisco 'reliability': 55%

That's the lowest 'reliability' number in the chart for any carrier, any
region. It's 23 points below AT&T's next-worse region, Denver, at 78%.

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mortenjorck
What I don't understand is why AT&T doesn't just upgrade or build some towers
in SF. As you point out, it's an absurd statistical outlier for their metro
networks, and the peninsula isn't even all that big compared to some sprawling
places like LA, from which I've never read any complaints about AT&T service.

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jsz0
Not sure how it is in SF but in most of the US it's very difficult to get the
permits/public approval required to build new towers. Existing towers have
strict load limits for weight and wind resistance and often require structural
testing/upgrades for _any_ work to be done. Verizon seems to manage so I'm not
acquitting AT&T of any responsibility here but it's another example of US laws
& regulations being incredibly unfriendly to infrastructure development. Of
course these towers should be safe so some of these regulations are completely
valid. I'm more concerned about the privately owned towers whose owners simply
don't want to spend the money on new construction or the communities where a
small group of civic minded folks are able to stop the construction of new
towers for the sole reason that their appearance offends them. We're going to
get left behind in this world if we keep this mindset up.

